“I’m not getting rid of Dylan—” Jace starts to shout before Oakley takes over.

“Cut the shit, B.” He takes a big swig of his orange juice. “Dylan’s my fam, and I’m not gonna sit here and let you keep taking jabs at her. You have a problem with her, you have a problem with me.” He narrows his eyes. “Capice?”

Glaring at him, she takes a giant bite of her apple and chews. “Wow, someone’s awfully salty about last night.”

Awkward.

Oakley’s jaw tics. “You just had to bring that up.”

Jace looks between them. “What happened last night?”

They both clamp their mouths shut.

He’s bound to hear about it sooner or later. Here goes nothing.

“Bianca made out with Hayley.”

“Hayley?” Stunned, Jace turns to Oak. “Your ex-girlfriend Hayley?”

He sulks. “Yup.”

Jace looks at me next. “You let her make-out with a girl at a party?”

Frankly, I’m not sure what the big deal is. I, for one, am a huge supporter of her newfound lesbianism.

If Bianca’s gay, it means she won’t want to mess around with any guys…ergo less stress for her big brothers.

Besides, what does he want me to do? Lock her up in the basement? Forbid her to have any contact with the human race?

I open my mouth to speak, but Bianca beats me to it.

“In Cole’s defense, he told me not to hook up with any guys. He never said anything about girls, though.” Smirking, she adds, “Plus, it’s not like he was there. He was too busy hanging out with his new girlfriend, Sawyer.”

On second thought, maybe locking her up in the basement isn’t such a bad idea after all. There would be way less shit for her to stir up from down there.

I can tell the exact moment he processes what she said because the little vein in his forehead makes an appearance. “Sawyer? As in Dylan’s best friend, Sawyer?”

“Do you know any other Sawyers?”

“I told you to stay away from her.”

“You also told me not to fuck Mrs. Bennett, but she ended up giving me an A in history.”

“Holy shit. You fucked Cortland’s mom?” Bianca exclaims.

We both ignore her.

“Look,” Jace starts. “Dylan doesn’t want you hanging around Sawyer. Not after what you did to her.”

“I’m sorry, last I checked, I’m a big boy and Dylan doesn’t get to make decisions for me.”

“Yeah,” Bianca cheers.

Jace’s gaze swings her way. “Go upstairs.”

“Whatever.” She fixes her stare on Oakley. “I’m gonna call Hayley and see if she wants to hang out.”

Oakley makes a low growling sound as she scampers away. When she’s out of earshot, he says, “Hayley’s a sweet girl, Jace. You need to put an end to that shit.”

Truth be told, I get why he’s uneasy about the whole thing. Hayley might be two years older than Bianca, but Bianca is…Bianca.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out things probably won’t end well once Bianca decides she’s had enough and moves on.

Huffing out a breath, Jace motions to me. “Yeah, after I put out the other fire.”

“Me dating Sawyer isn’t a fire.”

It’s a motherfucking atomic bomb. One I can’t wait to drop on Cortland’s dumbass come Monday.

Jace doesn’t look amused. “I don’t want you dating Sawyer. You’ve already hurt the girl enough. Stay away from her.”

Oakley nods in agreement. “He’s right. Short stack is cool peeps. It’s not cool to fuck with her head.”

I wasn’t aware they were her personal security guards. “I’m not fucking with her head.”

“Right,” Jace scoffs. “You—the guy who’s only ever dated cheerleaders and models—just so happens to be dating a girl who looks like Sawyer…right after Casey dumps you publicly. Sorry, little brother. I don’t buy it for a second.”

“Suspect as fuck,” Oakley chimes in.

Technically, I dumped Casey, but I don’t bring that up because it will only give them more fodder.

“What’s wrong with the way Sawyer looks?” I counter instead.

Jace opens and closes his mouth like a fish before he says, “Nothing. She’s just…” He looks to Oakley for help.

“Got more cushion for the pushin’ than your usual type,” Oak finishes for him. “Plus, everyone knows Casey hates her guts.”

“Exactly,” Jace exclaims. “So why don’t you cut the shit and tell me what’s really going on here?”

“Nothing is going on,” I deadpan, because I’m sure as fuck not going to tell them the truth now. “Did it ever occur to either of you bozos that maybe—just maybe—I’m really into her?”

“If you were into her, you wouldn’t have called her fat in front of the whole school and denied hooking up with her,” Oakley unhelpfully notes.

You know you’re in trouble when Oakley starts making sense.

Jace’s features grow taut. “Don’t do this, Cole.”

Frustration rises in my chest. “Do what? Date someone I like?”

“Use her to get back at Casey.”

“I’m not using her.”

It’s not using someone if they give you permission.

Not that Sawyer has…yet.

Chapter 19

Sawyer

My fingers press on the ivory keys, filling the church with the melodic chords of “One of Us” by Joan Osborne.

It’s one of my all-time favorite songs, despite some controversy surrounding it.

For me, it’s simply a reminder to treat everyone with kindness and love.

Making sure no one is around; I take a breath and start singing the opening bars.

I close my eyes, letting the music and profound lyrics flow through me like a current.

When I get to the chorus—the one that asks the almighty philosophical question—I tap the pedal and belt it out from the tips of my toes, singing like no one’s listening, because no one is.

“Your nanna loved that song.”

Except my granddaddy.

I should have known better. I love the man, but I’m convinced he’s half minister, half ninja.

I make room for him on the bench and he sits down beside me.

“You sound like an angel. You should sing it for next Sunday’s service.”

He’s been trying to get me to sing an entire song solo for the last ten years, but I’ve made excuses every time.

“Nah. Mrs. Feeble already asked Uncle Andrew if the choir could sing it a few months ago, but he said the song wasn’t appropriate for a church service.”

Whereas my granddaddy—who’s technically retired—is more lenient with things, my uncle—the head minister—is strictly by the book and highly opposed to what he calls, new age stuff.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe they’re father and son given they couldn’t be more different from one another.

He tuts. “Nonsense. His mother used to listen to it all the time.”