They Called Me a Simp. The School Heartthrob Is My Brother Chapter 02

They Called Me a Simp. The School Heartthrob Is My Brother Chapter 02

At noon, Mrs. Smith was called to a homecoming planning meeting.

The moment she left, Eden slid into my seat.

“Zoe, before Nate left for the competition, did he give you anything?”

I didn’t look up from my work, “No.”

To be precise, “give” wasn’t the right word.

“Dump” was closer.

Yesterday afternoon, Nate had boarded the competition team bus with his bag.

Right before he got on, he shoved two notebooks, a jersey, and a debit card into my hands.

His reason, “Too heavy.”

I didn’t understand.

If they were heavy in his hands, did stuffing them into my bag somehow cancel out gravity?

Eden clearly didn’t believe me.

The moment I got up to turn in my homework, she grabbed my bag and unzipped it.

Textbooks, tissues, and half a bag of chips spilled onto the floor.

A black jersey rolled out.

Eden’s eyes lit up, “What’s this?”

I bent down to pick up my books, “You see it.”

“Nate’s jersey. Why do you have it?”

“He asked me to wash it.”

The whole class went quiet.

Eden’s expression shifted.

In her world, washing Nate’s jersey wasn’t a ten-dollar job—

It was the final test for marrying into the Sterling family.

She quickly sealed the jersey in a plastic bag,

“You already promised to stop bothering him. I’ll return this for you.”

I felt her nobility.

She wanted to wash that jersey.

Two hours of sweat. One mud dive.

She could have it.

When I’d opened my bag yesterday, the air within a ten-foot radius had fled.

If Eden wanted that job, she could have it.

She pulled a debit card from the side pocket, “You stole his card too?”

“Not stolen.”

“Then why would he give something this important to you?”

She laughed coldly,

“Zoe, have you already fantasized about marrying into the Sterling family?”

I paused for two seconds, “Is it possible that I’m already a Sterling?”

The class laughed again.

Evan took the card and announced solemnly, “This is stolen property.”

“We’ll hold it at the student council office.”

I reached for it, “There’s my allowance on that card.”

Sometimes our parents transferred money there—for both me and my brother.

“Liar.” Eden stared at me, “Why would Nate give you his card?”

I told the truth, “He’s too lazy to carry it.”

Nate would tell me what he wanted, and I’d go buy it.

He opened his mouth. I ran the errands.

Our mom called it sibling cooperation.

I called it a parasite-host relationship.

Eden decided I was lying.

She pulled a set of keys from my bag, “This is also from Nate’s house?”

“Also my house.”

She walked to the window, “Since you can’t stop breaking into the Sterlings’ place, I’ll help you.”

My heart dropped. “Don’t.”

She threw them.

The keys arced beautifully through the air and landed in the ornamental pond below.

Plop. Sunk.

I rushed to the window and watched them disappear into the mud.

“Eden!”

She covered her mouth, “Sorry. Slipped.”

“You threw them fifteen feet.”

“The wind’s strong today.”

The leaves outside the window weren’t moving.

I went to Mrs. Smith’s office.

She said the card and jersey would be returned to Nate when he got back.

As for the keys, I could get new ones made.

“Eden was just protecting a classmate’s belongings.”

“Don’t always assume the worst about people.”

I almost laughed.

She threw my keys—that was protecting property.

I wanted my own card back—that was me being paranoid.

School rules apparently updated automatically based on a student’s parent donation bracket.

By the time I left the office, a new post was already up on the forum.

#Nate’s Simp Suspected of Long-Term Unauthorized Entry into the Sterling Residence#