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

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THE TRUTH

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THE TRUTH

JOSH

The call came just as I was leaving practice.

“Mr. Saunders?”

“Yeah, this is him.” I balanced my duffel on my shoulder, pushing open the car door.

“This is Officer Ruiz with the Austin PD. We have a woman in custody, Vivien, who listed you as her emergency contact.”

I stopped mid–motion, gripping the door frame. “What?”

“She was picked up outside a coffee shop after causing a scene. Barista called it in–said she was aggressively confronting a blonde woman, screaming at her.” The officer

hesitated. “She’s requesting that you come down to the station.’

I clenched my jaw so tight I thought my teeth might crack.

“What does she want from me?”

“She’s insisting that you validate her story. That she’s not crazy.”

I scrubbed a hand down my face. “Jesus Christ.”

The drive to the station was a blur of anger and disbelief. I knew Vivien was struggling, but this? It was unhinged. I had a bad feeling in my gut, one that only grew worse when they led me down a hallway toward the holding cells.

THE TRUTH

11 ******

“She’s in here,” the officer said, stopping in front of the cell.

stomach. Her usually perfect raven hair was a mess, her makeup smudged like she had

she froze. Her red–rimmed eyes snapped to mine, her face crumpling into desperate relief.

crazy. That we love each other! That we‘ re supposed to be a family!” Her voice cracked, her hands

my

for us. Don’t you see that?” Her voice grew frantic. “You just have to tell them, Josh! Tell them it’s not

silence stretched between us.

hard?”

started pacing again, her breaths

beside me shifted uncomfortably, just as

as I was.

Then Vivien stopped.

head, her dark eyes glistening with something

you recognize me?”

down

“What?”

A breathy laugh escaped her lips. “I was

world tilted for

No.

wasn’t possible.

always in the background. Listening

what the fuck are

closer to the bars, a twisted smile

her a little sedation at the beginning. Just to make sure she didn’t wake up. But that was only once to twice…I

turned ice cold.

into fists at my sides, rage boiling under my

THE TRUTH

11 288 Vouchers

swallowed hard, my voice like gravel. “You

lips parted, her face slack

your sister you were thinking about moving to Texas. Sol did the research, found the right school, got the job-” She let out a small, breathy laugh. “It

Perfect.

her way into

had kept Laura in a coma.

myself to stay still,