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Broken Ties 85
“It’s fine. Isn’t it, Sofia?”“Yeah, I guess.”“Aaron is at the bar if you want to get drinks.”“Great.” Eli grinned. “We’ll do that.”“So what’s the deal with the two of them?” Ezra asked, watching the two of them walk off.“What do you mean?” I asked.“What? No one else picked up on it. They’re—”“Not ready to be outed by the likes of you, E.”“Fair enough. But they don’t need to hide it on my account.”“Hide what— oh. Oh. That’s why he was such an ass that night.” Realization dawned in Sofia’s eyes. “Wow, it makes so much sense now.”“I didn’t tell you because it’s not my story to tell.”“I can respect that,” she said, glancing around the bar. “Where’s Cole?” “Oh, he isn’t coming.” Ezra shrugged.“Why not?”“Something about a family dinner.”“Oh.” Disappointment washed over her.“You know if you two get together we could all group date,” I whispered.“Shh,” she hissed. “Don’t let anyone hear you say that crap. Aaron will freak.”“I’m sure he’d come around to the—”“Poppy, stop. I a
Broken Ties 1
Poppy“YOU DON’T THINK he’ll bring her, right?” My cousin Ashleigh whispered as we made our way through Deacon Faris’s house.It was crowded, but the Rixon Raiders had won 20 - 13. So everyone was amped up and ready to party.Including me.“Who?” I frowned back at her as we fought through the crush to find the rest of our friends.“Penelope.”“I thought you and Ezra weren’t—”“We’re not,” she rushed out. “But Jesus, Poppy. I don’t want to see him with her. Maybe this was a bad idea.” She hesitated.Ashleigh was kind of involved with our friend Ezra. He was Aaron’s foster brother, and Aaron was my… friend.One of my best friends.I grabbed her arm gently and pulled her over to a quiet spot. “Sorry. I’m doing it again, aren’t I?” I gave her a soft smile.“Doing what?”“Being insensitive,” I said. “I don’t mean to be. I’m just… I’m nervous.” So nervous my heart was beating wildly in my chest.“Nervous?” she asked. “But why?”“Because I like Aaron, Leigh,” I admitted. It was a relief to t
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Our parents had grown up together, and now their kids were walking in their footsteps. My dad coached football at Rixon High, and Ezra’s mom Mya was the guidance counselor. It was a lot sometimes, but I loved our extended family.Pulling on my Rixon High hoodie, I slipped out of the building into the balmy afternoon air. I didn’t expect to find Eli waiting for me.“This is a surprise,” I said around a smile.He gave me a playful grin in return. “I had some homework to finish so thought I’d stick around and see if you wanted to head to Cindy’s Grill and get milkshakes.” “I can’t, sorry, I have a thing.”“Thing?”“It’s Ashleigh’s birthday.”“Oh crap, yeah. I remember now.”A soft chuckle left my lips. “It was sweet of you to wait for me though.”He ran a hand through his hair and down the back of his neck. “Any excuse to steal a minute alone with you.” He inched closer, his eyes dropping to my mouth, sending my heart careening against my chest.“Eli….”His expression faltered. “Sorry, I
Broken Ties 3
“Get it together, Poppy,” I chided myself in the mirror. “You’re being ridiculous.” Laughter in the hall caught my attention and my heart ratcheted at that voice.His voice.Aaron Bennet.One of my best friends.My…I shook those thoughts out of my head.Crap. He and his friend Cole were right outside the bathroom, laughing and joking.“I thought we were hanging with everyone for Ashleigh’s birthday?” Cole asked.“Yeah, we can, for a little bit,” Aaron said. “But then I figured we can invite some people to your house and chill.”“Dude, it’s Monday. We have an early practice tomorrow.”“So? We’re seniors now, Kandon.” Aaron chuckled. “We’ve got to make the most of it while we can. Besides, I heard Madison say she wouldn’t mind getting to know you better.” “I’m not interested in Madison,” Cole said.“Why the hell not? She’s hot as fuck.”My breath caught and I clapped a hand over my mouth.“You hook up with her then.”“Maybe I will.” Aaron snorted, and thankfully, they moved down the ha
Broken Ties 4
My entire life had been building to this moment. I was Asher Bennet’s son. He’d been a Rixon Raider back in the day. He and his best friends, Cameron Chase and Jason Ford, had won the championship in senior year, and each had gone on to play Division I football in college.Now it was my turn. I couldn’t really explain it, but it felt like a rite of passage. A legacy I needed to uphold. It was a part of me, the same way blood flowed through my veins and oxygen circulated my lungs.I’d never been the star of the team. I didn’t play quarterback or catch the eye of the top college recruiters. But I was committed and knew the game, and I worked my ass off for my team.And I wanted it.I was thirsty for it.So fucking thirsty.“Hey, Cole.” Madison Staines appeared, her big eyes drinking up the sight of my best friend.“Hey,” he said, barely looking twice at her.“I was hoping we could talk.”“Yeah, bro.” I chuckled. “You should go talk.” Maybe she could help him remove the giant stick from
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“Just don’t lose sight of—”“The end goal.” I moved around her but stopped to kiss her cheek. “Yeah, yeah, Dad already gave me the lecture.”“We’re not lecturing you, Aaron. We’re just aware you’re under a lot of pressure.” “Not this again.” Sofia shuffled into the kitchen, bleary-eyed and yawning.“Something you want to tell us, sweetheart?” Dad’s brow went up at her bedraggled state.“I didn’t sleep well. Is there coffee?”“Fresh pot,” Mom answered. “I’ll make it. Sit.” She went over and pressed her hand to my sister’s forehead. “Are you feeling all right?”“I feel fine. Exhausted, but fine.”“You let me know if you start to feel sick, okay?”“Sure, Mom.” Sofia dropped her head onto her arms and I glanced at Mom.“And you worry about me burning the candle at both ends.” “I’m fine,” Sofia murmured, lifting a hand in a small wave.“Where’s Ezra?” Dad asked.“Probably over at the Chases’.”“He’d better not—”“Morning.” Ezra clapped Dad on the back.“We were just talking about you.”“Wh
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I was done being the girl in love with her best friend. It was exhausting.My entire life, I’d been his best friend, his confidante, his partner in crime… but I’d never been his girl.I’d never been the girl he looked at and wanted to kiss or touch or love.Jesus, I needed to get a grip.Senior year had made everything more intense somehow though. Aaron had cheerleaders hanging off him at every turn. He was hot property. The guy all the girls wanted a piece of.That hadn’t been a big surprise. Aaron was gorgeous. Tall, dark, and handsome, he had his father’s piercing blue eyes, a tanned complexion thanks to his mom’s Latina roots, and some new ink that gave him that bad boy edge.What was surprising was the way Aaron ate up the attention. The first time I’d seen him in the cafeteria with Zara Willis—head cheerleader and vapid mean girl—draped all over him, I’d thought I was seeing things.Aaron had the attention of most of the girls in our class. Of course he wasn’t going to ever noti
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“Aw, look at all that cuteness.”“You call it cuteness, I call it chaos. They run me ragged, and I can swim two hundred yards in one-fifty point eight.”“Impressive.” I grabbed the books I needed and closed my locker.“You should come watch me practice.”“Maybe I will.”His eyes twinkled. “Yeah? I thought I’d have to work a little harder to get you to say yes.”“Half naked guys in itty bitty Speedos. What’s not to like?”“Oh, it’s like that, huh?” Laughter bubbled in his chest. “Can I walk you to class?”“Sure.” I shrugged, keeping a respectable distance between us. It wasn’t like we were dating, not really. We’d hung out a few times. Maybe shared a kiss in the library last week.My cheeks burned as I remembered his words.“You know, my friends told me you were a lost cause. Said that you and Aaron Bennet were a thing.”I’d instantly regretted it—not that I’d kissed him, but that I’d done it out of anger. Because a few days before, I had watched Aaron kiss Zara, and I wanted to get ba
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