Loving The Better Brother novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Loving Marcus Hale

WILLOW

Finished

I liked Marcus Hale since that day in the cafeteria. I didn’t like him as loudly as the other girls in this school did.

My way was quieter.

I forced my feelings to settle under my ribs and stay there for as long as I could.

I knew we were

worlds

apart.

He arrived in a chauffeur–driven car that gleamed like it had never touched dust. I arrived on a bus that groaned at every stop. His last name opened doors. Mine was a placeholder.

Still, every time I saw him, it felt like my stomach would burst. Butterflies weren’t the right word. It was more like fireworks trapped inside glass.

All I could do was watch.

I watched as he laughed with his friends on the basketball court.

I watched as girls rotated through his life like seasons–cheer captain one semester, debate team president the next, a model–in–training after that.

He never stayed long with anyone.

But he never stayed alone either.

And I remained exactly where I had placed myself that first day-

On the sidelines.

Until the next year came.

Senior year.

By then, I had settled into Crestwood Academy. I had top grades. Teachers liked

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Chapter 25 Loving Marcus Hale

1. me. Students tolerated me.

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No one knew I lived in an orphanage. That was the one secret I guarded fiercely.

However, secrets have a way of surfacing. The Martins adopted me at the start of senior year, right before I turned eighteen.

It had happened so quickly that it still felt unreal sometimes. Suddenly, I had a room of my own. Suddenly, I had a last name that wasn’t “Doe.”

Willow Martin.

It sounded like belonging.

However, Crestwood didn’t see it that way.

“Sisters by force?” someone had whispered loudly one morning when Kath and I walked into class together.

Kath had stopped mid–step.

“Yes,” she replied sweetly. “And I’d choose her every time.”

The girl rolled her eyes, but the damage was done.

The whispers multiplied into more cruel ones.

Kath defended me every time, but we didn’t share all the same classes.

This was one of those instances.

I was walking through the side corridor near the gym to get to my Physics class quickly.

However, I should have known better.

Three girls stood near the lockers. Two boys leaned against the wall, arms crossed, bored expressions plastered on their faces.

“Well, if it isn’t the new Martin,” one girl said sweetly.

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Chapter 25 Loving Marcus Hale

I kept walking.

“Hey,” another called out. “We’re talking to you.”

Finished

I continued walking, lengthening my strides. However, the guys caught up to me in no time, standing before me and blocking my path.

“Yes?” I asked calmly.

“Must be nice,” the first girl continued, examining her manicured nails. “Going from no one to someone overnight.”

“I’ve always been someone,” I replied before I could stop myself.

Her smile sharpened.

“Oh? Who were you before?”

The boys chuckled under their breath.

“She was nobody,” one of them said lazily.

I swallowed.

“Leave me alone,” I muttered, stepping forward.

Suddenly, a carton of milk appeared out of nowhere.

I didn’t even see who threw it. I just felt it.

It burst against my blazer, soaking into the fabric, dripping down my shirt.

For a second, the corridor was silent. Then, their laughter filled the space, making my ears ring.

My hands trembled, but I refused to cry.

“Oops,” the girl said, fake concern dripping from her voice. “Clumsy me.”

I stared at the white stain spreading across the school crest stitched on my blazer.

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Chapter 25 Loving Marcus Hale

Finished

I bent slightly to grab my bag that had fallen due to the altercation, when suddenly, the laughter stopped. It wasn’t gradual but abrupt.

A shadow fell over us.

I looked up.

He stood at the end of the corridor, hands in his pockets.

The group straightened instantly.

“Marcus,” one of them said lightly. “Hey.”

He didn’t respond to the greeting. His gaze moved from them-

To me.

“It’s not cool, man,” he said quietly.

The words weren’t loud, but it was enough to make their breaths hitch.

The boys shifted awkwardly.

“It was just a joke, man,” one muttered.

“Does she look like she’s laughing?” Marcus asked.

No one answered.

The girl who had spoken earlier crossed her arms defensively. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

Marcus took a step forward.

“It is,” he said simply.

With those two words, the group murmured excuses and walked past him without another word.

Marcus watched them leave. “They didn’t even apologize,” he muttered, starting to turn as if to call them back.

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Chapter 25 Loving Marcus Hale

I panicked.

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