Dirty Wicked Prince (Court Legacy 1)

Bru nodded. Though, he had actually looked a little disappointed. That made me feel like maybe we were getting somewhere, that maybe we could get back to being Sloane and Bru. Not just brother and sister, but friends.

Rather than make this whole thing more awkward than it already was, I let my brother go and headed to the parking lot.

As I made it to the Chevelle, my cell phone rang, and I was surprised to see Callum’s number on the front. I didn’t go out of my way to call him. He checked in, of course, but not often. He really was leaving Bru and me to our own devices here, which was something I appreciated. Callum had promised me he’d only be our guardian on paper, and he’d been keeping to that promise about letting my brother and me live our lives.

“How have you been, Sloane?” he asked after I picked up. I leaned against my car to take the call. “Bru tells me he just won the game tonight.”

Which meant Bru either called him in the locker room or after he just spoke to me. Odds were, it was the former.

The fact my brother was obviously talking more to a virtual stranger than m

e didn’t necessarily make me feel good. But with as turbulent as our weeks here in Maywood Heights had been, I supposed I wasn’t surprised. My brother and I had basically been strangers ourselves with the exception of a few moments ago.

I pushed my hair out of my face. “Yeah, I just saw him. He’s doing well.”

“Sounds like really well,” Callum said. “Seems like a future in football may be for him.”

That shocked me, that maybe Bru was even telling him that when he clearly hadn’t been talking to me.

What’s happened with us?

We were acting like we weren’t even siblings anymore. The kid used to be my best friend, my good friend.

“I wouldn’t know,” I passed off, more so in my own thoughts. I obviously said it out loud, though. I shook my head. “I just mean he’s been really busy. We haven’t talked a lot. You know, his football and stuff.”

I obviously downplayed what was going on. I mean, I still didn’t know Callum. Not really. He was keeping me alive and well, that was where it ended.

“He asked about football camp,” Callum stated, again surprising me. “He says it’s over the summer. Sounds like he’s making plans.”

My chest hurt. What the fuck?

“Yeah?” I rubbed my face, ignoring what suddenly felt like a gaping wound in my chest. “That’s awesome. He’s really good. You should see him play.”

I managed to make it come out like my brother’s absence in my life didn’t hurt. Like I didn’t completely not know him anymore.

I didn’t know how good I managed to do that, but Callum did move the conversation on.

“I plan to see him play before the end of the season,” he said. “Promised him that.”

“Good. I’m sure he’d like that.” I knew my brother had taken a liking to him, and Callum had been kind to us. Really, he was the only decent break I’d had in the last few months, his kindness.

Though, he had brought me to this stupid town.

My life going completely belly up wasn’t Callum’s problem, though. He hadn’t started a fight in the parking lot and egged on the popular clique. He hadn’t made himself an enemy to Legacy, which led to making the entire school hate me. Callum also hadn’t sent an innocent woman (Dorian’s mother) a used pregnancy test claiming her son had knocked up someone. Even if her son had been a complete dick. No, Callum hadn’t done that.

You did.

“You never said how you were, Sloane,” Callum chimed during my thoughts. “Every time I call you, though, it sounds like you’re in your art studio, keeping busy. I’m glad you’ve been able to utilize it.”

I had, cupping my arm. “I really thank you for that. It’s been nice.”

“And how are classes, school?” It sounded like he was moving around somewhere. Maybe outside and going into a car. “I haven’t really heard anything outside of your art.”

That was because I hadn’t said anything. I’d promised Callum we’d be okay out here on our own, so he wouldn’t need to disrupt his life to take care of us.

He was already doing so much.

Knowing I had a safe haven outside of the hellhole that was school told me that. Callum’s shelter and luxury had been the one thing I had to escape it. How ironic since I’d been so resistant to it at first, the changes.