Chapter 170

Sydney Instead of answering, Tyler reached forward and pushed a button beside the steering wheel.The rear lights brightened.I turned almost immediately, my eyes catching a black car sitting behind, partially hidden around the bend.I hadn’t even noticed it at all.“Ben’s in there somewhere.” He explained.“Wow,” was all I could manage, the whole thing truthfully blowing my mind. And when I turned back to Tyler, he was watching me again.I stared back. “Your Mom means well.”“Yeah, but it gets exhausting.” He rubbed his forehead. “It’s been years since he died and nothing has happened. But she still keeps looking over both our shoulders.”“She’s trying to keep you safe, Tyler.” I said quietly. “That’s all.”He turned his head and looked at me for a second. Then he groaned, letting his head fall back against the headrest. “God, you sound just like her.”A laugh slipped out before I could stop it. “That’s a good thing…right?”“Yeah.” The corner of his mouth lifted, then the smile disa

Chapter 171

Brooklyn“Hi babes, in this video I’ll be doing my make—”“Hi babes, have you ever wondered what it feels like to not breakout—”“Hi babes, come with me—”“Hi babes—”I nearly tossed my phone clean across the kitchen. Not just because each scroll started with hi babes, but because of how effortlessly Tracy said it with that…bright smile plastered across her face.I scoffed, exiting her page completely before I lost it.Mom had come home early for some reason, wandered around the house for a while, and noticed Sydney wasn’t home along with one of her cars. So she’d asked me to call her.I didn’t.Instead, I sat at the kitchen counter, my hot chocolate slowly going cold while I scrolled through Tracy’s page with a fake account, wondering how on earth she was so good at pretending.Pretending she was fine.Pretending she actually enjoyed doing vlogs when she’d told me herself how unnecessarily stressful they were.And more annoyingly, pretending that two days ago Andy hadn’t looked both

Chapter 172

SydneyIt took about ten extra minutes on the drive home and another two sitting in the driveway trying to make sure my face wasn’t still bright red before I finally got out of the car.It was pointless.Because the second I walked into the house and caught sight of Brooklyn in the kitchen, I knew there was no hiding it.“God!” I sighed, staring at myself in the bathroom mirror.Because yep.I looked like one of Maeve’s grandma’s prize winning tomatoes.I splashed some water over my face and stared at my reflection again, trying desperately not to replay everything that had happened in the car.The things Tyler had told me, the warmth of his hand lingering on my face the entire drive home.The way he’d kissed me without seeming to think twice about it. Even how he’d watched me till I shut the front door after me.“Stop it, Sydney.” I groaned, pulling my blanket further over my head that night.Because yes, Tyler had kissed me the second time, and I already replayed it all the way unti

Chapter 173

SydneySomehow, I made it out of the cafeteria without my thoughts eating me alive.Mostly because Maeve spent the entire time trying to pull me out of my head with how her cousin lost his keys at some party and got arrested because the police thought he was trying to hot wire someone else’s car.But when the bell rang for sixth period, my head was all over the place again, and I misread about three questions on our history test.Almost.Either way, that was enough of an excuse to tuck myself away in the library, especially after Maeve practically locked her arm with Oscar’s, flashed a smile my way and started towards the exit.“It’s coffee.” She’d said with a small shrug.I’d stared at her in the parking lot. “Coffee?”“Yeah,” she replied, climbing into the backseat of his car. “And maybe a movie later.”I nodded slowly. “Right.”Still, Maeve narrowed her eyes at me through the window before whispering. “Stop judging me, Sydney Walker.”That pulled a laugh out of me.But I just smile

Chapter 174

SydneyMy brain stalled for a second. Then I blinked. “What?”“It’s this thing where all the guys meet up before a big game. Basically a way to get everyone hyped.” He shrugged. “And then we—”“I know what it is.” I finally found my voice. His shoulders relax slightly. “But isn’t it just a friendly game?”He scoffed. “No game is ever friendly, Sydney.”Still, I hesitated, my brain still not knowing what to do with the fact that Tyler was asking me to go out with him.Like not go out-go out. But still…go out.With him.‘Breathe, Sydney.’I tucked my hair behind my ear, “Okay, but I thought it’s for the boys only.”“True.” He shifted slightly, never breaking eye contact. “But I make the rules. And eventually, anyone who can will come with whoever they want to bring.”“And…you want me to come with you.”He nodded without hesitation. “Yeah. I mean, last year I went with Brooklyn and Micheal. But I’m not even sure Micheal will show up at all.”Right. Brooklyn and Micheal.Brooklyn.I star

Chapter 175

Sydney Tyler forgot. That was all. He’d sat across from me for the first five minutes before eventually moving to the chair beside mine, and somehow, I’d spent the next forty minutes completely comfortable with him being that close. More comfortable than I’d ever been sitting beside a guy. And yes, I wasn’t sure if it was because it was Tyler. Or because he’d indirectly told me just how much what Brooklyn did affected him. Or maybe it was simply because— “First of all, finally, Sydney!” Meave said with an excited sigh. “Second, you had an entire opportunity to ask Tyler one thing, and that was what you went for?” I turned away from my reading table to find Maeve actively digging through my wardrobe like her life depended on it. “Yeah?” I shrugged. “It was all I could think of at that moment.” She stopped and slowly turned, giving me a look. I forced back a smile. “What?” “He literally asked you to be his date, and all you thought of was your sister. Sydney.” I d