Six days

***~~~CHANCÉ~~~***I wasn’t disturbed by the sound of my phone ringing or a text beeping in. I haven’t slept this well in weeks.My just-awoken face scans the room, gaze still blurred. Then I jump at the beeping of my phone.It’s definitely Cortney. She did say she’d send a text by 12, and I was okay with it. So, I can’t be angry.I rub the sleep from my eyes and check the message. She’ll be here in 20 minutes.I moan, but I finally take myself out of bed and stretch. I take my bath, then head downstairs for breakfast. The pot is empty. I check the freezer for leftovers, and that’s when I spot the handwritten note taped to the fridge. I take it off and read.Mom is sorry she couldn’t cook. She said an emergency came up, so she had to leave early. I should take cereal from the cabinet, and there’s some change on top of the fridge. I stretch up to grab it. Twenty dollars. “Great.”I pull the cereal from the cabinet, pour the milk, and sit alone at the table in the quiet house, chewing

Operation Get Sasha Drunk

It’s finally Friday, and Cortney is even happier than I am about taking Sasha down.She paces the length of her room, hands moving as she talks. “This is the day. And tonight, we’re hosting the best party ever.” She turns to Cleo and me, flashing that brightest smile of hers.We had a sleepover at her place last night. When we got in, I didn’t see River. I meant it when I said I’d let him go, and even if he’d complimented me, I wouldn’t have been moved. I just smiled. That was all. So instead of doing what old me would’ve done, which is finding some excuse to get his attention, I just stayed in Cortney’s room and hid there.Tomorrow is still my date with Ricky, and I’m excited about it. We talked about what kinds of games I like. Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never really played any, so he offered to teach me Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. We’re also riding the arcade bikes.I can’t wait.“Chancé, are you even listening?” Cortney’s voice pulls me back. I nod. “Good. Because you and

The Truth

Well, I guess Cort won’t be drugging Sasha after all. It’s back to the “getting her drunk” plan.Cortney strides toward the entrance while Cleo hangs back with me. “Do you think she can pull it off?” Cleo turns her head to me. “Get Sasha to actually believe she wants to be friends again?”I meet her gaze and smile. “If anyone can pull this off, it’s Cortney.” I loop my hand through hers and tug her forward. “And us? Let’s go mingle.”We wade into the party, and I can feel the stares landing on me, though no one actually walks over. I feel like a new face—which, I guess, is exactly what I look like to them now. Chopped hair, pixie curls. Curiosity flickers in every glance that passes over me.“Looks like no one recognizes you,” Cleo says.“I think it’s for the best.” I take a slow breath, shoulders loosening. “For once, I don’t want anyone talking about me.” I reach for the punch bowl, ladle out two cups, and hand one to Cleo. “We can’t afford to get drunk tonight, alright? We need to

Yes. Yes. Yes

I’m ignoring Cortney.She has called and texted, telling me how sorry she feels, but I’m still angry. Still ignoring her.I miss my best friend. But I think we need a break from each other. She’s becoming someone I don’t recognize anymore. Not that I’m innocent in all this—I have my own fair share of bad decisions. But who was I hurting, besides myself?I roll out of bed, rubbing my eyes. Last night I slipped out of Cortney’s room, and luckily neither River nor Ricky caught me before I made it out.In one of Cort’s texts, she clarified that Sasha is okay, that she’s been sent home, but what if there’s an aftermath nobody is accounted for yet?What she gave Sasha was a hard drug. Little or not, it was still a hard drug. And I’m not curious about Sasha’s truth anymore. If it took Cortney going to that extreme to get it, I don’t want to know it.Okay—maybe part of me is scared of what I’d find. Think about it: whatever it is has to be big, big enough that Sasha has held onto it for years

All Chapters of Craving My Best Friend’s Brother: Chapter 101 - Chapter 104

Six days

Operation Get Sasha Drunk

The Truth

Yes. Yes. Yes