Replace Me Read Free

with my lingering eyes, because my sister smacked me a couple of times. I laughed it off and kept enjoying the scenery.
    My brother was in a co-ed dorm which separated male and female tenants by floor. Since we had been invited, he’d made sure his room was pristine, on account of our mother flipping out over it. She put the t in tidy and hated when things were an inch out of place, at home.
    Parker introduced us to his roommate before leading us on a tour of the campus and surrounding areas. We finished up the tour at a local restaurant where he’d gotten a part time job. My stomach turned when I thought about how responsible he was. I’d never studied my brother’s actions enough to consider that he always did the right thing, when it came to his life.
    Then I knew.
    Parker wouldn’t want Ashley to terminate the pregnancy. He would want to keep the baby and even possibly do the right thing, by dropping out of school and taking care of her. It was what my father had done when he knocked up my mother with me. Sure, they were still together, but sometimes I wondered what his life would have been like if he hadn’t married my mom.
    They bickered a lot and I wondered if it was because deep down they resented each other.
    Parker continued telling us how amazing his life was. When he introduced us to his beautiful blonde girlfriend, I felt like my lunch was going to come hurling back out of my mouth. They looked at each other like Sky and Ford, as if nobody else in the world existed. As curious as I was to feel that for myself, I knew that this secret could destroy everything.
    My dad would be so disappointed, in not only him, but me. Since we weren’t exactly close anyway, I didn’t want to picture our relationship once he found out. It would all be blamed on me. That was a definite.
    We stayed at a hotel near the campus, and to make it easier on Peyton, I got a room for the two of us to share. I knew she didn’t want to be near my parents. Her animosity towards my father was annoying as hell. Them rooming together would have made our weekend, and our ride home, unbearable.
    Once inside of our room, she plopped down on the bed. “What’s wrong with you today? You haven’t said ten words since we got here.”
    I sat down and played with my phone. “Nothin’! I’m tired.”
    She flipped over and leaned on her elbow to get a good look at me. “No. It’s somethin’ else. You still miss Lacey don’t you?”
I shook my head. “No! She’s just a girl I was fuckin’. Mind your business.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Whatever! It was more than that and you know it.” She sat up and faced me. “It was always more for her, Shayne. If it wasn’t, she’d be here with you right now.”
    I cocked my right eyebrow and sighed. “I ain’t talkin’ about this with you, Pey. It’s between me and my dick.”
    She threw her hands up, like I was a hopeless cause. “Ugh! You’ll never get it!”
    I turned off the light between us, so she couldn’t judge me for giving her a dirty look. “I’m goin’ to bed.”
    The light came back on and she was standing over me. “Mom and Dad are goin’ to bed. I say we sneak out and find a party. Come on. You know you want to.”
    I ran my hands over my face and thought about the last time I’d partied with my siblings. My brother had knocked up my cousins ex and everything went to shit from there. “That’s a bad idea.”
    She grabbed her bag and started walking into the bathroom. “I’m goin’ with or without you. You can either come with me and keep me safe, or lay in bed wonderin’ if some stranger is havin’ his way with me.”
    I hated that she knew how to push my buttons. It also sucked that I was obligated to protect her, even when I felt like it was the last place I wanted to be. “You’re the worst sister, I tell ya. Do you really think that sayin’ shit like that is goin’ to make me want to help you? Why would you even put yourself in situations that would