𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 with soft and mature themes.
College senior Sierra adores her best friend Brian, but he inadvertently thwarts her love life on occasion. She didn't expect to meet Nick that night, but they quickly fel...
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—then I was, like, running to class—"
"Z!"
He jumps, his left hand flying to his chest. "What the hell, SiSi?"
"Sorry, but I can't focus on anything else."
Nicholas stands tall with his sculpted arms folded over his chest, flanked by the Peña twins while Brian swaggers back to the group, two guys following behind. One is Mark; the other is unrecognizable.
Josh steps back as Brian pivots to stand next to Nick. My stomach somersaults, and I grab Zane's hand. "Who's that?"
"Oscar de Cervantes."
"Why's here over there?"
"Well...we're trying to figure out what the hell happened. Relax, okay? It'll be okay."
"What if somebody passed around Kisha or Jill's photo?" My stomach lurches. "And who knows what they do with it."
Z leans forward to lay his face in his hands when I mention his little sisters. "Yeah, I don't know— that blows. I'm so sorry this is happening."
Nick's familiar voice raises, and I snap my head up, finding Brian fisting Oscar's shirt while Mark shoves Nick by his shoulders.
"What the—I need to end this." I hop to my feet, and Zane shouts after me to stop while I jog away from him. "Excuse me," I say, edging between B and Josh.
"No," Josh groans. "SiSi, why are you—"
"I'm going home," I announce flatly. A shadow of discomfort falls over everybody's face at my words. I size up the guys that aren't my friends. Mark has the decency to look embarrassed and coughs once, scratching his short beard.
Anger and hurt build in the back of my throat. I face Nick, flickering my eyes to Brian, then ask in a tight voice. "I assume you're staying?"
Neither answers quickly enough, and I can't force words from my dry mouth. I snap it shut before turning on my heel.
"Hey." The guy I don't know—Oscar—speaks, rubbing the back of his neck. "Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't realize what a mess I'd make with this. I thought it was just some random sexy chick, and, you know. Guys do it, girls do it...like, look at how hot she is."
My voice shakes, and I blink back tears. "My body's not your entertainment."
"Yeah," he sighs. "I'm sorry."
"So, who'd you send it to besides this dipshit?" Brian rasps, an edge snapping at the end of the sentence. He jerks his thumb toward Mark, who scoffs.
Oscar cringes as Mark spews poison like it's his job. "So what, Sierra? Some dudes have a sexy photo of you on their phone. You look hot, and you should take it as a compliment."
