Page 132 of Heartless Stepbrother

I sat down slowly, cross-legged on the corner of the blanket, feeling the heat of the fire on my back and the cool ocean breeze on my face.

Nose Ring grinned. “Welcome to the circus.”

Sketchbook Girl added, “We promise it’s more normal over here.”

“Some of us,” Malia corrected, elbowing her. “Some of us are normal.”

“Speak for yourself,” Red Braids said, then turned to me. “I’m Tessa, by the way. That’s Jo,” she pointed to Nose Ring, “and the quiet menace with the sketchbook is Harper.”

Harper didn’t look up. “Hi, I’m listening. I’m just drawing.”

Jo leaned closer. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to be interesting. Harper makes everyone look cooler on paper.”

I smiled, genuine, surprised by how easy the energy was. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Same,” Tessa said. “So, how’d you end up here? Riley just… showed up with you.”

I opened my mouth… and realized I had absolutely no idea how to summarize that answer without sounding insane.

“I—uh—“ I began.

“Don’t interrogate her,” Malia cut in. “She just escaped him.”

“Good point,” Jo said. “Trauma requires recovery time.”

They all nodded solemnly, like this was a well-established scientific fact.

I laughed. Quietly, but I did. And it felt… good. Calming. Like I’d found a pocket of safety away from Riley’s heat and shadows and intensity.

We talked about lighter things. School rumors, bonfire traditions, who was secretly dating who, why Harper hated group chats. I kept stealing glances back toward the fire, though. And every time, without fail, Riley’s eyes flicked to mine.

Every. Time.

It was infuriating.

It was distracting.

It was…

“Hey!” someone shouted.

A girl bounced toward us from the bonfire, the flames behind her making her look like she walked straight out of the light. She had sun-kissed skin, glossy hair, and the kind of confidence that probably made people say things likeshe’s the life of the party.

“Truth or dare,” she announced breathlessly. “We’re playing by the fire. You guys coming?”

Tessa grimaced. “Hard pass.”

Jo shook her head. “They always make you kiss someone.”

Harper muttered, “And I don’t like being bossed around.”

The girl’s eyes landed on me. “What about you? Riley’s already over there.”

My stomach dropped.

Before she could misinterpret the expression on my face, I shook my head quickly. “No thanks.”

“Yeah, no,” Malia added, waving her off. “We’re good here.”