“We started practicing on the first day in school,” I said, knowing it wasn’t the answer she was looking for.
Mom tucked the blonde strands of her bob behind one ear and sighed. “I mean the after school practices.”
“After Thanksgiving,” I said.
Mom punched the garage button and spoke loudly over the motorized growl. “I mean it about no boys in the house. Have fun.”
I stared at the kitchen table. I’d spent, like, twenty minutes getting the floor swept and another twenty minutes getting Missy’s art supplies tucked into the corner of the cabinet all while a pan of brownies baked in the oven and hopefully made this place at least smell like a normal home. Anything to get the scent of Mom’s cabbage soup out of here. All to find out that my mom wasn’t playing favorites or reserving certain rules for certain guys.
A thick knot of dread ripped through me as I recalled the rough night I’d had with TJ. First the date, then the stream of nightmares about his fate. I hated thinking he was destined for tragedy. And just what was I supposed to do about this whole study date? Maybe it was time to tell Jett about my secret agenda. He wouldn’t like it, but hopefully he’d be understanding. I sighed as I made my way to the pantry. There was one last thing on my list of chores and that was to take out the trash.
I snatched the brownie box off the top of the heap, realizing I should’ve put it in the recycling, and cinched the white bag nice and tight. With a quick tug, I hoisted the thing out of the tall, plastic bin and made my way to the front door. I was just about to tuck the brownie box under my arm and twist the knob when a sharp rap of knocks sounded from the other side.
I stared at the white door for a blink. “Come in,” I chimed.
The silver knob twisted. The door creaked open. And there stood a sight that made me recall the very scene I’d banned from my brain—the recollection of Jett leaning forward, looking at me with those smoldering eyes, and practically daring me to kiss him.
I blinked, reminding myself that he was not daring me to kiss him now. “Hi,” I managed.
He grinned. “Hi there.” At once his eyes darted to the bag in my grip. “Here, let me get that for you.” He pried the bag from my fingers before I could protest and turned right back out the door.
I followed him as he strode to the garbage, pried the lid open, and flung it inside. He proceeded to grip the handle in back and walk it to the curb without a second thought. Of course, if it was garbage night here it was garbage night in all of Sweet Water, so he knew the drill, but I couldn’t exactly stop myself from really really really liking the way Jett had stepped up and helped me without asking. No wonder moms liked it so much.
“Recycle?” Jett asked, pulling me from my stupor.
I looked down at the box in my hand and nodded.
“Here.” He held his hand out and I handed it over like a zombie robot and watched the way he tore open the ends, flattened it, and strode to the recycle bin where he tossed it in.
“Thanks.” The word fell off my lips as he dusted his hands on his jeans. Black jeans. They looked nice with his ashy gray V-neck tee. Gracious, he looked like a walking advertisement for aftershave for crying out loud. My heart kicked out a few extra beats in double rhythm.
He started back toward the house next. I hurried alongside, assembling the words in my head. “My mom won’t let us be in the house alone,” I said.
Jett stopped walking. “She’s not home?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t realize it, but Missy has dance lessons tonight, so…”
“That makes sense. At least she acknowledges that I’m a normal guy. I hate when parents assume I’m going to be perfect just because I’m the pastor’s son.”
A guilty gulp slunk down my throat. “Is this a bad time to admit that I actually tried to play that card with her?”
Jett’s face turned thoughtful. He lifted one dark brow and stepped close enough for me to smell that yummy spicy scent on him, giving life to that whole aftershave advertisement thought. I eyed the very slight hint of a five o’clock shadow along his jaw and gulped once more.
“How come?”
His question took me off guard. I could barely hear it over the rapid thumps in my chest. “Huh?”
“Why did you try to play that card with your mom?” A smile tugged at one side of his full lips. “You wanted to be alone in the house with me?”
My eyes widened a second before I slapped his arm. “No. Sheesh. I just…wanted to actually get some work done. But don’t worry, my mom was adamant—no special treatment for you in the Tisdale home,” I assured. I could hear how strained my own voice sounded after the wanting to be alone with him accusation but there was nothing I could do about it. The fact was, I’d been accidentally fantasizing about what it might feel like to have him kiss me on the couch for the last two days.
“Good.” A cryptic grin tugged at Jett’s lips. “I’m not as innocent as moms like to think I am.” The statement seemed to ignite flames in my cheeks.
His gaze shifted to my house. A furrow creased his brow as he studied it, as if the bright red bricks and white pillars held the solution. “My sisters are hosting some sort of watch party at my place,” he said, “but we could try to sneak into the den.” He scratched the side of his face. “My dad wouldn’t like that though…”
The moment was presenting itself, wasn’t it? I should just tell him that I was using our study dates to make it look like I was seeing someone between my nights with TJ. I tried to work up the courage. “We could go grab a shake,” I suggested. Maybe working up to it was best. “At the Burger Bar they have wifi. Sometimes.” I added the sometimes in there because half the time it didn’t work all that well. “If it’s working tonight, we could do a little research in the car.”
“Their wifi never works,” he said, eyes still set on my house. Perhaps he’d been thinking of that couch kiss as well. His gaze shifted back to me, his expression still puzzled. “You trying to get out of doing homework tonight?”
I felt caught suddenly. I shrugged.
He eased back into that smile. “All right,” he said, tucking his hand into his pocket and retrieving his keys. “Burger Bar it is.”
I told myself, while sitting beside Jett in his black pickup truck, that I needed to just fess up about the dating thing, but by the time the Burger Bar came into view I decided it was too late. My eyes wandered over the large crowd outside the small shack. The Burger Bar wasn’t your typical restaurant with indoor tables and vinyl booths. Customers walked up to the ordering windows, listed their picks from the menu, and waited for their number to be called. While there were a few outdoor benches cornering the property, most people took their food back to the dirt lot where they piled into cars or sat in the backs of their pickup trucks while they ate.
Jett turned and asked what I wanted as he ordered, but I shook my head and insisted I pay for myself. Forget the fact that I’d just made brownies for the first time ever. They were probably gross anyway. I stepped over to the window beside Jett’s and placed an order of my own—a cookie dough shake and a large fry.
“We’re running a little behind,” Troy Ingleson said as he handed over my number.
I glanced down at the circled digits on my receipt. “Thanks.”
“You going to Sadies?” Troy asked next.
I tore my gaze from the receipt to take in Troy’s wide grin. Were those new braces? Sadies, short for Sadie Hawkins, was one of Sweet Water’s girl’s choice dances. “I’m not sure,” I said. “TJ doesn’t exactly like school dances, so…”
Troy nodded. “Sweet Water probably wouldn’t let him in, anyway. Think you’re supposed to be a high schooler still. I haven’t been asked yet.”
I blinked. Why did it feel like this kid was asking me to ask him? “Huh. Hope someone asks you,” I managed with a nod. Man, was the Sadie’s dance coming up so soon? I was supposed to help the theater department make posters for it. But who knew if I’d actually be showing up to
the thing myself. It was just one more way that TJ stood out from the crowd, and not in a good way. Why couldn’t he just be a normal kid and do normal things like go to dances and lead up to a kiss slowly like he was supposed to?
I spun around to see Jett waiting for me beside the large oak tree. I looked at the ground as I walked toward him, feeling the awkwardness of the moment times ten. I wanted to pretend that this was normal and that we were just a couple of friends getting together to do homework and have a shake, but ever since Jett sort of dared me to kiss him, the guy roused too many conflicting emotions in me.
I stopped walking once I was about a yard away and glanced up to see his face. Yep. Still gorgeous. Annoyingly so. It seemed almost cruel for someone to be that…attractive.
“What’d you order?” he asked.
“Cookie dough shake. Fries. You?”
He grinned. “Mint shake with tots.”
“Mmm,” I said. “I used to get mint every time.”
He grinned. “You did? Until when?”
I folded my arms as a breeze blew in. “Until I tried cookie dough,” I said with a laugh.
Jett lifted a brow. “That good, huh? You’ll have to let me taste it.”
I felt my eyes widen in surprise as I tried to picture what that would look like. Me scooping a heap onto my spoon and feeding it to him? Or would he simply reach in with his own spoon and take a sample for himself?
“What the …” Jett’s eyes hardened suddenly. I stared at him, watching as his gaze followed a trail from the lot to the ordering window. I was about to turn around and see who was here for myself when Jett’s gaze shifted back to me. The angry scowl hadn’t left his face yet but I somehow knew it wasn’t meant for me.
An odd dose of anticipation skittered over my skin as I spun to look over my shoulder. At first glance, I noticed a bunch of kids our age, but as I took a longer look, I realized it was the crew from Jessie’s garage. There was Jessie, Dino, and…Tasha?
A sudden wave of nausea flared as I realized who she was cuddled up to. Really cuddled up to: TJ. There he was, ordering at the window while Tasha snuggled her face into his chest. Which meant those hands resting very closely to her rear end were TJ’s.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” I turned away from the sight and shook my head. What was going on here?
Jett stepped closer to me. “Are you two broken up?” he asked under his breath.
I glanced up, moved by the intensity I saw on his face. “Not exactly.”
“Then what the crud is he doing?”
I sank my face into my palm and shrugged. “I’ve got no idea.” Except that was only partway true. Sure, TJ said that while I study with Jett, he and Tasha might hang out. Hanging out was different from hanging all over each other.
“Do you want to go confront him?” Jett asked.
I didn’t bother pulling my face away. “No,” I mumbled against my hand.
“Do you want me to confront him?” he asked.
This time I pulled my hand away, and quick. “No,” I assured, surprised that he’d offered. Later I’d have to ask him what that would have entailed. But right now, I had to decide what to do. I imagined the newspaper article once more, thinking of how much closer TJ seemed to that gone-too-soon rock star fate with his little crony, Tasha, at his hip.
“Tasha’s pathetic,” Jett growled.
And that’s when it hit me. Jett was jealous. Tasha was his ex-girlfriend, after all. I wondered how jealous TJ might be if he saw me cuddled up to Jett. Would it be enough for him to call off this side thing with Tasha and commit to only me? But then another question came to mind: Would Jett be interested in making Tasha jealous in return?
I shuffled closer to Jett, testing, and wondered if he would play along.
He didn’t move, only stayed in place as I closed the gap enough that the toe of my shoes grazed his.
“Are you cold?” he asked under his breath. And then his hands were sliding up my arms, warm and strong and assuring.
Goosebumps spread over my skin at his touch. My heart must have had them too because suddenly it skipped a few beats. A crazy amount of tingly euphoria rushed through me from being so close to him. “A little,” I said, reveling in the feel of it.
“Come here.” Jett wrapped his arms around me and encouraged me even closer. Tentatively, I allowed my arms to wrap around him in return.
More euphoria. Lots of it.
I’d heard the term blurred lines in my life, but only in that moment did I understand what it meant. I wasn’t sure if I was getting closer to make TJ jealous, or because a part of me had never stopped liking Jett.
He was just so warm and tempting and yummy-smelling.
Suddenly his lip grazed my ear.
I stiffened as every inch of me keyed into the sensation of his hot breath tickling my skin. Another round of goosebumps raced up my arms.
“Now might be a good time to take me up on that dare,” he said into my ear.
Whoa. As if I hadn’t been picturing that very thing since he’d posed the dare in the first place. Of course I would never really kiss Jett while I was dating TJ, but the suggestion was toying with my head.
I lifted my chin, heart pounding its wild beat, and locked my gaze on Jett’s deep brown eyes.
Suddenly a voice sounded from the fuzzy-sounding speakers behind me. “Number eighty-six and eighty-seven, your orders are ready.”
Jett cleared his throat and straightened. “That’s me. Are you number eighty-seven?”
I stepped away from him, trying to shake off all the tingles from his touch, and reached into my back pocket for my receipt. A quick glance at the slip confirmed it. “Yeah.” I spun around, anxious to see if we’d been spotted by TJ. It took a moment to place them since they weren’t at the ordering counter anymore. They’d made their way over to the bench. TJ was looking in my direction, but I couldn’t be sure that he saw me. And what was this? Tasha was making herself comfortable on his lap.
Anger burned up the back of my shoulders as I followed Jett to the pickup counter. Tasha raked her hand through TJ’s hair next. The action had me so captured I ran right into Jett.
“Sorry,” I mumbled the word without taking my eyes off the sight. Blindly, I slapped my receipt down on the counter and felt around for the Styrofoam cup.
“I’ve already got it,” Jett said. “Let’s go.”
Tasha was moving in for a kiss. I couldn’t believe my eyes. She was actually moving in for a kiss! And…and TJ went for it!
“Harper,” Jett said under his breath. “Let’s go.”
I tore my eyes from the nasty sight and looked up at Jett. The clenched set of his jaw said he didn’t like what he’d seen any more than I did. With a shake in each hand, he nodded toward the lot.
“Yeah,” I managed. “We better go.” I sped ahead of him toward the truck, stopping only as I waited for Jett to catch up. He came around to the passenger side and lifted my shake toward me. I took it, noticing then that he had a white paper bag too. Must be our fries and tots.
“Thanks,” I said, taking it from him while he opened the door for me. I climbed in, knowing Jett had seen what I had, dreading the conversation that was sure to come. “I told ya you can’t change people.” Or “You’re stupid to waste your time with that jerk.”
Jett climbed in behind the wheel and set his shake in the cup holder. “Want to get out of here?” he asked.
A deep sense of sadness gripped hold of me as I nodded yes. I couldn’t figure out what was going on inside of me. It felt like I was accepting failure in one sense, or at least trying to, while dealing with a crapload of humiliation at the same time.
“I’m sorry,” Jett mumbled as he tore out of the lot and onto the road.
I clenched my eyes shut. “He’s mad that I’m seeing you,” I explained. And since I’d opened the door, I decided to keep going. “My little sister caught me and TJ kissing, and she told on me. So my mom said that if I wanted to keep seeing TJ,
I’d have to date someone else in between.” I risked a glance over at Jett.
He gave me a quick nod, a handsome furrow pulling at that brooding brow of his.
“So I figured, since you and I were doing homework anyway, I could, you know, sort of count that as seeing another guy in between.” My half-broken heart picked up its pace once more. I felt like a big liar, but technically I wasn’t, was I?
“Does TJ know about it? The fact that you have to see someone else?”
“Yeah. In fact, just last night he told me that Tasha came out and watched him sing with Grunge Town in Jessie’s garage, and they were sparking up some stupid plan to, you know, see each other while you and I were together on the off nights.”
“I should have kissed you,” he spat.
I was pretty sure my heart stopped beating altogether. Tingly heat danced circles around the failing vessel. “Excuse me?”
“We should’ve given those idiots a taste of their own medicine, not just skulked off like a couple of losers.”
Skulk?
“And you know, Tasha, she banks on me being the tame one, right? She’s thinking, ‘Oh, Jett’s too much of a gentleman to do anything to Harper in public.’ But what I should have done is back you against that tree and given them something to talk about.”
A million receptors were scurrying throughout my entire body at the image he’d painted in my head. I was trying to have a pity party for myself but how could I when the kid I’d had a not-so-secret crush on since kindergarten was talking about backing me against trees and giving my cheating boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend something to talk about?
“I mean, is this his way of saying we’re, like, officially seeing other people or what?” I blurted. “And did you see how disgusting that kiss looked?” I couldn’t believe I was actually going there, but I was, and there was no stopping me.
I shifted in the seat and faced Jett’s shadowed profile as I continued. “I was trying to be nice the other night when I was acting like I enjoyed TJ’s kiss, but the truth is, he is the sloppiest, anxious…est, grossest kisser on the planet.” I rode on the high that came from bashing TJ and his stupid cheating self.
Chemistry of a Kiss Page 6