Never Have You Ever (The Love Game Book 1) Read online

  Chapter Fifteen

  S O P H I A

  I was straightening up my—well, Brody’s—bedroom when I heard a distinct ringtone coming from my phone, which was charging on the bedside table. I took a deep breath before picking it up and answering.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Sophia.” Her tone was clipped as sharply as her chestnut bob. Everything about Kate Mason was severe and angular, and while she could, at times, be as warm as a bonfire, she could also ice someone out with a simple stare. It depended on her mood. And her mood right now sounded positively glacial.

  “What’s new?” I asked as I sank onto the side of the bed, trying to sound upbeat and sincere.

  “Quite a bit, it would seem. I just got off the phone with Vivian. You do remember Mrs. Follett, don’t you? Macy’s mother? The conversation was…enlightening.”

  And here I thought things had already gotten as bad as they could get. What an idiot I was. Of course, I knew that it was a possibility that someone in my sorority would tell their parents about the house drama, but I hadn’t really thought that my name would get back to my mom.

  Usually the sisters were good about not snitching on one another, knowing that some of our mothers were part of the Zeta Eta Chi grapevine. But evidently Macy was a narc in sheep’s clothing…or whatever.

  “Oh yeah? Did she want to discuss Macy’s botched plastic surgery?” No need to overplay my hand. Maybe she didn’t know what I thought she did. Or maybe I could distract her with juicy gossip of a Mexican boob job gone awry.

  “No, she did not. Though that is something I’d like to hear more about.”

  Score one for me.

  “After we discuss why on earth you’re threatening to run against Aamee for president.”

  And tied up again. “I wouldn’t say ‘threatening’ so much as following through.”

  Her sigh, which she’d inherited from my grandmother, was deep and long. I always wondered if the women on her side of the family had a higher lung capacity than the average person.

  “Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was to hear about this from Vivian? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “First of all, I don’t think Macy should be talking about house business anyway. So the fact that you heard it from her mom is an invasion of my privacy.”

  “Is it not public knowledge that you’re running?”

  “Well…yeah…I guess.”

  “So maybe ‘invasion of privacy’ is a bit overstated. Besides, Macy had no idea how to proceed in a situation like this. She reached out to her mother for help. A novel idea for you, I know.” Her voice was dry and dripping with sarcasm, but I knew it for what it truly was: a mask covering up the hurt.

  She felt betrayed that I hadn’t come to her with this, and that made me feel even shittier than having her know in the first place.

  “It’s not…I’m sorry…that I didn’t tell you. I wanted to show you I could handle it and not make you worry about me being kicked out of the house.”

  “You were kicked out of the house! Sophia Mason, what the hell is going on?”

  I cringed. “So I guess Macy left that part out, huh?”

  “Start talking.”

  So I did. I told her about what had happened with Carter and Aamee’s subsequent punishment. I also threw in all the ways Aamee was a shit president for good measure.

  “Are you telling me you’ve been out of the house for weeks? Where have you been staying?” My mom’s voice was bordering on shrill, and part of me warmed at her concern. Not because I didn’t think she worried about me but because it was good to have proof every now and then.

  “At Brody’s.”

  She was quiet for a moment, probably wondering if she’d heard correctly. “Your brother let you move in with him?” The disbelief in her tone conveyed all that needed to be said about my relationship with my brother.

  “Yeah. He even let me have the bedroom.” What the hell. Might as well give the guy some brownie points where I could.

  “Oh. That’s…well, that’s very nice.”

  “Yeah, he’s been great.” The fact that I was referring to Drew was something I’d keep to myself. What she didn’t—couldn’t—know wouldn’t hurt her. Until a loudmouth sorority mom blabbed to her, anyway. Hopefully that was one secret I’d be more successful in protecting.

  “I have to say, I’m not overly pleased with how you’ve gone about dealing with this situation, including your decision to keep it from me. If you’d simply called me, I probably could’ve gotten you back in the house without all this…drama.”

  That was probably true, but what would the cost have been? All my sisters thinking the rules didn’t apply to me because my mommy had strings she could pull? No thanks.

  “I’m sorry for not telling you,” I said again, because even though I’d had my reasons, hurting her hadn’t been one of them.

  “Yes, well, what’s done is done. And it does sound as if Aamee is…ill-suited for the position. You’re a much better choice, and I’m proud of you for stepping up.”

  I was silent for a second as my throat got tight, and a tear slipped down my cheek. My mom had said similar things before, but more like I owed it to her to follow in her footsteps than I actually deserved the honor. It was nice to have her support, not just because it was what she wanted but because she thought I’d be good at it. It was a boost to my confidence that I was in desperate need of.

  “Hey, Soph. You in there?”

  My eyes widened as I heard Drew’s voice bellow through the door.

  “Oh, is that Brody?” my mom asked. “Put him on. He hasn’t been answering my calls recently. I was about to send out a search party.”

  Shit, shit, shit. I was going to kill my brother. What if Mom had shown up here because he couldn’t answer his damn phone? He really was a fucking moron.

  “Oh, no. It’s my…study partner.”

  “The one who got you kicked out of your house?” she asked, clearly unimpressed with Carter’s role in getting me evicted. “Is there more going on there that I should know about?”

  “No,” I replied on a laugh. Carter and me? Hilarious. The guy was definitely growing on me, but more like a happy-go-lucky weed than a romantic vine.

  “All right.” She sounded like she didn’t necessarily believe it was all right, but she was willing to drop it in light of all the other fires threatening to burn down my life. “Can you tell Brody to call me when you see him, please? I would like to hear how he’s doing every now and then.”

  “I will. And thanks, Mom. I feel better about everything after talking to you.” The truth of the words was more than a little shocking. Probably to both of us.

  “Maybe you can remember that for next time, hmm?”

  I smiled, and I hoped she could hear it in my voice. “Definitely.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  D R E W

  Fridays were by far the most tiring day of the week. I had class from eight until around eleven in the morning, a “break” until noon, which was barely enough time to walk back home, grab some lunch, and get back to my afternoon class, which didn’t end until almost three since it was only one day a week.

  If Brody wanted me to go to his classes second semester, he’d have to let me choose the times. And since I didn’t get home from work until almost two in the morning, my Fridays never ended. They just rolled into Saturday without my noticing most of the time. Whoever came up with the phrase TGIF clearly hadn’t ever gone to college full-time while bartending.

  I was looking for a black button-down—a requirement at Rafferty’s—that wasn’t wrinkled, when I heard a knock at the door.

  I wasn’t expecting anyone, and since Sophia still wasn’t home yet, I had no idea who it could be. I ignored it and hoped they went away so I wouldn’t be late for work, but when the knocking continued after a few minutes, I figured I’d better answer it.

  I was still working on buttoning my shirt when I pulled the door open to find a ver
y tall blond-haired girl standing on the other side. I found her slightly intimidating, and it had nothing to do with her height.

  “Hi, is Sophia here?” She looked a little confused as she peered around me and into the apartment.

  “No, but she should be home any minute. Can I help you?”

  There was no way I was letting this random in, especially when I was about to leave. For all I knew, she could be a spy sent by Aamee to scope out her competition. Or worse, to sabotage it. I wasn’t about to let that happen, even if it meant boxing out this Jolly Blond Giant so she couldn’t infiltrate enemy territory.

  “Oh, okay, how about Brody? Is he here?”

  “I’m Brody,” I said. And if you think you’re getting into this apartment and going through my pretend sister’s stuff, you’d better think again!

  The girl laughed, but when I didn’t join her, she stopped.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked.

  “You’re not Brody.”

  Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  How had I not anticipated this? I’d underestimated Aamee. We both had. She’d figured out who I really was, and now the charade was up. She’d sent her bodyguard or mercenary to take me out. I just hoped my death would be more figurative than literal.

  Brody and Sophia’s parents would find out what was really going on, they’d both get in a shit ton of trouble, and I’d have to find a new place to live. I had to keep this going as long as I could. Maybe Aamee didn’t know for sure that I wasn’t Brody. Maybe she’d just suspected it for some reason and was testing me.

  “If I’m not Brody, and this is Brody’s apartment, who am I, then?” I finished buttoning my shirt and grabbed my shoes from beside the door, sliding them on as I waited for her to answer.

  “I don’t know who you are,” she said, pushing her eyebrows together in confusion. “A friend of Brody’s, maybe?”

  Good. She didn’t know anything for certain. “Nope. I’m Brody,” I said with a confidence I hoped would put to rest any doubt she had about my identity.

  “Is this like a joke or something?” she asked. “Sophia,” she called. “Are you in there somewhere?”

  She tried moving to the side of me, but I stepped in front of her. “No way,” I said. “You’re not coming in. I’m about to leave for work, so you can go back to the sorority house and tell Aamee her little espionage mission was a failure—just like her presidential campaign will be.”

  “Why would I be on Aamee’s side when I’m coming to help Sophia?”

  Now she wasn’t the only one who was confused. “I’m sorry,” I said skeptically. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Taylor,” she said. “But I’m pretty sure I should be the one asking who you are, because I know Brody, and you’re definitely not him.”

  I’m not sure how I’d managed to have nearly the exact same conversation twice since I’d moved in, but I knew one thing for sure: I was not making it to work on time.

  S O P H I A

  I didn’t expect Drew to be home when I arrived at the apartment, and even more surprising was that he was sitting with Taylor, who wasn’t supposed to arrive until the next day.

  “Oh my God,” I screamed, causing her to jump up from the couch where she’d been sitting with Drew, scrolling through her phone. “When did you get here? You’re early! You’re never early.” I didn’t mean that last part as an insult, but it’d slipped, and since it was true, I didn’t apologize for it.

  “My night class got canceled, so I thought I’d surprise you.”

  “I’m so glad you did! When did you get here?” I asked, my smile wide with all the possibilities now that Taylor would be staying two nights. She was always a blast, and if anyone could help me plan a party, it was her, because she was the life of it.

  “A half hour or so ago.”

  “Give me a hug.”

  We each ran in place with our arms outstretched. It was a strange dance that probably looked like a cross between an Irish dancer and a toddler who had to pee.

  We’d performed this dance since we were young, every time we’d see each other after a long time. It was a ritual that was so old, neither of us could remember how it began.

  We added a few squeals to our celebration before we wrapped each other up in a huge hug. I hadn’t seen Taylor in six months because she’d stayed on campus over the summer for an internship. Our reunion was long overdue, and I was ecstatic she’d made it here almost a day earlier than she’d planned.

  We were still hugging when she pulled far enough away to look at me and ask, “So are we gonna talk about the hot elephant in the room?”

  I laughed loudly and looked to Drew, who was still sitting on the couch looking up at us, amused.

  “I was planning to call you tonight and explain our…living situation, since I didn’t have time to get into it when I asked you to come out here.”

  “What’s going on? Where’s Brody? Why is Drew living here?”

  “You didn’t explain anything?” I asked him.

  He shrugged. “Didn’t know if I could.”

  The “hot elephant” made a valid point. It wasn’t really his place to share where Brody was or why he wasn’t here, and that meant Drew couldn’t explain why he was living here. It was considerate of him to keep the specifics under wraps until I could tell her myself.

  Drew was quiet while I gave Taylor the details of Brody’s overseas adventure, my hesitance to live with a complete stranger who I had to pretend was my brother, and Drew filled in the part about how the arrangement benefited him as well.

  I apologized for not telling Taylor about all of it sooner, but she understood. Our lives were hectic enough without the added drama Brody had heaped on me.

  “Okay, so let me get this straight,” she said. “You’re Brody, and I’ve known you since I was little. Shouldn’t be too hard. I’m only here for two days. I’ll just refer to you as Brody no matter what so I don’t mess it up if I’m around anyone else.”

  “Okay, that’s fine,” I said. I’d been expecting her to at least act like all of this was a bigger deal than it was, but I guess to her it wasn’t. Taylor had always been matter-of-fact and possessed an efficiency for getting things done that I’d envied since we were kids.

  Other than the fact that she was my ho from long ago, Taylor’s determination and drive was much of the reason she was my first call after I’d realized what I’d need to do to become sorority president. If anyone could help me outline a plan for election, it was Taylor Peterson.

  “That okay with you, Brody?” she asked Drew.

  Clearly amused, Drew smiled and gave her a nod.

  I looked between the two of them. “So if you didn’t fill her in on all of this, what’d you guys talk about for a half hour?”

  Drew smiled almost to the point of laughter, but he didn’t let it fully erupt. “Taylor showed me pictures of the two of you from when you were kids.”

  I put a hand over my face, but I was sure it didn’t do much to hide how red I could feel my cheeks getting. “You did not!”

  “Don’t kill me.” Taylor was already backing away.

  “Oh my God! What pictures did you have? They didn’t even have iPhones when we were little.”

  “When I told my mom I was coming up here, she got so excited she started texting me all these pictures of us from the albums she has.” Taylor looked at me apologetically. “Nine to fourteen weren’t our best years.”

  “Aww,” Drew said, glancing at me with a smile. “I thought you were cute.”

  “In like a three-legged dog kind of way where my cuteness is directly proportional to how sorry you feel for me?”

  He laughed but didn’t argue. “If I can find some old pictures of myself, I’ll show them to you. I wasn’t getting any modeling contracts either.”

  “Do you get them now?” Taylor asked sincerely, causing me to smack her.

  “You’re so embarrassing,” I told her.

  “Seriously, though,” she continued.
“What are you doing taking classes for some idiot when you could be in a magazine or starring in a Netflix Original?”

  Drew laughed loudly, but I could tell he was a little embarrassed by the comment. He’d received more than his share of superficial compliments since I’d moved in, and something told me he wasn’t used to getting them. Damn college girls.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Acting’s not really my thing.”

  Taylor let her gaze drift to me and then back to Drew, who was still showing off that sheepish grin that revealed just how modest he really was.

  “Hmm, could’ve fooled me, Brody,” she said.

  I loved Taylor, but I also wanted to kill her sometimes.

  Chapter Seventeen

  D R E W

  “We’re done!” Taylor announced as she and Sophia emerged from the party-planning headquarters of Sophia’s room with an empty bottle of tequila.

  They’d only retreated to Sophia’s room an hour ago, when Aniyah, Xander, and Toby arrived for another group project session.

  “An entire bottle of tequila?” I asked.

  Sophia wasn’t kidding. When Taylor put her mind to something, she got that shit accomplished.

  Taylor looked at the empty bottle before tossing it into the recycling. It landed with a loud clang, and I tensed, unsure of whether I would hear the sound of glass breaking.

  “Well, yeah,” she said. “But there wasn’t much in there to begin with when I brought it.”

  “We’re done with the party planning,” Sophia clarified.

  “Jeez, that was fast,” I said. Taylor really was an asset. Maybe I’d have to ask her to help me plan Cody’s before she left.

  “Is that for the sorority thing or for Brody’s thing?” Xander asked.

  “Sophia’s. My thing’s for my little brother, Cody, and it’s not till December, so I haven’t really started thinking much about it yet.”

  “Cody and Brody?” Aniyah asked before looking to Sophia. “Your parents should’ve named you Jodi.”