Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 27

KATY’S POV

My hands won’t stop shaking, and my breath is now coming faster. I’ve been pretending all night…

pretending I don’t hear the bass rattling the windows, pretending I don’t see the blunt being passed around right in front of me. But this… this sound is different.

Because it drags me back twelve years ago. Back to that night. That really scary night. The one I swore I’d buried.

“Are you okay?” Braydon’s hand finds mine, and he squeezes my fingers as his eyes search my face, reading the panic I’m trying so hard to mask. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.” The words scrape out. “I… I just need to breathe.”

Before he can press further, I stagger up, ignoring whatever he’s saying, and push my way through

the sea of bodies. Laughter, music, smoke and everything closes in on me, but I keep moving up the stairs, away from that damn sound. Away from the memory I can’t let swallow me alive right now.

Just as I reach the foot of the staircase, Allie’s coming down. She sees me and her eyes light up.

“Is that my bestie?” she giggles, grabbing my hand as soon as she reaches me. “Having fun?”

“Sort of,” I mumble, then nod at her boyfriend. “Hi, Sean.”

“Hey, Katy.” He gives me a quick smile. “You look nice.”

“I know, right?” Allie cuts in before I can answer, smirking as she taps his chest. “But I’m ghosting you here. Katy and I need a girl moment.”

Sean kisses her chin before letting her tug me upstairs. She doesn’t stop until we find an empty room. I exhale and slump onto the bed.

“You looked like you were about to combust down there,” Allie says, dropping beside me.

I push my hair back, embarrassed. “Was it that obvious?”

She tilts her head. “Not to anyone else. But I know your tells.”

“You don’t have to babysit me,” I sigh. “You should be with Sean.”

“I also needed an escape.” She grins. “He’s been trying to convince me all night that we should do anal. Like babe, no. That’s not a casual Friday conversation.”

My eyes widen. “What?”

“Yeah. That’s the same reaction I had when he brought it up.”

“Is he crazy?” I ask.

She sighs and flops flat onto the bed. I lie down too, our heads bumping together.

“He said it’s his kink or something.”

“And he’s just now dropping that after, what… two years?”

Allie groans. “Now that you’ve put it like that, I’m officially pissed.”

“You probably need to have a real conversation with him,” I say carefully.

She’s quiet for a moment, then sighs. “Yeah… you’re right. She shifts, then bumps me suddenly. “So where’s Braydon?”

“Somewhere downstairs.” I shrug. “Honestly, he’s probably having more fun without me.”

She chuckles. “Have you seen Bryan?”

“Uhun. He was gawking at me like a ghost in a crop top. You should have seen his face.”

Allie snorts. “Well, I’m not satisfied until he cries. You can call me to come watch then.”

“Seriously? Katy Evans? Of all people?” the girl’s voice bites again, and my eye twitches. Of all people? Excuse me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?

“Are you better than her?” Braydon fires back, his tone clipped, and deeper. “What makes you think there’s anyone in this goddamn house who’s better than Katy Evans?”

The air in my lungs stalls. I’m frozen, half from shock at his words, half from rage at hers.

“At least, I don’t dress like a middle schooler,” she snaps. “Have you even heard what people are saying? She’s not your type.”

That’s it.

My fingers curl tight, nails digging into my palm, and heat rushes through me.

I shoot up from the bed and march to the door, anger burning inside me. When I swing the door open, Braydon’s eyes go wide and the girl whirls around, and yep…it’s her. The same redhead from that first night.

I let out a sharp scoff and cross my arms. “You again?”

She squares her shoulders, her lips curling into a smug smile. “Look who it is,” she sings, like we’re in some bad teen drama.

“Stacy, you should leave,” Braydon warns, but I hold up my hand without looking at him. This is mine. I’ll handle this bitch myself.

“I see you go around talking about me,” I say, tilting my head. “Obsessed much?”

She flips her hair over her shoulder and lets out a snigger. “And what exactly am I supposed to be obsessed with?”

I step closer, tugging lightly at her jacket collar with a smile. “I’d be obsessed too if the only thing I had to brag about was flashing my ass cheeks to half of Cadston in the name of fashion. I mean… you’ve been doing that for years and still haven’t pulled anyone worth remembering. Or does no one think you’re their type?”

Her lips part like she’s about to fire something back, but then she shuts them. Classic. The thing with bullies is they never stop to think about how pathetic their own lives actually look until someone points it out. And when you do, it’s game over.

“Good luck keeping him,” she mutters with a hard glare. “Just so you know, it won’t last long.”

I tilt my head, fighting the urge to laugh. “Oh, thanks for the advice, but I don’t need it.”