SOPHIE BROOKS:
Party, hook-up, hangover, repeat.
I don't do rules, responsibility, or monogamy.
So when the chance to sleep with the hottest Olympian swimmer in the country presents itself, you can be damn sure I take it.
And sneak out before he wa...
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"What about this one?"
Ollie shoves another fantasy book into my hands. I read the title. It sounds familiar, maybe it was made into a movie a few years ago, but I definitely haven't read it.
"It's a lost cause, Ol." I shoot my younger brother an apologetic look. "I only read the books required in High School... I haven't touched one since."
He looks slightly disappointed. I don't know where he gets in from because I was never a big reader. Our mom loved books, but she didn't get the chance to share that with Ollie.
He keeps walking around the bookstore, taking out another paperback once in a while, showing it to me. Either to give me a full review of the book that I'll forget in thirty seconds since I'm not nearly as smart as him or to tell me that it's on his TBR.
Whatever the hell that is.
In the end, he picks two books and buys them with his pocket money. I doubt I'll ever understand that—the desire to use hard-earned money on paper with words on it.
I grab the bag and carry it as Ollie zooms along beside me on his skateboard. He's only allowed to do it on smaller streets that he knows well. And the walk from the bookstore to Antonella's place is one either of us could do in our sleep.
"So, how's school going?" I ask him, glancing over.
Ollie is good in school. He's smart as a whip, and the teachers know it. So do the other kids, unfortunately. It's not always easy being the smartest person in the room.
Not that I would know.
But children are douchebags, and being a foster care kid can be hard enough as is. I remember.
But Ollie just shrugs. "It's okay. The usual, you know."
"Hey, you tell me if something happens, right? Because I'm there," I grab his arm. He stops, looking over at me.
"Yeah, I know, JJ." He smiles at me. That big, genuine smile, and then he's off again.
I didn't have anyone in my corner back then. Ollie will never be in that position.
He yells something in Spanish as we enter. I know I should probably have picked some of it up by now, but I am horrible when it comes to languages, and thankfully, it never seems to bother Antonella.
Ollie throws the new books in his room. It's a small space. A single pushed against the wall, a closet wedged in the corner and the walls filled with shelves littered with books. Looking around the room, I'm reminded of Sophie's bedroom.
It's like a punch to the stomach. It's been almost a week since the last time I saw her. Since that day at the hotel, when my illusions about what might have been going on came crashing down.
Sophie made the rules clear from the very beginning. All I had to do was play by them.
I close my eyes, rubbing my forehead, perhaps hoping to shove the memories away. I don't want to deal with this right now.
