No Bad Days (Fisher Brothers 1)

Tell me you heard Nick on the radio.

Heat spread throughout my body as I fumed with my embarrassment. How was I supposed to study now with my idiot boyfriend’s question replaying over and over again in my mind? The texts just kept coming, so I shut my phone down in order to save its life, since each new message tempted me to see how hard I could chuck it against the wall.

Rachel rushed through the front door minutes later, and wrapped me in a hug before I could even say a word.

“I heard Nick on the radio when I was driving back from class.” Frowning, she pulled back to study me. “I’d ask if you heard, but I can tell that you did.”

“Hell yes, I heard. And I can’t stop hearing about it.” I pointed at my stupid cell phone.

“Has he ever talked to you about having a threesome before?” she asked softly, and I bristled.

“No! Never.” I moved back to my seat at the table and sat down. “I can’t believe he did that. I’m mortified.”

“Mortified? I’m pissed. I really am going to curse that boy before the year is through,” she threatened before breaking off into a Spanish-filled rant I didn’t understand.

“I’m sure I’ll be pissed in about an hour. Just give me time to get there.”

Anger came a lot quicker than I had anticipated. It mixed with the other emotions rolling through me, and within a few seconds, I was so upset I couldn’t even see straight. I felt so stupid.

“Are you okay?” Rachel asked as she sat down in the seat across from mine.

Shaking my head, I replied, “Not really

.”

“I’m sorry, Jess. This really sucks.”

I sat there staring at my homework on the table. Finishing it now was out of the question.

Finally, I said, “I think I’m going to go to sleep. No sense staying up when I can’t focus on anything other than his stupid voice asking that even stupider question.”

Rachel got up and headed toward her room. “I understand. Good night.”

“Night.”

I hated Nick for embarrassing me and for being so disrespectful. I was half tempted to turn my phone back on and call him, but I was still too shocked to think clearly, and I had no idea what I’d say to him other than yell and swear like some psycho girlfriend. Not that he didn’t deserve it, he absolutely did, but I wanted to maintain some semblance of self-control.

My emotions continued to swing between being pissed off and completely embarrassed, so I climbed into bed and closed my eyes, hoping for a sleep-filled reprieve.

I had tossed my cell into a drawer so I wouldn’t be tempted to turn it on and use it. Now as I walked across campus toward my class, I realized that I had left it at home, still turned off.

Nick’s easily recognizable frame was in the distance, and I watched as he altered his course to head in my direction.

Part of me wanted to turn around and run away from him, but I knew he’d only chase after me. And I couldn’t avoid him forever. People had already started to slow down as they noticed us heading toward each other like two trains meeting head-on. No doubt they’d heard all about Nick’s asshole request last night on the radio.

Once he was within a couple of feet, I raised my hand and smacked him across the cheek. Gasps filled the air around me but I tuned them out, my focus purely on the jerk-off in front of me. When a smirk spread across his face, I lifted my hand to slap him again, my anger only growing.

He grabbed my wrist and pinned it to my side. “Calm down, Jess.”

I squirmed, trying to pull my arm away. “Fuck you,” I spat, still trying to pull my arm out of his grasp, but it was no use.

“Jess, listen to me.” His voice was calm, almost soothing, and I wanted to hate him for his ability to be so in control while I clearly wasn’t. “Listen to me,” he repeated, demanding I do as he asked.

I glared at him, wishing my eyes had the power to shoot darts so I could pummel him with hundreds of them at once. “I hate you!” I yelled with as much venom as I could muster so he’d believe it, even if I didn’t.

“I was just fucking around,” he said.

I set my jaw and glared past him, refusing to meet his stupidly perfect blue eyes. One look in them and they’d soften me, and I refused to be anything but tough in this moment. His fingertips touched the bottom of my chin and tilted it up.