“Mom, don’t you think it would be nice if I drove Bryna to the game today?” Pace called, stepping out of the kitchen doorway.

Bryna stopped dead in her tracks. Oh no, he did not just say that!

“That would be great!” Celia said. “So sweet of you to suggest, Pace.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Bryna said. Her eyes were icy as she scowled at the pair.

“Now, Bryna, Pace is being generous,” she said as her son walked over to her.

He stared at Bryna as if he were the picture of innocence instead of the disgusting pig that he was.

“Pace wouldn’t know what generous was if it bit him in the ass.”

“Don’t use that tone of voice with me,” she said crossly.

Bryna slowly counted to three in her head. She hoped it would calm her down, but it didn’t work. The anger that flooded her every time she thought about this woman in her mother’s place erupted out of her.

“You are not my mother!”

Celia covered her mouth at the outburst, but Bryna took the opportunity to climb the remaining stairs and slam the door to her room. She had just had the most incredible night of her life, and now, she had to come back to this bullshit. As soon as she graduated, she was getting the hell out of here.

She grabbed her cheerleading uniform out of her closet and slid into the tiny gold skirt and red-and-gold cheer top. She pulled her blonde hair into a high ponytail, threw her pom-poms into her cheer bag, and then slung it over her shoulder. She was leaving now. She couldn’t stand to be in this house with that woman for one more minute.

As she was tying her white shoes, Pace barged into her room.

“Ever heard of knocking, asshole?”

“Nope.” He tossed himself face down onto her bed and lay there, watching her.

“You’re a fucking creep. Stop staring at me like that.” She stood quickly and tugged on her skirt.

“Like what?” he asked. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at her with the same greedy expression on his face.

He made her skin crawl.

She shook her head in disgust. “Why don’t you get the fuck out of my room? I could have been changing.”

“We’re all family here.”

“Just because your whore mother married my father doesn’t make us family. It does make your ogling more disgusting though.”

Pace just kept his eyes locked on hers. He didn’t even have the decency to deny it.

“I’m getting out of here.”

“You just got back.”

“And?” she snapped.

“Come on, Bri. We’re going to the same place, and we have to be there at the same time. Just let me drive you,” Pace said.

He stood up, his six-foot-four frame towering over her. Football had padded his arms and shoulders, and standing near him made her feel tiny. She shot him a look that she hoped would make him feel just as small. Then, she left the room.

He followed her downstairs and cornered her again in the massive garage that housed all her father’s prized luxury cars.

“God, what do you want?” she screamed.

“To take you to the game, Bri. Haven’t you been paying attention?” He sounded so calm and controlled.

All she wanted to do was punch him in the face, but she needed to get it together. She couldn’t let Pace see her flustered.

“Pace, I don’t know how to make this any clearer.” She balled her hands into fists. “I never want to be in the same place as you if I can ever help it.”

He started laughing loudly and smiled at her revolted reaction. “It’s so fun to press your buttons, sis.” He winked before walking back inside.

She was seething.

If looks could kill, he’d already be dead.

THROWING HER CHEER BAG into the backseat of her Aston Martin, she slammed the door with a ferocity that would have made her dad furious. She pulled out of the garage and sped over to Harmony.

Avery and Tara were already supposed to be getting ready at school. Bryna usually strolled in right on time, looking as glamorous as ever, but she had been rushed out of the house and hadn’t had the time to finish off her glamorous look, so she would have to do it in the car. She hadn’t realized that stepping away from her hard shell would make it so hard to draw it back up again. She couldn’t afford to be off her game today.

Before entering the building, she quickly applied a fresh coat of makeup, readjusted her ponytail, and added the signature red bow. When she went inside, she wanted them to see her as they always had.

Perfect. Queen.

Only Jude had noticed what was really stirring inside of her, and she preferred to keep it that way.

Bryna ignored the surprised stares from the rest of the team as she walked into the building early and straight to the back of the room. She tossed her bag down next to her chair and took a seat.

Avery and Tara skittered over, their brunette ponytails swishing as they moved.

“Bri!” Avery cried. “You’re early.”

“So observant, A,” Bryna responded sarcastically.

“But, Bri, you’re never early,” Tara peeped.

“Why are you hovering?”

Avery and Tara immediately took a step back and started apologizing. Bryna swallowed down her frustration. She placed an amused smile on her face as they tripped over themselves to make it right.

“It’s fine.” Bryna held up her hand.

“So, where were you last night?” Avery asked. Her big brown doe eyes expectantly stared at her. “We waited for you at Luxe for, like, ever.”

“Avery made out with Brian Blackwell,” Tara rushed out.

Bryna questioningly raised her eyebrows. “You what?”

Avery flushed. “Tara is exaggerating. It was just one kiss. No big deal. It would never be serious with Brian. He’s an underclassman.”

“You had your tongue down his throat,” Tara said.

Bryna turned her attention to Tara. “She knows her place. You can chill with the third degree.”

Tara backed up another step and looked embarrassed from being called out.

Bryna’s head was starting to pound. Why do I have to deal with this petty bullshit right now? She should have stayed in Jude’s apartment and skipped the game. That sounded like heaven right about now.

“So, where were you then?” Avery repeated.

Bryna smiled up at them. She felt a victory in her hands even before she spoke the words. This was going to tighten the reins that had been slipping through her fingers ever since her father remarried.

“If you must know, I broke up with Gates last night.”

Avery and Tara wore equally horrified faces.

“You did what?” Tara asked.

She stood and sighed. “I can do better.”

“Better than Gates Hartman?” Avery asked.

Do I detect disbelief in my friend’s voice?

“Don’t you think so?” Bryna fixed them with a glare that made any response other than yes seem unacceptable.

“Um…yeah. Yes,” Avery said.

“Of course,” Tara peeped.

Bryna nodded in agreement. “I’m over the whole movie-star thing. I’d rather shop around for better merchandise.”

Avery and Tara slowly bobbed their heads.

“Wow,” Tara said. “You’re so right. You can do better than that.”

“I know.”

They smiled and exchanged glances before heading back to their seats. She knew that, in a matter of minutes, the news would spread to everyone at Harmony. She tried to ignore her already beeping phone and pretended to freshen up until it was time to leave. Just as she’d expected, the whispers behind her back escalated the closer it came to departure.

Avery and Tara followed behind her as she strolled over to the state-of-the-art travel buses that would take them upstate. Before she reached the cheer bus, Pace stepped in front of them.