Chapter 8 - THE GRATITUDE

Jules POV

I'm walking past the student union when I hear Ethan's voice drifting from the outdoor seating area.

"I can't believe I didn't see it coming," he's saying.

I should keep walking. Should go straight to Maya's dorm and pretend I never heard anything. But something in his tone sounded raw and wounded. It makes me stop behind the brick pillar that separates the walkway from the patio.

"You couldn't have known," comes Veronica's voice, dripping with false sympathy. "Jules has always been good at hiding her true nature."

My blood turns to ice. I peer around the corner and see them sitting at one of the metal tables—Ethan with his head in his hands, Veronica leaning forward with practiced concern etched across her perfect features.

"I trusted her," Ethan continues. "My own sister. I brought Adrian home for dinner, introduced him to the family, and the whole time they were plotting behind my back."

"You have such a good heart," Veronica says, reaching across the table to touch his arm. "You see the best in people. That's not your fault—that's what makes you special."

I want to vomit. The way she's looking at him, like he is a victim she's been circling for months.

"Two months," Ethan shakes his head. "They were together for two months, and I had no clue. What kind of brother does that make me?"

"The kind who trusts too easily," Veronica replies softly. "Jules took advantage of that. She knew you'd never suspect your innocent little sister of seducing your best friend."

Seducing. There's that word again, like I'm some kind of predator who stalked Adrian through the shadows.

"I keep thinking about all the times she asked about him," Ethan says. "Casual questions about practice, about his classes. I thought she was just being friendly."

"She was gathering intelligence," Veronica's voice hardens with manufactured anger. "Planning her attack. God, Ethan, she played you both like a chess game."

My hands shake as I press myself closer to the pillar. This is what she's been waiting for—her chance to rewrite history with herself as the hero and me as the villain.

"I should have protected him," Ethan continues. "Adrian's been through enough shit without my sister messing with his head."

"How could you have known she'd be so manipulative?" Veronica asks. "Everyone thinks Jules is this sweet, innocent coach's daughter. But girls like that—girls who've never been told no—they're dangerous when they want something."

Girls like that. Like I'm a species she's studied from a distance, cataloging my weaknesses for exactly this moment.

"She probably thought it would be fun," Veronica continues, her voice taking on a gossipy edge. "Corrupting the bad boy transfer. Playing with fire. She never considered what it would cost him."

"His scholarship's on the line," Ethan says heavily. "Coach is furious. One more screw-up and Adrian's gone."

"And that's all on Jules," Veronica says firmly. "She knew the rules. She knew the consequences. But she didn't care because she's never had to face real consequences for anything."

The casual cruelty in her voice makes my chest ache. This is my brother—my brother—nodding along as his childhood friend tears me apart piece by piece.

"I can't even look at her," Ethan admits. "When I think about her sneaking around, lying to my face, using Adrian to get back at Dad for something."

"Wait," I whisper, stepping slightly closer. "Get back at Dad?"

"She's always resented the attention football gets," Ethan continues. "Always felt like she came second to the team. This was probably her way of proving she could take something away from us."

My heart stops. He actually believes I started a relationship with Adrian as some kind of revenge plot against our family.

"That makes perfect sense," Veronica says, and I can hear the satisfaction in her voice. "She saw how much Adrian meant to you, how much Dad invested in him, and she couldn't stand it. So she decided to destroy it."

"Jesus," Ethan runs his hands through his hair. "My own sister."

"I'm so sorry, Ethan," Veronica says softly. "I hated having to show you those photos. I debated for weeks about whether to tell you."

"I'm glad you did," Ethan replies. "I needed to know what kind of person she really is."

"I just couldn't watch her destroy your friendship with Adrian," Veronica continues. "You two have such a special bond. The way you look out for each other, trust each other it' beautiful. I couldn't let her poison that."

She's good. Really good. Positioning herself as the protector of male friendship while positioning me as the toxic feminine influence that threatens sacred brotherhood.

"You saved us from worse damage," Ethan says, and I hear genuine gratitude in his voice. "If this had gone on longer, if more people had gotten involved..."

"I'll always have your back," Veronica promises. "That's what real friends do."

Real friends. The implication being that I—his sister am not a real friend. Not real family. Just a threat that needed to be neutralized.

"I don't know how to face Adrian," Ethan admits. "He's my best friend, but knowing Jules got her claws into him..."

"He's a victim in this too," Veronica says quickly. "Jules is beautiful, charming, connected. What nineteen-year-old guy wouldn't be tempted? She probably made him feel special, chosen."

The way she reduces our relationship to manipulation and exploitation makes me physically sick. Like Adrian had no agency, no choice, no genuine feelings.

Like what we had meant nothing.

"You're right," Ethan says slowly. "He's probably beating himself up about this. I should talk to him."

"Just remember," Veronica says carefully, "he's going to be embarrassed. Ashamed. Don't let him think you blame him for falling into her trap."

Her trap. I'm a spider now, apparently. A predator who ensnared poor, innocent Adrian in my web.

"I won't," Ethan promises. "This is Jules' fault, not his."

The certainty in his voice breaks something inside me. My own brother has completely rewritten our family history to cast me as the villain and himself as the victim.

"Thank you," Ethan says suddenly. "For telling me. For being honest when no one else would."

"Of course," Veronica replies, and I can practically hear her smile. "I care about you too much to let you get hurt."

There it is. The payoff she's been working toward for months. Ethan's gratitude, his trust, his belief that she—not his own sister—has his best interests at heart.

I back away from the pillar and stumble down the walkway, their voices fading behind me. My vision blurs as the full scope of Veronica's victory becomes clear.

She didn't just expose my relationship with Adrian. She orchestrated my complete destruction, positioning herself as the concerned friend who saved Ethan from his manipulative sister.

And he bought it. Every word.

By the time I reach Maya's dorm, I'm shaking so hard I can barely press the buzzer.

"Jules?" Maya's voice crackles through the intercom. "Come up."

I climb three flights of stairs on unsteady legs, each step heavier than the last.

Maya takes one look at my face and pulls me inside.

"What happened?" she asks.

"I just watched my brother thank Veronica Clarke for destroying my life," I say, my voice hollow. "And realized she won."

"Won what?"

I sink onto her couch, finally understanding the scope of what I'm up against.

"Everything," I whisper. "She won everything."

Because while I was falling in love, Veronica was playing a completely different game. And now she has exactly what she's always wanted—Ethan's complete trust and gratitude, earned by eliminating the one person who stood in her way. And I’m just starting to understand what she’s planning to do with it.