I glance at my chest and frown. Am I really comparing bra size? That’s insane.
Growling, I pull my hair back into a ponytail and prepare myself for the rest of the afternoon. Sadie’s lovely—she really is. I can do this.
Full of faux confidence, I swing the door open and walk right into the hall. And then I yelp because Brandon’s standing by the wall, arms crossed, eyes trained on me.
“Whatare you doing?” I demand, breathless from the scare.
“We need to talk.”
I raise an eyebrow. “About?”
“You said you’d be nice.”
“Iambeing nice!” I hiss.
He takes a step closer—and,oh, I wish he wouldn’t. “What happened to you while you were away this fall? The Harper I know includes everyone. She’s bossy, a know-it-all, a little obnoxious at times?—”
“Hey—”
“But she’s always—always—kind.” He lowers his voice. “One of the nicest girls I know, in fact. Someone Iusuallyadmire very much.”
And, help me, my eyes begin to sting. I cross my arms and refuse to look at him.
“But since you came home at Thanksgiving, you’ve been surly, quiet, and downright venomous at times.” He bumps my shoulder. “Help me understand why, so I can fix it.What’s wrong?”
I look back at him, ready to show him how venomous I can be. “You can’t fix it, Brandon.”
“Lauren says some idiot guy broke your heart. Is that true?”
The irony. It’s almost funny.
“Did she actually say idiot?”
Brandon grins. “I’m paraphrasing.”
“I’m fine, okay? I’ll try harder with Sadie.”
“Why won’t you tell me what happened?” He looks hurt enough it makes my heart ache. “We used to talk.”
He wants to talk about it? Fine.
“I fell for a guy, and he didn’t want me,” I say, stomping my emotions down and threatening them to stay put. “There’s nothing more to it. It happens.”
Brandon mutters a word that’s a lot more colorful thanidiot. “How could anyone not want you? You’re perfect and beautiful and smart…” he trails off, perhaps realizing just like I have that we’ve drifted a little too close together.
My heart races, and my brain starts screaming.What’s happening?
“He picked some other girl,” I whisper, as close to admitting the truth as I am able. “And…I’m finding it difficult…to be nice to her.”
Brandon’s eyes dart down the hall, toward the voices in the kitchen. His face is shadowed with questions—or rather,onequestion. One very important question.
“Harper—”
And I’ll never know what he was going to say because my dear, darling sister starts shrieking like a banshee from across the house.
CHAPTER THREE
Brandonand I race into the kitchen, nearly tripping over each other. All kinds of things run through my head with the way my sister is screaming:fire, someone chopped their hand off with a butcher’s knife, Sadie fell down a rabbit hole.
