“Whatever, hacker. Act like you’re not bouncing up and down inside at the idea of clicking Dean’s keys late into the night.”

I scoffed, gently nudging her shoulder. “You’re impossible.”

She stepped closer to me, lowering her voice. “I think it would be good for you. To…” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Spend some time with a boy who isn’t Brandon.”

The memories of my last relationship twisted my stomach. “I hang with Jake all the time,” I said, my tone missing the joking beat I’d intended. I glanced behind her, motioning to Jake walking toward us.

“That is so not the same.” She spun around, instantly melting into his open arms.

Damn, these two were so sweet it was almost disgusting. If I didn’t love them both I would be totally, absolutely…jealous of them.

Jake brushed some of Hannah’s hair off her shoulder and then planted a quick kiss on her lips. The motions were so natural, so effortless. Hannah didn’t hesitate when Jake reached for her, she didn’t flinch when he outwardly showed affection. There was a hard-earned trust between them, gleaned from years of friendship and compassion. And they had a sixth sense when it came to sneaking the intimate moments during school—like they had a teacher radar that alerted them whenever one was close. Practice makes perfect ftw.

I didn’t need to spend time with any other guys to know that not every male was a dick like Brandon—who thought of women as a game. Something made for him to enjoy.

Not that he’d always been like that, or shown me that side of him right away. In the beginning, he was nice. Funny. Smart. Attentive. We’d been friends before we’d dated. We had fun. I’d never seen him treat another girl like he’d treated me in the end…and maybe that was the game he played. Prince Charming until he didn’t get his way.

A cold chill raced down my spine.

Not all boys were like him.

All I had to do was watch how Jake treated Hannah to know that maybe someday I’d find someone who wouldn’t push me where I didn’t want to go or shame me for not wanting to go there.

But, then again, what Hannah and Jake had was clearly true love. And not everyone was guaranteed their happily ever after.

“You riding with me or Amber today, babe?” Jake asked, one arm draped over her shoulder.

“You,” she said without glancing up at him. Her eyes were on mine, perceptive and too knowing. There was a flash of pity mixed with anger. She knew my thoughts had turned to Brandon and everything that had happened between us. “He’s a dick,” she said again, no need to explain who she was calling out. “You want me to stay? I can sit with you while you hack.”