chapter 5

Ace POV:

"Leave me alone, Ace," she whispered, her voice thick. "I don't have time for whatever game you're playing."

"I'm not playing a game, Summer. I'm making a business proposition," I said, my tone turning serious. My gray eyes held hers with intensity. "Here's the deal. I'm failing Professor Harrison's sociology class. If my GPA drops below a 2.5 by the end of the month, I'm academically ineligible to box. Scouts from Boston and Chicago are coming to our home opener in a few weeks. If I'm on the bench, my draft future is dead."

She blinked, absorbing it. "And what does that have to do with me?"

I stated firmly. "You're going to make sure I pass Harrison's final project with an A. And in return, I'm going to clean up my bad-boy reputation for the scouts by showing them I have a steady, respectable girlfriend. You."

She let out a breathless gasp. "You want me to fake date you? Are you insane?"

"Think about it, Summer," I pressed, leaning in close enough. "I want a wholesome image, you want my thickheaded little brother. What happens when the girl he takes for granted suddenly becomes the most desired girl on this campus? I'll teach you how to flirt, I'll take you out, I'll transform your social standing, and we will make Brooks absolutely lose his mind with jealousy."

The mention of Brooks made her cheeks flush, and something crossed her face too fast to name, but I clocked it anyway. I was good at reading people. I just wasn't used to caring what I found.

"You're crazy."

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SUMMER's Pov:

And before he could say another word, I spun on my heel and marched out of the lounge, my whole chest pulled tight, humiliation and something dangerously close to temptation tangled together in a way I didn't have the energy to untangle.

"He's insane. He's completely out of his mind," I repeated like a mantra, forcing my legs to move faster, like enough distance might make the offer stop echoing in my head.

I marched down the wide concrete steps, clutching my heavy textbooks tightly against my chest like a shield, like if I held on hard enough nothing else could get in.

I pushed through the library doors, the cool afternoon air hitting my face. My heart was still racing from Ace's ridiculous proposition. Fake date him? The idea was insane. I clutched my textbooks tighter against my chest and started down the path toward the main quad, telling myself the fast beat of my heart was only anger.

Then I saw them.

Taylor and Brooks, leaning against the big oak tree just ahead, wrapped up in each other like they were the only two people in the world. He had one arm around her waist, pulling her close while she laughed at something he said, tilting her head back. The diamond on her finger caught the sunlight again, flashing like a cruel reminder.

My steps faltered. The ache in my chest came roaring back, sharp enough that I actually stopped walking for a second, my whole body forgetting what it was doing. I had loved him for three years, and this was what I got to watch, again and again, until I supposed it would eventually stop hurting. It hadn't started yet.

"Summer!"

Ace's voice called out behind me, low and insistent. I didn't turn because I couldn't. My eyes stayed locked on Brooks, lost in the memory of every moment I'd convinced myself he might one day look at me the way he was looking at her now.

Brooks suddenly turned his head in my direction, like he could feel my stare.

Shit!

Panic shot through me. I spun around fast, desperate to disappear before he spotted me standing there like some pathetic spectator, red-eyed and raw and unable to hide any of it fast enough.

And crashed straight into a solid wall of muscle.

Ace was right behind me. His hands caught my arms, steadying me before I could stumble backward. Without thinking, I buried my face in his chest, my fingers clutching the front of his shirt like it was a lifeline. I just needed to hide, just for a second. I didn't want Brooks to see me like this - red-eyed, broken, and still pining after him. I didn't even care, in that one second, that it was Ace. I just needed somewhere to disappear.

Ace went still for a beat, then I felt his chest vibrate with a low scoff of amusement. He didn't push me away.

"Running from my idiot brother again?" he murmured, his voice quiet against my hair, and there was something almost gentle underneath the mockery, something I didn't have room to examine right then.

I didn't answer. I just stayed there a moment longer, letting the warmth of him block out the rest of the world, my breathing slowly, unwillingly, starting to even out. When I finally leaned back, his gray eyes were watching me with that same intense look from the library.

"Summer," he said, not letting go of my arms. "Tutor me. In return, I'll make sure Brooks finally sees you. I'll make him lose his mind watching you with me. He'll realize what he's missing and choose you over Taylor. Deal?"

I stared at him, the offer sounding even more ridiculous out here in the daylight, and yet some small, exhausted part of me was already doing the math on how much worse things could actually get from here. "You're crazy," I whispered, pulling away completely. "I don't need your pity games, Ace."

Before he could respond, his phone started ringing. I glanced down and saw "Dad" flash across the screen. Ace's jaw tightened, something flickering across his face that looked almost like the same tired weight I'd been carrying since last night. I had no interest in whatever family drama was about to unfold, so I turned and walked away without another word, heading back toward the lecture building.

My phone buzzed a few minutes later. Brooks.

Brooks: Hey, did you just come from the library? Swear I thought I saw you.

My stomach twisted. I typed back quickly, fingers shaking.

Me: No, I've been in class. Must've been someone else.

Brooks: Okay. Listen, I need your help with something.

I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the screen. Part of me still wanted to be there for him, even now, even after everything, and that scared me more than anything Ace had said.

Me: What is it?

The next message came through, and my heart dropped like a stone.

Brooks: Taylor and I want to start planning the engagement party. You're the best at this stuff. Can you help me out?

I stopped walking, staring at the words until they blurred, something in my chest cracking clean down the middle. Planning their engagement party. Of course, I am the safe, reliable Summer. The one who cleaned up messes and helped with everything except her own broken heart.

For a long moment, I stood there on the path, Ace's words echoing in my head. The plan was ridiculous. It probably wouldn't work. But what else did I have? Standing on the sidelines forever, smiling through engagement parties for the man I loved, planning the wedding that should have been the confession I never got to finish?

I turned around and went looking for him.

I found Ace leaning against his car in the parking lot, a cigarette between his fingers. Smoke curled lazily into the air as he exhaled. He looked up when he heard me approaching, one eyebrow raised in quiet surprise.

"I'll do it," I blurted before I could lose my nerve, my voice steadier than I felt. He raised his brow in amusement, letting the last smoke curl into the air.

"I'll accept the offer." I cleared my throat. "But I have one rule. No catching feelings. No strings attached."

Ace took another slow drag, then flicked the cigarette away. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, dark and knowing.

"Crystal clear, sweetheart."