Chapter 7: What the hell just happened?

Skye

Jace turns to look at me, his gaze lingering a little longer than necessary. Then he says, “I will be right back, wait for me.”

Without waiting for my response, he disappears around the corner with Ethan.

The hallway falls silent, and I remain exactly where I am. My feet refuse to move.

My eyes stay fixed on the empty corner where the two brothers vanished, as if Jace might suddenly come back and tell me all of this is a ridiculous joke.

He doesn't.

A long, shaky breath escapes my lips. What the hell just happened?

I blink slowly, trying to piece together everything that happened in the last thirty minutes.

I woke up in Jace’s bed. Found out I’d lost my virginity. Discovered I’d mistaken Jace for Ethan. Got caught by Tiffany. I slapped her; she slapped me back. Jace defended me. Deleted Tiffany’s post.

Then...

My girlfriend. The word echoes inside my head. “Skye is my girlfriend now.”

“No…,” the whisper slips out before I even realize I'm speaking.

I shake my head. No. There’s no way Jace Knight just called me his girlfriend. Not Jace. Not the boy who spent years making sure I knew I meant nothing.

I still remember the first time he made me cry. I was ten.

My shoelaces had come undone during recess, and before I could tie them, he stepped on one lace just as I tried to walk away.

I fell face-first into the grass. Everyone laughed, including him. He said he enjoyed tormenting me.

Then there was middle school. He hid my science project the morning it was due.

I searched the entire classroom before finding it stuffed inside the janitor’s closet.

He stood in the hallway, leaning casually against the lockers, watching me panic without saying a word.

And high school...

He never missed a chance to throw sarcastic comments my way. If Ethan smiled at me, Jace rolled his eyes.

If Ethan talked to me, Jace found a reason to interrupt.

If I was near the football field, Jace somehow made me leave feeling embarrassed. He made my life miserable for years. So why?

Why would someone like him suddenly defend me? Why delete Tiffany’s post? Why stand between us? Why tell everyone I was his girlfriend?

Nothing makes sense. Unless...

My stomach twists. This has to be another prank.

The realization hits me so suddenly that my chest tightens. Of course. That must be it.

Jace Knight doesn’t wake up one morning and become a good person. He’s planning something.

Maybe he’ll dump me in front of everyone. Maybe he’ll laugh and tell the entire campus it was all a joke. Maybe...

I squeeze my eyes shut. Stop. I can’t keep doing this to myself. One disaster at a time.

My cheek throbs where Tiffany hit me.

My wrist still tingles from where Jace grabbed it to keep me from falling.

Even now, I can still feel the warmth of his hand.

I immediately rub the spot with my thumb as if trying to erase the memory.

“What is wrong with me?” I whisper to myself.

For years, I dreamed Ethan would one day look at me the way I always looked at him. Instead, I woke up in his brother’s bed.

And somehow, I’m leaving today with a boyfriend I never agreed to have.

A bitter laugh escapes me. If someone had told me yesterday morning this would be my life by sunrise, I would have called them insane.

I slowly slide down the wall until I’m sitting on the cold floor, hugging my knees against my chest.

For the first time since opening my eyes this morning, there is no shouting. No insults. No cameras. Just silence.

And somehow, the silence hurts even more.

***********

Jace

The moment we turn the corner, the noise from the dormitory fades behind us. I don’t stop walking. Neither does Ethan.

The silence between us is heavy. It lasts until we reach the empty practice field behind the athletic building.

“Enough.” His voice is calm, too calm.

I stop. Turning around, I find him staring at me with narrowed eyes.

“What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

A humorless laugh escapes him. “Really?” He folds his arms across his chest. “You announced to half the campus that Skye Bennett is your girlfriend.”

“I remember.”

“So explain it.”

I shrug. “There’s nothing to explain.”

“The hell there isn’t.” He steps closer. “You’ve spent years acting like she didn’t exist.”

“I never acted like she didn’t exist.”

“No?” His eyebrows raise. “You bullied her since elementary school.”

The words hit harder than I expect, and I look away. “I wasn’t bullying her.”

Ethan stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You made her cry.”

“I know.”

“You embarrassed her. You called her names.”

“Yes, I did.” Why does admitting that make my chest tighten?

Each answer makes his frown deepen. “Then why are you standing there acting like you did her a favor today?”

I drag a hand through my hair. “I fixed my mistake.”

His expression freezes. “What?”

I don’t answer because I shouldn’t have said that.

Ethan studies me for several seconds. “When did this happen?”

“What?”

“This.” He gestures toward me impatiently, “Whatever this is.”

I pretend not to understand. “I don’t follow.”

“Don’t play games with me.” His voice sharpens.

“You don’t wake up one morning and publicly dump Tiffany for a girl you’ve supposedly hated for years.”

I remain silent.

“You slept with her.” Not a question, but a fact.

I nod once.

His jaw tightens. “So that’s why.”

“No.”

“No?” He laughs. “Then tell me another reason.”

“There isn’t one.”

“You’re impossible.” He turns away, rubbing the back of his neck before facing me again. “Did you force her?”

The question lands like a punch. I step toward him so quickly he actually takes half a step back. “Watch your mouth.”

His eyes widen slightly. “So you didn’t.”

“No.”

“Then what happened?”

I hesitate. “She came into my room.”

“Knowing it was your room?”

I shake my head. “She was drunk.”

His shoulders relax slightly. “And you?”

“I was drunk too.”

He exhales. “So neither of you knew what you were doing.”

“No.”

Silence stretches between us. Finally, Ethan speaks again.

“Does she know?”

“Know what?”

“That you told everyone she’s your girlfriend to protect her.”

I don’t answer because I honestly don’t know if that’s the only reason anymore.

He notices my silence immediately. His eyes narrow. “Jace…”

I look away. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t know why I did it.” That’s the closest I’ve come to the truth all day. “I saw everyone laughing at her.” I pause. “And I snapped.”

Ethan searches my face. For the first time in years, he isn’t looking at me like his twin brother. He’s looking at me like a stranger.

“You care about her.” It’s a quiet statement.

I laugh once. Cold. “If I cared about her…” I stop myself. Too close. Too dangerous.

Ethan catches that, too. “If you cared about her… what?”

I shake my head. “Forget it.”

“No.” He steps in front of me again. “You’ve been hiding something for years.”

“I haven’t.”

“You have.”

His voice softens. “You’re my brother.”

“I know when you’re lying.”

I meet his eyes. “So do I.”

That makes him pause. “What does that mean?”

“It means you’ve been pretending not to notice something.”

His brows knit together. “What?”

I hold his gaze for a long moment, then I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter.”

He exhales in frustration. “You’re unbelievable.”

Maybe. But if there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years, it’s that, some things are better when left buried.