Because yeah, I still love her. I wish there were a way to rip these feelings from my chest, but there isn’t. All I can hope is that with enough time, they’ll lessen until finally dissipating.
After a couple of minutes, the group I’m standing with splinters apart. Most of these guys have to hustle to class. I take off for the library to squeeze in a little studying before my two o’clock. It doesn’t make sense to go home for twenty minutes before heading right back again. The plan was to cram for an upcoming test, but after seeing Sydney, there’s no way I’ll be able to focus.
I drag a hand through my hair as I cut across campus. It’s about a five-minute walk to the sprawling, three-story brick building. If I’d been holding out hope that it would be enough time to clear my head of her, that doesn’t occur. She’s still at the forefront of my mind. I’ve yet to figure out a way to permanently evict her from my brain.
I don’t realize that I’ve unconsciously made my way to the third floor until I’m gravitating to the table Sydney and I usually park ourselves at when we work on our accounting project. I swear under my breath and swing around, deciding to head down to the second floor. Once there, I survey the area, looking for a free table to camp out at for the next forty-five minutes. At the rate I’m going, this will turn out to be a total bust, and I won’t get jack shit accomplished. Just as my gaze coasts over the stacks, I catch sight of a familiar face. Relief fills me as I take off in that direction.
“Hey,” I say in greeting before pulling out a chair and dropping onto it.
The moment my sister glances up, surprise fills her dark eyes. “Hi. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
I shrug. “I’ve got an hour between classes. There’s not much point in going home.” I glance at the stack of books across from her and realize she’s not alone. “Who are you here with?”
“Just a friend,” she says evasively.
Interesting. This might be exactly what I need to get my mind off Sydney.
I quirk a brow. “Oh yeah? Tell me more.”
“Come on, Brayden,” she grumbles, rolling her eyes. “Are we really going to do this? I’m nineteen years old. If I’d known you would be up in my business all the time, I wouldn’t have agreed to come here.”
I almost snort but catch myself at the last second.
Maybe Elle doesn’t realize it, but there was no way she was attending any other university. People know me here and respect my position on the team. The majority understand not to fuck with my sister. And I mean that both figuratively and literally. Hell, most won’t even glance in her direction, much less sniff around her. There are about eighty guys who play football, and most look out for her as if she were their own family. Trust me when I say that I have eyes and ears everywhere on this campus.
Had she attended a different college, that wouldn’t be the case. I’d have no idea what was going on, and that would have driven me crazy. Even after I graduate in the spring, there’ll still be younger teammates here, watching out for her.
Four years ago, I became the man of the house. It’s not a responsibility I wanted or was in any way prepared for, but I stepped into the role nevertheless. Our father was always so protective of my mother and sister, and I’ve tried to emulate that, knowing it’s what he would have wanted.
“Exactly what kind of friend are we talking about here?” I settle back on the chair before crossing my arms over my chest. What I really want to know is if this is a dipshit that needs to have the crap scared out of him. Considering the mood I’m in, I’d be more than happy to take out my anger on some hapless victim.
Before she has a chance to respond, movement catches the corner of my eye and my gaze flickers to Carson. Surprise and guilt flash in his eyes before being snuffed out. It’s there and gone before I can decipher the reason for it.
“Hey, man.” I raise a hand in greeting. “Are you studying here, too?”
Excellent. Reinforcements. Not that I need help kicking some dude’s ass. But I like the intimidation factor.
Shuffling his feet, Carson clears his throat. “Yeah. I was helping Elle with a math assignment.”
I frown as my gaze darts to my sibling.
What the fuck?
Why all the subterfuge? If she’d told me from the start that she was here with my teammate, I wouldn’t have bothered with the third degree. Instead, she’d acted like she was here on a date. Clearly, nothing could be further from the truth. Elle has known Carson forever. He’s like her big brother.