Page 39 of All This Time

Her hips got wider, her boobs got bigger, and her hair got longer—the type of long hair that flows down her back in soft curls that look so classy and feminine.

Yeah…Laney Hart was suddenly a girl I couldn’t ignore anymore, even though thinking of her this way went completely against the pact my friends and I made our freshman year—always have each other’s backs, don’t let anyone come between us, and sisters are off-limits.

That last rule made sense three years ago, but now? I fucking hate it.

Laney returns to her room with a bag of ice and a towel. “You know the drill, Fletcher. Shirt off.”

Her bossiness makes me smile. “Yes, ma’am.” Carefully, I peel my shirt off, tugging my left arm out of the sleeve slowly since that’s the side I’m banged up on.

Laney winces again when she takes in my purple and red bruising. “You said this happened during football?”

I hiss as she presses the ice to my skin, enjoying the burn even though I know the next few days are going to suck. “Yeah.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

Her eyes lift to mine. “This looks pretty fresh, Fletcher. Practice ended hours ago, right?”

My throat grows tight. “Well, it wasn’t hurting then.”

She looks away, but I can’t tell if she believes me or not. I need her to, though, because telling her the truth would mean admitting out loud to someone else what it’s like being an only child to a man who resents you for the one thing he used to love.

“Maybe you should lie down.”

I motion to her mattress. “Trying to get me in bed already?”

Her cheeks turn pink, which I’m not going to lie, makes me proud. “Just lay down, Fletcher.”

“Yes, boss.”

“First ma’am, then boss? Which is it?” She waits for me to lie flat on my back before placing the bag of ice back on my ribs.

I reach out and gently place my hand around her wrist. “How about, angel?”

Our eyes lock as her brows rise. “Angel?”

“Yeah. I mean, you are kind of saving me right now, right?”

“Saving you from what?” she whispers as we stare at each other. But I don’t know what to say that won’t give away too much.

We both grow quiet before I finally break the silence and cut through the tension. “Have you thought about college yet?”

“Wow. Okay, that was out of left field.”

“Sorry.” I point across the room to her desk. “I saw your brochure.”

“Oh.” Laney blows out a breath before tucking her hair behind her ears. “I mean, I’m just exploring all my options. I don’t want to go far unless I get a scholarship. Then I’ll go wherever is the cheapest.”

“Smart plan.”

She nods slowly. “But I’m having a hard time thinking about being that far away from my parents. That’s the part that’s getting to me the most—the idea of leaving them.”

“Well, I can’t wait to get out of my dad’s house,” I say a little too quickly.

Her eyes flick to mine. “Really?”

Trying to recover from my mistake, I quickly add, “Yeah. I mean, college is supposed to be the best four years of your life, right?”