Don't Kiss Your Best Friend's Brother (Billionaire Academy YA Romances Book 6) Read online

  Don’t Kiss Your Best Friend’s Brother

  The Billionaire Academy YA Romances Series Book 6

  Erica Penrod

  Copyright © 2020 by Erica Penrod

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Contents

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  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Also by Erica Penrod

  About the Author

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  Chapter One

  My heart rattled in my chest and my lungs burned, begging for air, but I couldn’t breathe. I’d prayed this moment would never happen, but there I was in a beautiful dress, with music swirling in the air, staring straight into the eyes of the best-looking guy at Mt. Rainier Legacy Academy, the guy I wanted to spend all my time with. We stood in our gymnasium, which had been transformed to look like a knight’s tent in Camelot for the homecoming dance. Happy couples danced around us, and people smiled at friends across the room, while others appeared lost in conversation. All I wanted was to fall into his arms, to feel the whisper of his words on my skin, and to know he wanted me. But I couldn’t. It didn’t matter what I wanted, because he’d asked someone else to be his date. He was here with Chloe Davenport.

  “Hi.” I chewed the inside of my lip, hoping Crue wouldn’t want to talk to me. I didn’t know if I could control my emotions, which was crazy. We were friends.

  “Hi.” His dark eyes wandered from my face down the length of my pale blue gown and back up again. I’d picked this dress knowing blue was his favorite color. It was mine too, so I didn’t feel like a sap begging the hot boy to notice me.

  It was hard crushing on the son of a rock star. Crue was epitome of cool; he had everything going for him. Popularity literally ran in his family. I, on the other hand, had “bad blood.” Not that anyone around here knew about that. I had never shared that tidbit of information with anyone at this school except my best friend, and I knew she would keep my secret. Thankfully, I flew under the radar at the ultra-exclusive and ridiculously expensive private school. That should have meant that my date could go off for drinks and I could stand here unnoticed. I was invisible … until Crue walked in. Sometimes I felt like he was the only person in the room who ever really saw me—a feeling I cherished every day. Except today.

  “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” I swallowed as I chided myself, Don’t cry, don’t cry. For a moment, I wished I hadn’t gone with contacts instead of my usual black-rimmed glasses. I felt so exposed. “You look nice too.” I couldn’t let him know that his rejection still stung or that I hoped he noticed the extra time I’d spent curling each individual piece of my long brown hair. The whole mess was pathetic, because Crue was never mine. I had no claim to him and no right to be upset. But my heart believed otherwise. Moisture threatened to ruin the makeup I’d spent an hour carefully applying. No matter how often I told myself Crue was just a friend, the pain wouldn’t ebb.

  “Are you having a good time?” His gaze searched mine, and there was hesitation to his voice. This awkwardness between us was ridiculous. I thought of the many hours we’d spent together in endless, easy conversations.

  “Yeah, I am.” I brushed the hair back from my face. Crue watched me as the twinkling lights reflected in his eyes. The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile that I could live on for weeks. The deep-set dimples pooled in his cheeks and a warm sensation poured over me. He reached out and all I wanted was for him to hold me, to tell me that he’d made a mistake, that he wanted me.

  “Em—”

  “Cru-ue,” called a sickly-sweet voice from behind me, interrupting whatever it was he was going to tell me.

  Irritation crept up my spine as her annoying voice approached.

  “There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.” His date, Chloe, sidled up beside him in the spot I wanted with all my heart.

  I could think of a million reasons why I didn’t like her right at that moment, but the one blaring in my mind like a red-flashing siren in a disaster was the absence of Crue’s dimples. I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel anything but indignation towards a girl who could take away his sweet smile, while I’d give anything to bring it back.

  Chloe clung tight to his hand and quickly led him towards the dance floor—away from me. She cooed in his ear, loud enough for me to hear, “Come on—we have to dance to this song.”

  “See you later, Emery,” Crue called, his voice flat.

  “Bye, Crue.” I lifted my hand and gave a slight wave, knowing he was no longer looking in my direction. I had to find a way to let him go, or else I’d spend the rest of my days at Mt. Rainier Legacy Academy in misery.

  You can do it, my grandma’s voice echoed in the back of my mind, cheering me on like she always did. She was the person who’d raised me, who taught me the value of hard work and dedication. Without her, I know I wouldn’t be where I am now.

  You’re right, Grandma. I can do this.

  I’ve handled some difficult things in my life—my childhood was anything but typical in many regards—but back then, I had a whole beating heart in my chest and nothing seemed insurmountable. However, now my heart was cracked and I had no idea how to fix it, which left me to wonder how, or if, I’d ever get over Crue Zeplin.

  Chapter Two

  Two weeks later …

  Don’t ever crush on your best friend’s brother. I was learning that the hard way.

  It wasn’t that my BF didn’t understand, because she did. But you should never crush on someone you had to be near half the time and know that he was not yours. I didn’t have the luxury of hiding out and never seeing him again. Day in and day out, I’d been tortured by his presence. He was tall, gorgeous, and—minus the annoying girlfriend—really cool.

  Jovi, his sister, was the first true friend I’d had since I arrived at Mt. Rainer Legacy Academy freshman year, and I wasn’t willing to give up our friendship just because I saw her brother’s face whenever I closed my eyes. I wished I could lose the feels for him as easily as I caught them, but no such luck. Crue Zeplin’s dimples possessed some sort of power over me, and whenever I thought I could handle hanging around him, he gave me one of those smiles that flipped my world upside down and I was lost all over again.

  “Emery.” Jovi’s whispered voice grabbed my attention. I glanced up at Jovi, who gave a slight nod towards the front of the classro
om.

  Mrs. Meyer, our English teacher, stood there with a pointed look on her face. Her medium brown hair was fixed in the same bun as it had been yesterday and every day before that. She folded her arms over her generous middle as she cleared her throat. “Emery, I asked you a question.”

  My mind whirled like I was on a cheap carnival ride, the kind that came to my small hometown every summer back in Montana where you prayed no one forgot a nut and bolt while traveling from one place to the next. I tried to concentrate on the class discussion about To Kill a Mockingbird, but thoughts of Crue kept busting loose. “Yes?” I pushed my glasses back up my nose. My mouth formed a smile, and I tried to act as though I hadn’t been caught daydreaming about a guy who would never be mine.

  “In the book, Atticus talks about not judging others before ‘we’ve walked in their shoes.’ What does that mean to you?”

  Chloe Davenport’s face flashed in mind, followed by an image of her in tall heels. One thing was for sure: I’d never know what it felt like to walk in a pair of Jimmy Choos, because I would never own them. Even if the price tag wasn’t more than my food budget for a year, I didn’t see myself ever paying such an outlandish amount for a pair of shoes.

  I drew in a breath and applauded myself on my practicality, until I felt the weight of everyone’s stare on me. I knew the answer Miss Meyer was looking for, but I would’ve rather not commented, because I didn’t feel like being the bigger person. I didn’t want to see anything beyond Chloe’s superficial surface at this moment.

  “We should get to know a person before we draw any conclusions.” My conscience poked me in the belly, but I couldn’t give the wrong answer in class. I was the smart one. People expected me to get it right—despite internal moral struggles and unrequited crushes.

  Miss Meyer nodded and called on another student, and relief washed over me. A stolen glance at Jovi’s raised brow and intent stare told me she was trying to decide whether to worry or not. For a girl who didn’t want the world to know she had feelings, she was sure doing a lousy job lately.

  Nile, her boyfriend, sat on the other side of her. You didn’t want to get caught in the middle of the sparks flying between them. Jovi and Nile were adorable, and it hadn’t been that long since she was on Chloe’s target list. Nile had moved here last spring, the new metallic toy in Chloe’s mind, and she had to have him—only he wasn’t interested. Months later, when Nile and Jovi got together, Chloe was not cool with it. Even though she’d set her sights on Crue by that time, she couldn’t stand the idea of Nile and Jovi, although she had no choice but to get over it.

  Humphhh, I sighed in despair. I wished Chloe would get over Crue.

  The bell rang, and I stood up, ready to face Jovi’s barrage of questions.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” She came up beside me as Nile approached us both. He took Jovi’s hand, and I watched as their fingers weaved together. A little pang of jealousy pricked at my happiness for them, but quickly disappeared. “You’re starting to freak me out. You said you were okay, but you were daydreaming.”

  I laughed. “Since when is that a crime?” I scooped my laptop into my bag and swung the strap over my shoulder. “Other than in Miss Meyer’s class?”

  Jovi sighed. “As long as whatever you were thinking about had nothing to do with my brother.” Her blue eyes settled on mine, and a soft smile appeared. “I just don’t want you to spend another minute thinking about him. All this humidity has turned his brain to mush.” Jovi and Crue had moved here from LA, and she was still trying to make peace with the lack of sunshine.

  I tried to put on a brave front. A few weeks before the dance, Crue and I had spent a lot of time with Jovi and Nile. Admittedly, I was no expert, but I’d sworn there was something between us. He wasn’t officially with Chloe. She was just after him like she was with any new guy at RLA, and I hoped her interest would fade with time, but so far, she hadn’t found anything shinier yet. “I’m fine, I promise.” As fine as I could be, considering the situation.

  “If you say so.” She tossed her long blond hair over her shoulder, and we all headed towards the door. Outside the classroom, students dressed in a montage of grey-and-white uniforms flooded the hallway. My belly growled like Pavlov’s dogs at the sound of the second bell, indicating that it was my lunch period.

  “I’m having lunch with the team today.” Nile let go of Jovi’s hand. He grinned at her like she was the only person in the hall. Nile was on the school polo team, and once a month, the coach had them meet for lunch. Team bonding or something like that.

  “Okay, catch you later.” Jovi returned the smile. The pink stripe she’d had in her hair when she’d first arrived was gone, and I hadn’t seen the ring in her nose for a couple weeks now either. She looked down at me. “I hate team lunch.”

  I chuckled as we turned towards the lunchroom. “I know you do.”

  She laughed as we made our way into the cafeteria.

  “But I’m happy to get a little girl time now and then.”

  “Me too.” Jovi grinned as we stepped into the cafeteria. I was almost positive that half of the trailer park I grew up in could fit in the space. The area was open concept with skylights set into the vaulted ceiling, and it was surprisingly bright for an October day in Seattle.

  A memory popped into my head of the first day I came to RLA and the cafeteria. The circular tables dotting one half of the room hadn’t been labeled, but they’d been clearly marked by the factions of students who either gave me the “don’t even think about sitting here” look or completely ignored me. I’d weaved through the tables for an embarrassing couple of minutes before someone had asked me to sit down. There I’d discovered a handful of students like me, attending RLA on a scholarship. Everyone in the school was smart—some even considered brilliant, like Bailey Monroe, who got a perfect score on her ACT—but the thing they didn’t post on the school website was that most kids here were extremely wealthy. While I was okay in the brains department, my bank account was seriously lacking.

  “How about a lettuce wrap today?” Jovi asked.

  “Sounds good.” We moved in the opposite direction of the salad line, our normal go-to, and I waved at Max White, my homecoming date. He nodded and smiled. I wished I felt a little rush of something—of anything—when I saw him, just so I knew there was a future possibility of me liking someone besides Crue.

  Max and I were a perfect couple on paper, literally. A couple of kids in our school, John Herrington III and Adelle Nguyen, had come up with the DanceDate app for people to get dates to the dance. When Crue asked Chloe to HoCo, I’d figured I had nothing to lose and used the app. Max and I were matched, and we had a great time, but the chemistry wasn’t there. I guessed algorithms weren’t foolproof when it came to matters of the heart.

  Jovi and I found the end of the line and pulled out our phones. I skimmed over my to-do list and double-checked that I had finished every assignment for my last two classes of the day.

  “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Jovi asked in a snarky tone.

  I looked up to find Crue standing next to us. I hadn’t been this close to him since that night at the dance, and my body zinged with energy, like he was a magnet and I was a hunk of metal. Keeping my distance from him hadn’t been easy, since I spend a lot of time at the Zeplin house. Fortunately, Crue rode his horse almost every afternoon in hopes of making the polo team next spring. Since they lived in a huge mansion on the lakefront, it wasn’t like we couldn’t find some privacy even when he was home.

  “Jovi,” I whispered. She glanced over at me, and I shook my head.

  The other thing I hated about this whole predicament was how Jovi had taken Crue’s actions towards me—or lack of action, as the case may be—personally. With no siblings of my own, the relationship was something I’d always longed for, and if I had a brother like Jovi did, I’d never want anyone to come between us. Ever since Crue had asked Chloe to HoCo, Jovi seemed upset with him and couldn’t seem
to move past it.

  “Hi, Crue.” I threw out an olive branch, hoping some peace between Crue and me would ease the tension between brother and sister.

  “Hey, Em.”

  Part of me wished he’d just call me by my full name. The way he said “Em” made me think he felt more than he obviously did. His lips closed on the M and drew out the sound. It just felt so personal when he said it that way. His gaze was lingering but lost at the same time, and I had to focus on something else, anything else, to keep from reaching out to him. I glanced down at my ratty cuticles and then back up again.

  Crue blinked and then turned to Jovi. “I’m staying after to watch the team practice today. Nile will give me a ride home.”

  “Okay.” Jovi rolled her eyes. “You could’ve just Snapped me.” She sounded irritated, but I was beginning to understand that the hostility was her way of expressing her feelings without coming right out and calling him a name in front of the whole school. I sighed in appreciation for this friend I’d never thought I’d have, and I knew I’d do whatever I had to do to make things right for all three of us.

  Crue gave a slight nod and walked away.

  “You’ve gotta stop being mad at him for me.” We took a step forward in the line as the smell of seasoned meats and veggies drifted in the air. My belly pleaded for sustenance with a rumble. “I’m getting over it. I promise,” I said, speaking not only to her, but to myself as well. “Crue and I are friends, and that’s enough.”