Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 29

29 /193

BRAYDON’S POV

Damn it. I should’ve known she’d go for that. Claim

Katy goes still beside me, like someone just pressed pause on her and my fingers curl against my knee. Part of me wants to reach for her, but the other part thinks that she dragged us into this mess because of Bryan, so yeah, maybe sit in it a little.

“You know the answer,” I say, tilting my head at Stacy.

She gives this fake shrug, twirling a strand of her hair. “I’m not sure… was it the night before your sudden relationship blew up all over campus?”

The vibe grows tense like the music blasting feels far away and everyone’s staring at me.

Katy’s fingers twist in her lap and Bryan’s leaning back, smirking like he’s watching a show. I shouldn’t care what anyone thinks but then I glance at Katy again. She looks small. She’s shrinking. And that? That stings more than it should.

I let out a short, dry laugh. “Not gonna let it go, huh, Stacy? Still pissed I said no to dating you?”

Her smirk falters.

“Come on,” I add. “I told you from the start what it was. It was just casual. Don’t twist it into something it wasn’t.”

Luke snorts, nearly choking on his drink, and for once, I don’t even mind. Stacy’s face goes red as she pushes her hair behind her ear, pretending to be unbothered.

“Whatever,” she mutters, grabbing the bottle. “Let’s just keep playing.”

I scoff under my breath. She probably thought I wouldn’t say anything about our casual hookup agreement because the Braydon she knew two weeks ago would’ve just laughed off her jab.

I lean closer to Katy, placing a hand on her back. I don’t say a word, but I feel her exhale, and that tells me she’s okay. Bryan’s not smiling anymore, and honestly, I plan to keep it that way.

The bottle spins again, scraping lightly against the floor until it slows and stops, pointing right between Katy and some blonde across the circle.

The girl smirks, licking her lips like she’s been waiting for this.

“Is Braydon the reason your relationship with Bryan ended?”

Katy’s head lifts calmly. “Umm, no,” she says. “Bryan cheated, and I dumped him.”

A collective gasp ripples through the circle, and I also look at her in shock. She’s sitting upright, her shoulders squared, like she didn’t just tell everyone she got cheated on.

“You know,” she continues, a little shrug in her tone, “I was really ashamed when it happened and I didn’t want to tell anyone. But then I realized, why should I feel embarrassed? I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the victim. I’m the one who got cheated on. So he should be ashamed of being so easy.

“ Damn.

Katy Evans is really something.

I’ve met a lot of girls, but none of them surprise me the way she does. Her confidence, her determination to never settle for less… that’s something you don’t learn from textbooks.

Bryan looks livid when I glance at him. His jaw is tight, eyes dark, and I can practically see the excuses running through his head. I almost feel bad for him…almost. At this point, it’s better if he just keeps his mouth shut.

The bottle spins again, glass scraping against the floor, and I swear I’m holding my breath. If that damn thing lands on me again, I’m walking out, no matter how bad it looks.

Thankfully, it stops on Martin. Someone dares him to make out with a random girl in the crowd, and of course, he goes for it. The room bursts into laughter and chants, but I just shake my head. Seriously, the last time I played this game was freshman year, and even then, I didn’t remember it being this stupid.