Free Silver by K.A. Linde

is her stepbrother. They weren’t together, which is just totally disgusting to even consider. She realized she really had no claim to tell us not to date. They weren’t dating or sleeping together or in love.”
    “You and Pace were in love?” she whispered in surprise.
    Stacia shook her head, trying to get that dizzying thought out of her mind. “Not what I meant. I said, or .”
    Madison gave her a look that said they’d been friends for too long for that sidestep to work on her, but Stacia ignored her.
    “You broke girl code. You don’t hook up with your friend’s ex, especially when they’re still sleeping together.”
    “I didn’t know,” Madison insisted. “I thought you were with Marshall.”
    “That doesn’t make it better,” Stacia hissed. “Nothing you say is making this better.”
    “I know. I’m so sorry. I just miss you.”
    “How would you feel if I slept with Woods?” Stacia demanded. “Would you feel betrayed? Hurt? Would you ever want to talk to me again?”
    Madison’s lip quivered, and she shook her head.
    “Exactly. So, just…leave me alone. Maybe getting kicked off the team is a blessing in disguise,” she said with a shake of her head.
    “S…”
    Stacia shook her head and walked away. She couldn’t deal with any more of that. She’d talked to her, like Derek had requested, and now, she wanted to get out of there. The conversation had been bad enough the first time right after she’d found out about Pace and Madison.
    She could still remember Madison sobbing the next morning as she’d told Stacia what had happened. She’d come over to Stacia’s apartment, as if she had thought that, by telling her right away, things could be salvaged. As if it didn’t label her as the real cheer slut. Stacia hadn’t heard any of it and sent her packing.
    That same day, it had been announced that Marshall was the lead quarterback, and it had taken no convincing at all for Stacia to start dating Marshall and give up on Pace forever.
    Stacia slumped into the passenger seat of Derek’s Range Rover. Her thoughts were whirling about the confrontation, and by the time they made it home, she had a headache, and she still had to pack to return to Las Vegas.
    “Jesus Christ, what the hell happened back there?” Derek asked as soon as they entered their house.
    “You know perfectly well what happened back there,” Stacia told him. She trudged straight through the kitchen, past the living room, and up to her bedroom. She desperately needed a shower and hoped it would help the headache.
    “Sure, I know that she slept with Pace, but I didn’t know it was that bad. I’ve never seen you so upset before,” Derek said, following her.
    “How would you feel?” Stacia asked.
    “I don’t know. I don’t have a girlfriend,” Derek said sheepishly. His cheeks turned an unhealthy pink, and he looked away.
    “How are you the quarterback for a Division I school without a girlfriend anyway? Are you a player?”
    “Don’t change the subject,” he said, his cheeks bright red now.
    “Or is it that you like someone, and she won’t give you the time of day?” Stacia pressed. “Is that it? You can tell me. I tell you all of my personal business. What’s she like? Blonde, brunette, redhead? I don’t even know your type.”
    “I don’t have a type. And, anyway, we were talking about you.”
    “We were, but now, we’re talking about you. Who’s the girl?”
    “No one,” he said a little harshly.
    Stacia giggled. “When do I get to meet her?”
    “Never, because there isn’t any girl!”
    “You’re awfully defensive for there not to be a girl. There must be a girl. Is she at school? Do I know her?” she prattled on. “What’s her name?”
    “Jordan,” he said finally.
    “Cute! So, when can I meet her?”
    Derek blushed furiously and looked at his feet. He closed the door behind him and then finally met her gaze. “You can meet him later this summer. He’s in Honduras on a mission