Sure, we had fun trying to top one another in class, and yes, maybe sometimes I bought her favorite drink just to see that over-the-top smile of hers, but there was nothing beyond that. She’d always been with golden-boy Brandon—someone who talked shit when no one was looking and thought he ruled over everyone else. I never understood why they’d been together—she was a fierce girl with a rebellious streak when she locked in. Maybe that’s why the relationship had ended. The two didn’t compute.

“I had a good day.” I walked away from the sauce before I put it in a bowl and drank it Beast style.

“Wait, what?” Tessa’s voice snapped as she rounded the corner, plucking the spoon out of Sean’s hand and taking a taste for herself. Mom was going to kill us. “You were hauled into the principal’s office and forced to run some stupid club, eating hours of your personal time. How is that a good day?”

I groaned, taking a seat at the table. “Thanks, Tessa.”

Sean smirked as he sat across from me. “So, not only were you deflecting, you were lying, too. I’m your brother!”

“Like I could forget.” I glared at him, but I was only half serious. He knew I loved him, just like Tessa knew, but that didn’t mean I wanted to divulge every single detail of my life to them.

“Why did Tanner haul you in?” Sean asked, more serious.

Tessa snorted. “Someone pulled a brilliant prank on Tanner during his abstinence only presentation.”

“No shit?” Sean gaped at her.

“Dead serious,” she said. “Awesome clips of sexy make-out sessions and all.”

“It wasn’t that awesome,” I said. “Or brilliant.”

“Just because you’re immune to romance doesn’t mean the rest of us are,” Tessa quipped.

“That’s not it,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Whoever did it will get caught. Tanner is too smart and paranoid to let it slide. He knew it wasn’t me. Which means he has at least an idea of who it might be, and that person and all their friends will suffer when he nails them.”

“He was always strict, but is he getting worse?” Sean ran his fingers through his hair, and I nodded in answer. “If he knew it wasn’t you then why did he bother bringing you in?”

“Because I was behind the computer when it happened. I’d only pushed play on the vid, someone else had tampered with it before I got there.”

Sean hissed.

“Tessa!” Mom chided as she came into the kitchen and snatched the spoon out of her hand. Tessa blinked, then glared at the two of us at the table.

“They did it first!”

Sean and I gave Mom our most innocent faces possible. One I mastered by watching him. Tessa growled and rolled her eyes.