by Cassie James
“No, thankfully. She seems content with all of us feigning ignorance at home.” And it’s the truth. I may have pushed it with the pool bullshit earlier in the week, but Mom and I have been on relatively good terms. I keep up just enough of the bitchy-Piper act to keep her sated, and she doesn’t pry too much into what’s going on in my life. “I’m trying to be really careful with what I say around her and how I act.”
“That’s good, then. Did you decide to forgive Brennan?” I’m suffering mental whiplash from the sudden change of subject. I’m pretty damn sure my mouth’s hanging open because Macie actually points at me and laughs as she shakes her head. “Okay, sorry, I didn’t mean to break you, Pipes. But like I said, you’ve just been noticeably less chilly toward him.”
I take a second to try to brush off the memories of the steamy, window-fogging sex we’d had. I don’t want Macie to think I’m under the impression that the only way to express myself to any of these guys is to have sex with them. Because it isn’t. I think.
I clear my throat before answering her, “I don’t have time to be angry about stuff that’s in the past. School’s going fine ever since I made a stand against Tori, all the rude messages about my log have stopped, and Mom doesn’t seem quite as close to the edge of a nervous breakdown. Everything’s fine.”
“So...” The word hangs between us as she picks her coffee cup up again. I merely quirk an eyebrow in challenge, and she sighs. “What are you going to do about The Thorns?”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Her tone is sarcastic, but the smile she offers along with it softens the blow. “You’ve slept with all three of them. You’re doing a project with Brennan, Tyler drives you to school every day, and you’re not looking at Jude like you’re plotting his murder anymore. It just seems like...” She pauses with a shrug, and I can tell she’s chewing the inside of her cheek as she considers me. “You told me once that you wouldn’t mind having multiple boyfriends. I didn’t know if maybe…” She lets the thought trail off.
I wish what she was suggesting was real. But no, it can’t be something I seriously consider with them. Loyalty means everything to them, and any of them being with me would break the bonds they’ve spent years cultivating. Jealousy nearly tore them apart, and I won’t be responsible for that happening again. I’d already pushed things farther than I should have by having sex with Brennan again. No, I need to just stuff down all the feelings that brought up, because having anything more just isn’t possible.
I shrug for Macie’s benefit. “It’s nothing, really. I don’t have time for one relationship, let alone three. Besides, none of them would ever go for it, anyway.”
Macie scoffs but mercifully lets it go after that, digging into her food the second the waitress puts her plate in front of her. We eat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the clanking of silverware filling the space between us. But the silence grows more pointed, and eventually I look up to see Macie staring at me with a calculating look on her face.
“What?”
She tilts her head slightly as she considers me, her eyes narrowing, and drops her fork delicately to the side. She crosses her arms carefully over her chest and I start to sweat a little as I wait for her to say whatever’s on her mind.
“It just seems odd,” she finally says, and it’s my turn to narrow my eyes.
“What does?”
“That even with your memories back, you’re talking about The Thorns almost like you’re indifferent towards them. I mean, they’re treating you so much better now, and you want less to do with them than you did before?”
I shrug, trying to keep up that act of indifference even though I know it’s a complete sham. I do think about The Thorns. A lot. More than I have any right to. But I’m just one girl—and not even a real one, at that. I could never be enough for all of them, could never be the glue that holds them together. Rather, I’m the explosives that tear them apart, and I won’t be responsible for that. I can’t be responsible for that.
“I just have more important things to worry about, Mace.” Like staying alive.
14
Jude
I never give a shit about underclassmen gossip, but when I hear her name, they suddenly have my full attention. My jaw clenches. I hate that all it takes it the sound of her name to distract me these days, throwing me fully off my game. I don’t know what the fuck is happening to me.
They let us out of class a couple minutes early, and I should be headed to the cafeteria, but instead I put out an arm to stop the girls from passing by. They both freeze up like they’ve been caught doing something they shouldn’t. Yeah, don’t talk about my fucking girl, you stupid twats.
“What the fuck did you just say?” I demand as both girls’ eyes go wide. One of them starts to stutter and I roll my eyes. I don’t have time for this. “For fuck’s sake, just spit it out,” I grumble.
The non-stutterer takes a deep breath and speaks, “Uhm, we were just talking about The Roses cornering Piper earlier.” She must see the dark look that I’m sure crosses my face because she’s quick to add, “But we weren’t saying anything bad about Piper, I swear. We were just talking about how we feel bad for her that Tori won’t just leave her alone.”
Fuck. Does everyone in this goddamn school know I’m twisted up over Piper?
Whatever. I leave the girls behind without another word—they’ve served their purpose—and turn back toward Piper’s English class. Hopefully I’ll run into her on her way to lunch and can get to the bottom of whatever bullshit Tori’s trying to pull now. Apparently she still hasn’t learned her fucking place. This ends now. In three days, I’m supposed to be leaving for vacation. How the fuck am I supposed to relax on the beach if I’m still caught up in whatever shit is going on here? No, I’m ending this today. Once and for all.
I’m halfway up the stairwell when I spot her, brown hair gleaming in the incandescent lights as it veils her face. She’s standing at the top of the stairs, hip propped against the handrail, as she digs through the half open bag hanging from her shoulder. I’m not sure what she’s looking for, but a triumphant grin brightens her face as her fingers wrap around whatever it is.
I run my eyes over her. There’re no marks on her skin as far as I can see, but that doesn’t mean Tori didn’t hurt her. Physically or otherwise.
God, she’s so fucking beautiful. And I’m an asshole. How the hell did I ever tell her to leave after sex instead of asking for another round? I’m such a fucking idiot. All the shit I’ve been giving the guys for their attraction to her, and I here I am staring up at her like she’s at the top of a pedestal instead of a staircase. I want her, though. I want her so fucking bad.
She doesn’t lift her head until I’m halfway up the stairs. She jerks as she sees me staring at her like a goddamn creep. Her fingers uncurl, and whatever she’s been digging in her bag for rolls down the stairs as she gasps.
“Shit, Jude! You scared me! Fucking announce yourself next time or something. Jesus!”
I want to laugh as she clutches at her chest, but instead my attention falls on the thing she was looking for in her purse. It’s resting just a few stairs ahead of me. “Strawberry?” I ask as I snatch up the tube of lip balm, a devilish grin quirking over my lips as I look up at her.
She stares down at me, light haloing her like some kind of goddamn angel. I distinctly remember kissing her for the first time, the way her mouth tasted like strawberry, and how when I’d told her that she’d said thank you. Well, shit. I can’t even pretend to be discreet as I reach down and adjust myself through my pants. Nothing like thinking about the way a girl’s mouth tastes to give a guy a midday hard-on.
“Yeah.” She jerks the tube out of my hand as she passes by me. “Turns out it’s grown on me.”
My brain practically shuts down as she glances over her shoulder to smirk at me, the blood required to function as a normal human being rushing all the way down to my dick instead.
&nbs
p; It takes me longer than it should to make my body move to follow her. “Piper, hold up.” She pauses at the bottom of the stairs, lips pursing as she applies the balm, and it’s all over for me. She’s playing with fire, I hope she’s ready to be burned.
I take the stairs two at a time, ignoring her strangled protests as I wrap my fingers around her wrist and haul her out of the stairwell. My body’s on autopilot as we stagger through the halls, but all I can think about is claiming Piper’s mouth, making her mine before Tyler or Brennan get the chance. I want to leave my mark on her skin, like a fiery brand showcasing what’s mine, and I want to do it now. Before I’m gone for two weeks and have to worry about her being alone the whole fucking break with Hamilton, who’s been making serious eyes at her ever since fall break.
My head swivels as we scramble, eyes searching hungrily for a room that’s everything I need it to be. Empty. Dark. Isolated. I find it at the end of the hall. The photography room. Dark curtains hang over the windows, protecting the expensive equipment, and there’s not a trace of life in sight. I haul Piper into the room after me, slamming and locking the door so that we’re not interrupted.
“Jude what the—”
I don’t let her finish the question, spinning her around and pressing her against the door as I kiss the fucking hell out of her. Her bag clatters to the floor as I press closer. We’re an explosion of opposites. Piper’s all soft curves and smooth skin, but I’m something harder, more desperate and aching in ways that I’ve never felt before. I bite down on her bottom lip, part of me wanting to punish her for all the bullshit feelings she’s making me feel right now.
For a moment—one too long moment—I’m afraid she’s not going to respond, but then her mouth falls open, and the taste of strawberry is coating my tongue. One of her hands grips the back of my neck, tightening and yanking me closer as the other fists in my hair, scratching and pulling as she presses her chest closer to mine. It’s not a gentle kiss. My hands grapple over her body as our tongues twist, and I remember that nothing between us ever is. Piper moans into my mouth, and my wandering hands find their way to her hips, fingers digging in with bruising force as I grind against her.
My hands wander lower, sneaking up her skirt to cup the back of her thighs. She trembles as I hoist her up a few inches. Her back slides against the door, and she groans into my mouth, surprising me when she lifts her legs to wrap them around my waist.
Piper pulls away, panting as I roll my hips against her. As fucking juvenile as it is, I’m horrifyingly close to creaming my goddamn pants like a middle schooler that can’t control himself. I bury my face in her neck, sucking her skin because the asshole that I am, I’m hoping everyone will see that she’s fucking mine. That I claimed her.
But the heat of the moment sizzles out, her breathy moans turning to urgent protests when my fingers brush the edge of her panties. I push it a second longer, but she yanks my head away, her hand fisting painfully in my hair as her face darkens. “I’m not doing that.” I let out a low growl, but then fall silent when she adds, “Not here.”
“Fine,” I grunt out, letting go of her thighs. “But I’m not done with you.”
Wordlessly, she stares up at me for a moment. I wait for her to protest but she doesn’t. I start to reach for her again—I can’t fucking help myself—but she bends down at the last minute, denying me. I stoop down to help her pick up her scattered belongings. Our fingers connect over the tube of lip balm, and she chuckles.
The sound makes me hard all over again. Damn her. And damn my inexplicable attraction to her. At this rate, I’m going to end up having to rub one out in the fucking school bathroom to make it through the rest of this goddamn day.
Piper runs her hands over her uniform, smoothing it. “Were you looking for me—I mean in the stairwell? Did you need to talk about something?” She raises an eyebrow at me. “Did you actually need something or was it just your plan all along to try to seduce me in an abandoned classroom?”
She doesn’t wait for an answer. She turns to the door, but my hand shoots out, catching her wrist in a strong grip before she can unlock it and leave. She huffs, but I’m not interested in hearing her give me any more attitude. I go straight for the point, “What happened with Tori and Chelsey this morning?”
“Nothing,” she says, tilting her chin up, but I notice the way her voice quivers around the word. My shoulders stiffen under the weight of the lie.
“This will go faster if you just tell me what I want to know instead of pussyfooting around.”
She scoffs as she wrinkles her nose and asks, “Pussyfooting?”
“You know what I mean, Piper. Stop being an asshole.” There’s half a second where I’m sure she’s going to wrench her wrist from my grip and just push through the door without answering me, but her eyes darken and she rolls her eyes with a huff.
“It’s not a big deal,” she insists, and this time she does pull her wrist from my grasp. “Tori was being Tori.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning she cornered me in the hallway and tried to talk shit and humiliate me in front of a whole fuck ton of people. But it’s fine, Jude.” Her eyes are insistent as she says it, but my gut fucking burns. How many goddamn times am I going to have to take care of the Tori problem? I told her at the beach party that The Roses were sheared, but then she spouted that shit about Piper’s memories, and I… No, it’s not your fault she’s a desperate idiot. “Every time she looks at me, she looks like she’s going to implode. It drives her crazy that you guys won’t give her the time of day anymore. That’s enough for me.”
“Well it’s not enough for me,” I spit. Piper’s mouth drops open as I reach around her to unlock the door. Her hand shoots out to wrap around my bicep, but I shake her off as I jerk the door open. “I’m taking care of this for good.”
“Jude, wait!” she cries after me as I move quickly toward the cafeteria. She tries desperately to keep up with me, rambling on about how I don’t need to get involved, that she’ll handle it herself. But that’s not going to fucking happen.
I was part of the problem. I let The Roses fester and rot after Piper died when I should have just uprooted them then. Tori would never be enough to replace Piper, and I knew it then, but I stayed out of it like an idiot. I’m really regretting that shit now. Now that it’s affecting my Piper.
My jaw clenches as I push through the cafeteria doors. I only have ten minutes left to set this shit straight for good, and I’m going to make every single fucking one of them count. The cafeteria goes quiet as I storm in, eyes turning in my direction as I push through throngs of people to get to our table. Tyler and Brennan both turn to stare, their expressions going sour when they notice Piper’s grip on my arm. She’s still trying to make me stop, but it’s not going to happen.
I yank a chair out and climb up, going from the chair to the table so that I’m on my own personal stage. Piper tugs at my khakis, but I barely look down at her before looking away again, knowing that there’s a chance I’ll cave to her wishes if I look at her for too long. It’s so hard to fucking deny her anything—which is so fucked up. So, so fucked up. The tides have turned, that’s for fucking sure.
Ignoring her pleas, I scan the crowd, looking for the two fuck-ups I’m finally ready to deal with the way I should have in the first place. They’re just a couple tables away. I look at Tori, specifically, the ringleader of all this bullshit. There won’t be any confusion after this.
“Listen up!” I command, like everyone’s not already deathly fucking quiet. Tori’s face blanches, her face crumpling as I shoot her an unmistakable sneer. “There’s been a lot of shit that I’ve let fly under the radar over the past few months. That ends right fucking now.” I stomp on the table, a loud bang echoing through the room, I want everyone to know exactly how fucking furious I am. “From here on out, The Roses are done, disbanded. End of story.”
I look directly at Tori, and I know everyone sees it. That’s exactly what I want. I want
them to know exactly who this is about—and I’m sure that means they’ll figure out why, too. No one’s ever gonna fuck with Piper again. No one but me.
Tori stands up and flees the cafeteria, not a peep out of her. I give one last long survey of the room, making sure my message has been heard, and then hop down off the table before someone decides to get security in here. I’m not ending up in detention over Victoria fucking Pruitt.
I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, it’s no secret Tyler and Brennan both hate seeing me do anything related to Piper, but when I shoot them a quick glance they only look relieved. Clearly I wasn’t the only one tired of The Roses’ bullshit. Not that this is over, not by a longshot. She’ll be back for blood—Tori’s too wrapped up in her audience and drama and bullshit to let it all go. But I’ll be here. Ready to knock her back down to size over and over again until she realizes she’s not fit to rule at our sides. That she’ll never have what it takes to rule anything.
My stomach drops when I realize Piper isn’t standing at the table anymore, and I run a hand down my face. Dammit. Dammit! But then my eyes cut to the left, and there she is, her hand resting on Chelsey’s arm as she speaks close to her ear.
What the hell is she doing? I close the distance between our tables as if it’s nothing. Whatever’s going on, I’m itching to run Chelsey off for good, but as I get close, Piper shoots me a dark look.
It’s only then that I realize Chelsey is crying. And even though it fucking burns me up, goes against everything I stand for—I’m Jude Alton, I shouldn’t have to do shit to impress anyone—I turn down the anger. Piper Hawthorne’s replacement has fucking ruined me.
“Chelsey.” I wait until she looks at me, trying not to sneer when I see the tears rolling down her cheeks. “The Roses are done, let that go.” Piper might as well be shooting lasers out of her eyes at me right now. “Make nice with those girls you’re in journalism with. They’ll keep you out of trouble. Don’t let Tori fuck the rest of senior year up for you. You hear me?”