“Ummm,” another girl says, making my eyes tear away from Jackson with a huff.
“What?” I demand.
She twists her hands together, looking like she could be sick under my glare. “We just wanted to know if he’s ok? You know, any injuries?”
“Oh,” I say. “He’s fine. He got away with a gash on his head. His car wasn’t so lucky.”
They all gasp. “The Camaro?”
“Yeah,” I grunt before turning and walking away.
“Whoa,” Jackson says as he hurries after me. He grabs my elbow and spins me around. “Where are you going?”
“Away from you,” I say, pulling my arm free.
“Hold on a minute,” he says, walking with me when he realizes there’s no way I’m going to stop for him.
“You’re kidding, right? Why the hell should I give you the time of day? You nearly killed my boyfriend three nights ago.”
“Do you seriously think I’m that bad?” he questions with a scoff.
I scoff right back at him. “Yeah.”
“Let me clear some things up,” he starts. “First, did it occur to you that I hit on you because I’m actually interested in dating you? You’re fucking gorgeous. You’re nuts if you think it’s only to get under Nate’s skin. That’s just an added bonus. Second,” he continues, “I didn’t almost kill him. I tapped the back of his car a little, and yeah, I agree, I probably shouldn’t have done that, but how was I to know he would spin out and flip his car?”
I scoff again.
“I’m not the bad guy you think I am, and certainly not the prick I’m sure your boyfriend keeps making me out to be.”
I keep walking and he grabs my elbow again. I stop and spin to face him. “You’re right, Jackson,” I snap. “You do that perfectly well on your own. You’re a liar. I saw the whole thing. You sped up with the intention to cause damage. I don’t care how big or small you were intending the damage to be, either way, it was a malicious thought and that tells me more than enough. And for the record, I’m not falling for the rest of your bullshit, so quit trying to convince me that your someone you’re not.”
With that, I turn and storm away, leaving Jackson behind. “I’m going to change your mind,” he promises me as he calls out for the whole hallway to hear. “You’ll see. You and me would be great together.”
I shake my head to myself. Does he think I’m stupid? Clearly, he’s looking for a way to get at Nate as us getting together would be the easiest and most painful way to do that. It would be like stabbing him the back and watching as the knife pierces straight through his ribs and tears his heart to shreds. He’s nuts if he thinks he has even the slightest chance. I mean, even if I wasn’t with Nate, I wouldn’t touch a guy like Jackson with a ten foot pole.
A bad mood settles over me and I walk into the cafeteria with a huff. My eyes lock on Nate and he gives me one of those half smiles that don’t reach his eyes, letting me know he’s ok, but still not great.
It’s been a shitty weekend at the Ryder household. Trish and Cade haven’t stopped digging into Nate after the crash. Though they don’t know exactly how it happened, they’re not stupid. They’re perfectly aware of the role Nate plays in our community. They know he’s the perfect bad boy, always up to fuck around. They know he didn’t destroy his car by falling asleep at the wheel like Jesse’s unthought through excuse suggested. They know he was up to no good.
Not to mention, Nate’s been in a foul mood with his parents because of the whole ‘secret’ thing. He doesn’t trust them right now. They’ve kept him locked out for the past year and that kills him. It was worse for Jesse though, wondering all weekend what the hell was going on with everyone.
I haven’t been able to be a great girlfriend over the past few days either. Nate’s needed me more than anything and I’m really trying to be there for him, but I have a mother who’s suffering a broken heart while I’m trying to nurse my own rejection.
Now, on top of all that shit, we have to deal with all this crap about the accident here. I mean, haven’t we dealt with this shit enough already? But no, everyone and their dog had to get the gossip on their favorite Ryder brother. I swear, there’s even footage going around, though, it works in our favor as you can clearly see Jackson ramming into the back of Nate’s car, what sucks is watching the way his Camaro flipped three times before finally coming to a stop. I’ve seen that three different times by three different people, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Nate’s seen it too.
I mean, when it rains, it storms, right?
I return Nate’s smile and walk over to him. I stand behind him and rest both my hands on his shoulders before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “You ok?” I question, knowing today would be just as shit for him as it is for me, though probably a million times worse.
“I’ve yelled at five freshmen, scared a bunch of girls, and punched Trent Matthews in the jaw,” he informs me.
“Shit,” I sigh. “At least Trent is already on the shit list. He’s not about to go blabbing to anyone.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “You alright? You look funny.”
“Fine,” I say, not wanting to make matters worse by telling him about my little conversation out in the hallway. “I’m going to sit with the girls.”
“Ok,” he murmurs as he twists himself and presses a gentle kiss on my lips. He pulls back and I remind him how much I love him before leaving him to enjoy what’s left of his lunch with his friends.
I walk across the cafeteria to the girls before dropping down beside Brooke. “Not sitting with the boys today?” Brooke murmurs as she bites into her sandwich.
“Nah,” I say, stealing an apple off her tray and biting into it. “I can guarantee they're talking about the accident or what to do about Jackson, and to be honest, I just can’t hear the story again.”
“Right,” she agrees with a groan. “I swear, everywhere I go, someone is talking about it or asking me if I was there.”
“I know,” I say, leaning forward and resting my head against the cool table. “It’s starting to give me a headache.”
I people watch in peace as the girls chat around me and find myself raising from my chair when I spot Elle sitting alone with a group of cheerleaders at her back, cat calling and quite honestly, just being a bunch of shitty bitches.
I don’t even realize what I’m doing until I’m already sitting down beside her. I feel the eyes of the room on me and I do my best to tune them out. Though, most of all, I feel Nate’s eyes, penetrating right through me. I used to feel awkward and uncomfortable with his eyes on me like that, but not anymore, now it’s more of a security blanket.
I sit quietly, eating Brooke’s apple when Elle finally gathers the nerve to question what the hell is going on. “What are you doing?” she grunts.
“Bringing you back from the dead,” I murmur as I finally turn my head to look at her.
Her eyes narrow on me and she looks around at all the people looking our way. “Excuse me?” she asks, confused.
“Look,” I say with a slight huff after the shitty day I’ve had. “I’m trying to be nice. Dating Nate has its perks, which means if people see me talking to you then they’ll automatically think you have my stamp of approval. They’ll start treating you like a regular human being again.”
“I don’t need your charity,” she snaps.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I tell her. “I’ve watched you. You’re miserable. People are treating you the way you used to treat everyone else and I think it’s gone on long enough. You don’t come with the thick skin everyone else has had the chance to grow. You’re breaking down. I see it in the way you walk with your head down, the way you don’t speak a single word at school unless you’re called upon by a teacher, or the way you allow people to treat you like something they stepped in,” I explain.
She looks away as stubborn as ever and I reach out and touch her hand. “You don’t know how to be you without the help of a cheerleading unif
orm. It’s about time you learned who you are so just shut up and accept it.”
“And if I don’t want to accept it?” she questions.
“Then tough shit. I could have done something to stop Jesse from talking, but I didn’t, and that’s something I regret. Your life was impacted severely and I hate that I had a part in that, even though you kind of deserved it.”
She looks away again, probably unsure if she can trust me.
“Look,” I say. “Just because you’ve been a bitch, doesn’t mean that everyone else is. So, either take it or leave it, but without me, you’re going to cease to exist. The people of this school will make sure of it.”
I go to stand and she calls out. “Wait,” she says. “I don’t want to be an outcast.”
“That’s what I thought,” I say. “Come and sit with me. You can get to know my friends and realize that the world doesn’t revolve around pom-poms.”
She nods her head and she follows my lead as I get up from the table and make my way over to the girls. Brooke looks at me with narrowed eyes while Bec and Courtney look extremely hesitant. I sit down and Elle slides her plate down beside me.
“Before you get comfortable,” Brooke starts. “You should know that I don’t like you. What you did to Tora was disgraceful and you should have been shot. What Jesse did wasn’t nearly enough, but Tora wants to make things right and because she’s my best friend, I stand by her, but if you put even one foot wrong, you’re out. I’ll let the wolves have you.”
Elle’s eyes widen just a fraction, making it clear that the last two months of being a social outcast has really changed her. She’s not the feisty cheerleader anymore. She’s quiet and jumpy, which also has me wondering what she’s been through over the past little while. I mean, she would have made plenty of enemies over the past few years and now without the whole school backing her up, anyone could have come after her.
Elle nods her head and reaches for her sandwich as the girls fall back into their conversation, though, it doesn’t go unnoticed that they’re being a little cagey on supplying details.
After ten minutes, the weight of everyone’s eyes begins to fade and it seems as though Elle finally starts to breathe. After a further ten minutes, she looks up and catches my eyes. “Thank you,” she whispers. “I didn’t deserve that.”
“No,” I tell her. “You didn’t, but like I said. Just because you’re a bitch, doesn’t mean that I need to be one too.”
She nods her head. “No one has ever shown me kindness like that before. I mean, I’ve had people always pining for my attention and doing things for me, but there was always an ulterior motive. Someone was always trying to get ahead, but you were legitimately just being nice.”
I press my lips together. “I mean, it could be a little something to do with clearing my conscious, and besides, karma is a bitch. I don’t want that shit on my doorstep.”
“Yeah, well, I guess I got mine.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” I say with a grin.
Her eyes cast down before she lets out a heavy breath and looks back up at me. “Phoenix was the one who broke into your place.”
“What?” I gasp as my eyes widen in shock. The girls all have the same reaction and look at Elle with their mouths hanging open as I look straight up at the boys, silently begging Nate and Jesse to get their asses over here.
As if sensing my gaze, they look across at me. Jesse narrows his eyes as he studies me while Nate instantly gets up and makes his move across the cafeteria. Jesse scrambles behind him and soon enough, all five of the guys are crammed in on the table.
“Are you sure?” I ask Elle after getting the guys up to speed. “How do you know?”
“Being invisible also has its perks,” she tells me. “Nobody notices you.”
“Elle,” I demand, hurrying her up.
“They were talking about it in the locker room,” she says. “Phoenix was bragging about it and said that she has dirt on you.”
“What dirt?” Nate demands in a no bullshit tone.
Elle jumps a bit and looks across at him. “No. she didn’t say. I got the impression it was more for blackmail purposes. When we were friends, she was always talking about getting dirt on all the popular girls in case we needed to take them down one day.”
“Either way, whatever she uses the information for, she still broke into your home,” Jesse says. “She needs to be dealt with.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I say as Nate and Brooke nod along. “I want to deal with this though,” I tell them. “This is a girl fight and it needs to be handled the right way.”
“You sure?” Nate questions, always wanting to be my knight in shining armor.
“Oh, yeah,” I say, more than ready to get at this bitch. I mean, who does she think she is breaking into my home and violating my space like that. This needs to be handled girl to girl.
I look across at Brooke and see the determination on her face. She’s with me and I know without a doubt, she’ll be coming back to my place after school to start putting together a plan.
“Whatever it is,” Elle says beside me. “I want in.”
Chapter 18
“What do you think she’s got?” Brooke asks as she lays on my bed, flicking through one of my trashy magazines the boys had gotten me when I was stuck in bed after the surgery.
I shrug my shoulders as my mind circles back to what Elle has said today at lunch. I mean, what did I ever do to Phoenix? And why the hell is she trying to dig up dirt on me? It doesn’t make sense. “I don’t know,” I tell her. “She said she already found something on me, but I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon. There is no dirt.”
“Could it be about your dad?” she questions, looking up from the page.
“No,” I say, slowly shaking my head. “That all happened after the break in, and besides, half the kids in school have moms or dads who are never here. It’s not exactly dirt, even though mom would consider it to be.”
“What are we going to do about it?” she asks, pushing the magazine aside as her interest in the destruction of a cheerleader takes over.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” I tell her. “I guess it depends on what kind of dirt she thinks she has. I mean, I don’t want to start a war with the most popular girl in school if her dirt isn’t worth it.”
“Yeah,” she agrees. “I know what you mean.”
“I have this really bad feeling about it, though. You know, especially with Ell-”
The door of my room is barged open, cutting off what I was saying. Both mine and Brooke’s eyes fly towards the intrusion and widen in surprise. I step towards him but something tells me he needs a little space right now.
Nate stands in the doorway, looking as though he’s about to explode. “Fuck,” he curses as his eyes flick around the room and see that I’m not alone.
“What’s wrong?” I rush out, studying his face while trying to piece together what the hell is going on.
He puts his hands in his hair and lets out a heavy breath. “I… Shit.”
“Nate,” I demand, walking forward and latching onto his shoulder. “What happened?” I ask as another question plagues my mind. “How’d you get here?”
“I,” he starts again before his eyes flick across to Brooke.
“Fine,” she groans, getting up off my bed. “I know when I’m not wanted. I’ll be downstairs, making myself a chocolate sundae.”
We watch her go and as soon as the door closes behind her, I look back up at Nate. “Care to explain what’s going on?”
“I lost my shit at my parents,” he tells me. “I don’t even remember half of it. All I could see was how fake they were being. I mean, I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. Mom hates him and he doesn’t give a shit. It’s all an act for me and Jess, and I just… I fucking lost it. I told them I knew something was going on and that they were hiding something,” he explains. “Mom looked horrified and dad started spouting some shit about me making up stories before
changing the subject to me being a delinquent teenager.”
“Shit,” I curse as I wrap my arms around him, trying to soak up some of his panic. “Don’t worry about it. The truth is bound to come out sooner or later,” I add, hating that he’s so worked up about this. I mean, usually, he wouldn’t blink twice at something like this.
“I know,” he says with a cringe. “It’s just… Jess was there and I just burst his happy family bubble. He looked so fucking confused.”
Crap. “It’s ok,” I soothe.
He wraps his big arms more firmly around me and rests his head on top of mine as he lets out another breath. “I don’t know,” he says quietly. “It feels like everything’s falling apart.”
My heart breaks for him. After all the years I’ve known him, he’s never once admitted something like that. He’s the suffer in silence type and I wish there was something I could do to take away his pain and make everything ok. I mean, first his car and now his parents. His whole world is being flipped upside down, but if all I can do to help him is be the one constant in his life, then damn straight, that’s exactly what I’m going to be.
“It will work itself out. It always does,” I tell him, not really knowing what to say right now.
“I don’t know,” he says. “This one feels different.”
I let out a heavy sigh and just let him hold me. “Whatever happens, I love you,” I remind him.
“I love you too,” he says with a slight smile in his tone. “I stole dad’s Porsche.”
“What?” I gasp as I pull back and look up at him to find him smirking right back. “Does he know?” His smirk grows wider. “Fuck. He’s going to kill you.”
“Let him try,” he scoffs. “The bastard's been hurting my mom.”
I shake my head as a commotion sounds downstairs. We both listen out and I wonder if it’s Cade storming in to get his prized car back. “Where the fuck is he?” Jesse's voice rings out through the whole house.
“Shit,” Nate curses.
“Upstairs,” I hear Brooke reply. “Tora’s room.”
Broken Hill Halo (Broken Hill High #2) Page 16