Page 20 of Palm South University: Season 2

Sighing, I take my first bite and grimace a little. Jess’ pizza smells way better than this stupid salad tastes. “You know my birthday tends to get overlooked. Sadly this one was no different.”

“Ugh, so shitty. You would think being born on the same day as Jesus would lend you some good birthday juju.”

“Nope. All it lends you is a lot of combo gifts and no friends to party with. Plus it’s not really the date that screws me over most.”

“Let me guess. All the attention was on Abby and Amanda, as per usual?”

I offer a sour smile. “Abby was just accepted into med school and Amanda made the varsity softball team. So my twenty-first birthday wasn’t exactly the most exciting thing going on.”

I’m the middle child, and as much as it may be a stereotype, the whole “middle spawn is ignored eighty percent of the time” thing is pretty accurate when it comes to my family. My oldest sister is the smart one, destined to be the next family doctor, right behind my father. And Amanda, the youngest, is strikingly beautiful and incredibly talented in every sport she plays. I swear the girl could pick up a broom today and play Quidditch like Harry by the time I went to bed tonight.

And then there’s me.

Crazy competitive and talented in all the things that don’t matter to my parents.

Like event planning.

And pole dancing.

Funny enough, it almost feels like I’m the middle child with Jess and Erin, too. We all look so similar and hang out all the time that everyone groups us together. Except, Erin is known for running shit and Jess is the comedian. I’m just sort of there.

It’s a curse.

Jess scrunches her nose. “That sucks, dude. Seriously. I wish I would have been there to take you out. Oh!” She snaps her fingers. “Let’s go out this Friday before the auction. Ralph’s. Break the place in before we glam it all up the next night.”

“Deal.”

We eat for a few moments in comfortable silence, which of course makes my mind drift to Bo. Valentine’s Day is next week and I still have a few things to pick up for our date. With everything going on with Xavier, I haven’t been showing her the attention she deserves, so I’m determined to make that night special.

I start to ask Jess what she’s doing for the holiday but pause when I look up and see the furrow in her brow. Following her eyes, I find the sexy teacher she had a run in with last semester laughing in a booth with some hot brunette.

“Isn’t that Jarrett?” I ask, turning back to Jess. She’s worrying her bottom lip and staring blatantly at their booth.

“Mmhmm.”

“Damn. I forgot how bangable he is.”

“Ten-point-two on the bangable scale.”

She makes the joke, but her eyes stay focused on Jarrett as her expression slips from confused to angry.

“Holy shit,” I whisper, leaning in. “You’re still messing around with him, aren’t you?!”

“What?” Jess snaps her attention back to me. I waggle my eyebrows and she shakes her head, grabbing her soda and taking a big sip from the plastic straw. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh come on! What’s going on between you two?”

“I don’t know,” she snaps, her chocolate eyes hard on mine now as she crosses her arms. “What’s going on with you and my Little?”

The air rushes from my chest in a whoosh.

Ears fuzzy, I swallow and force a smile.

“Bo? We’ve gotten a lot closer in the past few months. She’s cool.”

“Uh huh.”

My smile falls. “Do you have something to say, Jess?”