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Then: Twelve years ago
“You should come to the sorority party tonight.”
I smiled at my new roommate, Tessa. She was two years older than me. I found her ad on the bulletin board in the common area of our university. She was looking for a new roomie since hers graduated last semester.
The apartment was close to campus, it was spacious, and fully furnished. I had my own bedroom and bathroom. It was perfect. Exactly what I was looking for. The rent was higher than I would have liked, but Jax was adamant he’d pay for my living expenses on top of depositing extra money into my account for anything I might have wanted or needed.
Thankfully, I had a full ride to the university since I graduated from high school with honors. At least he wasn’t paying for my classes. Although, he wanted to until he found out I had scholarships and didn’t need his assistance. I refused to have our father pay for anything in my life. I wasn’t just another woman he could pay off to clear his conscience.
My mom and I never had the best relationship. I hated that she was the other woman while she was proud of that fact. We didn’t see eye to eye on almost anything in life. She wasn’t what I would define as a loving mother. She was more concerned with her own life than she was mine.
A huge part of me knew that she intentionally got pregnant to trap my father into being in her life. It worked. He paid for her silence on my existence, giving her everything she craved. From the moment I could understand their relationship, I knew who she was to him.
Which made me the bastard child.
I hated that title. However, it didn’t make it any less true. It was disgusting, the little respect she had for herself. Since I was her only child, all I had was Jax. I was beyond grateful to have him in my life. I knew he would be different. Which was why I hassled our father for years to meet him. Finally taking matters into my own hands, I showed up at his office and demanded that Jax know he had a half-sister.
For months, I felt horrible that Jax found out about me the way he did. Our father, being the piece of shit he was, blackmailed Jax into not telling his mother. Using his girlfriend, Sophie, against him.
I wasn’t aware of what he held over Jax’s head. All I knew was that Jax and Sophie were no longer together, and I blamed myself for it. I never asked Jax what our father had threatened him with. He had enough on his plate with being the number one NFL draft pick straight out of college.
He was an all-star quarterback for Miami. The press and the National Football League had already declared he would be the greatest of all time. Jax was born to be on the field. It was in his DNA. I couldn’t have been prouder of him. His face was splashed all over our university since he was alumni now.
It was as if we didn’t lose the last eighteen, almost nineteen years of my life. We fell into this comfortable place where it felt like we’d been in one another’s life since the day I was born and not just the last six months. Jax was the best. I was lucky to have him, and I’d never take anything he was doing for me for granted.
Hence, the nice ass apartment I was now living in. I wouldn’t have been able to afford it on my own. Thanks to him, I didn’t have to get a job. I could focus solely on my classes instead. I was a business major with a minor in finance. My ultimate goal was to have my own company one day. It was why I studied so hard to graduate with honors. School was the only way I’d have a successful future and not have to depend on anyone.
“Evie, did you hear what I said?”
“Yeah, something about a party.”
“It’s not just any party,” Tessa exclaimed. “It’s the first party of the year. It sets the tone for all the other parties to come! Our sorority always teams up with Sigma-Nu fraternity. Since our houses are off campus, we can serve alcohol. You have to come!”
The name of the fraternity sounded familiar. Wasn’t that Jax’s fraternity?
“Tessa, I’m eighteen. I mean, I’m almost nineteen,” I reminded. “I can’t drink until I’m twenty-one.”
“I know that, silly. It doesn’t mean I can’t sneak you some punch. You know?”
“I’m not a big drinker, Tessa.”
“Of course you’re not. You’re a bookworm. My roommate is a nerd.”
I shrugged it off. It wasn’t the first time someone called me a nerd, and it wouldn’t be the last.
“You know what? You should pledge! Oh my God!” She jumped up and down. “You totally should! Then we could be sorority sisters! How fun would that be?”
I nervously chuckled. “I’m not much of a partier, Tessa. It’s just not my scene.”
“I know, I know… Will you still come tonight, though?” She placed her hands together in a prayer gesture. “Pretty please.”
“Ummm…”
I didn’t want us to start off on the wrong foot. She was extending an olive branch, making an effort to include me in her social life. It was the first thing I noticed about her. Tessa was a social butterfly with an even bigger personality. She was beautiful, reminding me of Malibu Barbie.
“I guess I could stop by for a little while.”
She beamed.
