Chapter 2
On the drive back, Jason Miller was fuming, his voice cold and accusing.
“Jo Summers, are you happy now? If you hadn’t pushed Lily, we wouldn’t be in this mess!
“How many times do I have to tell you? Lily is my sister. When will you stop being so damn unreasonable?”
It didn’t matter what had just happened. One look from Lily, and I was still the villain in his eyes.
“She pushed me first,” I said, my voice quiet. It wasn’t the first time I’d tried to defend myself. And it wouldn’t be the last time no one believed
- me.
Jason let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
“Enough. Haven’t you lied enough already?
“You’ll say anything to make her look bad, won’t you?
“Lily and I grew up together. She’s kind, innocent–there’s no way she’d ever do something like that.”
like every other time before this he chose to beti
7:33 AM
<
And once again, I was the one being unreasonable.
A dull ache settled in my chest. I didn’t even feel like arguing anymore.
The first time I met Lily, I knew she wasn’t as harmless as she pretended to be.
The day she returned from abroad, we went to pick her up at the airport.
The second she saw Jason, she flung herself into his arms like a butterfly, spinning in circles.
“Jason, I missed you so much! Did you miss me?”
She practically purred the words before leaning in and planting a kiss on his cheek.
P
Jason’s ears turned red, and his gaze softened, filled with indulgence.
“Come on, let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Jo Summers.”
That was when she finally seemed to notice me.
The smile on her face faltered slightly as her gaze swept over me from head to toe.
That look–cold, assessing–made my skin crawl. Like she was evaluating an object.
A moment later, she smiled again, but something flickered in her eyes–something condescending.
“Thank you, Jo, for taking care of Jason while I was gone.”
I should’ve known. At the time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about the way she said it.
That was the moment she decided she didn’t like me.
Not long after we got home, Lily texted Jason again.
Apparently, the pool party wasn’t wild enough for her, so now they were hitting up a bar.
I told him to make up an excuse and turn it down.
Given our current situation, it wasn’t exactly the best time to be hanging around them.
But Jason, as always, folded–because when Lily Carter pouted and batted her lashes, saying no simply wasn’t an option.
He texted back, agreeing to go.
I sighed. Fine. I’d go, make an appearance, and leave as soon as I could.
But Jason wasn’t having it.
“You’re in my body right now. I can’t let you put Lily in an awkward spot or hurt her feelings.”
I let out a dry laugh.
This was actually happening. My boyfriend was more worried about another woman’s feelings than mine.
At the bar, everyone seemed surprised to see Jason–well, me–show up.
Lily wasted no time. She hooked her arm through mine, batting her lashes as she looked at Jason.
“Jo, are you at a bar? Didn’t think this was your scene. Or are you just here to spy on Jason?
“Come on, do you really think we’d do anything behind your back? We’re all Jason’s closest friends. Can’t you trust us?”
Jason blinked, caught off guard by the accusation.
For once, he had no idea what to say. He looked at me confused
B
I stayed calm. “Jo just came by coincidence. That’s all.”
Hearing me stand up for Jason, a flicker of displeasure flashed in Lily’s eyes.
As soon as we sat down, a few drinks in, someone suggested a game.
I was never good at these, and, unsurprisingly, I lost.
My punishment was a dare.
One of the guys smirked, “Kiss the girl to
your left.”
My left was Lily.
She let out a soft gasp, tilting her head coyly. “Oh, come on. Jo’s watching. We don’t want a repeat of last time, do we?”
Then she sighed dramatically, flashing an apologetic smile to the group. “I mean, I get it–some people just aren’t built for this kind of game.”
A couple of them laughed. Jason said nothing. I froze.
The first time I went to a bar with them.
The first time I watched her pull this same damn move.
She had lost a game back then too. Had to kiss someone.
Plenty of single guys were there.
But she hadn’t even looked at them. Instead, she turned straight to Jason–her so–called best friend.
And the worst part? He hadn’t pushed her away.
They had kissed. A full three minutes. Slow, deep, lingering.
By the time they finally pulled apart, their breathing was heavy, lips swollen.
And me? I was right there. Watching.
When we got home, I snapped. Told him he had no sense of boundaries, and that this wasn’t okay.
Jason had just scoffed, “Jo, seriously? It was just a game. Grow up.
“Lily is like a sister to me. If I actually liked her, do you think you’d even be here?”
I had trembled with anger, but the worst part was–I couldn’t find the words to fight back.
After that night, I never stepped foot in a place like this again.
