Page 69 of Sticks and Stones (Shadow Valley U)
“What?” I raise my hands in surrender.
“I don’t need to bebabysat.”
I scoff. “Archer is an excellent babysitter. E and I have some business to attend to.”
Arch grins. “You don’t want to hang out with me, Wren? I got you coffee…” He slides one of the cups toward her.
She pinches the bridge of her nose and takes a moment. Maybe reining in her temper. But she eventually drops her hand and points at him. “I need tostudy. No talking. No loud music. No distractions.”
He lifts one shoulder. “That’s fine, I’ve got an econ paper due on Wednesday.”
She takes a sip of the coffee and nods. “This is bribery. But I accept.”
“Perfect.” I tug a lock of Wren’s hair. “See ya later, baby.”
Wren purses her lips, and I leave her with a smile. It falls from my lips once we’re outside, and I glance at my best friend. Things have been a little awkward since…well, really, since Wren moved into the house. I sometimes catch him watching me with a weird expression. Like he’s thinking something, or suspecting something, but then he brushes it off.
It was only made worse by Wren’s confession. I didn’t want Evan to know because it was my business with Wren. Tainting her relationship with her foster brother would’ve done no one any good.
We’re a block away from the library when Evan finally speaks.
“Where are we going?” He makes a face. “Your text was a little vague. And freakingearly. What’s up with you and Wren anyway? Are you—”
I elbow him. “If you’re about to ask me something you don’t want to know the answer to, I suggest you shut up. Because I’ll answer it. Explicitly.”
He scowls. But then… “You didn’t tell me about the drugs.”
“What drugs?”
“At school. When you got hauled out of the lunchroom,arrested, and…you didn’t tell me about the drugs planted on your car. All you said was that it was a misunderstanding.” He stops.
I face him on the path and wave him off. “Itwasa misunderstanding. They thought I was a drug dealer, but…eh, whatever. Water under the bridge.”
Minus the part where I threatened Wren to stay away from me.
He sighs and resumes walking.
I roll my eyes. “We’re fine now. Me and her.”
“She spilled beer on your lap less than twelve hours ago. And you’re fine?”
Well, okay. I smirk. “I think hating me is her love language. It just means she cares. Anyway, this isn’t about that. The soccer team practice is ending right about now.”
Evan groans. “This isn’t aboutthat? But it’s about the soccer team?”
In the time it took them to get to the library, I did some hunting. It was either that or continue to stare at Wren. And as alluring as she is, I’m not that dull.
Dad always said there was exactly one way to know one’s enemy. Or, well, he used to say opponent. And he was definitely talking about prosecutors. But his advice can be applied toward the lowlife cheating scum of an ex-boyfriend.
That philosophy has also been hammered into me by hockey coaches since I was old enough to care. Watching game tapes, analyzing plays.
It shouldn’t be a surprise at all that I spent my time wisely. And that is, hunting down all the information on social media platforms about our dearBrad. Even his name reeks of the garbage hiding under his skin.
“You do no research, do you? Even when Wren showed up at your door after their breakup? You didn’t look into him?”
Evan has the good grace to seem alittleashamed.
I hold up my phone. More specifically, the cheating dickwad’s social media page, which highlights him on the soccer team.