The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 11

JUNIPER

If I chewed on my lip anymore, I'd chew right through it. Moira stood in the middle of the cafeteria, talking to her group of friends, like the queen bee she was. Everyone in the cafeteria looked at her, as if her eye contact would be some kind of blessing. She looked completely different from the person I once knew. When we were still in middle school, we were each other's only friends. We played together every day, and neither of us cared about what others thought. Moira slowly changed over the years. Part of me knew it was happening, but I chose to ignore it. I was afraid of being left alone.

I lived in ignorance out of fear, but the Moira sitting in the cafeteria was far from anyone I knew. She forced me to see the reality I chose to ignore, but I was done pretending.

I wasn't going to hide anymore.

I walked right up to the queen bee, but Ashley stepped in front of me, trying to block my way. "Leave now. Moira doesn't need you tainting her reputation." "Move. I don't feel like dealing with you." I side-stepped Ashely. She was just a minion, and I didn't have energy to waste on her. "Moira, this needs to stop." Moira looked me up and down. "You heard Ashley. I can't afford to be seen with you."

"You're the one who made up these rumors for a reason I still don't understand. We were friends. Even if we had grown apart, you could've talked to me about whatever issue you had with me."

Moira's eyes darkened, and I knew I was getting to her. But then her face lightened, and then she placed her hand on her chest. "The only issue I have with you is how you cheated your way to the top while the rest of us worked so hard to earn our grades." "You know I earned my grades fair and square. Is that why you decided to ruin me? No matter how hard you tried, you were never able to live up to my grades? Was your jealousy so intense that the only way you felt like you could win was to tear me down?" It felt weird saying all of this to my former best friend. She was supposed to be the person I built up not tore down, but she started this. I had to find a way to push her buttons. If I could get her to admit the truth in front of this crowd, it would clear my name. "Were you so desperate to be better than me that you were willing to submit yourself to s****l favors? If you had just asked me for help, I would have helped you. I trusted you, Juniper. I thought I knew you, but clearly I was wrong." Moira frowned, and her voice sounded genuinely upset, but her eyes held a knowing glint.

She had taken my words and my feelings and twisted them into her own. If I said any of that now, it would only look like I was copying her. She was better at this than me.

"Just tell me why you're doing this? That's the part that doesn't make sense to me. You cared about me once. Is your popularity really worth the fake friends surrounding you now?" I asked, grasping at straws. I felt like I was on the defensive instead of on the attack. "No matter how long I've known you, I can't stand by someone who is so immoral. It hurts too much to even be around you." Her eyes watered as if she meant any of this. She was an incredible actor, and the whispers filling the air were filled with sympathy for her and disgust for me.

I struggled to find the right words to return the attack. Moira's defense was impeccable, and I didn't know if anything I could say would break her. This only made everything worse.

"Just leave before you upset her more," Ashley said.

I wanted to yell at her, tell her she was following the fakest person in existence, but it felt pointless. All eyes were on me, and anything I said would only make things worse.

Moira leaned in and whispered so only I could hear her. "Nice try, but you picked the wrong battle. I told you that you can't win against me. Trust me when I say you've just made things a lot worse for you."

I looked around the room, and there were daggers in everyone's eyes. Before, everyone just whispered about my scandal, but now they looked at me like I was a bully picking on an innocent little girl.

I took a step back. The room suddenly felt too full of people, and it was hard to breathe. I had to get out of there. I took another step back, reminding myself to inhale. If I ran away, it would only give them more to talk about.

"Ms. Montague," a deep voice said, saving me from coming up with a reply. Then a familiar scent filled my nose, and my body instantly recognized Ethan. "I read your paper that you turned in. It seems to have some fundamental flaws. I would like to discuss this with you tomorrow if you have some time."

Moira's eyes widened as Ethan spoke to her. "Professor Burrell! Yes, I have some time tomorrow."

"Perfect. Swing by during my office hours. Oh, and I'm not a professor. Mr. Burrell is fine." Ethan kept his face neutral as he spoke. "I'm glad I ran into you here, but I must be going. I have a meeting in the science building."

"Of course," Moira stuttered. Her confident demeanor from before was gone. Asher wasn't the only one who could woo a girl.

Ethan nodded and as he turned to leave, he winked at me, making warmth spread through my cheeks. As Ethan walked away, Ashley and the other girls giggled and told Moira how lucky she was to get the TA's attention. I took the opportunity to slip away unnoticed, knowing there was nothing else I could do to get Moira to admit the truth about the rumors.

I rushed away from the cafeteria, needing to get away from the crowd as soon as possible. Confronting Moira had been a mistake, and if Ethan hadn't swooped in when he did, I didn't know what I would've done.

"Juniper," Ethan's voice called out to me, surprising me. He had been waiting for me to emerge from the cafeteria.

"Ethan?"

"Walk with me," he said. He walked away with long strides, expecting me to follow him without question.

My feet moved on their own, and I followed him like a lost puppy. He didn't say anything until we were away from prying ears.

"What were you thinking, confronting your bully like that?" Ethan asked. His tone was that of a protective older brother.

I gawked at him in disbelief. He had no right to talk to me like that. "I was trying to get Moira to clear my name, not that it's any of your business."

"You could've gotten hurt. If those girls decided to gang up on you, you wouldn't have stood a chance." Ethan's jaw was set into a hard line, and he looked genuinely upset. "You don't have to do anything to clear your name. I will make sure the school knows the truth.

"Forgive me if I don't want to rely only on you to fix this issue. Even if you convince the school, it won't change the minds of my peers." I appreciated that Ethan was on my side, but I knew he wouldn't be able to undo the damage Moira caused. He could clear my name with the principal to make sure my spot in the school was safe, but if everyone still thought I cheated my way to my grades, my life here for the next year would be miserable.

Ethan's eyes locked onto mine. His hand twitched, as if he wanted to reach out, but then he quickly curled his fingers into a fist. "I only want to help, Juniper." His voice was softer than what I was used to.

I felt the urge to reach for his hand, but I pushed it down. Ethan was a TA. No matter how attracted to him I was, it could never go anywhere. It would be an inappropriate dynamic that would only fuel the rumors. Besides, I was dating Asher now. "I know. I just don't think there's anything you can do for me."

A wave of sadness washed through me, and I didn't understand why. I hardly knew Ethan. We only had two conversations since he arrived here, but there was something about him that drew me to him.

"You're wrong about that," Ethan said. He stopped walking and looked down at me. His eyes glimmered, and his face was soft-almost like someone who was in love. "I can and always will protect you."

My breathing quickened with Ethan's declaration. We hardly knew each other, but he was ready to fight and protect me in a way no one had in a long time. "Why?"

Ethan brushed his knuckles against the back of my cheek. "Because I owe it to you to protect you."

I wanted to lean in and close the gap with Ethan, but I pushed those feelings down. "Because I'm one of your students."

"Because -"

My phone started ringing, interrupting Ethan. I hesitated to answer, wishing he would finish his sentence, but instead he took a step back, and I knew the moment was ruined.

I pulled out my phone and saw Asher's name on the screen. "Hello?"

"Hey, June. Did you do it? Did you confront Moira?" Asher said. His voice was breathy, like he had just been working out.

"I did, but it didn't work. She just turned everything around on me. Everyone hates me. I was stupid to try to fight Moira. She has so much more experience than me. I was foolish to even try." As I explained what happened, tears threatened my eyes. I looked up to stop them from coming, not wanting to cry in front of Ethan.

"Where are you?" Asher asked.

I looked around to get my bearings. "I'm near the science building."

"Stay there. I'll be there soon."

"Asher, you don't have to-"

"I'll be right there."

The phone clicked off, and I looked at the now blank screen.

"That was Asher, wasn't it?" Ethan asked.

I nodded, feeling strange. I was excited to see Asher, but I didn't want this moment with Ethan to stop. "He's coming to find me."

Ethan nodded, understanding. He pulled out his wallet and pulled a card from it. Handing it over to me, he said, "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to reach out, okay?"

I took the card, and our fingers brushed against each other briefly, sending sparks through my nerves. I smiled and said, "Thanks. I will." Even though I didn't know if that was true.

"I should get going, but I'll see you in class," Ethan said. He turned and walked away, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from him as he left.

Only a few minutes passed before footsteps rang out against the sidewalk. Asher jogged towards me, stopping in front of me. "Okay, I'm here. Tell me what happened." He was out of breath, and he must have sprinted from wherever he was. My heart welled, knowing Asher had just dropped everything to rush to my aide.