Broken Hill Halo (Broken Hill High #2)

by Sheridan Anne

  Jesse’s face lights up. “Everything,” he says like a little school boy.

  Trish lets out a sigh. “I was afraid of that.”

  My eyebrows pull down in confusion as she walks out of the room with Cade following behind. “What was that all about?” I ask, looking to Nate.

  He lets out a sigh. “You’ll see,” he tells me before pulling me into him.

  Ten minutes later, the smell of bacon and eggs with a side of pancakes and hash browns fill the house and I suddenly get it. On his birthday, Jesse gets whatever breakfast he wants, and it just so happens to be a big one. Realizing how much Trish and Cade are going to have to cook for him, I get myself up off the couch and walk into the kitchen with Nate and Jesse following behind.

  Jesse sits up on the counter and watches with an excited grin as we all slave around the kitchen, making everything perfect for his birthday breakfast.

  Half an hour later, we sit around the table, chowing down one of the yummiest breakfasts I’ve ever had. “So,” Trish says, gaining Jesse and Nate’s attention. “I’m not even going to pretend to be naive this year. I’m fully aware that you intend to have a party tonight, so you have our blessing to go ahead and invite your friends over. Your father and I have planned a night’s stay in the Mountain’s Resort,” she explains.

  Jesse instantly loses his mind. “Have I ever told you that you’re the coolest mom out?”

  “Wait,” she says, cutting him off before he gets too excited. “I have already notified the neighbors and the police are aware that there will be a party. I don’t want any underage drinking, my house is not to be destroyed, and I want the place spotless by the time we get home.”

  “Are they rules or guidelines?” he grins.

  “Rules,” Cade demands, taking the reigns and giving Jesse a stern look.

  “Alright, alright. Rules it is,” Jesse says, though I have a feeling the underage drinking rule is going to be broken in a very serious way.

  We finish breakfast and Nate and I get stuck with cleaning up while Trish and Cade go and pack for their night away. By the time we’re done, it’s time to start getting ready for school and I head for the stairs. “Where are you going?” Nate questions as he grabs my arm and pulls me back to him.

  “Um…. I’m getting ready for school. What else would I be doing?”

  “We’re not going to school,” he says.

  “Huh?” I grunt. “Did I miss something?”

  Jesse walks over with a grin. “Yep,” he announces. “Call your friends. We’re spending the day partying at Broken Hill Lake with the jet skis.”

  My eyes widen in excitement. “Seriously?”

  “Hell yeah,” he says. “There’s no way in hell I’m spending my birthday stuck in classrooms.”

  Fuck yeah. Today is going to be awesome. I pull my phone out of my pocket and open the group message between the four of us girls and send off a text.

  Tora – NO SCHOOL TODAY!!!!!! Meet me at Nate’s place for Jesse’s birthday. We’re spending the day at the lake!!! Can one of you pick up Brooke on the way?

  Brooke – HELL YEAH!

  Bec – Can’t wait. I’ll get Brooke.

  Courtney – Shit. Parker’s going to be there, isn’t he?

  Tora – Probably!!

  Bec – Chicken shit! Wear your black string bikini and you won't even have to talk about it.

  Courtney – Shut up! I’ll be there in twenty.

  With that, I throw my phone down and race up the stairs before hurrying through a quick shower. As I walk out of the bathroom, I find Nate in my bedroom rifling through my clothes. He pulls out a white bikini and holds it up with a grin. “I think you should wear this one,” he tells me.

  “Oh yeah?” I question as I walk forward with a grin of my own. “And why’s that?”

  “You know why,” he says with that familiar sparkle in his eyes.

  I drop my towel and take the bikini top from him before throwing it over my shoulder and stepping up into him. I reach for his shirt and pull it up over his head and look down at his sculptured body. He runs his hand down the side of my body with flaming eyes and I suck in a breath at his touch. It’ll never get old.

  Nate’s lips come down on mine and I melt into him as I reach for his pants. I undo them and free him from inside before wrapping my fingers around him and pumping up and down.

  He reaches down around me and grabs the back of my thighs before lifting me into his arms. He goes to walk us over to my bed before Jesse calling out from downstairs rings out loudly through the house. “Yo, Nate?” he yells.

  Nate turns around and silently steps into my closet before closing the door behind us. He presses me up against the door and a moment later, he pushes into me.

  I moan out and Nate swallows the sound with another kiss.

  “Nate?” Jesse calls from the hallway.

  Nate pulls out and slams back into me as my nails dig into his back. He picks up the pace and we hear the sound of his bedroom door opening before Jesse calls out for him again. Next up, the sound of my bedroom door opening. “Nate?” Jesse says. “Tora, you in here?”

  Jesse groans and pulls the door closed as Nate smiles against my lips. We hear Jesse racing back down the stairs which is when this quiet bullshit comes to an end and Nate gives me what I need.

  We emerge out of my room twenty minutes later, finally dressed and ready for the day. We find Jesse down in the garage with the doors wide open and all the boys standing around, hooking up the jet ski trailers to the back of their cars.

  Nate jumps in to help while I find Bec and Brooke in the kitchen, throwing a whole lot of food and drinks into bags to take with us.

  I find a cooler and haul a case of beer into it, knowing the guys are probably going to want a drink by the time lunch comes around. We take it all outside and throw it into the back of Jesse’s Range Rover when we see Courtney coming down the driveway.

  With everyone here, we haul ass to the lake. Though, I have a feeling word of our little lake party is going to get out and it’ll quickly turn from a little party to a big one.

  An hour later, I sit on a jet ski with Nate behind me, teaching me how to drive the stupid thing while nearly the whole senior and junior classes party by the lake.

  I look back at the people and see Jesse laughing and having a great time. I can’t help but smile at the view. I’ve never been so happy. My heart is so full at the moment and while things with my Nanna aren’t great and I’m missing my parents. I can’t help but be extremely happy. I turn around to Nate with a smile and he gives me one straight back. “I know,” he murmurs, knowing me better than I know myself. “Be ready. Today has only just begun. It’s going to be a long night.”

  “I can’t wait,” I tell him.

  “Good, now concentrate before you flip this thing.”

  I shake my head. “I’ve had enough of driving. Why don’t you do it?”

  A wicked grin overtakes his face as his dark eyes begin to sparkle. “You sure about that?”

  “Yeah,” I laugh as I get up. I lean down and whisper in his ear. “I bet you can’t make me scream.”

  He scoots forward on the jet ski and helps me balance as I step behind him and sit back down. He squeezes my leg and turns around to me. “You better hold on, babe,” he tells me. “You’re going to regret this.”

  “Try me,” I dare him.

  Literally seven seconds later, I’m holding onto him for dear life and screaming out in a mix of fear and laughter.

  We get home late afternoon and the party follows us back, only now it’s tripled in size. Though, I knew that would happen. After all, this is Jesse Ryder’s seventeenth birthday. He’s the most popular guy in the junior class.

  The party is huge and by nine at night, I’m exhausted but I still have all the energy in the world to continue partying with my boys. The party is now ridiculously big, but everyone here has enough respect for Nate and Jesse that it doesn’t get out of hand and the last two o
f Trish’s rules can stay intact. As for the underage drinking, well, that went out the window a long time ago.

  Nate disappears with the boys somewhere and I find the girls pouring shots around the table. “Just in time,” Courtney cheers over the sound of the people and the music as I appear beside them.

  “We’re doing Sambuca shots,” Brooke smiles before she finds a lighter and lights them up. “Drink up, girls.”

  With that, we reach for a shot glass, blow out the flame, and throw the shots back. “Ugh,” I groan as the shot burns my throat. “Let’s do it again.”

  “You’re on,” Brooke laughs as she sets up round two.

  We take the shot and before I know it, Bec somehow manages to grab all of us at the same time and hauls us off towards the dance floor.

  We get lost in the music and have a great time. Jesse comes and goes. Maxen dances with Brooke. Parker watches Courtney from across the room and Bec goes nuts.

  Nate stays outside, I assume talking with his friends. He’s not a big dancer, but somehow, I know he’ll be able to see me from wherever he is.

  We dance for what feels like forever and I end up with tears of laughter in my eyes when Jesse comes in and changes the music to an old school Britney playlist, making all the girls freak out and scream in delight. So, I’m not surprised when all the guys move away from the dance floor, leaving Jesse as the only guy amongst a shitload of happy, drunk girls.

  He looks to me and winks as he realizes I’ve worked out exactly what he’s doing. He pretends to tip his non-existent hat to me and I roll my eyes. Game well played, Jesse Ryder.

  With Parker and Courtney reacquainting themselves with each other’s tonsils and Maxen grinding into Brooke, Bec and I head outside for some fresh air and to get away from all the sweaty bodies.

  My eyes lock on Nate’s the second we step outside and he winks, making my insides quiver. Bec and I head over to the manicured lawn and drop down into the soft grass with our drinks. We people watch and relax until my bladder starts screaming at me to be released.

  I pull myself up off the ground and drop Bec off with Nate and Tyson while I go to pee.

  As I make my way back to them, a hand locks around my arm and pulls me back. I turn to find Jackson grinning down at me. “I should have known you’d be here,” he tells me as he steps in close and places a hand on my lower back.

  “What are you doing?” I grunt as I step away and remove his hand from my lower back.

  “What do you mean, what am I doing?” he questions with that cocky grin. “I saw the way you looked at me at that party and then at the races. You’re curious about me. You want me, you’re just playing hard to get,” he says as he steps back into me. “I saw it again last night and it’s cool, you were with your friends so I wasn’t going to push it, but they’re not around right now, so there’s nothing stopping you.”

  “Are you serious?” I ask dumbfounded. “I’m not remotely interested in you.”

  His eyes sparkle as though I’ve just set him a challenge. “Come on, babe. Just give in to it. No one’s judging.”

  “You’re kidding right?” I ask. “You know I’m with Nate.”

  His face scrunches up in distaste. “What are you doing with a guy like him? He’s going to drop you when he’s done with you.”

  “And you wouldn’t do exactly the same thing?” I ask as I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow.

  “No,” he scoffs. “I wouldn’t need to drop you because I wouldn’t be promising you anything. Girls who are with me know what’s up from the start.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “That I’ll show them a good time. That’s all they want and they know they’ll get it,” he explains.

  “Look,” I say, stepping back as he’s somehow gotten closer again. “I’m sorry, you’ve gotten the wrong idea along the way. I’m with Nate because I’m in love with him not because I’m one of those skank ass girls looking for a good screw. When I say I’m not interested in you, I’m not playing games. I’m actually not interested.”

  He looks down at me with curiosity. “Uh huh,” he grins before stepping closer and leaning in. “I get it. These are your people and you don’t want to be seen fraternizing with the enemy. It’s alright, babe. I won’t be the enemy for long.”

  At that, he winks and walks away. I stare after him completely speechless. I mean, is he serious right now? I might have been interested that very first night I saw him, but that was before I realized he was a dirty cock sucking swamp turd.

  I turn to face out the back door to find Nate’s curious eyes on mine and realize he’s just watched it all. I walk out towards him and he pulls me down in his lap. “Are you ok?” he questions.

  “Yeah,” I say slowly. “That was the weirdest thing.”

  “What did he want?”

  “He thinks I’m into him,” I explain.

  Nate barks out a sharp laugh. “What a fucking joke,” he says, shaking his head. “He knows you’re not interested. It was all a show for me. Why do you think he cornered you right in front of the door? He was trying to get a reaction out of me.”

  I think it over and realize he’s right. It was all a show. He touched my back, he leaned in to whisper in my ear, he acted as though something was going on. “Why didn’t you stop him?”

  “Because that’s what he wanted,” Nate explains. “He wants me to lose my shit and ruin Jesse’s party, and besides, it looked like you had it sorted.”

  “I did,” I grin before I study him a little closer. “You never told me what you and Parker did last night?”

  A guilty smirk crosses his face but it doesn’t last long as it’s replaced with pride and mischief. “Well, with the whole football team pre-occupied, we sort of broke into their school and stashed a few things in their lockers.”

  “Nate,” I scold with wide eyes. “What did you do?”

  “Relax,” he groans. “It’s fine.”

  “Nate,” I say again, demanding answers.

  He’s quiet for a short moment before he quickly glances around at who’s currently standing nearby us. “Their school has issues with drug use and possession and they’ve just started to crack down on it. Anyone caught with drugs will be getting an immediate suspension, so, we kind of planted a little evidence.”

  “Nate,” I gasp. “You didn’t?”

  A wicked grin spreads over his face. “Yeah,” he laughs. “We got a few of the football players, but don’t worry. They’ll probably just get detention. A suspension puts them out of the game for next week and the school can’t afford that right now, especially after losing to us last night.”

  A thought occurs to me and I narrow my eyes in curiosity. “Where did you get drugs from?” I ask him. A wall comes down behind his eyes and I let out a sigh, realizing his lips are sealed on this one. “At least you didn’t try to smoke out another party.”

  His eyes widen as he looks at me. “How’d you know about that?”

  “How do you think?” I grin.

  Realization hits him like a smack in the face. “Shit. That kid has such a big fucking mouth,” he says. “But trust me. If Jackson doesn’t stop fucking with you, he’ll be paying the ultimate price.”

  I look down at him, realizing just how serious he is. I let out a heavy breath as he notices me watching him. “Jackson said you were going to drop me the second you’re done with me.”

  Nate’s face hardens. “Do you think I’m about to do something stupid like drop the girl I’ve been in love with since I was a kid?”

  A smile lifts the corner of my lips. “No, I guess not.”

  “Good, because you’re fucking stuck with me.”

  “Does that mean you’ll come and dance with me?”

  “Not on your life,” he grins.

  Chapter 7

  I stand in the kitchen with Trish on Sunday night helping her with dinner. It’s been a massive weekend and I’m actually pleased that it’s nearly over. Jesse’s party didn’t finish unt
il the early hours of Saturday morning and I was thankful that the boys hired a cleaning service to put the place back together rather than us having to do it. I mean, I’ve cleaned this place after a party once before and it’s not something I want to do again.

  We practically spent all of Saturday in bed while Jesse was the only one to get up, and that was to let the cleaning ladies in. When we ventured downstairs after dinner time, Trish and Cade were home and the place looked immaculate.

  My body is still struggling to keep up with me and I have to concentrate extra hard on what I’m doing, otherwise I’m sure I’ll be cutting more than just the onions, and a trip to the emergency room isn’t exactly how I was planning on spending my night.

  I finish dicing the onion and use the knife to push it all off the chopping board into a bowl before grabbing another one with a cringe. My eye sting from the stupid onions but I’m determined not to let the little bastards get the best of me.

  I chop the ends off the onion and my eyes well with unshed tears. I hate chopping onions. “Try breathing through your mouth,” Trish chuckles with an amused grin as she cuts up the chicken. “It makes it easier.”

  “I’ll try anything at this point,” I tell her as I awkwardly wipe my eyes on the back of my arm.

  Trish finishes off the chicken and calls out with a voice that sounds right through the house. “Boys. Get your buts down here and make yourselves useful.”

  I chuckle to myself as I hear noises all over the house as the boys fall in line. Nate appears in the kitchen first, looking as though he’s been working on his car again, while Jesse comes in behind him looking like he was fast asleep.

  Jesse yawns. “What do you wa-”

  “What’s wrong?” Nate demands, cutting off Jesse’s whining as he storms forward towards me, grabs me by the shoulders and checks me over as he takes in my tear filled eyes.