Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 47

KATY’S POV

“I should’ve considered robbing your closet instead of crying,” I say, rolling my eyes at Allie.

She’s been teasing me nonstop for the past ten minutes, ever since her feeding tube got removed and she regained her freedom to bully me. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Mrs. Katherine had to go and tell her that I’d been crying when she was out. Now, she’s acting like an adult holding candy just out of a kid’s reach. That kid being me.

She grins and pats my hand in a dramatic manner. “Thanks for hanging around, though.”

I exhale and sink deeper into the chair beside her bed. “It’s not like you’ve got another friend I don’t know about.”

She leans back slowly, careful with her movements, but the smirk stays. “Oh, please. I have plenty.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. Then a thought slips in and I stare at her, wondering whether to share.

“I think Sean’s in trouble or something,” I finally say, not sure how to even start this conversation because it’s hard to say out loud that her boyfriend hasn’t shown up once since her accident. “He’s not been responding to my texts, and none of his friends have seen him. I asked.”

Allie sighs, but her expression doesn’t change. I feel bad because I know how I’d feel if Braydo-wait, why is his name popping up first? Out of everyone in the world, why him?

The point is, I’d feel awful if someone really close to me just vanished on me when I needed them most. That kind of silence, it’s not something you can reason with. It’s a betrayal that crawls under your skin, one that’s too hard to embrace or accept.

But maybe something really is wrong with Sean. Maybe he’s going through something terrible and we don’t know. That has to be it, right?

I reach out, wrapping my hands around Allie’s. “I’m sure there’s-”

“Nothing’s wrong with him.” Her voice cuts through mine and I pause. Her eyes dim, that small flash of emotion that always shows up when she’s angry or trying not to be. She exhales slowly, her jaw tightening. “He’s just avoiding me.”

“Avoiding you?” My eyes widen, and I jerk closer without thinking. “How can he be avoiding you in this condition? Even if he cheated, he should still-”

“He wrecked my car.”

The words hit me like a slap and I freeze.

“What?” I breathe out, but she’s already looking away, her eyes glassy.

“I noticed the brake pedal was soft after he borrowed it to visit his mum,” she says quietly, her voice trembling. “I asked him to fix it, and he said he did and…” Her voice cracks, the next words barely holding together. “He… he..I’m not sure he did or I wouldn’t be here.”

My whole body goes cold. A slow chill creeps up my spine, tightening around my chest until I can barely breathe. I don’t even realize I’ve reached for her hand until I feel my own fingers digging into hers.

“Tell me you’re lying,” I whisper. “Don’t tell me this story is true, Allie.”

She forces a small smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Men are d***s, don’t you think?”

The sound of her voice breaks something in me. My throat tightens as tears sting my eyes- not from sadness, but from that kind of anger that leaves you trembling and speechless. The kind that burns hotter the more you try to hold it in. I stare at her, trying to swallow the lump forming in my chest. She’s sitting here, trying to make a joke out of it, while the guy who almost killed her is just…..

How could he do that?

My lips start to tremble, and I bite down hard, trying to keep it together. Fury claws its way up my throat until it’s all I can taste.

He almost got Allie killed.

And the worst part? He’s been reading my texts for days. No response, no guilt. Nothing.

Oh, fuck me.

My stomach twists as another thought hits. What if his friends are covering for him? What if they know where he is and they’re just pretending they don’t?

I scoff, my anger slipping away because of how ridiculous he sounds. “Why are you trying to act like you-” I stop myself when I notice Allie smiling, her tears forgotten for a moment. I sigh and roll my eyes. “Did you even get her anything?”

He ignores me completely, sitting closer to her.

“How’re you, Bean?” he asks softly.

“A little weak, I guess,” Allie replies, her voice small.

But I barely hear her…because Bean? What the hell is Bean? Since when are they on a nickname basis?

“What did you just call her, Justin?” I blurt.

He turns his head slowly, giving me his annoying lazy look, then unbelievably, he gestures with his eyes and a tilt of his head for me to leave.

My jaw drops.

“Excuse…” He shoots me a warning look and my words die in my throat, replaced by pure disbelief. Is he seriously kicking me out? What the hell could he possibly need to talk to Allie about, alone? What’s going on?

Slowly, and like my ass is nailed to the bed, I rise to my feet. A deep frown settles on my face as I drag myself toward the door, every step fueled by annoyance.

“Shut the door, please,” Justin calls after me.

I stop, hand on the knob, and turn just to give him a glare that should’ve melted the skin off his smug face.

“Come on, don’t be stubborn,” he adds, his lips twitching in a smirk.

I grit my teeth and slam the door shut.