Page 36

36

Piper

I wake up to the muted morning light streaming through my curtains, my face pressed against a pillow that smells faintly of Jake—a mix of hay, soap, and something distinctly him.

I check my phone—nearly noon. God, how did I sleep for so long?

The memory of last night flickers through my head: the gentle way he helped me into the shower, the heat of his hands on my skin, the raw need in every kiss. Even now, my body hums at the thought.

But beneath that pleasant ache, guilt gnaws at me. You’re lying to him. You’re lying to all of them, really. And if that weren’t enough to give me an ulcer, the small wildflower Violet brought me sits right there on my nightstand, wilted around the edges but still heartbreakingly sweet.

The kid actually gave me a get-well flower—like we’re family. Like I deserve that kind of trust.

I sigh, pressing the heel of my palm against my chest. “You’re going to come clean,” I mutter at myself. “No more faking. No more secret blog sabotage. Enough.”

I’ve mentally rehearsed some version of a confession a hundred times: “Hi, everyone, guess what? I’m Penelope Darling, that local gossip blogger who wrote trash about Jake and basically hammered nails into your family coffin. Oops.” Yeah, that’s a conversation guaranteed to go well.

Still, I can’t stand this double life. If I’ve learned anything about the Ice family in the last few days—especially after that ridiculous cow stampede fiasco—it’s that they’re real and loyal and definitely worth more than a cheap blog stunt. And Emma? She’s always had my back, from the moment we met in college.

I flash on the memory of her threatening a frat boy who’d catcalled me, or that time she stayed up all night to help me finish an impossible writing project, fueling us both with cheap coffee and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. She’s my friend. She deserves the truth.

My phone vibrates on the nightstand. I pick it up, half expecting a sponsor email or a text from Jake checking on my ankle. Instead, Emma’s name lights the screen.

“Hey,” I answer, trying not to sound shaky.

“Hey, Piper,” Emma says quietly. “Um, a few of us want to drop by—bring you some comfort food or something. We know yesterday was rough.”

My stomach twists. Comfort food. It’s exactly what I do not deserve, but her kindness still warms me. “Yeah, sure. I’d love that.”

Emma exhales like she’s relieved. “Great. We have some things to, uh, talk about anyway.”

“Sure,” I echo, my nerves spiking. Today is the day. After we hang up, I drag myself out of bed, wincing at the dull throb in my ankle. Nothing major, just a bruised ego to go with it. I fix up quickly—showering, tossing on yoga pants and a loose tee—determined not to look as messed up as I feel inside.

Less than an hour later, my door swings open to reveal two members of the Girl Squad: Emma and Sadie. They’re armed with bags of chips, a couple of pints of ice cream, and a bottle of cheap rosé. Sadie’s carrying a Bluetooth speaker tucked under her arm.

Emma grins when she sees me. “We come bearing carbs, sugar, and questionable wine. Prepare yourself.”

Maddie, as if having a sixth sense for these things, comes bounding down the stairs. “Oh, I’m prepared.”

I force a laugh, stepping aside so they can enter. “That’s the best trifecta possible.”

Sadie arches a brow. “You look… better than I expected. I half thought you’d be in a cast or something after that cow-tastrophe.”

“Just a bruised ankle,” I say, shrugging. “Jake saved my bacon, apparently. And I’m going to politely ignore that pun.”

“Of course he did,” Sadie drawls, but her tone is surprisingly neutral. Maybe we’re in a temporary ceasefire.

Emma sets a bag of goodies on my coffee table, then turns to me with concern. “How’s your foot, really?”

I hop a little for effect. “Still attached. Does that count?”

She rolls her eyes but smiles. “You’re impossible.”

Emma flops onto the couch, rummaging through the snack bag. “Tell me you have a corkscrew. Because if not, I’m about to savage this wine bottle with a screwdriver.”

I snort. “Relax, MacGyver, I’ve got one in the kitchen. Let me—”

My ankle twinges when I move, and Maddie gently pushes me back. “No, no, I’ll grab it. You sit.”

She hustles off, leaving me with Sadie and Emma exchanging loaded looks I can’t quite decipher. My guilt creeps up another notch. They don’t even know what I’m about to do.

After a moment, Maddie reappears, brandishing the corkscrew triumphantly. She pops the cork with more enthusiasm than skill, nearly hitting Emma in the face. But we manage to pour four glasses. Sadie hits play on her speaker, letting some chill acoustic tunes fill the background.

We lounge around for a few minutes, nibbling chips and sipping rosé. It’s almost normal, except I can tell Emma’s got something on her mind. Her fingers drum on her thigh, and she keeps taking deep breaths like she’s working up to a big reveal.

I clear my throat, deciding maybe I should open the floor. “So, you guys must’ve had a morning, too, right? Any more sabotage drama I should know about?”

Sadie shakes her head. “Not that I heard. The ranch hands are still out there, finishing repairs on the fence. No sign of Davidson’s creeps.”

A tense pause follows. Finally, Emma sets her glass down and blurts, “So. I need to tell you something. And I’m terrified.”

My heart pounds. Wait, I’m the one with a big confession. But I just nod, steeling myself. “Go ahead.”

Emma exhales, twisting her fingers together. “I… I kissed Carter.”

Maddie’s mouth drops open. Sadie’s eyes narrow. I nearly spill my wine. “Wait, Carter Davidson?” I sputter. “As in the son of that Davidson? ”

“Yes, that one,” Emma mutters, her face going pink. “We’ve kind of known each other forever—rival families and all—but then we ended up in the same CompSci classes at college. We started studying together, complaining about professors, debugging code. He’s such a nerd sometimes,” she adds with a shaky laugh. “But not in a bad way. And he’s definitely not like his dad.”

“But your family hates him,” Sadie points out, echoing my thoughts. “They think he’s a spy.”

Emma shrugs, hugging herself. “I know. It’s complicated. But he’s… sweet. We don’t talk about ranch stuff or feuds; we just click. Then, last week, we were pulling an all-nighter on a group project, and we sort of… ended up kissing.”

Maddie scoots forward, eyes gleaming. “Okay, but details. Was it just one kiss? More? Did he do that slow lean-in thing or go for the full Hollywood swoop?”

Emma’s cheeks go full scarlet. “Maddie!” she scolds, but a tiny smile flits across her lips. “It was… nice. Gentle, then he, um, got a little braver. And I might have—well, I guess I got into it.” She rubs her face. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Sadie lets out a low whistle. “So you’re crushing on the enemy’s son. Wow, Emma. That’s bold. Your dad might blow a gasket. And Jake? Forget about it—he’ll flip.”

“I know,” Emma groans. “That’s why I’m freaking out. My family sees Carter as a ticking time bomb. But he’s not. He’s a huge dork who loves coding challenges and weird sci-fi shows. He’s kind. He always makes me coffee when I was about to pass out from tiredness during a study session. Thoughtful stuff like that.”

Maddie recovers first, leaning forward. “Do you like, like him?” she teases gently.

Emma nods, looking away for a moment before turning her attention back to Madde.

“Yes, obviously. But I feel so guilty. My dad would blow a gasket if he knew. My brothers? Ugh, Jake would flip out. And the rest of the family sees Carter as the enemy.”

My chest tightens. I can’t help but empathize. Feeling trapped between loyalty and desire? Yeah, that’s basically my life right now. I lay a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Thanks for telling us. That couldn’t have been easy.”

She looks at me, relief and anxiety swirling in her eyes. “I just… couldn’t keep it bottled up. It was driving me nuts. And I believe Carter’s not like his father, but if my dad or brothers find out? Holy meltdown.”

Maddie purses her lips thoughtfully. “So what’s your plan? Hide out until finals? Run away to Silicon Valley?”

Emma half-laughs, half-groans. “I honestly don’t know. My gut says, ‘Go for it,’ but my head says, ‘You’re inviting a family war.’ And I’m so, so tired of secrets.”

My chest squeezes with empathy. Tired of secrets, indeed. If anyone gets that, it’s me. I give Emma’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “We’ve got your back, no matter what. Even if you decide to shack up with the entire Davidson clan.”

She snorts. “Please, one Davidson at a time is more than enough.”

Maddie claps her hands in mock cheer. “Alright, so we’ve got a hot forbidden nerd romance on our hands. I love it.”

Emma blushes again but manages a faint smile. “Thanks, guys. It means a lot.”

The mood brightens a little—until my own guilt reminds me we aren’t done with confessions today.

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. She trusts me. And I’m about to drop a nuclear bomb on that trust. My throat constricts, tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. Time to do this, Piper. Quit stalling.

I set my glass down carefully, my pulse roaring in my ears. “Emma, there’s… something I need to tell you, too.”

All three girls swivel their attention to me. Sadie cocks an eyebrow, Maddie’s brow furrows, and Emma just looks faintly worried.

I take a shaky breath. “Okay, do you remember that bonfire night a few weeks back? When I’d had a couple drinks and was… running my mouth a little?”

Emma tilts her head, frowning slightly. “Yeah. Why?”

I swallow hard. “That night, Sadie dared me to fake-date Jake, get him to fall hard for me. She said it’d be funny—to see him squirm, take him down a peg. And I… I agreed.”

Emma stiffens. “Wait. What?”

“It was supposed to be stupid,” I rush on. “Just a joke at first. But then everything spiraled. I didn’t mean for it to go so far.”

Her eyes narrow. “You faked a relationship with my brother because of a dare ?”

I wince. “I know how it sounds. I thought… I thought I could control it. Keep it harmless.”

Emma’s face pales. “Did you even stop to think about Violet? Or me? Or how Jake might feel?”

God, this is bad. Saying the words out loud makes it very, very clear how effed up this all is.

My throat tightens. “I didn’t—at least not at first. But it stopped being fake a long time ago, Emma. That’s why I’m telling you now.”

She stares at me like she’s never seen me before. “So all this time, you were lying. And using him. And using us .”

“No,” I whisper, voice cracking. “Not anymore. I swear, it started as something dumb—but it turned into something real. That’s why I had to come clean.”

I exhale, my lungs straining. “It wasn’t just the dare, Emma… there’s more.” My voice trembles. “It was for my blog. And not just any blog.” I force myself to look her in the eye. “I’m Penelope Darling.”

Emma blinks. Once. Twice. Then her whole face changes—shock, betrayal, fury all crashing in at once.

“You’re what ?”

“I didn’t mean for it to go this far,” I rush out. “At first, it was just supposed to be a few pieces. Satire. Snark. Then it started getting traction, and the sponsors—”

Emma cuts me off, voice sharp. “You’ve been trashing Jake and my other brothers online this whole time? While pretending to like him? While getting close to Violet? While acting like my friend ?”

My face burns. “Yes. I mean, I wasn’t lying about how he acted back then, but I… yeah, it was me. I’ve been writing under that pen name for a couple years.”

Sadie, surprisingly, just looks stunned. Usually, she’d be throwing shade, but now she’s speechless. Then Emma stands, her face going from pale to red in about two seconds. “So every negative article I read, that was you? The ones that made my entire family furious?”

I swallow. “Yes. I hated how he used to be—loud, arrogant. But that’s not the point. The point is, I kept writing even after the dare started. Even after I started… caring about him.”

Emma’s voice trembles with anger. “You lied. All this time, I defended you. I told my brothers you were just misunderstood, that you’d never do something malicious. And you were Penelope Darling the entire time?”

Tears sting my eyes. “I never meant to—”

She cuts me off with a bitter laugh. “But you did, didn’t you? You used my family for content. You used my trust. And Jake… oh my God, Jake’s going to be devastated.”

My heart freefalls. “I know. That’s why I’m confessing. I need to come clean. I’m… I’m so sorry.”

Maddie lays a cautious hand on Emma’s arm. “Em, maybe we should talk this out. Piper’s trying to apologize—”

“Apologize?” Emma whips her head around, eyes flashing. “For what—destroying my brother’s reputation? Or betraying me, personally?”

I stand, nearly stumbling over my own feet. “Emma, please, let me explain. I was desperate for money, the sponsor demanded more drama, and I—”

“Shut up,” she snaps, eyes brimming with tears. “Just… stop talking.” For a heartbeat, she looks like she wants to throw something at me. “I came here to share that I kissed Carter, thinking you were my best friend who’d understand complicated loyalties. And you… you’re a traitor.”

My breath catches in a sob. “I’m so sorry. I swear I never wanted to hurt you or your family.”

“Yeah? Well, you did.” She grabs her purse, turning to Maddie and Sadie. “I’m out. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

Maddie jumps up. “Em, wait—”

Emma cuts her off with a raised hand. “No. I can’t be in the same room as her right now.” Her voice cracks. “I don’t even know who she is anymore.”

Without another glance, she strides to the door and yanks it open. Sadie stands, looking torn, but ultimately follows Emma out. Maddie shoots me a frantic look, then hurries after them, probably to keep Emma from having a total meltdown in the hallway.

And just like that, they’re gone. My front door slams shut, leaving me in the dead quiet of my living room. My legs give out, and I sink onto the couch, tears spilling over. This is what telling the truth looks like. A huge gaping hole in my chest. My best friend—gone. The entire Ice family—on the brink of hating me. And Jake… oh God, Jake.

I bury my face in my hands, sobbing. I never expected forgiveness, but watching Emma walk out, fury and heartbreak battling in her expression, makes it feel brutally real. She might will never forgive me.

I stare at the battered flower Violet brought me, still perched in a glass of water. The petals droop, as if they can’t bear the weight of my lies either. My chest aches so badly I can hardly breathe.

I wanted to do the right thing. I guess I forgot how awful it’d feel when all that heartbreak slammed down on me at once. There’s no going back now, though. I told one friend the truth. Next up: the rest of them—and, most terrifyingly, Jake. If Emma’s reaction is any clue, I’m about to lose everything that matters.

Clutching the arm of the couch, I close my eyes, letting the tears roll. This is what I deserve. But it still hurts like hell.