26. Alexis
CHAPTER 26
Alexis
S ophia’s big brown eyes are wide as she looks from me to him. “Oh, shit. Evan’s your stepbrother?”
“Yes.” My tone is flat as I unzip my backpack and pull out my laptop. “My mom and his father went to Vegas and eloped.” I bite my lip, embarrassed at my mother’s behavior. “The first time I met Evan was when our parents dropped the bombshell on us at dinner.” I swallow hard, but my mouth is still dry. “That’s the only reason I’m attending Stone Ridge. My stepfather, Preston, agreed to fund my education.”
“Oh, Lexi.” Sophia squeezes my arm, her expression full of concern. “I’m sorry.” Looking miserable, she blows out a breath. “I understand better than you think.” She wraps a long lock of hair around her finger, nervously twirling it. “Owen Alexander is my stepbrother. My mom married his asshole father, which is the only reason I’m here.”
Her gaze moves to Evan as he jokes with a student who just walked in. “Evan’s best friend, Trent Walsh, didn’t know I was Owen’s stepsister. I accidentally bumped into Trent at a party, spilling my drink on him.” She flashes me a wry smile. “I seem to have a history of doing that.”
I laugh, realizing how much Sophia and I have in common. “I haven’t met Trent yet, although I did speak to him on the phone. I met Owen at dinner. Evan doesn’t seem fond of him.”
Sophia nods. “Trent and Owen hate one another. It’s a generational rivalry spanning decades between the two families.” Her cheeks are red as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ears. “I apologized to Trent for spilling my drink on him. He was very nice about it. We were having a nice time until Owen showed up, grabbed my arm, and tried to drag me away. He yelled at me to stop acting like a desperate whore, and Trent pulled me away and shoved me behind him before he got in Owen’s face.”
“Oh, shit. That’s crazy.” I look at Evan, blushing when our eyes connect. “Do you still talk to Trent?”
Her cheeks are scarlet as her eyes drop to her desk. “I’m not supposed to… but yeah. I have to be careful, though.” She looks around the room. “Owen called Daddy Dickhead, who chewed me out and told me I wasn’t allowed to see Trent.”
“Forbidden fruit,” I tease.
“Something like that.” She bites her lip, avoiding eye contact.
I lean over and whisper in her ear. “Are you into Trent?”
She glances at me, then immediately looks away. “No. Of course not.”
Uh-huh. Just like I’m not interested in Evan.
Wait… I’m not interested in him. Where the hell did that come from?
I don’t press the issue since I just met her and would like to be her friend. “Well… at least he’s not your professor, right?”
She looks up at me, a smile spreading across her face. “I feel for you, Lexi. This is gonna be awkward. There are alternatives, although I hope you don’t drop the class.” Her gaze darts around the room. “Most of these bitches are snobby and mean as hell.”
“I can’t drop the class.” I cringe as I meet her gaze, then look in Evan’s direction. “He’s also my advisor.”
“Oh, shit. You are in trouble.”
As Evan heads across the room, I stare at his sculpted ass in the gray pants he’s wearing.
You have no idea, Sophia.