Faking It With My Best Friend's Brother

Faking It With My Best Friend’s Brother An Enemies to Lovers Age Gap Romance Brooke Bolton Copyright © 2023 by Brooke Bolton - All rights reserved. In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher. Created with Vellum Contents Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Epilogue The End Did You Enjoy This Book?! Join My Newsletter! Prologue Highschool. July 4th, 2003. "High school is a prison sentence that you have to serve before you can start your real life." -Meg Cabot Dakota I don't like my new school. Mom can tell, and just like every morning, I stay in her car, not ready to get out. "Honey, you have to get to class sooner or later." "I know." I look out the window at the building. I’m almost certain that the annoying little boy who tripped me on my first day is lurking around somewhere, waiting to humiliate me again. I scan the front building, looking for signs of Sloane. "Dak," Mom says, her voice growing sharper. Her frustration at my stalling becomes apparent. With a sigh, I push the car door open and sling my backpack over my shoulder, waving my mother goodbye. She calls me back and I move toward the car window and hunch over. A little part of me is hoping that she is going to suggest going back home and taking the day off, like she did last year when I started my period. "It's alright, honey," she says. "I know that moving to a new school is hard and you miss your old friends, but you are going to make new ones. It's going to get easier, ok?" Mom’s eyes are soft and pleading. Maybe this move is just as hard for her as it is for me. Dad was promoted at work, but with that promotion came a transfer to oversee the company's new department. Which meant that we had to move from Florida to Los Angeles. Dad has worked for Pearson Electronics, a multinational electronics company, since I had learned to talk. Maybe Mom is right. Maybe I'll grow to love it here. Maybe I’ll make a few friends and even get a boyfriend. For now, it's a little hard to believe that’s possible. But I decide that I don't want her to worry about me anymore and I give a nod and turn away from the car. I grip the straps of my backpack hard and make my way into the building. I ignore the laughing teenagers at the entrance of the school door and make my way toward my locker, silently praying that Luke doesn’t bother me today. I punch in my combination and pull the locker open. "If it isn't Princess Dakota." My heart pounds at the sound of Luke's voice, but I don’t look in his direction, instead concentrating on getting my necessary textbooks for the day. But Luke doesn't let up. "Princess? Are you deaf now?" "Go find someone your own size to pick on!" I hear my friend's familiar voice say. "But Princess is my size," Luke whines, letting out loud laughter. "Thank you," I whisper to Sloane as she shields me with her body. She’s not that big but I still appreciate the gesture and support. I'd be screwed if I didn't have Sloane as my friend. "It's alright. Are you okay, though?" "I am now," I tell her as I slam my locker shut. "Princess? Is your tongue tied? Do I have to open your mouth and make you talk?" He laughs, following behind us. "I'm going to report your dusty ass to the principal if you don't get the hell away from us." Sloane turns around to glare at Luke, who glares right back. "You're not the one I've been trying to talk to. Let the dumb girl speak for herself." "You mean like how you did for yourself in fifth grade?" Sloane smirks. I look in Luke's direction when he suddenly becomes quiet. His eyes have narrowed, and his hands have tightened into fists. "Don't you dare bring that up." "Oh, I'm going to bring up whatever I want. You need to respect our boundaries so we can respect yours. Stay away from my friend, or else I'm going to remember more than just the most embarrassing moment in your life, you jerk." With that, Sloane grabs my arm, and we break into a light jog toward homeroom. Once Luke isn't behind us anymore, we slow down, and I give Sloane a look of disbelief and gratitude. "What happened in the fifth grade?" "You're safer if you don’t know," Sloane whispers. "He shouldn’t be bothering you anymore. Luke will do everything he can to make sure no one ever brings that up." "So, the bully has a weakness," I murmur as we make our way into the classroom, moving to the only open seats in the front row. Sloane and I have never had a problem sitting in front. The backseats are reserved for the cool kids who drive to school and the popular girls who wear perfect makeup. Sloane and I aren't in that category. But I don’t mind being different. I don't mind that I am a bookworm, even though it makes my classmates think I’m a teacher's pet. "Don't we all?" Sloane finally whispers back. "I'll do questionable things to know the bully's dark, dirty secret." Sloane gives me a firm no. "I want you on the right side of history," she explains with a grin.