The Man, The Myth, The Nerd: High School Billionaires #3

by Dallen, Maggie

  I shook my head, burying the thought away. I should never have even applied to an out-of-state college. I had no idea what I’d been thinking. I guess I hadn’t even thought I’d get in. The guidance counselor had been the one to suggest it since NYU had such a great education program.

  I should never have listened to her. Ms. Markle might have meant well, but she didn’t get it. Not really. Sure, the idea of studying at a great school in a new environment sounded appealing, but it wasn’t a reality. Not even with the scholarship they’d offered.

  A familiar pit was growing in my stomach, so I ruthlessly shut down that line of thinking. I had enough drama on my plate for one day, thank you very much. No need to delve into that can of worms. Besides, I’d already made my decision. I was turning down their offer…

  Even though I hadn’t actually done it yet. But I would. I totally would, I just hadn’t had time, that was all—

  “You should ask Tieg to do it.” Eliza’s voice from the back seat had me stiffening. Tieg’s name was one we didn’t speak very often—not in my family. He’d hurt all of us when he’d left the way he had. After so many years of practically living at our house, he’d been another brother to my siblings…and to me?

  I lifted my hand and touched my lips. Insane that after all these years, just the thought of Tieg Larson made my lips tingle, like they could still remember that kiss. I’d had other kisses since then, but those I couldn’t remember. My stupid lips had a weird visceral memory, one that I’d stopped trying to rationalize. My lips clearly didn’t operate with logic, because if they did they’d know that kiss should have been forgotten years ago.

  I mean, it was just a kiss. My first kiss, sure. A kiss that had made me dizzy and had made me believe in destiny and true love and all that other crap, but still…just a kiss. Clearly it hadn’t meant anything.

  Not to him, at least.

  The silence that followed Eliza’s pronouncement grew heavy. Tense. I glanced over and saw Brady’s hands clenching and unclenching on the steering wheel.

  The only person who hated all talk of Tieg as much as I did was Brady.

  He’d left Brady behind, too, just like he’d walked away from me and my family. I cringed a bit at the memory of the last time I’d seen Tieg. I tried to block out the cruel words, the harsh sneer, my own pathetic declaration of love…too late.

  That was another memory that was permanently ingrained in me. It reared its ugly head every time his name was mentioned. And let me tell you, his name was mentioned a lot. Not by my family…not usually, at least. But it was nearly impossible to get through a week without seeing his face on TV or on the cover of a magazine or on some viral video.

  “Well?” Eliza said when no one responded to her. “It’s not a terrible idea.”

  “Yes,” Keith said shortly. “It is.”

  It truly was, but I kept my mouth shut and tuned out the bickering that commenced in the backseat. I glanced over at Brady and saw him looking at me.

  “What?” I said, my tone a little too brisk.

  He gave me this weird little wince. “It might not be the worst idea…”

  I sucked in a quick inhale like I’d been sucker punched. He of all people should know how terrible an idea it would be to reach out to Tieg. Brady was the only one who knew the nasty things Tieg had said to me before disappearing out of our lives without a goodbye, let alone an apology.

  I opened my mouth to say just that, but Brady cut me off. “I know, I know. It’s probably a stupid idea—”

  “He wouldn’t do it,” I said.

  He arched his brows, his gaze back on the road but his face totally readable. “You don’t know that.”

  I gave a snort of disbelief. “We haven’t heard a word from the guy in three years but you think suddenly he’ll drop everything and come to our rescue?” I hated the bitterness in my voice, I really did. I was tired of being angry with Tieg, and a big part of me knew that I should be over it already.

  But I wasn’t.

  And honestly? I wasn’t sure I ever would be. He’d been more than my best friend…he’d been my everything. My first love, my partner, my bestie. He’d been a part of my family. But when I’d tried to tell him all that—when I’d told him I wanted to be with him even when he went off to that audition his foster mom had forced him into…

  Well, let’s just say it hadn’t gone over well.

  I don’t need you hanging all over me…. I need a clean break, Daisy… You’re a reminder of all the things I want to leave behind…

  Yeah. Still cringe-worthy even after all these years. My heart still hurt at the memory.

  The silence in the front seat grew taut even as the noise in the back escalated. Somehow Eliza and Keith’s argument over whether or not Tieg would say yes had turned into a debate over which was better, rock or country.

  The argument was heated…and one I’d heard about a million times. Keith was pro-country while Eliza was all things pop. I’d even caught her listening to Tieg’s first album—the one he’d done with that silly boy band the year after he left us. She’d given me a sheepish look before turning off the music, declaring boy bands lame. He’d gone on to have a solo career after that—not that I paid attention or anything.

  Okay, fine, maybe I heard some things about him. But it wasn’t like I sought out news, it was just impossible to avoid.

  “What other options do you have?” Brady asked.

  I shot him a look, oddly hurt by that question. I shouldn’t have been, I knew that. When he looked over at me, his expression was just realistic. Resigned. Without Travis Malcolm we had no one. All those people who’d bought tickets for the concert would get their money back and six months of hard work would go spiraling down the drain.

  Oh yeah…and my siblings? They’d watch even more programs get cut. And forget the idea that maybe they’d get a ride to school that wasn’t an act of charity from our neighbors. And school lunches? Yeah, those should be fun. I just loved it when Beth went hungry because they ran out of hot meals.

  I dropped my head back against the seat. Once upon a time things hadn’t been so bad around here—but that was before my time. When I was six years old, the mine closed. By the time I was ten, our town was basically a dead end. A pit stop where people en route to bigger towns stopped to get gas. They stopped, but they never lingered. Most of the town’s residents left to find work elsewhere so the population was down to some ranchers and people like Brady’s father, who was a doctor at the county hospital. Other than that, everyone left.

  Including Tieg.

  I could feel Brady’s looks as he glanced between my profile and the road. I didn’t really want to face him because he was waiting for an answer. What other choice did I have?

  I glanced down at my useless phone. “Jamie said she’d find a solution.”

  Brady sighed, but he didn’t argue. I mean, what could he say against that? Jamie had been amazing. I’d read about her new nonprofit online—the whole premise was teens helping other teens. Basically, she was tapping into her crazy rich connections in an attempt to give back. The super wealthy helping the super poor, hooking up those who had something to give—knowledge, experience, or money—with those who had a good idea on how to help their community.

  I’d been organizing small efforts in my town ever since I could remember, but when I read about Jamie’s nonprofit…well, it had seemed like a long shot. I’d been positive she’d be too bombarded with requests for help to even notice my application.

  But a few weeks after I submitted the idea, she’d responded. Next thing I knew, my little local concert had become the show of the decade…in these parts, at least. People from all over the state were buying tickets and Jamie had college volunteers from all over the country coming to my little town to help behind the scenes.

  It had all been a whirlwind of efficiency. One minute I’d been emailing Jamie, and the next she was promising me a live performance by country’s biggest star.

  An
d now?

  Now country music’s biggest star had the flu.

  And the show?

  It was the day after tomorrow.

  I let out a little groan as I rubbed my eyes. I was exhausted after a sleepless night trying to figure out how I could salvage our show.

  “Daisy,” Brady said, his tone gentle but insistent. I knew what he was going to say.

  “I’m not going to reach out to him.” I sounded way harsher than I meant to.

  “Then I can do it,” Brady said.

  I inhaled swiftly, the very idea of seeing Tieg again making me want to vomit…or run away. It made me want to scream and shout and bang my head against a wall. I gave my head a quick shake. Nope, I couldn’t handle the thought of it, not right now when my head was so full of other worries. “He wouldn’t do it,” I said again. When it seemed like Brady was going to protest, I cut him off. “He’s probably in Europe or Asia or something,” I said. “He probably couldn’t even help us if he wanted to.”

  And he wouldn’t want to.

  Brady arched his brows as he glanced over at me.

  I’d shown my hand. Yes, fine, maybe I’d read an article about how he was currently in London for his latest tour. Sue me, I’d read the headline before I could stop myself.

  The school came into sight, and I turned my attention back to the phone in my hands. Reception! At last. I called up my emails, and Jamie’s name caught my eye. The first line made my breath quicken: Good news, I’ve found a solution to our problem.

  I scrambled to open it so I could read further.

  “Uh, Daisy?” Brady said.

  “Hang on, I need to read this.” The email opened, and my stomach sank. My blood turned to ice in my veins as one name popped out amidst all the words.

  Tieg Larson.

  “Daisy.” Eliza’s voice in the backseat was oddly insistent as Brady parked the car in the high school parking lot, but I couldn’t lift my head. There was a buzzing sound in my ears, and the toast I’d had for breakfast threatened to come back up again.

  “Daisy!” Keith’s shout was so loud it startled me into looking up.

  Straight into the eyes of Tieg Larson.

  The air left my lungs in a whoosh that sounded too loud in the suddenly silent car. Eliza broke it first. “Oh holy cow,” she said in a breathless whisper.

  Holy cow, indeed. He was hot. He was hotter than hot. He was the same but different. He was hotter and older and taller and more filled out and…

  My brain was short-circuiting.

  Maybe I’d lost my mind. That was the only explanation for why I was still sitting here, wide-eyed and still, as his gaze bore into mine.

  And for a half a second there—despite the changes in the way he looked—it was like no time had passed at all. His dark eyes clashed with mine through the car’s front window, and it could have been three years ago. I could have been fourteen again. This could have been the day he’d left and now he’d come back to say he was sorry…

  But that was delusion talking.

  Yet I couldn’t deny the connection was still there. The way he looked into my eyes—no one had ever looked at me that way before or since. Like he knew me. Like he saw straight through me.

  Like he loved me.

  That little nugget of insanity was enough to get me moving. I scrambled out of the passenger side, and my sudden movement seemed to break the rest of the passengers out of their frozen state. It seemed like everyone had been waiting for me to react—there was a mutual exhale as everyone released the breath they’d been holding.

  No, I hadn’t burst into tears.

  And yes, I was freakin’ angry.

  “What are you doing here?” I demanded the minute my feet hit the pavement. I slammed the door behind me, hating the way he slouched against the brick wall of the school, looking like he was in the midst of a photo shoot or something with that white T-shirt and leather jacket.

  His gaze roamed over me in that lazy way of his, like he had all the time in the world. Like my anger didn’t even faze him. I clenched my hands at my sides, silently begging my heart to slow down.

  It didn’t listen.

  “Jamie sent me.”

  I stared at him. Of course. I mean, I’d known that. Hadn’t I just read her email? And yet…but still… “Why?”

  Why come back here? Why now? Why are you doing this to me?

  He lifted a shoulder. “Jamie’s a friend. She asked me to.”

  It wasn’t what I meant and he knew it, but I couldn’t bring myself to call him on it because I was still reeling over his words. Jamie was a friend. He came because she’d asked him to.

  Did he have any idea how much that hurt to hear? He was here for someone else—someone who was still his friend.

  He wasn’t here for me.

  I straightened, some of my tumultuous emotions coming back under my control with that helpful reminder. He was here out of duty…to someone else. Fine. Then I’d do my job, too. “You should check in with Mary.”

  His brows hitched up ever so slightly, and I was keenly aware of the fact that my siblings and Brady were standing just behind me, watching this scene unfold. I suddenly felt like I’d been cast in a terrible teen movie or an after-school special or something and I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to be upset over this guy. I didn’t want to be fighting back tears right now.

  “Who’s Mary?” he asked.

  A hysterical laugh bubbled up. Who’s Mary? Really. After all these years we were standing here discussing logistics. No apologies, no ‘hey, how’ve you been?’ Nope. Nothing.

  Eliza stepped up to my side and took my hand. “She’s the producer Jamie sent to oversee the concert setup.”

  I squeezed her hand in thanks. My throat was getting too tight to speak and somehow Eliza seemed to have known that. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d held my hand—probably not since we were in grade school—but I was grateful for the support right now.

  Keith stepped up to my other side and threw an arm around my shoulders. He’d only just surpassed me in height last year, and he still got a kick out of showing off how tall he was. “You can find her at the rec center.” Keith’s tone turned mocking. “Remember where that is?”

  I nearly lost the battle with tears as I remembered how Tieg used to play basketball with Keith down at the rec center.

  “Yeah, I remember.” Tieg’s eyes were still hooded, half closed like he was bored by this conversation. If he felt anything other than boredom, it was well hidden.

  How very Tieg. He always had been good at hiding his emotions…just, never from me. Seemed he’d either gotten better at it, or I didn’t know him anymore.

  That thought was oddly comforting. He was a stranger now, and that I could handle. My voice was distant but polite as I stepped away from the comfort of my family and adjusted my bag on my shoulder. “Mary can give you all the info you need for the show.” I half turned to the others. “Come on, guys, we shouldn’t be late.”

  This time, I was the one who walked away without a second glance.

  Chapter Three

  Tieg

  Well, that had gone…badly.

  And how exactly had you expected it to go?

  A voice mocked me as I found myself face-to-face with Brady. My heart was still pounding in my chest, racing like I’d just run a mile. My head was a mess, even though I’d spent the last twenty-four hours preparing myself to see her again. It hadn’t been enough time.

  Or maybe it had been too much time.

  Three years. Three years to work up the courage to apologize.

  Brady was eyeing me like he’d never seen me before. Like I was a total stranger.

  Maybe I was.

  The last time he’d seen me I’d been a gawky little punk, looking for trouble and taking Daisy along with me for the ride. I wasn’t that guy anymore, but that didn’t change the fact that I’d just hurt Daisy. Again. Although this time it hadn’t been intentional.

&nbs
p; “She doesn’t want to see you,” Brady said.

  His tone was harsh, strong…protective. He was the one looking out for her now, his tone seemed to say.

  It wasn’t my job anymore, if it ever was.

  “Yeah,” I said, straightening from my spot against the wall. “I kind of sensed that.”

  I’d frozen at the sight of her. I’d retreated into myself because I hadn’t known what else to do, or what to say. I’m sorry? That was what I’d planned on saying, but seeing her today…it had sounded so lame in my head. My tongue wouldn’t form the words, not with her staring at me in horror like that, not with her sister and brother glaring at me like I was the devil’s spawn. Not with Brady eyeing me from the sidelines, all knowing and sad.

  This hadn’t been the right time for apologies.

  Besides, even if I’d managed to form the words, I wasn’t sure I could have gotten them out past that tight feeling in my throat, in my chest.

  Man, she was beautiful. She always had been, but now she was so grown up. She was still petite, her light brown hair still wavy, but her face was more defined. Those green eyes were brighter than ever as they’d met mine and held.

  And they were filled with hurt. Pain. Anger.

  I’d done that.

  “What are you doing here, man?” Brady said, taking a step closer to me.

  I shrugged, feigning nonchalance like I always do, like I always did. I didn’t know exactly when I’d learned that it was easier to act like I didn’t care, but I’d learned to play the part well. It was second nature. I felt my lips curve up in a smirk, despite the fact that what I was feeling came nowhere near the realm of amusement. “I heard you guys needed a rock star.”

  Brady’s eyes narrowed, and I felt a pang of self-hatred. I’d known this guy since birth—well, I’d known his dad since birth since his father was the one to deliver me. I’d guess I’d met Brady shortly after that. Like Daisy, I’d known him my whole life.

  “Jamie asked you to replace Travis,” Brady said. It wasn’t a question so I didn’t answer, just shrugged.

  “But that wasn’t what I’d meant,” Brady said, his expression hardening at my silence. “I meant what are you doing here?” He gestured at the school.