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Despite everything, I smiled. “And that poker tournament she and Abuelo Leo organized for the neighborhood kids?”

“Where you won three hundred dollars off the ambassador’s son?” Freddie laughed. “Abuelo always bragged about that to his friends.”

“Or about the salsa lessons from AbuelaNovela’s former co-star,” Ophelia added with a waggle of her brows.

“Or the time Freddie and Abuelo Leo took—” Catalina cut off as my phone buzzed.

I glanced at the screen, then immediately wished I hadn’t.

Flynn: How you feeling today?

“Interesting,” Rosalind said, reading over my shoulder. “Very interesting.”

I turned my phone face down. “It’s nothing.”

Four sets of skeptical eyes stared back at me.

“Okay,” Catalina said slowly. “Now we definitely know something’s wrong. The Tempest I know would have at least three clever responses to her rom-com movie hero in the flesh at the ready.”

She wasn’t wrong. But the Tempest they knew wasn’t hiding multiple secret identities while nursing the worst hangover of her life.

“Spring break at Abuela’s villa,” Catalina said again. “Promise you’ll think about it? She’s been asking for you specifically. Says you’re the only one who appreciates her telenovela marathons. And it would get you away from all...” she gestured vaguely at me, “...this.”

I nodded, mostly to make them stop looking at me like that.

My phone buzzed again. And again.

“Aren’t you going to answer him?” Rosalind asked.

“Nope.” I took a careful sip of pozole. I needed some regenerative nutrition if I was going to make it through the rest of this family...life. “I’m going to pretend last night never happened and avoid him until graduation.”

“Bold strategy.” Freddie closed her laptop. “Especially since you have class with him tomorrow.”

Oh donkey balls. I did. And our fake-tutoring study sessions after .

My sisters exchanged looks that definitely meant trouble.

“Don’t,” I warned.

“Don’t what?” Ophelia asked innocently. “Don’t point out that you’re obviously into him? Don’t mention how he literally carried you home? Don’t?—”

I threw a tortilla at her head.

“Violence.” She ducked, laughing. “See? This is why you need a vacation. You’re getting aggressive in your old age.”

My phone buzzed a fourth time.

“At least read the messages,” Ophelia said softly.

I shook my head. Some things were better left unread. Like drunk texts, party photos, and whatever Flynn Kingman had to say about my behavior last night.

But as my siblings launched into planning Abuela’s welcome home party, including every extended family member we had in a hundred mile radius, a donkey pinata and an AbuelaNovela shaped cake, my brain wouldn’t let go of what those messages might say.

Not that it mattered. I had enough complications in my life without adding six feet plus of football player with annoyingly perfect biceps to the mix.

Even if he did have un trasero that wouldn’t quit.

One that I couldn’t face right now. And for the first time in my entire academic career, I skipped class.

And I skipped our regular study session. And ignored Flynn’s texts. It was better that way.

Because I did not want to admit to...anything even close to maybe, possibly, a tiny bit of developing feelings for him .

I knew better. Flynn Kingman was a flirt. He had more notches on his headboard than was reasonable, and I doubted he even wanted to add me to them. I’d read that kind of romantic plotline, and it didn’t have an HEA.

Unrequited love was my least favorite trope.

So I’d continue to ignore him for a few more days until I could remember who and what I was. Then at least that part of my life would go back to normal. I needed some normalcy.

I was hoping I would find it at the farm animal sanctuary. I loved baby donkey, but he needed a real home.

The main barn was in shambles and the sanctuary’s small barn smelled like mildew and broken dreams. None of the animals that had to be evacuated were going to have a new home for at least another month. Minimum.

“I know, buddy.” I patted Supersweet, the ancient black and white pig who was currently sharing his temporary pen in the only dry corner of the barn. “This isn’t ideal for any of us.”

Supersweet snuffled my pockets for treats, reminding me so much of his baby donkey cousin currently hiding in my dorm room that my chest ached.

“Thanks to a certain anonymous contribution, the new barn will start going up next week,” The sanctuary owner said, leaning against the stall door.

“I can help more,” I offered. “If that will get the animals back home sooner.”

“Absolutely not.” Her tone left no room for argument. “You’ve done more than enough, taking in our littlest resident. Speaking of which, how’s he doing?”

“Getting bigger. And louder.” I smiled .

And harder to hide. But I couldn’t tell her that since she had no idea I was keeping a farm animal in my sorority house.

“You know you can bring him back here. We’ll figure something out.”

I gestured at the water damage. “No, no. He’s fine where he is for a little while longer. I know the other barn is already overcrowded with the rescued animals.”

“We’ll figure something out,” she repeated, but we both knew it wasn’t that simple. “I’ll leave you to commune with Supersweet’s nature. At least she loves all this mud.”

The sound of boots on gravel should have been going away from me, but someone was approaching. And it had me tensing, but it was just one of the volunteers bringing fresh hay. I’d been jumpy all morning, half-expecting Flynn to materialize every time I turned around.

Not that he would. I’d skipped both our Shakespeare and marketing classes, and our study session. He had no reason to?—

“There you are.”

I closed my eyes. Because of course. Of course Flynn Kingman would track me down at the one place I felt safe. Of course he’d look unfairly good in a worn DSU hoodie and jeans. And of course Supersweet would immediately abandon me to investigate this new treat-dispensing possibility.

“Traitor,” I muttered as Supersweet pressed her nose into Flynn’s palm.

“You missed class.” Flynn scratched Supersweet’s ears like he’d been doing it his whole life.

“Observant of you. ”

“I was worried.”

Something in his voice made me look up. He was watching me with that same expression from the party photos. The one I couldn’t quite decipher.

“I’m fine.” I turned back to the water line. “Just busy.”

“Too busy to read your texts?”

“My phone died.”

“For a week? Also, it’s literally buzzing in your pocket right now.”

Damn it.

“Look.” He stepped closer, still absently petting Supersweet. “About the party. I think we should talk about?—”

“We really shouldn’t.”

“I was a jerk.”

That made me turn. “What?”

“When you called me arrogant. And a bully.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You weren’t wrong.”

“I called you what?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

His eyes narrowed. “You don’t remember?”

“I... parts of Saturday night are a little fuzzy.”

“Just parts?”

“Most parts.” I focused hard on a spot just past his left ear. “Okay, fine. All parts after you left with that girl.”

“I came back.”

“So I’ve also been told.”

He was quiet for a moment, just scratching at Supersweet’s ears.

A moment passed where we just watched the enormous and adorable pig try to nose his way into Flynn’s pockets .

“I, umm,” I said slowly, surprising myself, “I don’t actually mind when you’re being... what did I apparently call you? Arrogant?”

His mouth quirked. “Among other things.”

“It’s kind of nice.” I focused on Supersweet’s snuffling, avoiding Flynn’s eyes. “Having someone who challenges me. You know, intellectually.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I took a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have skipped our study sessions.”

When he didn’t immediately respond, I risked a glance at his face. He was watching me with an expression that made my chest tight.

“Tempest...”

“Not that I’m admitting you’re right about Iago’s motivations,” I added quickly. “Because you’re definitely not.”

“Actually, about our study sessions...” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m going to have to miss the next couple.”

“Oh.” Something cold settled in my stomach. An all too familiar rock.

“The big Bowl stuff with my brothers. We’re headed out to LA early. There’re all these media appearances, family events, meetings with scouts while I’m out there...”

“Right. Of course.” I turned back to the water line, pretending to measure something. “That makes sense. Have fun with all that.”

“When I get back?—”

“Supersweet needs her afternoon feeding.”

“Would you just—” He reached for my arm, but I stepped away .

“I’ll see you around, Flynn.”

I waited until his footsteps faded before looking at Supersweet. “Don’t give me that. Whatever happened to ‘We listen and we don’t judge?’ You’d have done the same thing.”

Supersweet snorted in what was definitely disapproval.