by McKinley May
“Of course,” I say with a nod.
I hear a throat clear loudly and gaze beyond her into Weston and Cameron's intrigued faces.
“You gonna formally introduce us or what, V?” Weston arches a brow.
Before I can start the introductions, my outgoing sister reaches her hand out.
“Sydney Steel. Nice to meet you guys.”
“Cameron Collins.”
She grins. “Another alliteration name. Sweet.”
Weston introduces himself, glancing over at me as he shakes her hand. “Dude, I can't believe you didn't tell us you have a fucking sister.”
When I see that all-too-familiar gleam in his expression, I'm suddenly hyper aware of the way Cam's eyes are grazing over her and the fact that Weston's handshake is lasting a little too long for my liking.
I may not have seen my sister in years, but that big brother protective instinct is as strong as ever.
Shit must be innate.
“Yeah, man,” Cameron chimes in. “Especially one as pretty as Sydney.”
“She's sixteen,” I snarl out.
Weston drops her hand like it was a damn hot plate, and Cam immediately takes a massive step away from her.
That's right. Back the fuck up.
“What?” Sydney's face contorts in confusion. “No, I'm not. I'm eigh—”
I grab her by the elbow and drag her towards the staircase, pulling her as far away from my horny roommates as possible.
“Around them you are,” I mumble to her before calling out to the guys that we're going to talk upstairs.
The moment we step inside, Sydney starts wandering around my room, observing the place. She picks up the picture of us on my bookshelf and lets out a small chuckle.
“You still have this?”
“Yep,” I say as I take a seat on my bed.
“Eww, I had those awful neon-green braces back then.” She brings it eye-level and smiles. “It is cute, though. One of my favs of the two of us.”
“Mine too.”
She wanders around for a few more minutes before joining me on the bed.
“That was a nasty slide tackle today. Borderline red card territory. You're lucky.”
I turn to her in surprise. “You watched?”
“Not live. I was busy kicking ass in my own game this morning, but I did look up some highlights on the way over.” Her eyes narrow. “But seriously, what the heck were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t,” I admit with a sigh.
I ask her about her game and how school's going, all the while wondering when she's going to cut to the chase and tell me what she's doing here.
When I've had about all the small talk I can handle, I address the elephant in the room.
“This is fucking weird, Syd. You can't just show up here out of the blue and act like everything's cool, like we're kids again.”
She sighs, picking at the hem of her shirt. “I know, I know. This is really weird.”
“So what are you doing here?”
“The thing is, I finally realized how incredibly immature it was to ignore you for all these years. It's not an excuse, but I was only fifteen when everything went down, and I was furious things weren't going to work out like I wanted. I was a selfish, self-absorbed little brat—”
I nod in agreement and she gives me a shove.
“—and blaming you for 'ruining' my Cali dreams seemed like the only option at the time.”
“Gee, thanks, sis.” I frown. “You know that was never my intention, right? I would never choose Dad over you, Sydney.”
“I know that now,” she says, eyes full of remorse. “It took me a while to figure it out, though. You know how I am about holding grudges. It's one of those major flaws I'm still working on.”
“What made you have a change of heart?”
Her face spreads into a wide smile. “Actually, Rayne got in touch with me about a month ago.”
“What?” I whip my head to her in shock. “She did?”
Sydney nods enthusiastically. “When she told me she was your girlfriend, I about died. I can't believe you have an actual girlfriend!”
She laughs, dark hair shaking around her face as she continues. “Anyway, she got a hold of me on social media a little while ago. We talked a few times on the phone and have been emailing back and forth until recently. She made me realize I need to let things go, reach out to you, and try to rebuild the relationship we previously had. When Amber said she was visiting Windhaven, I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to talk to you in person, so I decided to tag along.”
I try to keep my composure on the outside, but on the inside my heart's beating like a mad man, happiness soaring through my veins. I seriously cannot believe Rayne did that for me. She knew how much I missed Sydney, and the fact that she went out of her way to help us reconcile our issues is just...fucking amazing.
Sydney's loud sigh brings me back to the moment. “So here I am. I'm sorry for everything, and I really hope we can put the past behind us and start over. I've missed you, Vaughn. I want my big brother back.”
“Yeah, I'd like that a lot, Syd. I've missed you, too.”
Her face lights up and she bounces up and down on the bed. “Really? That was easier than I thought.”
“Life's not the same without an annoying little sister,” I say before squinting at her. “As long as you don't pull this silent treatment shit again.”
“I swear I won't. I'm done holding stupid grudges. I'm not a moody teenager anymore.”
“Yeah...I don't know about that.” I raise my brows and we both laugh.
“In all honesty, you should be thanking Rayne. She's the one who convinced me to grow the hell up. She's freaking awesome, Vaughn,” she says in awe.
I can't help but smile, knowing Rayne must've made quite an impression on her. Sydney doesn't pull out the “awesome” label for just anyone.
She claps her hands together. “I’m dying to meet her in person, by the way. I haven't heard from her in a few weeks. Call her up and invite her over!”
The sharp pang of heartache slices through me and I groan. I flop backwards onto my bed and cover my face with my hands.
“We broke up,” I mumble, the words stinging as they leave my mouth.
“What?! What the hell, Vaughn? What happened?”
I peek through my fingers at her angry face. “It's a long fucking story.”
Before she can pry for details, a sharp knock on the bedroom door grabs our attention. I sit up just as a female voice calls out from behind the door.
“Vaughn?”
Sydney twirls around to face me, indigo eyes wide and hopeful. “Is that her?”
I shake my head slowly. As much as I wish it was, that's definitely not Rayne's voice.
I open the door and a blonde blur immediately tornados into my room. Cameron and Weston are in the hallway behind her.
“Sorry, dude. I tried to tell Barbie here you were busy, but she wouldn't take no for an answer,” Cam says with an apologetic shrug.
Weston nudges past him and into the doorway where he can see Lexie. He casually rests against the doorframe, smirking in her direction.
“I think you're in the wrong Treehouse, Barbie,” he drawls out. “I live in the Redhouse, not this one.”
Lexie lets out a sharp laugh as she bumps me out of the way and starts closing the door on Weston's foot. “I’m sorry, are you confused? This isn't one of your fantasy wet dreams; this is reality.”
She places her palms on his bare chest and forcefully backs him out of the room.
Hazel eyes bounce down to her hands and he cocks a brow. “Well damn, baby. If you wanted to get physical, all you had to do was ask.”
She gives him one final shove before slamming the door in his face. “Goodbye, Weston.”
Still facing the wooden door, she lets out a deep sigh. “Okay, Vaughn. We need to have a serious chat about your girl.”
She whirls around and opens her mouth to conti
nue, but her gaze finds Sydney sitting on my bed and she does a quick double take.
Almost instantaneously, her expression darkens into something that honestly freaks me out. I mean, I can practically see the devil horns sprouting out of her blonde hair.
She crosses her arms and shoots me a menacing glare. “I see you're already busy,” she snaps in an accusing tone.
Luckily, Sydney can see exactly where this is going and she leaps off the bed. “Hi! I'm Sydney. Vaughn's younger sister.”
A look of pure relief spreads across Lexie's face. She sighs happily and shakes her head. “Oh, Thank God. I was seriously about to kick your brother's ass.”
Her pupils volley back and forth between the two of us. She nods vigorously as she takes in the family resemblance. “Holy shit, yeah. Definitely related. You could almost pass as twins.”
“What are you doing here, Lexie?” I ask.
She frowns as she gets back to her initial task.
“Look, I'm not usually one to get involved with other people's problems. I'm not a relationship mediator or a love guru, and marriage counseling really isn't my calling, but I feel like it's my duty to get to the bottom of what's going on between you and Rayne. You're both so damn stubborn it'll be ages before you make up if I don't intervene.”
She begins pacing back and forth between my desk and bed as she continues talking.
“You two are acting absurd, and this whole thing needs to come to an end.”
She reaches into her bag and shuffles around inside until she finds what she's looking for: a stapled packet of papers.
“Here,” she says, tossing it between Sydney and me. “Read this. I had to hack into Rayne's computer to get it, but let's just keep that little fact between us three, yeah?”
I grab the packet and turn it over. It's an article, headline reading Steel Blue by Rayne Everett.
I set it down and shake my head, not particularly interested in reading about the same shit I've been trying to move past the last couple of years.
“Nah, I'm good.”
Lexie scowls and stomps over to the bed. She picks the packet up and shoves it back into my hands. “Read it, Vaughn. Just read it.”
I huff and reluctantly open the packet, the pleading tone in her words convincing me to concede.
Syd and I spend the next ten minutes flipping through the piece.
At first, I'm expecting every new paragraph to begin the transition into my past and family woes, but it never happens. In fact, there's nothing negative in here at all.
By the second page, I'm completely engrossed in her writing. I'm smiling at her witty comments, and I laugh out loud at the description of our morning workout together. The feature has everything: soccer, humor, and emotion all perfectly wrapped up into a season-long journey she takes the reader on.
When we finish, I sit there stunned for a moment.
I knew Rayne was talented, but this?
This is something special.
Sydney opens her eyes wide as she stares at Lexie. “Dang. That was incredible. She made Vaughn sound cool. That's not an easy task.”
I glance up, still mesmerized. “This is one of the best articles I've ever read.”
Lexie rolls her eyes. “Well, duh, it's out of this world. This is Rayne we're talking about here.”
“So she decided not to write about my past?”
She shakes her head. “Nope. She didn't use your story.”
Confusion sweeps over me.
“Well, why the hell didn't she just tell me that?” I question in an irritated voice. “This whole time I was thinking she was gonna publish it.”
She raises her arms in a W-shape and shrugs. “I honestly have no clue. She's on some extreme guilt-trip over the whole thing, even though she didn't do anything wrong.”
“But she was planning on using it at one time,” I point out.
“Yeah, she was. But that was before she met you, before you guys became friends and more.” She frowns. “I know it's messed up, but she's changed since then. She would never do anything to hurt you, Vaughn. In fact, she thinks she's doing what's best for you by ‘letting you move on’, which we both know is complete bullshit. You two belong together.”
I let out a deep sigh.
As relieved as I am that she didn't violate my trust, I'm still frustrated she considered it. And fuck, after all I've dealt with, it's hard for me to forgive and forget.
Lexie senses my hesitation and turns to Sydney. “Back me up here, Little Sis. Maybe he'll listen to you.”
“She's right, Vaughn. You guys need to talk and work this out.” She narrows her eyes. “I know what you're thinking, and it's not the same situation. It's not like with Dad.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, you're right.”
And she is right. I need to stop comparing everyone and every situation in my life to him. Just because he fucked me over time and time again doesn't mean everyone else will.
“Plus, you wouldn't want to hold a ridiculous grudge over a small mistake, now would you?” Syd questions with her brows raised high. “Only an idiot would do something like that, right?”
She grins and I chuckle. “Yeah, only a total idiot would do that.”
“Do you still love her?” Lexie asks abruptly.
“Of course I do,” I say softly, no hesitation whatsoever in my response. “I never stopped.”
“Then talk to her.”
“I will,” I respond. “We'll work it out.”
“Okay, good. That fixes Part One.”
“Part One?”
She huffs. “Yeah, there's more to this than just your breakup. I'm really worried about her, and I need your help.”
“Why?” I jerk up, concerned. “Is she okay?”
“She's acting different. I've known Rayne for years, and I've never seen her like this. You know the type of girl she is: motivated, driven, always has a plan. So to see her so confused, second-guessing everything she's ever wanted...it's hard.”
“What do you mean second-guessing everything?”
Lexie sits down at my desk “She doesn't want to be a sports reporter anymore.”
My brows furrow together. “What are you talking about? That's her freaking dream job.”
“Exactly, but she claims she's done with it. And she's not messing around. She quit Windhaven Weekly.” She points a finger towards the article. “That won't be getting published, which means no internship.”
“Are you fucking with me, Lexie? Why the hell would she quit?”
I'm so damn confused.
“Nope, not fucking with you.” She taps her fingers on the head of the chair. “That stupid editor got in her head, convincing her every sports station is some celebrity gossip site in disguise, and that's not what she wants at all. Not after all this.”
I frown. “I mean, some are definitely sleazy as hell. But not all of them.”
“Jessica tried to explain that to her, but she wouldn't listen. She won't listen to anybody. I don't know what to do. I'm at a loss. Can you help?”
I'm already trying to think of a solution when Sydney perks up.
“Count me in! I can only come down on the weekends and stuff, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes.”
I'm still running ideas through my head, thoroughly convinced I heard something the other day that could help us out, when Syd bumps me with her knee.
“Are you going to help us?”
“Of course I'm gonna fucking help,” I insist.
Suddenly, a conversation I heard between Coach Hanson and Coach Jones comes to the forefront of my mind—the exact one I was racking my brain for.
I stand up and smile.
“I have a plan.”
43
“Nice dig, Rayne!” my teammate, Bailey, calls out as I slide on my knees and bump the volleyball up to our setter.
The squeaking of tennis shoes on a clean gym floor and brief directions called out from both sides of the net echo throughout Warrior Gym as th
e white ball flies through the air. After a decent set, Emily—the left-handed beast we miraculously picked up mid-season—spikes the ball so hard the other team doesn't get a chance to react, earning us our twenty-second point of the set. We all jog up and slap hands before quickly returning to our positions.
It's Sunday afternoon and I'm playing in my team's last rec volleyball game of the semester. It also happens to be the last day of Thanksgiving break, so both team benches are looking pretty barren right now, each of us barely scrounging enough teammates together to play a match.
This is a good thing for us, though, because we're playing the top team in the league and they're missing quite a few of their 6’1’’, why-are-you-not-on-the-school-team superstar players. We're even pulling the upset; after totally dominating Set One, we're mere points away from a Set Two victory as well.
I was one of the girls who almost didn't make it back for the game, desperately wanting to stay in Hillcrest and prolong my much-needed break for another half a day.
Getting away from Windhaven for the holiday was a freakin' God-send after these hellish past few weeks. Being in the comfort of my childhood home and hanging out with my spazzy little brothers provided both endless entertainment and necessary distraction from my personal problems.
However, my parents encouraged me to get my butt back to campus and finish out the season with my girls like a good teammate should, so I reluctantly made the drive back early this morning.
And speaking of my parents, I finally came clean about everything that occurred. My mom was on my side, assuring me she's on board with whatever I decide to do with my life as long as my choices are well-thought out and researched.
My dad, on the other hand, wasn't so easy to convince. He was skeptical of my accounting decision, unable to mask his disbelief when I claimed I was excited to make the change. He told me to give it another month's thought before fully committing to the degree plan, but I don't want to wait. I need to do this now.
Not only that, he was like a broken-record of Lexie when it came to working things out with Vaughn. I swear those two conspired behind my back because it was the exact same speech. But I didn't waver on that, either. I tried to explain that I screwed up and it's too late, but—just like my roommate—he didn't see it that way.
