Page 135 of Heartless Stepbrother

I stood, brushing sand off my shorts.

“So...” Malia asked, eyes sparkling, “you going over there?”

I capped my water bottle, heart thudding in a steady, intentional rhythm.

“Yeah,” I said.

And it felt nothing like defeat.

“I’m going.”

Behind me, the bonfire popped loudly, sending sparks swirling into the dark. Riley watched me start to walk, lips curving slowly. Not like a victory…

But like the beginning of a war he was excited to fight.

And so was I.

Malia, Tessa, Jo, and Harper rose behind me, forming a small, determined wall of girl energy at my back.

“We’re coming,” Malia said. “No way we’re missing this.”

“Front-row seats,” Tessa added.

“Spectator sport,” Jo agreed.

Harper snapped her sketchbook shut. “Documenting the chaos.”

We walked toward the bonfire, the heat and the laughter and the music swelling around us like we were stepping back onto a stage.

As soon as we reached the circle, a guy near the firelit center stood and grinned. “Finally decided to join?”

“Yes,” I said simply.

Behind me, the girls chimed together:

“We’re just watching.”

People laughed, shifting to make room. Riley stepped closer, phone tucked away, something sharp and knowing glinting in his eyes when I met them.

Before I could take a seat, he spoke.

“I’m playing, too.”

The chatter around the circle froze.

Then exploded.

“What—“

“No way—“

“He never—“

“Riley? Playing?”

Malia murmured behind me, “Oh, this is about to get messy.”

More people scrambled closer, squeezing into the circle. Two of the girls who’d practically melted at Riley earlier dropped into spots like they’d been waiting their whole lives for this moment.