Free Silver by K.A. Linde Page B

trying.
    While her friends were off gallivanting around Europe or opening a designer-clothing boutique in New York City before following her rock-star boyfriend around on tour, Stacia had moved into a shitty apartment and was stuck in the library every night. She didn’t go out to Posse. She avoided the training facilities for the football team. She hardly even went home to her hellish one-bedroom apartment in the slums, except to shower, change clothes, and then return to the library.
    On top of that, she’d been working on her admission essay to get into her major, and they were due in a week, on the day of her last final.
    All of that studying had had one positive side effect; she hadn’t seen Pace Larson once.
    And she wanted to keep it that way.
    Sliding her essay away from her, she stretched and pulled up Snapchat to live vicariously through her best friends’ lives. She had just finished watching a video of Bryna and Eric at the top of the Eiffel Tower when a text message from Derek flashed on the screen.
    Jordan just got back into town. I have the next two days off. You still want to meet him?
    Stacia’s reply was instantaneous.
    Yes!!!
    Be there in a few hours then.
    Stacia jumped up and twirled around with excitement. Then, realization rocked through her. This was her last weekend before her finals, and her journalism essay was due. She needed every minute to prepare. Anxiety spiked through her so fiercely that she had a sudden flashback to high school when the cheer captain, Paris Waters, had convinced the rest of the squad to leave Stacia behind at an away game, and she’d been too humiliated to call her dad to get home.
    She pushed that particular horrid memory out of her mind and forced herself to relax. She could do it all. Bryna and Trihn did it all and made it look effortless. She would just have to double down next week. Her essay was pretty much done. She could do this.
    And, a few hours later, when Derek and Jordan arrived at her front door step, Stacia had completely transformed. Any trace of anxiety was gone. She had finally unboxed the rest of her belongings from when she had moved in six weeks earlier, and she had donned a pretty spectacular cerulean dress to wear out tonight.
    A tentative knock came from the door, and she threw it open.
    “Derek!”
    “Hey,” Derek said, looking worried. He glanced backward.
    “What’s wrong?” she asked.
    “Where the hell are you living?”
    “Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s fine,” she lied.
    He shook his head. “It looks like you’re going to get shot while walking out your front door.”
    “Seriously, it’s no big deal. Where is this boyfriend?” she asked, teetering from one foot to the other on her high heels that still didn’t bring her up to her brother’s shoulders.
    “He’s just grabbing his bag.”
    At that, Jordan strode up to Stacia’s apartment. He appeared every bit the opposite of Stacia’s brother—average height with a slim build, styled dark hair, and close-cut clothes. Even his bag was a trendy duffel rather than Derek’s backpack, likely filled with rumpled clothes. She hadn’t seen her brother in much else in her entire life.
    “Hi!” Stacia cried.
    “Hey, Stacia! I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Jordan.” He held his hand out, and she shook it. At the last second, he pulled her in for a hug. “Sorry, I’m kind of a hugger.”
    “I love it. I’ve heard a lot about you, too. So excited to finally meet you.”
    “Me, too,” Jordan said, beaming.
    “Come on inside. Make yourself at home.” Stacia let the boys pass her and enter the apartment.
    “There isn’t much home here, is there?” Derek asked.
    “Give it a rest, Derek,” Jordan said. He placed his hand on Derek’s arm and smiled. “We’re here for some fun and to get away.”
    “All right,” he grumbled.
    Stacia smirked and showed the boys to her bedroom where she had decided to let them stay for the weekend. She’d be crashing on the