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.

his voice softer than I

say to you," I

out," he pleaded. "I need

you pretended to care about me, only to treat me like

what happened, and you know it," he said, frustration creeping into his voice. "Just, let's talk face-to-face."

part of me needed to hear what he had to say to understand why he had hurt me.

morning's events pressing down on me. My phone buzzed again, and I glared at the

you know

exactly where. The tree house. Our old fort.

a

Me: FINE

were rarely home, and Josh and I had learned

I applied to a

did Luke," he beamed, and my dad immediately derailed our conversation, diving into

"Hun," she said, pulling my dad's attention. "We need to change.

I dropped my pizza and pushed

I knew it was childish, but I needed my parents. I needed my mother.

face. The hurt and anger bubbled up, and I buried my face in my

III

CHATTER #1

again, and I glared at the screen through

see

my tears. I didn't want to go, but something inside me pushed me to get up and face him. I glanced at the clock. 21:00. I had time

breath, I stood up and went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face. I looked at my reflection, seeing the sadness and hurt in my eyes. As good as it's going

contemplated calling Laura, but I couldn't risk her saying anything to Josh now that they were... whatever they were.