Read Online Silver by K.A. Linde - Free Book Online Page A

Stacy, the loser. Or Stacia, the cheer slut. It was relaxing and proved to be just what she needed.

    Before she would have to return to LV State to prepare for her summer classes, Stacia spent the next two weeks hanging out with Derek and her dad as much as she could. They both had to be back at USC for camp starting nearly at the same time as her classes, so it worked out.
    Every day, she and Derek would go to Santa Monica to hang out on the beach together, meeting up with old friends and enjoying the weather.
    “We should go back. It’s hot as fuck out here,” Derek complained on her last day.
    The beach was crowded, and Stacia could just make out the iconic pier from where they’d been camped out since morning.
    “It’s my last day. I’m not going back yet,” Stacia told him.
    “Yeah, Derek. Listen to your sister. She has the brains in the family,” Woods said with a grin.
    Stacia assessed him. Woods seemed to have lived at the gym with her brother during the last year. She’d never understood what Madison saw in him, as he’d always been two years younger than her, but she saw it now. He was hot with messy dark hair and olive-toned tan skin.
    “Woods can just take me home later,” Stacia said with a wink at Derek.
    “Oh, fuck me,” Derek groaned, plopping back down. “That’s never fucking happening.”
    Hooking up with Madison’s ex-boyfriend would be poetic justice after she’d slept with Pace. And it would probably even be fun.
    But she wouldn’t do it. The number of people she’d actually slept with was a lot lower than she made everyone believe it to be. Quarterbacks had always been an exception to her rule; she always found time for them.
    Woods wasn’t a quarterback. And he was her younger brother’s best friend. And her ex-best friend’s ex-boyfriend. Triple whammy.
    No matter how much Madison had broken girl code, Stacia wasn’t going to do that. She’d already done enough damage with Bryna when she had found out that Stacia was dating Pace their freshman year. She couldn’t bring herself to do more damage to something that was already so fractured.
    At Stacia’s insistence, they relaxed back onto the beach, and she took a beer from the cooler. Woods cast her a skeptical look, and when she winked up at him, he returned the gesture.
    “Look, Derek, just because she’s your sister doesn’t mean I can’t flirt with her,” Woods said, continuing to antagonize him.
    “That’s disgusting,” Derek said promptly.
    Stacia laughed at her brother and leaned into Woods for good measure. “What? You’re not okay with your sister dating your best friend?” she joked.
    “I will murder both of you,” Derek grumbled.
    Woods threw an arm around Stacia’s shoulders. “I’d like to see you try. I’ve bulked up this year. I can take you.”
    Derek didn’t even dignify that with an answer. He just laughed in Woods’s face, which seemed fair. Derek was a starting college quarterback for a Division I school. Woods could never compete with that.
    “Oh, fuck,” Derek said instead. His eyes rounded, and he looked like he’d just seen a ghost. “Madison?”

“WHAT?” STACIA ASKED , whipping around. It was her turn for shock to register all over her face.
    Woods glanced back with them and jumped nearly a foot in the air, hastily pushing himself away from Stacia. “Madison,” he practically squeaked.
    “What are you doing here?” Stacia demanded.
    She might not like Madison right now, but she did feel guilty that Madison had seen her with Woods like that. They’d just been joking, but the look of hurt and horror on Madison’s face said she didn’t know that.
    “Hey, guys,” Madison said. Her voice was small and pained. “Derek.”
    “Mads,” he said, tipping his head at her.
    “S”—Madison straightened her shoulders, seemingly deciding to push forward—“I heard you were home.”
    “From who?” Stacia asked.
    “I…what? Why does it matter?” she asked