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“She thought I was you.”

The words hit harder than I expected.

I let him finish speaking.

“She believed it.”

I laughed once.

Nothing was funny.

“Yeah, of course she did.”

He watched me.

“And you kissed her.”

Silence.

“Yes.”

Again, I already knew this.

But hearing it sounded much worse.

“She wanted someone that would actually show up.”

I flinched.

He was right.

Even though technically I was there, I hesitated and stayed in the shadows.

“Just like from before. You couldn’t follow through.”

I snapped my head up to look at my brother.

“What?”

He crossed his arms as he walked further into the living room.

“Violet.”

That’s all he says.

That’s all he needed to say.

I get brought back to when we were fifteen.

* * *

Violet Loomins.

She’d liked Sebastian first.

Everyone knew it.

She laughed at his jokes.