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When Drea got involved with Max, she heard enough nasty rumors about him, but his charisma and charm seemed to outweigh any of them —- for the whole school really, Max Broussard was Rosehill’s resident golden boy. But sometimes Drea thinks of them —- playboy , fuckboy, user. She doesn’t really believe much of it; she honestly thinks it applies to his sister more than anything.
Max and Drea have been an exclusive thing with a title and everything for a couple months. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen Gabbi with the same girl more than a week tops.
(Max once told her when they were just more than a little drunk off of wine that Gabbi has the biggest heart, Dre. No one cares like she does .
Are you sure about that? Seems pretty heartless to me.
Drea remembers Max looking at her like she personally offended HIM. Had to be some kind of weird twin thing.)
Gabbi’s objectively the worst Broussard sibling.
Drea knows it.
——
Max’s gone away to take some call in another room, leaving Drea and Gabbi alone together to share breakfast.
Drea’s sitting at the table, which is far enough away from the island where Gabbi fully is sitting on it, crisscrossed, housing a bowl of soggy cereal.
Drea has to raise her voice enough she’s wondering if she’s disturbing Max’s call.
“Is there anything you do that isn’t disgusting? ”
Gabbi snorts. “Well, yeah it’s probably bad I have my feet up on the island. Not the most sanitary. But, I definitely feel like that comment is not just about the integrity of our kitchen island.”
Drea shoots her a look.
Gabbi’s laughing again, bowl beside her hands raised up in defense, “Why are you acting like the head of the defense squad of the questioning girls at Rosehill?”
“Well, considering you’re a girl, I’d imagine you should treat them better. I’ve heard the Fuck You’s shouted across the campus when some people see you.”
“Listen Dre, I have never been anything but completely honest with my intentions or what I want when I start talking to anyone. It’s not my fault when they want something else and start pushing for it.”
“You’re no better than a man.”
Drea bites back a smirk at how wounded Gabbi looks.
——
“Why do you always get weird when I suggest we watch a movie in the screening room?”
“Because your sister takes girls there all the time to specifically fuck them and not watch a “Godard film”?”
“Why’s that a problem?”
“ Why’s that a problem? Max! I rather not sit in your sister’s sex cave. I doubt she really cleans it up.”
“I’ve always thought it seemed clean.”
“Gross, Max.”
————
Drea’s on top of Max, they’re moving together, and Gabbi’s banging on the shared wall of the Broussard twins’ bedrooms. Drea moans louder because she already knows what this is about before Gabbi even says anything. It’s not like sex with Max doesn’t feel good (it’s not fully an act), she just knows he likes it when she’s vocal . Gabbi apparently doesn’t.
Oh well.
Another bang.
“Whatever he’s doing to you cannot possibly be that good!”
Max groans, “Gabs, shut the fuck up,” the same time Drea snaps, “Mind your business.”
“You’re making it my business! Jesus Christ, if I wanted to hear porn moans, I would have pulled up a video on my own.”
Drea stills. “Do you wanna strangle her or can I?”
Max huffs annoyed that Drea’s putting more attention into his sister than him.
“Oh Max !” Nothing is even happening right now. Drea’s fully committed to driving Gabbi crazy though, so it sounds obscene regardless.
“Gross.”
“You know what’s gross? Having sex in shared spaces.”
“At least I have the decency to do it in the soundproof room.”
A pause.
“And at least it sounds real and not like whatever’s going on over there.”
Drea slams on the wall once, “Go to bed and stop listening !”
Gabbi groans, exasperated. Loud enough that the couple hears her.
Max’s looking up at her, wanting her to do something. To have her full attention. A little confused like he’s thinking too hard about the “real” comment.
“Ok, ok —- where were we?”
——-
Gabbi blows up Drea’s phone the night after her congratulations party.
Six missed calls. (Needy much?)
She finally takes a look at her phone screen
There’s a text notification (also from Gabbi):
Dude, answer your FUCKING phone. It’s IMPORTANT.
Drea rolls her eyes and when Gabbi tries one last time, she sends her straight to voicemail.
Her phone notifications finally show Gabbi’s left one.
——
Drea’s pissed.
Didn’t even take a moment to process it once Tara showed her that the video she made for Max was leaked.
Max’s the one who leaked it; it couldn’t have been anybody else.
“Max.” She’s storming up to him.
He at least has the decency to pretend to sound apologetic. “I’m already on the phone talking to my Dad’s lawyer.”
“How could you do this to me?”
“What?” He looks confused. “I didn’t do this. I got hacked.”
“Baby, come on. I wouldn’t do this.” His face looks sleazy enough when he says “I love you” that Drea barely thinks before she clocks him in the face.
(Later she listens to Gabbi’s voicemail and immediately regrets ignoring her last night. She was trying to warn her.)
———
Drea’s not happy when Eleanor talks about Gabbi and she gets this dreamy look in her eye. She’s not about to tell her that Gabbi Broussard (despite trying to look out for Drea, apparently) is bad news.
Hell’s going to freeze over before she lets a Broussard hurt someone she deeply cares about.
———
After successfully toppling Max Broussard, Drea and Eleanor work on patching up their friendship. Drea’s grateful how quickly it seems to be mending, shifting into something truly beautiful.
Later Eleanor talks about what happened at her birthday, how Gabbi couldn’t believe what she had said to Drea, that the fact that she even implied that Max didn’t do it was what got Gabbi to kind of just give up on Eleanor —- Eleanor looks so genuinely sad and forlorn. That won’t do, not at all .
(And now that she knows Gabbi gave up something she was genuinely trying to build for her as far as a real relationship goes… in a way, Drea wants to do this for Gabbi too —- the not so bad Broussard.)
———-
“Holy shit , you guys are insane.”
“I told you the whole story about every unhinged thing me and Eleanor did this year that resulted in the ultimate downfall of your brother and that’s all you have to say?”
“Well, you’re a bitch for giving Ellie a reputation of a predator —“
“Yes, I know.”
“I wasn’t done. Horrible that you guys did that Carissa even though she didn’t really deserve it, the whole thing has actually made Eleanor even hotter in my eyes—“
Drea’s pinching the bridge of her nose while her eyes are shut. “You’re insufferable.”
Gabbi half smirks but it almost seems more like a grin, “ Is it too late for me to say I have been trying to tell so about Max?”
“You’re very lucky that you sometimes know how to read the room and didn’t say that when you saw me rock his shit — I would not have hesitated to swing on you next.”
“Damn, taking out both of the Broussards at once. Ambitious Dre.”
Gabbi’s making it very hard not to lose the plot of what Drea met up with her to actually say. She wanted to explain what happened this year, sure, but this was also about getting Eleanor and Gabbi back on track to becoming something more.
And more importantly, getting Gabbi to realize she needs to be very careful if she does become romantic with Eleanor. Drea won’t stand for any of that player bullshit Gabbi seemed to love to pull when it is going to hurt Eleanor.
Drea’s hurt Eleanor enough that she’s not going to let anyone hurt her ever again, not if she can help it.
“Anyway, I guess you’re not that bad. I think you should try to patch things up with Eleanor.”
Gabbi laughs, “I didn’t know I needed your blessing.”
“You absolutely do. Because if you fuck this up and hurt her, I’m going to make your life completely miserable. You know what I’m capable of now. So don’t fucking hurt her.”
“Noted. Totally noted.”
Drea’s pleased that she actually sounds a little scared.
“Anyway, thank you.”
Gabbi blinks, shocked at the change of pace. “For what?”
“Trying to look out for me. I appreciate it.”
“ Aw , you actually can have positive feelings about me.”
Drea was already turning to walk away after the admission of appreciating anything Gabbi has done for her, she’s flipping Gabbi off as she walks away.
“Love you too, Dre!” is called after her.
Insufferable .