“You’re lucky the recycling bin was empty,” I say lightly, nudging his foot under the table.

“I’m surprised you didn’t tell Miss Cannon what I did. You know, that’s why I was intrigued by you at first. I’m so used to being in trouble because of Xander, and it was kind of nice to not have to worry about that.” A sheepish smile flits across Ace’s lips. “I might have a trust issue or two.”

I consider his words, flipping them over and over in my head as I try to work through them. The first thing he ever asked me was why I didn’t tell Miss Cannon about him skipping our meeting. It makes sense now.

What doesn’t make sense is his relationship with his brother. As upset as I was with Samir this past week, I don’t think the two of us have ever been that volatile.

“What...happened between you two?” I ask hesitantly. “There are rumors you sabotaged Xander’s presidential campaign. Is that true?”

“Yes,” Ace says, leaning his other elbow against the table and sighing. “That might be one of the few rumors about me that is actually true. Mom and Dad had been separated for a few years by then, but she didn’t move to Italy until last year, around the same time Xander was running for student body president. Xander and I were always fighting, and he kept telling Dad about every single little thing I did. It was driving me up the wall.”

“Who could blame you,” I mutter.

“Xander could,” he says, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “I asked Mom if I could go with her to Italy, because I couldn’t take it anymore, but Xander overheard and told my dad. Dad thought it was because of him. He was heartbroken, and Xander was elated, and I was furious. The next day, I set out to ruin his campaign—not that it worked, since he’s clearly student body president. Since then, he’s been spreading rumors about me as payback.”

I blink. “What the fuck,” I say, unable to form anything more coherent. “Just...what?”

Ace exhales deeply. “I really don’t know. I can’t wait until he goes to Yale in August and all this ends. I’m exhausted.”

I reach across the table and place my hand over his. “I’m sorry.” I wait a moment before offering a timid smile. “At least there’s Mia?”

“At least there’s Mia,” he agrees, lacing our fingers together. “After you and I talked, I told her the truth about everything. She demands real double dates in the future.”

My smile widens. “I’m happy to oblige. I’m glad you have her.”

Ace nods, locking gazes with me. “And now I have you, too.”