There’s a weird flicker of disappointment in my chest.

“Five months is like an eternity in high school. You must have really cared about her.”

“Yeah.” He clears his throat. “But walking in on her fucking my brother when he was visiting last month put an end to that.”

Wow. Sometimes there just aren’t any words.

“I…uh. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Shrugging, he twists open the bottle of his sports drink. “Like Tommy said, at least I found out she wasn’t loyal before things got even more serious between us.”

I want to point out that Tommy doesn’t sound very loyal either, but it’s obvious he’s pretty close to his brother.

Given I’m close to mine, I can’t fault him for that.

He sighs. “Can we talk about something else though? Talking about my cheating ex is ruining my appetite.”

Understandable.

“Sure.” Searching my brain for small talk, I say, “Have you decided what college you want to attend?”

His face lights up like the Fourth of July. “It’s a long shot, but I’m hoping to get into the pre-med program at Duke’s Heart.”

Well, damn. “Pre-med, huh? That’s—”

He cuts me off with a roll of his eyes. “Save it, princess. I’m well aware that not too many poor people like me end up becoming doctors. Like I said, it’s a long shot.”

“I was going to say that’s awesome.”

He narrows his eyes as if he’s expecting me to say something else. “And?”

“And what?”

Assessing me, he leans back in his seat. “Come on, you’re not gonna make a joke about me not having to worry because I’m half Asian and therefore must be super smart?”

I honestly have no idea what to say to that.

Actually, I do.

“I’m not gonna make a racist joke, because racist jokes are never funny. Secondly, I don’t judge people or their intelligence based on their race or ethnicity. And I sure as hell hope no one judges me based on mine.”

Although some people do unfortunately.

My mind flits back to the time Mom took Liam and me to the mall and one woman yelled that she and her ingrate kids should go back to India because we weren’t wanted here.

My mom was proud of being Indian and wanted us to be proud of it too. Seeing the crushed look on her face just about killed me.

There was also the time in second grade where we were supposed to give a presentation on our family trees and where we came from, and one of my friends suggested that I focus on my dad’s side from Ireland instead of my mom’s because people would make fun of me.

People can be such dicks.

Guilt colors Stone’s expression. “I’m sorry. I guess you out of all people know what it’s like.”

“Yeah.”

An uncomfortable silence stretches between us for what feels like forever.

“I know you think you know me, Stone, but…” I pause trying, but ultimately failing to find the right words to convey how I feel.

“But what?” he urges.

I push my half-eaten tray of food away. “I guess I’m just hoping you’ll give me a chance to show you the new Bianca, because I could really use a friend.”

Chapter 14

“You were quiet on the car ride home,” Jace notes as we walk through the front door. “How was class?”

“Oh, you know…fine.”

Given Jace and Cole are overprotective enough already, I’m definitely not going to tell him about Stone DaSilva.

My heart does a little flip. Despite only promising to help me for one day, he walked me to my classes and ate lunch with me again today.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy our time together.

Or that he wasn’t impossibly cute.

Angling my crutches on the staircase, I proceed the long hobble up to my room.

“Woah,” Cole calls out as he passes me on the staircase. “Where’s the fire?”

Shit. “No fire.” I fake a yawn. “I’m just tired.”

And by tired, I mean I want to go upstairs and do a little digging.

Which reminds me.

“Jace?”

“Yeah?”

“Were you able to fix my laptop?”

Evidently, it has some kind of virus. Fortunately, computers are Jace’s specialty and he’s fixing it for me.

He shakes his head. “Not yet. Still working on it.”

Damn.

“I should have it back to you by the end of the night, though.”

“Thanks.”

With that, I continue my long-winded journey up the stairs.

I breathe a sigh of relief the moment I enter my room…but the moment is short-lived because I hear a knock on my door.

I open it, intending to demand that my brothers give me some space, but to my surprise it’s Sawyer on the other side.

“Hi.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Hi.”

“Want to hang out?” Sawyer gestures to the plate of brownies she’s holding. “I come bearing gifts.”

Yeah, she did. And they smell fantastic.

“With an offer like that, how can I say no?” I gesture for her to come inside. “Come on in.”

After leaning my crutches against my nightstand, I plop down on my bed and gesture for the plate of goodies.

I know Jace and Cole said I was a health food nut before the accident, but I just don’t understand how anyone can live without chocolate.

Sawyer hands it over. “They have chocolate chips in them.”

It’s like music to my ears. “You’re a goddess.”

Laughing, Sawyer sits down on my bed. “So, make any new friends yet?”

I freeze, debating whether or not I should tell her about Stone. I know we were friends before, but this whole thing is so new to me.

Plus, there’s the fact that my family apparently ruined his brother’s life and all.

God, I’m so sick of all this drama.

“Um…kind of.”

She studies my face. “Kind of?”

Good Lord, it’s like she can see right through me.

“Okay, fine. It’s a boy,” I blurt out. “Quit drilling me, lady.”

Her lips twitch. “No pressure to spill, I promise.” Her smile is genuine. “For what it’s worth, I’m happy for you.”

“Don’t be.” I sigh heavily. “He’s amazing and awesome, and nice when he wants to be, but he has a crazy ex-girlfriend named Mercedes who wants to kick my ass every time she sees me.” I crinkle my nose. “Oh, and apparently Jace and Cole hate him, so the chances of us being anything more than frenemies is non-existent.”

I love my brothers, but sometimes they ruin everything.

Confusion spreads across her face. “Why in the world would Jace and Cole hate him?”

I pick at my brownie. “I’m not sure, but it has something to do with his brother.” I inwardly groan. “Evidently, we ruined his life which isn’t fair because Stone is—”

“Stone?” Sawyer all but squeaks out. “Stone DaSilva?”

I nearly choke on my food. “You know him?”