Chapter 17
Sadie's POV
The walk back to my dorm felt surreal. Brooklyn kept replaying the cafeteria showdown on her phone, cackling every time we got to the part where I mentioned Vivienne's highlights. Maya was quieter, but I caught her smiling. Zoe had her arm linked through mine, squeezing occasionally like she was checking I was still real.
Liam walked ahead of us, hands in his pockets, occasionally glancing back to make sure I was okay. When we reached my dorm building, he held the door open with an easy grin.
"You were brave back there," he said once we were inside. His voice had lost that dangerous edge from the cafeteria, back to his usual warm tone. "Like, stupidly brave. But brave."
I laughed shakily. "I don't know what came over me."
"Adrenaline," Maya offered. "And righteous anger."
"Vivienne had it coming," Brooklyn added, flopping onto my bed. She grabbed one of my pillows and hugged it to her chest. "She's been a nightmare since freshman year. Just because she's president of Kappa Delta and her dad's on the school board doesn't mean she gets to treat people like garbage."
Liam leaned against my desk, crossing his arms. The afternoon light coming through the window caught his blonde curls, making him look like some kind of California surfer who'd wandered into New England. "She's done this before, you know. Gone after girls who get too close to Jake. You're not the first."
Something cold settled in my stomach. "What do you mean?"
"Last year, there was this girl—Sophie. Transfer student from California. Jake helped her with calc once in the library, and Vivienne made her life hell." He shook his head, his usual sunny expression darkening. "Spread rumors that Sophie was stalking him, got her kicked out of student council, had her friends freeze her out of every social event. Sophie transferred schools after Christmas break. Her parents didn't even fight it—they just wanted her out of here."
"That's insane," Zoe said softly.
"That's Vivienne." Liam pushed off the desk and started grabbing boxes from my corner, lifting them like they weighed nothing. "She thinks Jake belongs to her. Has since freshman year when he was the new sophomore quarterback and she was already queen bee. But Jake's never been interested. Not once. And that just makes her crazier."
Brooklyn immediately perked up, watching Liam's biceps flex as he stacked boxes. "God, you're like a golden retriever crossed with a bodyguard. Where do I get one?"
Maya rolled her eyes. "Brook."
"What? I'm just saying, Sadie's lucky to have a brother like him now." Brooklyn sighed dramatically, still hugging my pillow. "I wish I had a hot older stepbrother who threatened mean girls for me and could lift heavy things."
"I'm not older," Liam pointed out, grinning. "I’m literally only a year older than you guys."
"Details." Brooklyn waved a hand.
"Zoe," Liam said, turning to her with a teasing smile. "You're being awfully quiet. What about Cole? Where does your actual brother fit into this fantasy?"
Zoe threw a pillow at him. "Cole would just lecture me about conflict resolution and send me a three-hour podcast about emotional intelligence. Not the same vibe."
Everyone laughed. Even me, though my chest still felt tight. I watched my friends joke around with Liam, watched how easily he fit into our group. Brooklyn was right—I was lucky. But there was something hollow about it too, something I couldn't quite name.
The way Liam had stepped in felt good. Safe. But part of me had wanted someone else to be there.
Someone with tired blue eyes and a silver Zippo.
"Hey," I said suddenly, cutting through the laughter. "You guys need to be careful at school. Vivienne's not going to let this go."
Maya waved a hand dismissively. "We can handle ourselves."
"Brook's literally on the soccer team," Zoe added. "She could take Vivienne in a fight."
Brooklyn flexed, showing off her arms. "Damn right. I didn't become starting goalkeeper by being delicate. These hands have blocked shots from girls twice my size." She made a grabbing motion. "Don't worry, Sadie. I'll protect these nerds."
"Who are you calling nerds?" Maya demanded, pushing her glasses up her nose in a way that absolutely proved Brooklyn's point.
Zoe laughed. "Maya, you literally color-code your debate notes."
"Organization is not the same as being a nerd—"
"You have a favorite Supreme Court justice."
"Everyone should have opinions about the judicial system—"
I smiled despite myself, feeling the knot in my chest loosen slightly. "Just—be careful, okay? All of you. Vivienne has resources. Money. Connections."
"So do we," Zoe said quietly. She squeezed my hand. "We have each other. And honestly? After today, I think half the school is on your side. That speech was epic."
"Legendary," Brooklyn agreed. "The highlights comment? Chef's kiss."
Liam checked his phone. "Hey, we should probably get going. Diane wants us there before dinner, and it's a twenty-minute drive."
"Right." I stood up, suddenly nervous. Moving into the Montgomery Estate. Living under the same roof as Jake Montgomery for a month.
This was fine. Totally fine.
Brooklyn jumped up and hugged me. "Text us tonight, okay? Tell us everything about the mansion."
"Estate," Maya corrected.
"Whatever. Tell us if there's a pool. And if Jake walks around shirtless."
"Brook!"
"What? I'm asking the important questions."
Twenty minutes later, I was in Liam's Jeep, watching Lincoln Heights blur past the window. The afternoon sun cast everything in gold, making the colonial buildings and tree-lined streets look like something out of a postcard. Liam had the windows down, some indie playlist humming through the speakers—The 1975, maybe, or The Neighbourhood. The kind of music that felt like summer even though it was still September.
"So," he said casually, one hand on the wheel, the other tapping along to the beat. "Why didn't Jake help you move?"
My stomach flipped. "He texted earlier. But I didn't want to bother him."
"Oh, right. I told him to text you." Liam shook his head, laughing. "That idiot. He should've just shown up. All that texting back and forth—waste of time. Classic Jake, overthinking everything."
Something deflated inside me. So Jake hadn't thought to text me on his own. Liam had prompted it.
Of course.
I stared out the window, watching a group of kids riding bikes down a side street. "It's fine. You were there. That's what matters."
"Yeah, but still." Liam glanced at me. "He's my best friend, but sometimes he's clueless about this stuff. Social cues. People. He's better with plays and strategies than actual human interaction."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing.
"Hey," Liam said after a moment, his voice softer. "You okay? You've been quiet since we left."
"Yeah. Just processing."
"Fair." He turned down the music slightly. "Oh—random question. Are you going to Homecoming?"