Page 59 of Cheap Shot

“We were going to invite you that night, actually,” she admitted.

I extended my finger and pointed around our circle. “So, this has all been fake. You were just using me to get to him?”

Krystal and Ella shook their heads, but Cassie looked guilty.

“It might have started out like that, but we all really like you. We are your friends,” Sadie protested.

I couldn’t believe it. No matter what I did, it always came back to my brother.

“I’ve got to go.” I turned and walked away, ignoring their calls. There wasn’t anything they could say to take this back or make it better. They destroyed my trust and admitted to using me. There was no coming back from that.

I didn’t have a plan or destination in mind as I walked. All that mattered was putting space between me and the girls I’d called my friends. As I passed my dorms, Ethan and Reid’s building appeared, and I stopped, debating if it was worth the risk of seeing him. The last thing I needed was to give Ethan another opportunity to tell me how stupid I was.

Then again, there was a chance Reid would be home. I could call him and find out where he was exactly, but that felt too intentional. As if knocking on his door wasn’t. But it was less risky. If no one answered, then there would be no proof I was ever there. No missed call notification letting him know I tried.

My feet took me there before I consciously made the decision to go. I waited in the elevator next to a guy I didn’t recognize and got off alone. The hall was quiet, especially for this time of night. I stopped in front of their door and knocked twice.

There was no noise, no feet hitting the floor after jumping off the bed. No chair scraping the floor. I was about to turn around when the door swung open and Reid stood there, shirtless.

His grin dropped when he saw me. “Haley? Are you okay?”

How many times had he been there when I was on the verge of breaking down? He probably thought I was a basket case.

I shook my head, and he opened the door wider and let me in. I went straight for his desk, pulled the chair out, and sat while he went to his small closet and took out a shirt. The perfect view of his defined abs lasted mere seconds, but the image would forever be ingrained in my brain. I wasn’t sure I could talk to him now. All I could think about was the line on his back and stomach. Long, lean muscles were proof of his dedication to his sport.

Before I could start drooling, he took Ethan’s chair and sat next to me, fully clothed. Unfortunately.

“What’s going on?”

What could I say? My friends hurt my feelings, and my first instinct was to come to you? When I’m sad or angry or lonely, you’re the one I want to talk to? I’m happier when I’m with you? You make me feel like it’s okay to just be me? You make me feel like I’m enough?

I wanted to say all those things, but I was already too vulnerable to risk getting rejected.

“The girls I’ve been hanging out with …” I pursed my lips not quite knowing what to say.

“Did something happen?” he asked as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“I found out that they knew who my brother was this whole time. They’ve been waiting for me to introduce them to the team. The night I asked to hang out with them, they were actually going to approach me, I just beat them to it.”

He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “I’m sorry, Haley. That sucks.”

I nodded. “It really does.”

Even though he wasn’t offering sage words of advice or trying to comfort me, his understanding was everything I needed. He got why I was upset. He knew what it meant to me, and frankly, it did suck.

“I should probably say something cheesy like they don’t deserve to be your friends if they don’t see how wonderful you are, or to just forget about them. I don’t think that’s what you need to hear though. I haven’t met them, but you seemed to really get along with them. It might have started out under false pretenses, but maybe you should give them a chance to explain and apologize.”

I shrugged. It wasn’t like I could ignore them forever. They were my neighbors. And a part of me didn’t want to. They kept a secret from me, and I’d kept secrets from them. But that was different. My omission didn’t hurt them. It didn’t change my intentions. It didn’t make them second guess everything I ever said to them.

“I’m just so sick of Ethan affecting my life.”

He let out a single laugh. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

My eyes connected with his. “You do?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Why don’t we go get dinner, and we can talk about it?”

“I don’t really want to go to the dining hall.” I cringed.