Contemporary Romance · Young Adult
The Girl He Never Defended
by Dee Fietz
“The entire school parking lot held its breath. Mila Santos, the curvy, fiercely intelligent outcast who was bullied daily, was on her knees gathering her scattered notes from the dirty asphalt.”— from the ad
The Synopsis
What it's about
Everyone at Briar Ridge High knows two things: No one messes with star quarterback Jaxon Reed, and no one stands up for Mila Santos. Mila is the brilliant, plus-size girl people underestimate too easily—the quiet honors student with a sharp tongue, a secret dream of leaving town, and a reputation shaped by years of cruelty. At school, she’s the target of whispers, pranks, and public humiliation, much of it fueled by Jaxon’s possessive cheerleader ex. Then Mila takes a live-in babysitting job for Jaxon’s little sister while his father works nights, and everything changes. At school, they are enemies by history and circumstance. At home, they are forced into the same kitchen, the same living room, the same late-night routines of homework help, shared meals, and caring for the little girl who adores them both. Mila sees the side of Jaxon no one else does: protective, overworked, and carrying more pressure than his golden-boy image reveals. Jaxon begins to see the truth about Mila too—not the rumors, not the body people mock, but the fierce, funny, deeply resilient girl he should have defended long ago. As the bullying escalates and his ex wages war, Jaxon is forced to choose between the life everyone expects from him and the girl he cannot stop thinking about. Meanwhile, Mila begins a powerful transformation of her own. She stops shrinking. Stops apologizing. Stops letting cruel people decide her worth. What begins as bitterness becomes tension. Tension becomes loyalty. Loyalty becomes a first love fierce enough to change them both. But when betrayal, jealousy, and one devastating public humiliation threaten to tear them apart, Mila must decide whether loving Jaxon is worth the risk—or whether choosing herself means walking away from the boy who finally learned how to fight for her.....
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Ads
Book advertisements
The entire school parking lot held its breath. Mila Santos, the curvy, fiercely intelligent outcast who was bullied daily, was on her knees gathering her scattered notes from the dirty asphalt. Above her stood Jaxon Reed, the untouchable star quarterback and high school royalty, holding her broken calculator out like a peace offering. For years, Jaxon had been the silent king, watching her tormentors—including his own vicious, popular ex-girlfriend Kendra—destroy Mila’s high school life without lifting a single finger. He had stood by while they mocked her clothes, her body, and her existence. Until today. Today, Jaxon Reed finally snapped. When Kendra "accidentally" slammed into Mila and sent her books flying, Jaxon didn't laugh. He didn't look away. He publicly humiliated his ex to defend Mila. He knelt in the dirt for her. He offered her his protection in front of the entire student body. Everyone in the parking lot expected the poor, bullied girl to weep with gratitude. Instead, Mila snatched her things back, her eyes burning with ice-cold fury. "You’re just performing decency in public," she spat, her voice ringing across the silent asphalt. "Where’s all this concern been the last three years?" "I didn't know it was that bad," he lied. "You knew," Mila said, her voice shaking with rage. "But you just watched." She turned her back on the most popular boy in school, leaving him completely speechless. It was the ultimate rejection. The sweet taste of karma. But Jaxon didn't get angry. He didn't walk away. Instead, he watched her leave, a muscle jumping in his jaw, looking like a boy who had just realized he made the biggest mistake of his life. And when Mila takes a desperate, high-paying babysitting job the very next day, she discovers the address belongs to his family. Now, forced to live under the same roof, the boy who never defended her is making it his life's mission to prove he can be her absolute protector. ad.readinkapp.com
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