Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

CHAPTER 41 JESS

Lying on my bed, I scrolled aimlessly through my feed, trying to distract myself from the turmoil inside me. The morning had been a whirlwind, and I was still reeling

from the confrontation with Luke. My thoughts were a chaotic mess, making it impossible to focus on anything for more than a few seconds.

Suddenly, a message popped up on my screen, causing my heart to skip a beat.

Luke: Jess. We need to talk.

I stared at the message, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. The last thing I wanted was to talk to him, especially after everything that had happened. I locked my phone and threw it beside me on the bed, taking a deep breath to calm myself. But my phone pinged again, making my heart race.

Luke: Jessica. Just answer the phone.

Anger surged through me, fueled by the frustration and hurt that had been building all morning. I grabbed my phone and typed back furiously.

Me: NO

I sent the message, hoping it would be enough to deter him. But within seconds, his name flashed across the screen. He was calling me.

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I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the "Decline" button. But something inside me-maybe curiosity, maybe the need for closure-made me swipe to answer.

"What do you want, Luke?" I snapped, not bothering to hide my anger.

said, his voice softer than I expected, filled with desperation

say to you," I

hear me out," he pleaded. "I

pretended to care about me, only to treat me

know it," he said, frustration creeping

taking a deep breath. Part of me wanted to hang up, to block him out of my life completely. But another part of me needed to hear what he

events pressing down

11:30- you know

exactly where. The tree house. Our old

a reluctant

Me: FINE

was pizza, and we sat around the table like a normal family who did this all the time. But the truth was far from it. My parents were rarely home, and Josh and I had learned

chewed on a piece of pizza and swallowed hard. "Yeah. I applied to a few places on the East Coast," I

did Luke," he beamed, and my dad

stopped listening, my mother tapping away on her tablet. "Hun," she said, pulling my dad's attention. "We need to change. the flight to next

too good to be true. I dropped

was too good to be true. Why even bother coming back at all," I mumbled, storming off to my room. I knew it was childish, but I needed my parents. I needed my mother. I needed to tell her what happened with Bryan, to have her hug me and tell

my face. The hurt and anger bubbled

III

CHATTER #1

and I glared at the screen through blurry

see you

away my tears. I didn't want to go, but something inside me pushed me to get up and face him.

I stood up and went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face. I looked

to Josh now that they were... whatever