How the hell did I sleep through my alarm? I set it for 9:55. Five whole minutes before ten. Plenty of time. Except, yeah, apparently not.
The good news? I don't need a shower. Took one after our workout earlier, so I'm already clean. The better news? I'm literally dressed. Ridgewater Warriors hoodie, jeans. Perfect. I don't even need to change. All I gotta do is jam my feet into shoes, grab my bag, and haul ass across campus.
Ten minutes away. I can make it.
The adrenaline fades just as fast as it came, leaving me slumping back on the bed with a long, dramatic sigh. Shoes. Bag. That's it. That's all I need.
I close my eyes again, letting the adrenaline bleed out, trying to relax for just a second. My body sinks back into the mattress—until my brain jolts awake with a memory.
My eyes snap open. "I saw Caroline last night," I blurt. My voice sounds strange, even to me. "She's back. She's at Ridgewater. Here. In this school."
"Oh, so the secret's out, huh."
I shoot up so fast my vision tilts. My head whips toward Sam. "Wait—what? YouknewCaroline's been at Ridgewater U?"
Shock hits me like a body check—my jaw hanging, my eyes wide, my whole face twisting as I stare at her.
Sam doesn't even glance up.
She's too busy with her phone, grinning like a lovesick idiot. I know that look. She's stalking Elijah's Instagram again, liking his posts and probably dropping heart-eye emojis like a total creeper.
I push off the bed, half turned toward her. "Youknew?" My voice cracks up into pure disbelief. "You knew she was here and you didn't tell me?"
"Of course," she says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. A little chuckle slips out. "I mean, it's kinda hard not to know—since, you know... she and I are roommates."
My jaw slackens. A scoff bursts out of me before I can stop it. Dumbfounded doesn't even cover it.
"Roommates? You—you've been living with Caroline this whole damn time and just... forgot to mention it?"
That's when it hits her. Her eyes widen. Her face freezes like she just got caught sneaking cookies before dinner. Then both hands slap over her mouth.
"Oh shit..." she mumbles behind her fingers, eyes darting everywhere but me.
I narrow my eyes. "Oh shit?Oh shit?That's all you've got?"
She peeks at me between her fingers, guilt plastered all over her face. "I wasn't supposed to—" She cuts herself off, groaning into her palms.
I throw my arms out. "Unbelievable. My best friend—Caroline—is back, in this school, under the same damn roof as my sister, and nobody thought to clue me in? What the hell, Sam?!"
She flops onto her back, kicking her legs like she can somehow wriggle out of this, muttering, "I'm so dead..."
I drag a hand down my face, still reeling, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my sister's been living with Caroline and keeping it from me.
Roommates. Freaking roommates.
Sam keeps mumbling into her hands, "Oh my God... Care is gonna kill me. Idiot, idiot, idiot... I'm such an idiot."
I just stare at her, deadpan. Out of all the things she could be worried about right now, she's more freaked about slipping toCarolinethan about keeping it from herown big brother.
"Unbelievable. You're more scared of her than me disowning you?"
"Well... duh. I made her a promise, Zach. Of course I didn't tell you. I like being on her good side.Unlike someone."
"So let me get this straight. My little sister—my own flesh and blood—chose loyalty to my best friend over me?"
Sam groans, flopping her arm over her eyes. "Caroline's scary when she's mad, okay? The last thing I want is to be the next person she ghosts. You? You'll get over it."
I throw my hands up. "Wow. Betrayal runs deep in this family."
