I hate Mondays, but I especially hate this specific Monday.

After spending the weekend with Brady, the last thing I want to do is Algebra. Since I’m still too embarrassed to ask Brady for help, I resort to my usual victim in tutoring needs and head to the sixth floor of the library, praying I find Grant.

When the elevator doors slide open, I release a breath. Luck must be on my side today. I see Grant unpacking his backpack at one of the tables. He glances over to me, and a smile comes across his lips, revealing his perfect white teeth.

“Hey, Sadie. It’s been a while.” He takes a seat on the table, waiting for me to reach him.

“I know. I’ve been kind of busy,” I say as an excuse. It suddenly dawns on me that this could be awkward since I’m about to ask him to help me in math even though I turned him down when he asked me out.

“With Brady, I assume?” The dislike in his tone is unmistakable.

“Um…”

“That’s all right. It’s none of my business.” He hops off the table and moves to sit down in a chair.

“So, Grant, I need a favor.” I bite my lower lip and use my best puppy-dog eyes.

“When is it?” He shoots me a look similar to a disapproving father.

“In two hours.” I lift my shoulders and smile coyly.

“Sit down.” He motions to the seat across from him.

An hour and a half later, I think I finally have a grasp of the material, so I stand up to say good-bye. “Thank you, Grant. You’re a lifesaver.” I pack up my bag.

“No problem. I’ll walk you to class.” He stands up and flings his backpack over his shoulder.

I can’t help but notice how much Grant resembles Theo and every other guy from my past. The crisp polo and dark jeans with brown loafers. I could probably take any frat boy’s face and insert it on Grant’s body.

We make our way down and out of the library. Grant doesn’t touch me or stand too close. He doesn’t ask me about Brady or tell me to be careful with him, like he did prior to today. I’m starting to think a friendship between us could be possible, but I can’t help but wonder why he has such a strong opinion about Brady Carsen and my involvement with him.

Halfway to the Math building, we pass Vodka Vince, and I’m surprised because I’ve never seen him awake before. He’s still disheveled and unkempt but alert nonetheless. Brady’s words of caution ring through my head.

Grant’s hand cups my elbow and leads me to the other side of the walkway, so we don’t pass directly by him. I glance over, taken aback by his actions, and I give him a dirty look.

“Hey ya, Grant,” Vodka Vince speaks low to him.

I squint my eyes to Grant.

“Hi,” Grant responds, giving him a small wave of his hand, as he continues walking.

“You know him?” I ask.

“Doesn’t everyone?” he questions in return.

He has a point. I’ve seen Vodka Vince at a lot of park benches scattered around campus.

“But he knew your name, Grant.”

“Sometimes, I leave him things.” He shrugs his shoulders.

“That’s nice,” I admit. What a different perspective than Brady.

“I guess.” He doesn’t show a reaction. Maybe he assumes everyone does it. “Here you go.” Grant stops at the bottom steps, suddenly ready to get rid of me.

“Thanks again. I owe you one,” I say.

“Maybe dinner next time?” he asks.

My stomach drops. I’ve led him on in some way, and that wasn’t my intention.

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” a male voice says next to me.

The chills hit my body before Brady places his hand on the small of my back and leans in to kiss me on the cheek.

“Hey, baby.” Brady tugs me closer to him.

“Hi, Brady.” I allow him to mark his territory a little before stepping away.

“So, you two are—” Grant says, annoyed.

“Together? Yes,” Brady confirms, finishing his sentence.

His smile is smug and big as he puts his hand on my hip, tucking my body next to his. This domineering behavior Brady portrays makes me upset and pleased at the same time.

Grant appears uncomfortable with the whole situation. He isn’t taking a defensive stance at Brady. Instead, he keeps his distance. It’s odd behavior. There’s almost sadness in Grant’s eyes as he quickly glances between the two of us. I pegged him as the type not to cower down to anyone, so I’m fairly certain he isn’t jealous.

“Well, good luck, Sadie. See you around,” Grant says quietly. Staring at the sidewalk, he walks down the path before I can say anything.

“I’ll have to keep a better eye on you. First Vodka Vince and then that douche bag.” Brady swings his arm around me and escorts me into the building.

“Brady, what was all that about?” I question, clearly irritated.

“He’s a fucking frat boy. I don’t trust him.”

He stops outside the door to my class, and I wonder how he knew I had a class, let alone in this classroom.

“I think he’s a good guy, and I consider him a friend. Do you think you could be nice to him?”

He has me leaned against the wall, enveloping me, with his arms above my head—a position I’ve become aware he likes me in. I’m not complaining either.

“Sadie, let’s get something straight. I’m not one of those domineering guys.”

I smirk, looking up at him, and he grins down to me.

“Well…not until I met you. I know what guys like him want and what he imagines in his head, and I don’t like it.”

His mouth is millimeters away from mine. I can feel the warmth of his breath against my lips.

“He’s just a friend,” I argue.

“Maybe to you, he’s a friend, but to him, you are a conquest, and believe me, he won’t back down until he gets you.” He lightly kisses the side of my mouth.

Flags fly up in my head. Did they fight over another girl at some point? Is that the divide between the two of them?

“Brady, this is way too much drama before an exam.” I stay firmly against the wall and place my fingers under the waistband of his jeans, drawing him to me.

“Let me relax you,” he whispers without resisting my advance.

His arms remain above my head as he moves his head down to my mouth. Usually, any form of affection in front of a group of people embarrasses me. A year ago, I’d have been ducking under Brady’s arm at this incident, running into the safety of my classroom.

As he captures my upper lip between his, I find myself not caring who sees our display. He never lets his arms fall down as he pins me against the wall only with his lower body. I can barely keep my feet planted on the ground, fighting their urge to betray me and wrap around his hips. I want him to grab my ass with both hands, carry me into some vacant room, and bend me over a desk.

But, before my body deceives me, Brady pulls away.

“Good luck, baby!” He leans down one more time and gives me a kiss right next to my ear. “You look absolutely gorgeous today, by the way.” He turns me around and gently nudges me in the doorway. Then, he walks down the hall in the opposite direction.

I stumble into my classroom filled with mostly freshman. The stares and whispers surround me. Surprisingly, I disregard them and only think about how I’m unable to hold off with Brady much longer. Thoughts of him in bed make me so aroused, burning a need to have him inside me.

I sit down at my desk and suck in a deep breath, willing myself to concentrate on Algebra, but thoughts of Brady continue to take over my brain. His scent still fills my nostrils, and I could swear, he’s sitting next to me.

---

Walking back to the dorm, I feel surprisingly confident after my exam. I definitely didn’t ace it, but I most likely achieved a B. Next time I see Grant, I’ll have to thank him.

When I get to the hill, I stop in my tracks. Vodka Vince is sitting on a park bench with a middle-aged woman. She’s dressed in a nice black pantsuit and heels. They’re eating sandwiches, but I notice the woman is doing most of the talking while he eats. I can’t explain why Vodka Vince piques my curiosity, but I take a seat on a nearby bench and pull my phone out, pretending I’m checking my e-mails.

The woman is strikingly beautiful with short blonde hair styled so that every piece is in its specified place. Her long legs are crossed, facing Vince. I haven’t seen her stop talking the whole time. She talks with her hands, constantly touching his arm, hand, or leg. I can’t figure out if she is someone who is like that with everyone or if she has such a close relationship with him that it’s second nature to her. Vince doesn’t acknowledge her, except for a minute here or there. Otherwise, he stares over at her, like he’s trying to figure out why she’s sitting with him.

After ten minutes, they roll their sandwich papers into balls. The blonde woman takes the sandwich wrappers and places them in a bag. She digs in her purse and hands Vince a couple of bills. He takes them from her and nods his head as a thank-you. With a small tap on his knee with her hand, she says good-bye and kisses his cheek. Vince stays sitting, staring out to the open field, with a lost look in his eyes. It’s getting colder outside, and I hope he uses that money she gave him for a coat, but from what Brady said, I assume it will go to vodka.

I stand up to make my way to my dorm. My heart beats faster when I’m about to pass Vodka Vince. I could kill Brady for bringing these scary thoughts into my head. Willing myself to calm down and take a breath, I glance at a smiling Vince and nod my head.

“Hey ya,” Vince’s deep voice says as I walk by.

My breathing stops for a second.

“Hi,” I respond, my voice a couple of octaves higher than normal. With a small wave, I continue walking.

“Are you Grant’s girl?” he asks.

I stop in my tracks.

I turn around, shocked that I’m about to have a conversation with him. Brady would kill me right about now.

“Oh…no, I have a boyfriend,” I admit.

“That’s good to hear.” The smile that forms across his lips is wide and genuine.

I smile back, unsure of what to say. He continues to stare out to the open field, satisfied with the end of our conversation. I turn around and make my way back to the dorm.

---

When I reach my door, I can hear music on the other side. This is a common occurrence when Jessa has a guy in the room or if she’s just happy. The last thing I want to see is Rob’s ass in the air while he’s grinding into her on top of her loft. The visual alone makes me nauseous.

I cautiously place my hand on the doorknob, like I was taught if a fire were on the other side. I know I should just turn away, but I gradually twist it, so if Rob is in there, I can quickly shut the door and flee to the common area. Peeking through the small smidge of space, I continue opening it all the way when I discover Jessa is dancing all around the room, waving a scarf, like one of those ballerinas with the ribbons. She turns around and finds me staring at her, and I try to shut my mouth from shock.

“Guess what, Sadie!” she screams over the music as she runs over to me, grasping my arms with her hands.

“What?” I ask, shaking the image of Jessa dancing around the room out of my head.

She’s never been this chipper in the months I’ve known her.

“Rob asked me to go home with him for Thanksgiving.”

My mouth begins turning down into a frown, but I swiftly attempt to lift it up. My hatred for Rob shouldn’t interfere with my happiness for Jessa.

“That’s nice,” I say, closing the door behind me.

“I can’t believe it. I mean…I thought…well, you know what guys usually want. I thought, for sure, once I let him have the boom-boom,” she says, pointing down to her private area just so I understand what she’s talking about, as though I wouldn’t, “he would be on to the next girl.” She flops herself into her chair.

Yeah, me, too.

“I’m happy for you. Won’t your parents be upset that you aren’t going home?” I ask, knowing there’s no way I could get away with something like that.

“They understand that I don’t want to go back there. Plus, it’s such a short break. I’ll see them at Christmas. Maybe Rob will want to come home with me.”

She quietly contemplates that thought, and I envy the smile on her face.

“You really like him, huh?” I hope the disgust is concealed in my voice.

“I do, Sadie. He has completely kicked my ass—in a good way.” She laughs. “When it’s just me and him, he’s so sweet and considerate. I’ve never had that, Sadie. I’ve never had a guy who puts my needs before his. You don’t understand. The guys you usually date probably buy you diamonds and flowers.”

I forgot that, under that hard exterior, Jessa is just a typical girl.

“Not really.” I shrug.

I don’t tell her that the guys I dated would open the door for me when other people were around and always brought me flowers so that people could see them, but when we were alone, they were only worried about one thing. I’m not ready to share that, when Brady left the show last week and put something of his on hold to spend time with me, that was a first in my life.

“So, what’s going on with you and Brady? I heard the guys walked in on you two getting hot and heavy in the studio.” She beams over at me.

“Things are…good…great actually. I really like him,” I admit.

“So…have you hit it? Because an ass like that is made for grabbing.”

“Jessa!” I scream. “No, we haven’t. I’m not ready yet.” It surprises me, how easy it is talking to her.

“Sadie, can I ask you a question without you getting offended?” Her voice lowers.

I hope this isn’t about my secret.

I nod over at her.

“Are you a virgin?” Her hazel eyes peer over at me through her eyelashes.

I can’t help but laugh. “No. Is that what you think? Oh God, Brady probably thinks that, too.”

A heat wave hits me as guilt erupts in my stomach. That’s what Brady meant when he said he wouldn’t rush me.

Oh Jesus, what am I supposed to do? How do I tell him I’m the furthest thing from that?

“Really? You can tell me, Sadie. I won’t tell anyone.” Jessa puts her hand on my knee.

“I promise you, Jessa, I’m not a virgin. Actually…”

I want to tell her. I miss my girlfriends. The gossip sessions, girls’ nights out. I need a friend right now, someone’s advice on a boy who has me so wrapped around his finger. It’s hard to breathe without him around.

Pushing my worry aside, I finally tell her, “I have slept with…a lot of guys, Jessa.”

“You have?”

From her reaction, you’d think I just told her my dad was the president.

“Yeah. I’m afraid to tell Brady. It’s killing me, keeping him at arm’s length. We’ve only kissed.”

“He won’t care.” She waves it off.

“I’m afraid he’ll run, especially now that you asked if I was a virgin. I think he probably assumes that, too, and here, I’m going to tell him I’ve slept with half of the male population at Drayton.” My heart races, and sweat forms around my hairline. I’m about to have a full-on panic attack.

“Sadie, you do know that boy is crazy about you, right? Even Rob told me, he’s never seen Brady like this over anyone. Anyone, Sadie.”

Oh, I’ve missed how girlfriends can make you feel like you’re the prom queen.

“I’m sure Rob hates that.”

“Who gives a shit about how Rob feels? I’m not sure what his problem is with you, but I’m going to find out.”

“I worry Brady won’t wait that long, but it scares me that, even if he accepts it, it will only be to sleep with me, and then he’ll be finished. I don’t think I could handle that, Jessa. He came into my life so unexpectedly, but honestly, I can’t imagine it without him now.”

“Oh, Sadie. Someone did a number on you, too,” she says.

Her eyes turn empathetic, and it makes me want to cry for myself.

“Trust him, Sadie. I know it’s hard to put yourself out there, but it might be just what you need to find happiness.” She remains quiet for a few minutes as I mull over what she’s said. “Just think about it. Brady is one of the good ones, Sadie.” She stands up. “Now, let’s go gorge ourselves on the desserts.”

“Jessa?” I get up from the chair, waiting for her to turn around. “Thank you.”

“Sadie, I consider you my best friend. I know it’s unconventional, we appear to be complete opposites, and we’ve only known each other for a couple of months, but I can already see our similarities. Fate must have brought us both here to help one another heal.”

She actually reaches out and hugs me. Surprise doesn’t even explain how stunned I am that her arms are around me.

“Jessa, if I didn’t know better—”

“Did you think I was a selfish bitch or something?” She laughs and opens our dorm door.

I follow her, happy to have her as a friend. Years ago, I would have made fun of her, snickering behind her back. Jessa has probably never been a selfish bitch like I was.