Missed Notes: A Brother's Best Friend Romance (Rixon High) Read online

  MISSED NOTES

  A RIXON HIGH NOVEL

  L A COTTON

  Published by Delesty Books

  MISSED NOTES

  Copyright © L. A. Cotton 2022

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.

  Edited by Andrea M. Long

  Proofreading by Sisters Get Lit.erary Author Services

  Cover Designed by Lianne Cotton

  CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Epilogue

  Playlist

  About the Author

  You are braver than you believe. Stronger than you seem. Smarter than you think, and more loved than you know.

  UNKNOWN

  PROLOGUE

  I entered Bell’s and spotted her immediately.

  Sofia Bennet.

  My best friend’s sister.

  She laughed at something her brother said. God, she was beautiful.

  Beautiful and one hundred percent off-limits.

  Approaching their booth, I paused when I noticed her go pale. Her eyelids fluttered as she started to slump to the side.

  Fuck, I knew that look.

  She slipped right off the bench and crumpled to the floor with a thud.

  “Shit,” Aaron leaped up and crouched beside her.

  By the time I reached them, she was beginning to come to.

  “Sofia, Sofe… it’s okay,” Aaron said. “I’m going to call Dad.”

  “N-no,” she murmured. “Don’t, please. I’m fine.”

  “Sofe, this isn’t normal.” His concerned gaze found mine and then settled back on her. “They need to know.”

  “I’m fine, Aaron.” Sofia tried to shove him off her. “Stop babying me.”

  “Babying you? You fainted again. You’re lucky you didn’t crack your head open.”

  I stood back, watching as Aaron helped her into a sitting position. Someone handed him a glass of water and he offered it up to her.

  “Here.”

  She took a sip, bringing a hand to the back of her head. She was going to have a nasty lump tomorrow.

  “What’s that now?” he asked. “Five times since the first time?”

  Eight.

  It was eight times. I knew because she’d confided in me. Sofia didn’t want anyone to know it was happening more and more regularly and I was the idiot who’d agreed to keep her secret.

  I moved closer, meeting her weary gaze. “Again?” the words spilled out before I had a chance to stop them.

  “I’m fine,” she hissed.

  “That’s some bullshit, Sofia, and you know it.”

  “Whoa, Kandon,” Aaron glowered at me. “Watch your mouth. That’s my sister you’re talking to.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe you should ask her how many times she’s really fainted in the last few weeks.”

  “Sofe?” Aaron said, but she only had eyes for me.

  “You promised.” Her voice cracked, disbelief washing over her expression as if she couldn’t believe I’d told them.

  But I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t lie to Aaron. Not about this. Not when it was clear that she wasn’t fine.

  “Yeah, well I’m done keeping your secret.”

  Ice blazed in her eyes, and I knew what she was thinking—that I’d betrayed her. Chosen Aaron instead of her.

  But it wasn’t that at all.

  I cared about her, and it was obvious that something was wrong.

  And I wasn’t going to stand around and pretend everything was fine—that Sofia was fine—when she clearly wasn’t.

  Even if she hated me for it.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Sofia

  “How do you feel?” Mom asked me as we sat in the hospital waiting for Dr. Peters to call me in.

  “Honestly, you guys, I’m fine,” I said, forcing a smile I knew didn’t reach my eyes.

  Mom and Dad didn’t buy it.

  They didn’t buy it at all.

  Probably thanks to my brother Aaron’s unnecessary fussing after I fainted again in front of him and all our friends a few days ago.

  I’d been doing that a lot lately. Fainting. Checking out for a few brief seconds thanks to my low iron levels.

  The doctor said it was anemia. But as I sat there staring at the whitewash wall while my parents watched me with worry in their eyes, I knew something was wrong. The way you could feel a storm brewing on the horizon, that slight change in the air.

  Something was coming.

  Something bad.

  “Well, better safe than sorry,” Mom said, upbeat and full of hope.

  “You know, sweetheart,” Dad added. “You should have told us sooner. We could have—”

  “Ash,” Mom cut him off. “We’re here now. Dr. Peters will get our girl fixed. She might need a blood transfusion or maybe…”

  I tuned them out.

  Mom wasn’t a doctor, the same way I wasn’t a doctor or Google wasn’t. It had been tempting to research my symptoms, to study the lists of possible conditions, but everyone knew that usually resulted in mass panic with the amount of scary possibilities.

  No, it was better to get a professional medical opinion.

  Except, I already knew.

  Deep down in my soul, I knew something was wrong with me.

  Of course, I hadn’t told anyone. I didn’t want them to worry or fuss or suffocate me. It was senior year. I had my whole life ahead of me.

  Except, what if I didn’t…?

  I shook those thoughts away.

  It was no use borrowing tomorrow’s problems.

  My cell phone vibrated in my pocket, and I dug it out, hardly surprised to see Aaron’s name there.

  Jerk Face: Any news yet?

  I texted my brother back.

  Me: Still waiting for Dr. Peters.

  Jerk Face: You’re going to be okay, Sofe. You know that, right?

  I didn’t. But I didn’t want to worry him anymore than he already was.

  Me: I know.

  Jerk Face: Poppy says hey.

  Me: Hey, Poppy.

  I smiled. My best friend and my brother had finally gotten over themselves and declared their feelings for one another. Some people might have found it weird to watch their best friend and twin brother making out—and to a certain degree, I did—but I was also happy for them.

  I’d spend years watching Poppy pine after Aaron. Spent the same amount of time watching him pretend he didn’t feel the same. Not that
it was any surprise. Guys were kind of clueless that way.

  My cell vibrated again, but this time it wasn’t Aaron.

  Cole: I said I’m sorry.

  Indignation burned through me.

  Cole Kandon.

  My brother’s best friend.

  A perpetual thorn in my side.

  It was his fault I was here. Stupid boy couldn’t keep his mouth shut; couldn’t keep the secret I’d trusted him with.

  You see, I had fainted enough times to be concerned since the first time it happened.

  I just hadn’t told anyone that.

  I didn’t want people to worry—I didn’t want to acknowledge what was happening to me.

  So I lied.

  Only Cole found out. He’d found out and he’d promised not to tell anyone. But he’d called me out in front of our friends. In front of Aaron. And of course, Aaron had told our parents and they’d totally freaked out, leading us to Dr. Peters’s office today. He wasn’t my original doctor. No, Dad had ruled that we needed a second opinion. So here we were at University Hospital in Allentown.

  My cell vibrated again.

  Cole: You can’t ignore me forever.

  I could and I would.

  For a second, I’d stupidly hoped that sharing my secret with Cole, trusting him with it, meant something. That he was choosing me over Aaron.

  Stupid. Foolish girl.

  The second he had the chance; he’d sold me out.

  Cole: Sofia, please…

  I switched off my phone and stuffed it in my pocket, dropping my head back against the wall and exhaling a weary sigh.

  “Problem, sweetheart?” Dad asked.

  “Nope.” I didn’t open my eyes. I didn’t want to see the worry shining in his. The constant shadow that hung over him and Mom these days.

  “Sofia Bennet,” the secretary called, and my eyes snapped open. “Dr. Peters is ready for you.”

  My heart plummeted. Down, down, down, dropping into my stomach, then my toes, and then the ground beneath me.

  This was it…

  The moment I’d tried so hard to avoid.

  Because denial was my friend. And truth… truth was my enemy.

  “Ready?” Mom smiled as I dragged myself out of the soft leather chair.

  Dr. Peters’s waiting room was nice, comfortable, and homey. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a way to soften the blow of all the bad news that no doubt followed a wait out here.

  Dad went first, knocking on the door and going inside at the request of Dr. Peters.

  “Ah, Sofia, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. It’s nice to see you. Come in, take a seat.”

  Every inch of me vibrated with nervous anticipation as I sat in yet another stylish looking chair.

  “So, Sofia. Tell me what’s been going on with you?”

  Silence.

  It hung in the air like a thick, oppressive cloud. My fingers curled into the soft leather as I fought to look anywhere but at the doctor with kind eyes. Because kindness wouldn’t help me here.

  “Sofia,” Mom urged, covering my hand with hers. “You need to tell him, sweetheart.”

  “It’s okay, Sofia. I’m here to help. But I can’t fix you if I don’t know what’s wrong.” He gave me a reassuring smile, but it did little to ease the knot in my stomach. “I’ve read your notes from Dr. Levosky, but I’d like to hear your take on things.”

  “I’ve been fainting.”

  “Okay.” He leaned back, steepling his fingers. “The blood work that Dr. Levosky ran showed that you’re anemic. Did he talk about a low iron count being part of this?”

  I nodded. “It’s been getting worse.” The words spewed out in a rush of breath.

  “How often are we talking?”

  “Eight times since I saw Dr. Levosky.”

  Mom flinched, and I couldn’t look at her. As if she knew too—knew that something was wrong deep inside me. Something more than a bad case of anemia.

  “Anything else?” he asked, studying the notes before him.

  My notes.

  My medical record.

  Blood work and vitals from my visit with Dr. Levosky.

  “I’m tired all the time. But it’s not like when you have a late night or early morning. I don’t know how to explain it, but it feels bone deep.”

  “Okay.” His brows furrowed. “Any new unusual bruising?” I shook my head. “New lumps? Night sweats?”

  “No.”

  “Headaches?”

  “Sometimes. I find it hard to concentrate in class now and again.”

  “What are you thinking, Doc?” Dad asked, a slight inflection in his voice.

  “I want to run some more tests, make sure nothing was missed on the blood work they ran last time.”

  “You don’t think it’s anemia?”

  “Sofia has a low red blood cell count which is indicative of anemia, but she also has a raised white blood cell count,” he said, tapping the keys on his keyboard. “I’d like to get a full picture before we jump to any conclusions.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “We should be able to get the tests organized immediately. We’ll have the blood work back within twenty-four hours and go from there.”

  Mom and Dad shared an apprehensive look. “Whatever you think is best,” Dad said.

  “How does that sound, Sofia? Do you have any questions?”

  I shook my head, unsure what he wanted me to say.

  “We’ll get you all booked in, and we can find out exactly what we’re dealing with.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Peters, we appreciate it.” Dad rose to shake his hand.

  “That’s what I’m here for. We’ll talk again tomorrow when I have the results. It was nice meeting you all.”

  “Thank you,” Mom said, and I murmured my own farewell.

  I didn’t want to be poked and prodded with a needle again. I didn’t want any of this.

  But here I was.

  Barely eighteen, in my senior year of high school, my world on the precipice of being ripped apart.

  I just knew it.

  “Hey, how are you feeling?” Poppy plopped down beside me on the couch.

  “Okay.” I shrugged, picking at the zipper of my Rixon High hoodie. After getting back from the hospital, Aaron had asked—okay, dragged—me to join him in his beloved man cave at the bottom of our yard.

  He’d promised me a night of candy, snacks, and some of our favorite movies. He’d obviously forgotten to tell me the part about Poppy, Cole, and our brother Ezra and his girlfriend Ashleigh joining us.

  “You’ve been quiet.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say.” My eyes flicked over to the guys playing pool while Ashleigh cheered them on from her stool.

  “I thought Dr. Peters said it was a precaution?”

  No, that’s what Mom and Dad had told Aaron. They didn’t want to worry him unnecessarily and I was inclined to agree. He needed to focus on school, on the team and their bid to get to the playoffs and defend their football championship.

  “He did.” The lie rattled through me.

  “Hey, Sofe.” Poppy touched my arm and I looked at her. Her lips curved in a soft smile. “You know everything will be okay, right?”

  Ah, that little lie people told themselves when the truth was simply too hard to imagine.

  “Yeah.”

  Another lie.

  Another dent in my heart.

  “Can we talk?”

  Cole appeared, looming over me like a dark thundercloud. A storm I’d rather escape.

  “No,” I said, glancing away. Refusing to look at him, to let him see what his betrayal had done to me.

  “Sofe, come on—”

  “Cole.” Poppy sighed.

  “Yeah,” he gritted out. “Whatever.”

  I looked up right as he walked away.

  “You know, he only did what he thought was right.” She pinned me with a knowing look, but it didn’t penetrate the ice around my heart.


  “It wasn’t his secret to tell.” Lifting my chin defiantly, I stared her down, daring her to argue.

  “Sofia…” She sighed.

  “Yo, Poppy Star, get over here and give me a good luck kiss.”

  Her cheeks pinked and I rolled my eyes.

  “Sorry, I—”

  “Go. You know he won’t stop until you do.”

  “But I—”

  “Just go, Pops,” I snapped, guilt bubbling inside of me, but I wasn’t good company tonight.

  In fact, I probably needed to go and leave the happy couples and Cole to their night.

  The second she left me, I got up and moved toward the door.

  “You’re leaving?” Aaron called, pouting like a child as he hooked his arm around Poppy’s neck and pulled her close.

  “I’m not feeling very sociable. You guys have fun though.”

  “Sofe, come on…” His expression softened, a silent question there.

  “Honestly, I’ll be fine. Nothing an early night won’t fix.”

  “We can watch a movie?” Ashleigh suggested.

  “Not in the mood. But catch you guys tomorrow at school. Night.” I gave them a small wave, avoiding Cole’s piercing stare as I slipped into the cool night air.

  I’d almost made it across the yard when his voice gave me pause.

  “Sofia?”