by Ashley Jade
“Careful,” Oak mocks. “Her Lord and Savior might hear you.”
Cole flips him the bird before he ducks inside a classroom.
“Look,” Oakley says as we reach our next class. “I’ll go along with the rumor because I want the blue-haired bitch gone too, but I’m gonna need you to do me a solid and come clean to Hayley.”
I don’t know what’s been going on with him lately, but he’s more dependent on her than usual.
Well, whenever he’s not off somewhere smoking himself stupid.
I decide to throw him a bone. “Fine.” I scan the classroom to see if Dylan’s arrived yet. She hasn’t.
“But not until tomorrow.”
She’ll be long gone by then.
Chapter 7
Dylan
The girls’ restroom in a high school is the equivalent of a warzone.
Half the girls are trash talkers…the other half are targets.
And the handful who don’t fit into the above boxes are casualties—they neither want to participate in drama nor defend it.
They just want to pee in peace.
Usually, I’m a casualty. But not today.
Today, I’m the girl who has a target on her back the size of Texas.
All because Oakley had to open his stupid mouth and tell everyone we slept together. Which was pretty shitty of him considering he was the one who asked me to keep quiet about him greeting me with a hard-on.
“I mean, seriously,” some girl on the other side of the bathroom stall utters. “Who sleeps with their freaking cousin? So gross.”
I grit my teeth as I finish my business in the stall.
“I heard she’s new,” another girl chimes in. “Maybe she’s from one of those hillbilly states?”
I roll my eyes so hard I’m surprised I don’t go blind. I don’t know what pisses me off more. The stereotypes, or the fact that she referred to me as new.
“I think you guys are being a little too hard on her,” a third girl interjects.
Hope springs eternal…until she finishes her sentence.
“Oakley’s hot. And before you two roast me—I know he’s a pothead and going nowhere in life…but cousin or not, I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to jump his bones on the lowdown if I was given the chance either.”
Ew. It’s a good thing I’m near a toilet.
Laughter echoes off the walls.
“Don’t worry, Gina,” one of them assures her. “I’m sure you’ll have your chance soon. He passes that big stoner dick of his around like candy on Halloween whenever him and Hayley breakup.”
More obnoxious laughter.
Jesus. They’re so good at gossiping and judging, they should consider starring in a reality T.V. show.
I’m about to walk out and put an end to their little chit-chat, but the next sentence halts me in my tracks.
“Speaking of couples—what’s the deal with Jace and Britney?”
“I don’t know,” someone says with a sigh. “I think Brit-Brit finally snagged her man for the long haul. They were awfully close this morning.”
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck prickle. They sure were.
“Nah, I don’t believe it. Everyone knows Jace Covington doesn’t do relationships…not even with popular girls like Britney.”
Considering how they were kissing and flirting this morning, that’s a bit…strange.
I tuck this newfound kernel of information away for safekeeping.
“True.” I hear the rustling of paper towels. “At least there’s Cole. He’s no Jace, but he’s the closest any of us will get.”
Ugh. These girls are terrible.
“I’ll happily take Cole as a consolation prize.” She giggles. “Heck, if he wasn’t a junior, or such a player, he’d probably be a better catch than Jace.”
“Tru—”
The look of surprise on their faces tells me I caught them off guard.
“It’s the cousin fucker,” one of them—from the sounds of it, Gina—whisper-shouts.
They stare at me with wide eyes, but I keep my demeanor impassive as I walk over to the sink to wash my hands.
“I’ll make sure to put in a good word for you with Oakley…given we’re so close and all.”
Their expressions change from curious to horrified.
Some people run and hide at the first sign of a scandal. Not me.
I prefer to confront the jerks responsible for spreading rumors head-on. See what they’re really made of underneath all their hair extensions, push-up bras, and makeup.
“We’re late for class,” the tall blonde declares before they make a mad dash for the door.
Shocking.
People rarely have the balls to say the shit they spew behind your back to your face.
Chapter 8
Dylan
Past…
“I caught your boyfriend staring at Britney’s boobs in gym class today.”
Given Britney’s the only girl in eighth-grade with double Ds, I’m not surprised. Especially since she loves showing them off in her tight, low-cut tops whenever the opportunity strikes.
Rumor has it she set her sights on Jace and wants him to ask her to the upcoming end-of-the-year dance, but he told me he isn’t into her.
My tormentor is going to have to try another tactic to get his attention.
Swallowing my annoyance, I turn to face Tommy DaSilva.
With his dark almond-shaped eyes, shiny black hair, and bronzed skin thanks to his half-Japanese, half-Brazilian descent—a lot of girls in my grade have huge crushes on him.
But not me.
The day he made fun of Jace’s younger brother, Liam—he officially became Jace’s arch-nemesis.
Which automatically makes him mine, too.
He grins. “He’s planning on asking her to the dance next week.”
Despite knowing better, my stomach drops.
No matter how hard I try to push the newfound and intense feelings I’ve developed for Jace down…they aren’t going away.
They’re only growing stronger.
Averting my gaze, I continue organizing the stands in the band room closet. Mr. Rigo knows how much I love anything music related, so he usually lets me stay after rehearsal and clean up.
“You must be lost, Tommy. Last I checked, after-school tutoring was held in the cafeteria.”
Tommy is nice to look at, but he isn’t very bright. He struggles in almost all his classes and has been caught cheating on tests more than once.
Brows furrowed; he crosses his arms. “Why are you always such a bitch to me?”
He’s standing in front of the doorway, but I attempt to shove past him. “You know why.”
His hand wraps around my wrist. “Because your stupid boyfriend says you’re not allowed to talk to me?” Disgust sweeps over his face as he releases me. “Does he give you a treat after you roll over?”
The jerk is way out of line. “Jace isn’t my boyfriend and I’m not his pet. The reason I don’t talk to you is because you’re an asshole.”
He studies my face intently. “Have I ever been mean to you?”
Tommy hasn’t, but it doesn’t matter. He’s mean to others. Particularly, Liam.
From the moment Jace’s younger brother set foot inside our junior high school, he has been Tommy’s target.
However, Liam is too shy and anxious to stand up for himself, and since his twin Cole isn’t the type to fight anyone else’s battles, it’s up to Jace to watch over him.
“You’re mean to Liam.”
Amusement lights up his features. “Don’t tell me you have the hots for the sss-stutterer.”
I don’t, but as usual, Tommy is missing the point. “I’d rather spend a lifetime in a closet with him than five more seconds stuck here with you.” I bare my teeth. “Now get out of my way.”
His eyes narrow as he steps aside and I maneuver past him.
“Dylan, wait,” he huffs as I head for the exit. “I won’t make fun of H
istory anymore.”
History is the nickname Tommy coined for Jace’s brother. He tells everyone it’s because history always repeats itself…just like Liam does.
“Stop calling him that,” I hiss.
“Okay.”
I pause, unsure if I heard him correctly. “Really?”
“If that’s what it will take for you to be cool with me.” He gives me a crooked smile. “I’ll even apologize.”
I’m utterly dumbfounded. “You’re going to apologize to Liam?”
A weird feeling crawls up my gut when he nods. Tommy doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy to do something decent without wanting something in return.
“Wh—”
“Like I said before.” He moves uncomfortably close. “If you’re nice to me…I’ll be nice to him. Got it?”
I swallow hard. The subtext is loud and clear—I just don’t understand why. I’ve spent most of my life avoiding him rather than engaging with him.
“What’s your deal, Tommy? Why do you want to be friends with me so bad?”
His gaze drops to my lips. “Has he ever kissed you?”
Only in my dreams.
My cheeks grow hot and I shove him away. “That’s none of your business.”
Tommy laughs as he walks to the door. “See you around.”
“Tommy DaSilva told me he’s going to apologize to Liam.”
I’ve been at Jace’s house for the better part of an hour now, mulling over when I should bring up my after-school encounter with his rival.
Me losing the stupid zombie battle game yet again seems like a good time.
Jace’s fingers freeze on the controller briefly before he presses pause. “When did you talk to Tommy?”
“Today…” I swallow hard. “After school.”
I’m not Jace’s pet like Tommy implied…but there’s no denying the intrinsic sense of loyalty I have to him. However, that loyalty goes both ways. Jace is always there for me whenever I need him.
“Well, after band practice,” I clarify.
I’m not sure what to make of his expression. We’re opposites that way. While I’m an open book—Jace wears a mask made of steel.
It matches the force field surrounding him.
The one I still can’t penetrate, even though we’ve been thick as thieves for over two years now.
His expression remains neutral, but the suspicion is practically coming off him in waves. “Tommy isn’t in band.”
Seeing as I have nothing to hide, I have no problem telling him the truth. But I need to tread carefully since I don’t want to make their ongoing feud worse.
“I know. I stayed after to clean up, and he ended up joining me in the closet.”
Those dark eyes practically burn right through me. “So, you two made plans to hang out alone in a closet together?”
It feels like a stone is trapped inside my throat. “No. It wasn’t like that. I’m not…we didn’t make plans to hang out. I don’t like Tommy.”
How could I when Jace holds my heart in the palm of his hand?
“Then why were you two alone in a closet…talking about my brother?”
Oh, God. I know he’s protective of his siblings, but Jace is acting like I committed treachery.
“Look, whatever you’re thinking, stop. I was organizing music stands in the closet by myself when Tommy approached me. I tried to leave, but he was standing in front of the door—”
“What?” The veins in his forearms bulge as his hands ball into fists. “He trap—”
“No. Can you let me finish?”
As much as I enjoy the protective side of Jace, I don’t want him to go after Tommy. The jerk finally agreed to stop making fun of Liam. Plus Jace has already been suspended once this year for beating Tommy to a bloody pulp.
That impermeable mask he wears slips into place again as he lays the controller on the floor beside him. “Go ahead.”
I pick at a piece of lint on my jeans. “Tommy wanted to know why I was mean to him, and I told him it was because he made fun of Liam all the time and I didn’t like it.” I look up at Jace. “When I started to leave, he said he’d be nicer to Liam. He even offered to apologize.”
His jaw works. “That doesn’t sound like Tommy.”
“I know. I thought the same thing. But when I asked him about his sudden change of heart, he said he wanted us to be cool.” I shrug. “I think he’s tired of being a jerk all the time and needs a friend.”
I’m not brave enough to mention the part about him wanting to know if Jace ever kissed me.
Jace snorts. “No. He’s messing with you.”
“Messing with me how?”
Annoyance sweeps over his features. “By making you think he’s into you.” He plucks the remote off the floor. “He knows we’re friends. He’s just pretending to like you so he can try to steal you away and get a rise out of me. Ignore him if he tries to talk to you again. I’ll set him straight tomorrow.”
A strange feeling brews in the pit of my stomach. It’s not that Jace isn’t right. Tommy is most likely using me.
But the dismissive way he’s implying that Tommy couldn’t seriously like me ...
It’s as if the notion of anyone having feelings for me was utterly ridiculous.
“Why aren’t you playing?” Jace questions after a few minutes go by.
“What if he’s not?” I whisper. “What if Tommy really does like me?”
Jace rolls his eyes. “He doesn’t, trust me. It’s not possible.”
Ouch. The sinking feeling in my stomach travels upward until it wraps around my heart.
I have to leave…before I make an even bigger ass of myself.
When I became a teenager, my aunt Crystal warned me the next few years would be some of the best and worst of my life.
When I asked her why, she told me it was the time most girls had their first crushes, first kisses, and first loves…followed by their first heartbreak.
I, however, thought I was safe, because the person I gave my heart to…was my best friend.
And best friends aren’t allowed to break your heart.
It’s against the rules.
“Whoa. Where are you going?” Jace asks when I stand up. “We finally made it to the next level of Zombie Warfare. We’re close to the apocalypse.”
The irony. I’m pretty sure this is it.
“Is it really so hard to believe someone might be interested in me?” The question erupts out of my vocal cords like word vomit.
He grips the back of his neck as he stands, looking about as uncomfortable as I feel. Great.
“I don’t…what the hell is going on with you, D?”
God, he really doesn’t know. My vision becomes hazy and I close my eyes. Why would he?
“Is it because I don’t have huge boobs like Britney?”
Disgust rolls through me as the first tear makes its way down my cheek, but I can’t stop.
It turns out there is something even worse than unrequited love.
Being forced to pretend it doesn’t exist at all.
My feelings for Jace are slowly eating me alive…and it’s not fair that I’m the one forced to deal with them.
Jace—who always appears unflustered and in control—looks so confused, I almost feel bad for him. “What do Britney’s boobs have to do with anything?”
Ugh. He’s acting so dumb I could scream. “If I looked like Britney did, would it be easier for you to believe Tommy was into me?”
Annoyance flashes across his face. “Do you like Tommy? Is that why you’re so mad at me?”
I’ve never wanted to punch someone so badly before. Perhaps if I did, it would finally knock some sense into him.
“I already told you, I don’t like Tommy. I like yo—”
“Jesus. Stop ruining everything,” he shoots back. “We’re friends, Dylan. That’s all we’ll ever be.”
We stare at one another for what feels like an eternity as the full magnitude of his outburst se
eps in.
Jace doesn’t feel the way I do. Far from it.
Holy shit. It would be more humane if Jace ripped out my beating heart and bludgeoned it with a mallet.
I wipe my tears with the back of my hand. The only thing worse than having your heart smashed, was crying in front of the person responsible for it.
Pain swells in my chest, and I draw in a heavy breath. The way I see it, I only have two choices. One—I can shove my love down as far as it will go. Keep pretending I don’t feel anything for him.
But I’m done with playing pretend. And now that everything I’ve been holding inside has come to the surface…it’s a long way down.
So long, we’ll never be able to get back to the place we started.
Our friendship is doomed.
Which only left option number two. I need to find out why. Given Jace has clearly made his mind up about the possibility of us ever being more than what we are, I deserve to hear all the reasons we can’t be together.
“Why?” I whisper.
My heartstrings are no longer pulling…they’re hanging by a thread tethered to Jace Covington.
His throat bobs. “Because we’re friends.”
I hate the way he emphasized the word friends. In the blink of an eye, he managed to turn a positive into a negative.
Apparently, my heart isn’t a fan of his answer either because I have the urge to dig deeper.
“Would you rather date someone you didn’t get along with?”
He shakes his head.
I take a step toward him. “Do you like being with me?”
He nods. I take another step.
My pulse is beating so hard it echoes in my ears. “Are you happy when we hang out? Do I make your day a little better?”
“No.” My lungs freeze…until he peers down at me. “You make it a lot better.”
If that’s true…it could only mean one thing.
“Am I not pretty enough for you?”
I’m not gorgeous like Britney. Much like my height, my features are perfectly average. My nose is a standard size. My cheekbones aren’t carved from stone. My eyes are blue, but they aren’t piercing blue. A handful of freckles sprinkle the bridge of my nose and cheeks, but they’re inconspicuous things and only come out when I spend time in the sun.