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“What was the fight about?”
She sucks in a breath, letting it out in a rush before mumbling, “I should have tried harder to get scholarships. I should have looked at more options. But I played right into their hands.”
“Okay,” I whisper, trying to catch up with what she’s telling me.
“Jarrod and Mom offered to pay for my education.”
“That’s kind of standard, isn’t it?”
She scoffs. “There isnothingstandard about those two. If I wanted the money, I had to play by their rules. He wrote a fucking contract and everything. And I signed it, like some idiot. But it was free education. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“What did the contract stipulate?”
“That I went to Nolan U, that I maintained a minimum of a 3.5 GPA, that I never did anything to get in trouble, and that I…” She huffs, tipping her head back against my shoulder. “And that I become a Sig Be sister.”
“What kind of crazy-ass clause is that?”
“Mom’s engaged to Aimee’s dad,” she sneers. “You know, Aimee? The Sig Be president.”
I let out a tired sigh. “Yeah, I know Aimee.”
“Well, my mother was a legacy, and it was one of the many things she and Jarrod bonded over. They mapped it out so perfectly. Their daughters would become besties, and this idyllic life they pictured would just unfold seamlessly before them. We’d become this happy blended family.” Mikayla’s voice sharpens, taking on a bitter edge. “But they forget to take into account the Mikayla factor. The daughter who won’t conform because she’s just like her father.” Her voice starts to tremble, and I can tell we’re hitting some pretty sensitive topics right now. “You know what? They probablydidtake it into account, and that’s why that fucking contract exists in the first place.”
I let her take a breath, waiting for the air to still around us before asking, “Where is your dad?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t want to talk about it. He left, and I never saw him again. End of story.”
“Okay.” I soothe her with a kiss to her cheek, wrapping my arms around her.
She grabs my wrist, her small fingers clinging. “Aimee never wanted me in that house. That’s why she gave me the impossible task of making you fall in love with me.”
“Well, that wasn’t so impossible.” I grin.
She turns to look at me. “But breaking your heart would have been.”
“Again, not impossible.” I tip my head with a sad smile. “For a minute there, I thought you had.”
She sniffs and curls into me, turning sideways and wrapping her arms around her knees. She’s so small and vulnerable right now. Is it weird that it feels like a privilege to see her this way? She’s letting me in. MissI Don’t Want to Talk About Itis going deep for a minute, and I’m the one she’s trusting with all of this.
“I failed, Ethan.”
“No, you chose me. And that’s fucking awesome.” I kiss the top of her head. “I’m sorry your mom’s so pissed about it. The way she behaved on that court, I swear, I?—”
She touches my cheek, leaning back to look at my face. I swallow down the anger rising through me, softened by her gentle caress.
“I’d choose you every time.” Her thumb brushes my cheek, the look in her eyes trying to melt my heart all over again. The sadness tingeing her expression constricts my chest. “Even though it means she’s cutting me off.”
“What?”
Mikayla drops her gaze, nodding as she struggles to talk past a fresh wave of tears. “I told her I didn’t want to be part of this dumb blended family if I couldn’t be myself… and she… she said, ‘Fine. Don’t be.’” Her voice cracks, and I squeeze her closer to me. “I don’t think she’s going to change her mind, and Jarrod definitely won’t. I was rude to his precious daughter, and I’m now in breach of that contract. Once this semester’s up, I’m not gonna have any money to pay my tuition.”
“We can get you a loan.”
She winces. “I don’t want a loan. I…” She shakes her head, fresh tears dropping down her cheeks. “I don’t even have a place to live anymore. I can’t borrow enough money for everything. It’s too much. Nolan U is too expensive. I’ll just…” She shrugs. “I’ll just have to find somewhere else or maybe work for a few years. Save up, you know? I can delay my plans.” Her words break apart, and she bites her trembling lips together as new tears cascade down her cheeks.
“I don’t want you to leave me. I feel like I only just found you.”
She sniffs, giving me a hopeless shrug. “We may not have a choice.”
