name was legally reverted to Jane Doe and I went back into the system.”
Jesus Fucking Christ. “I’m sorry.”
She nodded, the crest of her cheeks red. “I told you so you’d know you’re not alone, Jamie. I think we walk through the halls at high school thinking no one can understand the crap we’ve been through, but almost everyone has a secret. A pain they don’t talk about.”
My throat closed with an emotion that hit me like I’d run into a wall. My heart hammered too hard in my chest, and I felt a kernel of shame in my chest. I’d been a dick to Skye for a year. Sometimes my anger and resentment still made me act out. And I dismissed girls. Impatient with them if they started pretending like I hadn’t laid it out at the beginning that I didn’t want to date. I got good grades, but I could be mouthy with teachers. And there were times I itched for a fight.
All that came from the same place.
And here was little Jane Doe, grieving for a life she should have had, and treating everyone with patience and kindness and respect.
I was, in that moment, being schooled by a freshman.
Seeing my struggle, Jane gave me a sweet smile. A dimple I’d never noticed before appeared in her left cheek. It was cute. I felt an unexpected twist in my gut.
Fuck.
I looked away, mentally reminding myself that not only was she a freshman, she was my little sister’s best friend.
“Let’s pick up the pace,” I said, my voice flat. I didn’t know what to say to her. “I’ve got shit to do.”
The words made her blush, and I cursed myself for being a prick.
She remained silent the rest of the way to the apartment complex.
More than a few times, I had to stop myself from asking her something else about herself. I was interested in what Jane had to say. I wanted to hear her opinion on books and music … and stuff.
It bugged me that she didn’t say goodbye as she hurried upstairs to the Greens’ apartment. It worried me that I might have hurt her feelings after she’d told me her secret. I cursed myself all the way back to the house, wishing I’d said something different.
Maybe even hugged her.
Shit. That wouldn’t do. That wouldn’t do at all. Jane was off-limits. She was just a kid. Those big, soulful eyes or the mature way she talked shouldn’t fool me—or the impression she’d left on me with her sad tale.
Maybe Lorna and Jane’s friendship was over, and I wouldn’t have to see her again, anyway.
That hope deflated when I stepped into the house and saw Lorna sitting on the couch, her phone pressed to her ear. “No, it was my fault. I’m so sorry, Jane. I was such a bitch. You don’t have to go to the party. I just don’t want you to be mad if I do.”
As tired as I was of her little drama tonight, I softened toward my sister when I heard her apology. Maybe Skye was right, and Jane was a good influence on Lorna. I ruffled Lorna’s hair as I passed her to get a drink from the kitchen, and she looked up at me with such hero worship in her eyes, I felt a stab of guilt.
I should probably try to be a better big brother.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Bethany.
Yeah, I’m free tomorrow. My parents are out and the pool house is empty. Xxxx
My Sunday and Monday were looking up. Despite being cock-blocked by having to babysit Lorna, the turn of events appeased me.
“What do you want to order for takeout?” I asked my little sister as she got off the phone.
Her eyes lit up. “I get to choose?”
“You do.”
She bounced off the sofa. “Is this to make up for choosing Jane over me tonight?”
All good feeling left me.
See, that was the crap that made me mad at her. “I didn’t choose Jane. I don’t choose sides in your petty little friendship dramas. She’s fourteen, and I wasn’t going to let her walk home alone. End of story.”
“But you left me alone in the house.” Lorna crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me.
I looked at her and saw my mother. When I was a kid, Mom had me in knots with that crap—making me feel like no matter what I did, I didn’t love her enough—until I got a little older and knew better. It