LOGINZuriThe tradition had started so long ago none of us could remember whose idea it actually was. Every birthday, just the four of us, a couple bottles of wine nobody bothered pretending we were old enough for, and whatever ridiculous game Ethan insisted on that year.Except tonight it was just three of us sprawled across the living room floor, waiting on the fourth.“Where is he?” I glanced at the clock for the third time in ten minutes.“No idea.” Chris uncorked another bottle, pouring generously into my glass without asking. “Said he’d be here an hour ago.”“You think he’s with Gabriela?” Ethan flopped back against the couch cushions.“Obviously.” Chris rolled his eyes. “I still can’t believe he’s actually going official with that girl tomorrow. I can’t stand her.”“Same.” Ethan shook his head. “Out of every girl on this campus, he picks the one who’s been torturing Zuri since freshman year. Doesn’t sit right with me.”I stayed quiet, twisting the stem of my wine glass betwe
Zuri“Where are we even going?” I asked for the third time, letting Ethan pull me across the quad by the hand.“You’ll see.”“You know it’s rude to kidnap someone mid-tryout.”“You’ll thank me.” He grinned over his shoulder, and something about the way he wouldn’t quite meet my eyes told me he was hiding something.We rounded the corner toward the athletic center’s private dining hall, the one usually reserved for booster events and coaches’ dinners, and the second the doors opened I stopped walking entirely.The whole room had been strung with fairy lights, a banner stretched across the far wall reading HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZURI in gold lettering, and standing beneath it, grinning like idiots, were my two dads.“Oh my God.” My hand flew to my mouth. “It’s my birthday.”“You forgot your own birthday.” Brandon crossed the room and pulled me into a hug, laughing into my hair. “We had to fly across the country for you to remember it.”“I completely forgot, I’ve been so—”“We know, sweetheart.”
ZuriThe gym was packed by the time I got there, girls stretching along the mats, judges’ table set up at the far end with three of the athletic department staff and, unfortunately, Octavia sitting front and center holding a clipboard like she’d been personally deputized to ruin my life.“Oh look who actually showed up.” Jessica’s voice carried from a cluster of girls near the wall. “Didn’t think fatty would have the nerve.”A few girls laughed. I kept my chin up and walked past them toward the sign-in table, refusing to give them the reaction they wanted.“Girls, be nice.” Gabriela’s voice cut through, and I turned, bracing for whatever was coming. Instead she was smiling, warm and easy, like the locker room and the rink and everything else had never happened. “I actually think Zuri’s going to kill it. Let’s give her a real chance.”I stared at her, waiting for the punchline.“What?” She shrugged, all innocence. “People can surprise you.”I didn’t trust it for a second, but there was
ZuriMy phone was going off before I’d even opened my eyes, buzzing itself halfway off the nightstand.“Hello?” My voice came out thick with sleep.“Zuri Marie Sterling.” Jackson’s voice, sharp with worry. “Where are you? We’re standing outside your dorm right now and some girl named Mira just told us you didn’t come home last night.”I shot upright so fast the room spun. “You’re — you’re here? At school?”“We flew in early to surprise you before the anniversary trip.” That was Brandon now, his voice picked up on speaker. “Imagine our surprise instead. Where are you?”“I’m fine, I promise, I just — give me twenty minutes, I’ll meet you. There’s a breakfast place two blocks from campus, The Yellow Door, do you see it?”“We see it.” Jackson’s tone hadn’t softened much. “Twenty minutes.”I was out of bed and grabbing my clothes off the chair before the call even ended, heart hammering. Audric stirred behind me, propping himself up on one elbow, hair a mess.“What’s wrong?”“My dads are h
ZuriI barely had time to catch my breath before Audric’s hand left my ass and shoved between my thighs instead. He kicked my feet apart with one of his, hard enough that I had to grab the porch railing to stay upright. His fingers found me already soaked from Ethan earlier and from everything Audric had just done.He pushed two fingers inside me without warning, rough and deep, curling them hard against that spot that made my knees buckle.“Fuck—” The sound tore out of me before I could stop it. It was too much, too fast, and my body clenched around him on pure instinct.“Whose fingers feel better, Zu?” His voice was low against my ear, still angry, still hungry. “Mine or Ethan’s?”I shook my head, eyes squeezing shut. I couldn’t answer that. I didn’t want to. The truth sat heavy in my chest and I hated how much it scared me.“I can’t…”“Yes you can.” He worked his fingers harder, twisting them inside me until my breath came out in short, broken gasps. “Tell me. Whose feel bet
Audric“What the fuck are you two doing?” I demanded again, refusing to believe what I’d just seen. There had to be another explanation. There just had to be. Because why the hell were they making out under the same table we’d been eating at?The shock lasted only a second before it gave way to something far hotter—anger. It erupted in my chest so suddenly I could barely breathe.Zuri snapped her legs shut, yanking her skirt down, face flooding red.“Jeez, relax.” Ethan leaned back in his chair like this was nothing. “It’s not a big deal.”“Not a big deal?” My voice climbed. “She’s family, Ethan. We grew up with her. This isn’t supposed to happen.”“Why are you acting like we’re not all adults?” Chris said, not even bothering to look apologetic. “She’s fine. Nobody forced anything.”“This isn’t the first time, is it.” I looked between the two of them, then at Zuri, something sinking in my stomach. “How long has this been going on?”“It’s what I wanted.” Her chin came up, def
RHEAI stood in front of my closet, staring at rows of clothes that suddenly seemed impossible to navigate. Every movement sent sharp reminders through my body of what had happened last night.My thighs ached. My back stung where the bark had scraped it raw. And between my legs—God, between my legs
RheaAll the air punched out of my lungs in a ragged, guttural scream as Brandon bottomed out inside me. My forehead slammed against the rough bark of the pine tree, the friction of the wood scraping my skin, but I barely felt it over the sheer, agonizing stretch of him.“Ooh no... I’m hot...” It w
RHEAI almost died today.A stupid virgin who’d never broadened her horizons. Who’d never tasted anything real or dangerous or worth remembering.The thought had been circling my mind since the hospital, growing teeth with every pass. Life was fragile. Breakable. And I’d been wasting mine playing i
RHEAThe leather seat was cold against my bare thighs. I’d barely managed to pull my clothes back on, fingers fumbling with buttons and zippers that suddenly seemed impossibly complicated. My shirt was inside out. I didn’t have the energy to fix it.Brandon drove in silence, his hands steady on the







