My brothers best friend

Chapter 6: The Sprinkle of Chaos

(Edited)

Chapter 6

Valerie's Point of view.

I can't sleep. It's like my mind's been taken over by him—Jake. He's gone. He just left. What the hell happened? For a second, I actually thought he might come back, knock on the door, and say he didn't regret it. But no... of course not. Why would he? He's probably out there with some other girl, laughing at me behind my back. Just the thought of it makes me want to do something—anything. I don't even know what. Maybe go back to the party? Go for a walk? Punch the air? Anything to make this feeling go away.

I know he regrets it. And maybe, just maybe, I get why he did it. But I don't want to understand him. I want to hate him. Ugh, I'm so frustrated right now I could actually punch the air. I really, really hate him—more than I ever have before. And the worst part? The fact that it probably hasn't even crossed his mind, not for a second, is slowly tearing me apart. I swear, I'm never going to talk to him again. Ever.

Just believe it, Valerie. But deep down, we both know you won't be able to keep hating him for long. Not when he's got that damn smile.

***

I barely slept last night - I wonder why? But Cass is coming today, and that's one thing I can look forward to! I'm so excited. I can't wait.

Cass is one of my best friends, along with Viktoria. We've known each other for years. One day, while we were hanging out, we started talking about which colleges we'd all gotten into, and when we all said UC University, we literally screamed in excitement. What were the odds that we'd end up at the same college? Pretty low, but here we are!

Cass is the sporty type—like, really sporty. I mean, I love a good workout, but Cass is on another level. Football, basketball, gymnastics, tennis, baseball—she does it all. She's been involved in all these sports and more. It's honestly impressive. She's also got the sweetest soul, and I can't wait to see her. The only downside is she has to live in a different dorm with some other people, but she'll come here first before heading over there. I get it, though—if I were her, I'd be nervous, too.

Good thing Viktoria and I are sharing a dorm.

There are, however, two things I'm definitely not looking forward to. First: seeing Jake again. He's one of the guys who's picking up Cass. They're all friends with her. Second: seeing my brother. I can't stand him right now. Especially after yesterday. If he hadn't asked Jake to drive me home instead of doing it himself, I wouldn't be so irritated—and tired—today.

Vik and I were both offered to drive and pick Cass up with the guys, but there's no way I could deal with three guys in the car. Even if Viktoria was there. One of the guys is someone I've kissed—and he regretted it, though it was him to kissed me. The second is my brother, who I'm still mad at. And the third is completely, utterly in love with my best friend.

So, I turned down that offer, even though I would've loved to pick her up. But Vik said yes.

So now I'm hanging out with Paige and her friends. They're cool enough, I guess—they're sweet, but like she said, they ask a lot of questions.

"Have you ever walked the red carpet?" asks a girl named Stella. She's got bright red hair and looks a bit like Bella Thorne.

"Yes, I have, a few times," I answer with a smile. It's kind of fun. They look at me like I'm Beyoncé or something.

The boys and Vik left two hours ago, so they should be back with Cass by now. I actually feel bad for leaving her alone with those three guys. But at least Cass will be with them on the way back. And to be honest, I don't even know where I would've fit. There are five seats in the car. Boys really don't use their brains sometimes.

"Shouldn't the boys be here by now?" Paige asks. She's been doing her best to save me from all their questions ever since Vik and the guys left, which I really appreciate. Paige is actually pretty nice (even though I had some bad opinions about her before), and I'm honestly glad to be sharing a room with her and my best friend. It's luxury, really.

There's a knock at the door, and one of Paige's friends—maybe Natalie? I'm not sure—opens it. "Hey, Natalie," I hear my brother say. Of course. Of course he knows Natalie. He knows everyone.

They all file in, and my gaze lands briefly on Jake, but I quickly turn my attention to Cass as she walks in. We both run toward each other, and she grabs me in a tight hug. "I've missed you!" we shout in unison. Once I can feel my feet again, we both laugh.

Paige stands up, too. "Hey, I—"

Before she can finish, Cass wraps her arms around her, pulling her into a hug. Cass is a huge hugger. "Hey!" she says, then turns to me and lets out a little scream. Behind her, I can already see that Paige is totally in love with her. It's impossible not to be. Cass just has that effect on people.

"So, I hear quite a lot has happened since the last time, Val," Cass says, glancing at me with a sly look.

"Yeah, you know, the usual... just with a little extra sprinkle," I answer, keeping it vague, though Cass and Viktoria are the only ones who'll really understand what I mean. We're the only ones laughing.

"Uhhh, tell, tell!" Cass urges, wiggling her eyebrows.

Meanwhile, Paige is saying goodbye to her friends, so I walk up to them and wave as they leave. They wave back.

"Sprinkle?" I hear Jake's voice cut through the moment, sounding confused.

Before I can stop Cass, she answers, "Boys. Sprinkle means boys."

"Wait a minute, what does she mean by extra sprinkle?" I hear Mason ask in horror. Great. Thanks a lot, Cass. Really appreciate it.

As if it's completely normal, Cass answers him without a second thought. Is she okay? "Well, if you use your non-existent brain, you can figure out that it means there have been a lot of boys in her... OMG, I didn't mean that." She turns to me with a grimace. "Sorry, Val. Really."

"In her what? Oh, seriously? Can we not start talking about Val's sex life?" Connor says, giving me a look like I'm some kind of bug.

"No, no, babe, not there, or... I don't know, but I'm pretty sure she meant it in her life," Viktoria chimes in, clearly trying to defuse the situation.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Oh. My. God.

I glance at my older brother, who's giving me that "I can't believe you're my sister" look, just like Connor. Then I look at Jake. He looks... annoyed? Why?

"Can we please just forget about this? I'm here, people!" Cass yells, trying to make it go away. But it's not working. Every single eye is still on me. I'm sinking into the floor, slowly but surely.

"I'm just gonna..." I mumble, edging toward the door.

And with that, I escape, slipping out the door and into the hallway. Shit. Honestly, I was glad Cass came, but now that she's here, she can't keep her mouth shut - and that's a huge problem.