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“It gets better.” Settling back in on the couch, I continued. “After cheer practice, I was walking to my car when I spotted him standing by it. I swear to God that my stomach did a hundred backflips. Like, I felt sick the moment I saw him.”
Gabby’s lips pursed. I wasn’t sure if she was intent on listening or trying not to talk until I shared more.
“Anyway, at first, he was being sweet, which was a red flag right there. He told me how much he’d missed me, and how for the last six weeks he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about me, he loves me, blah, blah, blah.”
Gabby covered her mouth and giggled. “You’re clearly into him, Brie. Maybe you should reconsider.”
I laughed, appreciating her sarcasm. “I told Marc that I hadn’t thought about him at all and that he needed to go back to Tennessee and move on.”
“Oh, boy,” Gabby said.
“Exactly.” I ran my finger around the rim of my glass, deep in thought. “It made him mad, then he started getting a little rough. He grabbed my arm, demanding that we get back together.”
“Oh girl, no, he didn’t. He’s already on my shit list for blackmailing you.” Gabby’s forehead creased.
“Well, apparently, he’s on someone else’s now, too. When Marc got forceful with me, he slammed me against my car and pinned me against the door. I tried to get him to calm down and explained that if he wanted me in his life again this was the wrong way to go about it.” I rolled my eyes. “Like I’d ever give him the time of day, but …” I took a long drink and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Gabby, he’s here to try to transfer to Whitmore. I never considered he would be a problem when I moved to Whitmore, so I told him where I was going.” I slapped a palm against my forehead, realizing my stupid mistake.
“No. Fucking. Way.” Gabby set her drink down on the end table before she shot up, pacing. “We have to stop him, Brie. You’re just starting to settle in and make friends.”
“I know. This was my fresh start. But I don’t think we actually need to do anything.” I tilted my head, watching her expression as I shared the next part. “Kane Cooper stepped in.”
“Oh, hell. That’s saucy.” She collected her drink and plopped down on the couch again, her attention trained on me like a hawk’s on its prey.
“Kane left here about an hour and a half ago.”
“Kane Cooper was here? Jesus, he’s so fucking hot.” Gabby fanned herself, pretending to swoon like the Southern girls used to do during theGone with the Winddays.
“Agreed, but it wasn’t a hookup; he wanted to let me know that Marc is in the hospital.”
Gabby’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head.
“While I was still there, Marc threw a punch at Kane, but Kane dropped him to the ground like Marc was a fucking rag doll. Kane told me to get into my car and go home, that he would stay with Marc and make sure he didn’t follow me.”
Gabby placed her hand on her heart. “Brie, that’s so sweet.”
We giggled, feeling the full effects of the alcohol.
“I appreciated his help. I mean, I would have been very willing to fuck him properly ... I mean thank him properly.” I wiggled my brows, breaking into a fit of laughter.
“If you do, I need all of the deets.” Gabby motioned for me to continue. “But go on. You were telling me how Marc landed in the hospital.”
“Oh. Yeah. So, Marc got up and charged Kane. I’m not sure how it all went down, but by the bruises on Kane’s face, Marc got in some good shots.”
Brie grimaced. “Damn.”
“Right? Kane must have gotten the upper hand again because he beat the shit out of Marc. That’s how he ended up in the hospital.”
Gabby released a low whistle. “Just so I get this all straight … Kane came over to tell you that?”
“Yup. I mean, he didn’t have to.” I squirmed in my seat. “I’d asked him to come over so we could talk, but he was a no-show. Then, Ari showed up. She explained that Jagger had taken Kane to their place so they could work out their story and Kane could get cleaned up.”
“Wow, Jagger’s helping. I tell you what, Jagger has always been seriously hot but also hot-tempered. I think Ari has tamed her bad boy enough for him not to be such an asshole.”
“I’ll take your word for it since I’ve only met him once.” I worried my lower lip with my teeth. “I wonder if Marc will leave. I’m afraid Kane might kill him if he stays. He has his entire future ahead of him. I would hate to be the reason that he lost his football career.”
“Brie. That won’t happen, and even if it did, Kane’s a grown man. He makes his own decisions. If Marc was getting rough with you … well, I love that Kane stepped in. I will say that he’s a bit of a mystery, but so far, he seems like a really good guy.”
My gaze narrowed on her. “What do you mean a mystery?”
