by Piper Reagan
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Part One
Two
Three
Four
Part Two
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyrights
Text copyright ©2018 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Harper Sloan. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Corps Security in Hope Town remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Harper Sloan, or their affiliates or licensors.
For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds
FAST FORWARD
By Piper Reagan
Dedication
To Jamie Salsbury
Your friendship and encouragement are worth more than you will ever know. This one’s for you.
Table of Contents
Part One / Then
One
Two
Three
Four
Part Two / Now
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Part One
Then
One
Gineva
First day of senior year. The home stretch. It’ll be intense with all the college courses I’ve crammed into my schedule, but having most of my general classes out of the way when I start college next year will be worth it.
I slip into homeroom, keeping my head down, and focus on making myself invisible. Getting dumped by the star quarterback one week before school started has, by the looks of things, put me in the loser category faster than the dickhead could announce his new girlfriend.
I should be grateful I found out the way I did. Walking in on him screwing her in his bedroom was the reality check I needed.
I knew he was drifting, tired of waiting on me to decide if I was ready to have sex, but secret shame continues to plague me. I had gone over there specifically to give him my virginity. To hand over what he wanted so I wouldn’t lose him, or the security our relationship gave me.
Thank God I didn’t offer myself up a day sooner.
Who even gives a shit? Right? Not me! I remind myself that that’s my new motto.
Even my friend Darla decided to stay Team Rick the Dick. But that’s okay, I’m looking right past this year and focusing on the long haul. I’m going to bury myself in the books and not worry about the who’s who in high school. Maybe if I say it over and over again, I can will my self-esteem to get on board.
I plop down in the front row of my English class and notice the seats on both sides of me remain empty as everyone else fills in the room. The bell rings, and just as the announcements start, our principal walks in with a new kid in tow.
Man, that would suck to be in a new school your senior year. Especially in this little town.
I try not to stare in order to give the guy some dignity, but when he plops down in the chair next to me, I glance over to offer him a quick smile. But holy shit. This guy doesn’t need my sympathy nod. Nope. I can tell by one look that he won’t have any problems fitting in here. His blond hair is thick and shaggy, framing blinding eyes that are the same shade of blue that shoots out the end of a blow torch. I’m willing to bet those eyes heat up every girl who looks at him.
I attempt to shake from my limbs the heat he’s caused and try to focus on class instead of peeking through my peripheral vision at the distraction sitting next to me. Even though I catch him glancing my way a few times, I resist the urge to make eye contact. He doesn’t realize it yet, but by lunch, he’ll get the message that hanging with Gineva Derosa is now classified as social suicide.
The bell signaling the period has ended is like a gift from the heavens. I head to my locker and quickly switch out my books. Electric Eyes stops at the locker next to me. Shit.
He fiddles with the combination a bit, struggling to get the beat-up tin box to work. “Fuck,” he huffs, then tries again.
I can’t let the poor guy flounder. It’s just not in my DNA. “Need some help?”
I’m thanked with a set of white teeth surrounded by full lips. His insecure smile makes him look even more ridiculously good.
“That would be great.” He hands me his combination.
When it doesn’t work the first time, I realize the little bitch is jammed, so I do it again, then hit the locker before pulling the lever. A little trick we’ve all picked up over the years.
“Damn, girl, you’re small but mighty.” He opens the empty locker and sticks in his new English book. “Thank you…” He raises his eyebrows in question.
“Gin.”
He cocks his head to the side and studies me. “No shit?” The glare from his cocky smile nearly blinds me. “I’m Juice.”
I search his ocean-filled eyes for a second, trying to determine if this guy is funny or just a grade-A douchebag who likes to make fun of people. Then decide I don’t give a shit because by lunchtime, he’ll never be speaking to me again. So I go with my gut.
“What the fuck ever, dude. Have a nice life.” I slam my locker shut and head to my next class, so done with pretty faces and cocky grins.
***
The August humidity makes my skin tacky with sweat, but it really doesn’t matter if I smell like a goat since no one is coming around anyway. I park my ass on one of the retaining walls, thankful for a momentary break from reality. I soak up the solitude for a second, relishing the moment of bliss. No sooner do I pull my protein bar out of my bag than the infamous Juice decides to help himself to the seat next to me.
“Seat’s taken.” I dig out my water.
“Did I do something to offend you?” He plops down as though he couldn’t give two shits that I don’t want him there.
“No, Juice.” I drag out his mockery to my name. “Why would you think that?”
“What?” He shrugs. “You’ve got a kick-ass name. I was hoping to get in on the action.” He takes a bite of his poorly made PB&J, jelly oozing out the side of smashed bread, and for a second I wonder who made this guy's lunch.
“And what sort of action is that?” I give him my best bitch face. “Make my life a living hell?”
“Shit, girl, no.” He shoves the sandwich back in his bag and shakes his head. “I’m the new kid, I don’t know a damn person here, and from the outside looking in, you look like you could use a friend too, but then you open that fucking mouth and…” He stands and walks away, muttering, “Fucking bitches are all the same.”
“Stop.” I fight the urge to curl in on myself when his words hit their mark. I’m not a bitch by nature, but it seems to be my go-to reaction when I’m feeling vulnerable. “Come back.”
He looks over his shoulder, visibly debating what to do. Then he finally sits back down next to me, his long legs
stretching out in front of him.
“Hi.” I stick out my hand in an attempt to start over. “I’m Gineva Derosa, but you can call me Gin.”
He studies me for so long that I wonder if I have something on my face. “Jarrett Dean.” His warm, calloused hand wraps around mine, causing flutters in my chest. “But you can call me Juice.”
This time, I laugh at his Snoop Dogg reference, deciding to cut the new kid some slack. “You’re an idiot.”
He laughs back. “Pretty much.”
And that was how I met my best friend.
Two
Jarrett
It’s Christmas Eve. Dad and I are sprawled out in the living room, watching basketball. Ever since he decided to take this job in Ohio, I’ve tried to be supportive and go with the flow. He and Mom divorced about six months ago, and even though he travels with his crew most weekends during the NHRA season, I could tell that even being in the same city as Mom was making him mental. So when he decided to take a break from being a crew chief for a year and come work for the high-performance engine shop, I was happy to come along. Summit Motorsports Park isn’t very far, so we still hit the track every weekend during the season, and Dad has finally started teaching me to drive a race car.
At first, I thought he wanted me to come along to Ohio to keep him company. But with each passing day, and the less and less my mother checks in on me, the more I realize that she wanted me out of her hair. Instead of asking me to come home for the holidays, she took off for the Caribbean with her new boyfriend. I don’t know if it’s the holidays or the fact that it’s just Dad and me, but I feel like a total pussy right now for checking my phone every fifteen minutes to see if I’ve missed a call from her, my inner boy still wanting the love of his mother. Especially on a day like today. And just like the last time I checked… there’s nothing. Snow is falling outside, and I’ve settled into the idea that this is going to be the most depressing Christmas ever.
“Rollin’ down the street, smokin’ indo, sippin’ on…” I grab the phone, my bleak mood already lifting a little.
“Hey, Gin.” I try to hide the anxiousness in my voice, grateful for her interruption of my pity party.
“Merry Christmas Eve, Juice!” Her excitement reaches out and grabs me through the line. “Can you sneak away for a little bit? Or has your dad made plans?”
I look over to see that my father is now clonked out catching flies, and I wonder if I should even bother waking him before I go. “Nope, I’m all yours.”
An hour later, we’re at the top of Old Man’s Hill for what feels like the hundredth time. My face is borderline frozen, but other than that, I’m as toasty and happy as they come.
“You get in the back this time.” I get into position and pat the back of my sled. She’s only gone down with me a couple times and refuses to let me drive, insisting I’ll kill us both.
She clasps her own sled a little tighter, holding it against her chest. “Hell no.”
“Gin… get your ass on the back. I promise not to kill you.” I give her my puppy dog eyes that I know she’s a sucker for and raise an internal fist pump the moment she decides to give in.
She hangs her sled on a tree limb and gets on behind me. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Her tiny form straddles my back, and even between the thick layers of our snow suits, the minute her front hits my back, I’m instantly hard as steel. I shiver, thankful I can pass it off as being cold, and try to focus on calming my body. The day may have started off shitty, but it will end up being one of the best holidays of my life.
“Hold on tight.” I push off the sides as hard as I can, chasing the need for speed.
“Juice. You dickhead!” she screams as we fly down the hill.
She has me laughing so hard that I accidentally steer us off center a bit. When I go to guide us back, I overcorrect, hit a patch of ice, and send us flying.
“Son of a bitch!” filters through the air as we both land in the snow before rolling to a stop. “I hate you, Juice.” Puffs of smoke come from her mouth. “I’m glad we’re not dead, because now I can kill you myself, asshole.”
Good, she’s okay. I resume laughing at her temper tantrum. “That was your damn fault for distracting me.”
I crawl over to where she’s lying on her back and do the same. We take a few minutes to catch our breath, and as I look at the sky, I realize without a shadow of a doubt that this girl is so much more than my best friend.
I grab her mitten-covered hand and give it a squeeze. “Thank you for today, Gin.” I roll to my side and she follows suit. “It’s been… well, it hasn’t been the best holiday.”
“You still haven’t heard from your mom?”
She’s the only person I’ve ever talked to about this stuff. “No.”
Her hazel eyes glow in the reflection of the snow, and her almost-black hair spills a little out of her hat. She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, and in this moment, I am full-blown goner.
“She’s a bitch.” She interrupts my revelation with her smart-ass mouth.
“Yeah, I have a feeling you’re right.”
“I’m always right.” She smiles, and even though our conversation has turned serious, her fat lips that are practically blue from the cold send another shot of heat to my dick.
“So you’ve said.” I offer her my sarcasm, not wanting her to know how she’s affecting me right now.
Her black lashes, wet from the snow, frame her uncharacteristically serious eyes. “I’m really sorry, Juice. I’m here if you need me, don’t ever forget that.”
I swallow the lump in my throat that her comfort creates and decide we’ve been serious long enough. “You’d never shut up long enough for me to forget it.”
Her widening smile has me falling even harder, but at the same time, I wonder how I can ever risk losing her friendship by trying for more. I know I’ll never be able to watch her with another man because this girl is the girl of my dreams. Problem is… I don’t have the first clue how to move her out of the friendzone without fucking everything up.
Three
Gineva
It’s our last day together, and the reality of that is settling into my bones and pulling me into the darkness. Graduation has come and gone, summer is winding down, and as of tomorrow, Jarrett will no longer be living in Ohio. His dad thought he could settle for a nine-to-five job with racing on the side, but as Juice explained, that’s just not in Marcus Dean’s DNA. So he’s moving back to Indianapolis to resume his head crew chief position for the Parks Oil team.
You can do this, Gineva. I give myself another mental pep talk. Just lay it on the table. He’s your best friend, which means even if he says no, he won’t make fun of you. It’s not like he needs to know that you’re hopelessly in love with him.
I feel like busting out my Grease soundtrack right now.
My parents are away for the weekend, and with Luciana at beauty school, I’ve got the entire house to myself. I invited Juice over for some pizza and movies for our last night together before he moves away and we won’t see each other again for God knows how long.
Except I’ve got other things planned. I know he’s experienced, though I honestly can’t say just how experienced. But the day he came back last October from a weekend at the races with hickeys on his neck, I knew without a doubt that there was no way he was interested in me that way.
A small part of me died when I saw those hickeys, and for as much shit as comes from my mouth, I couldn’t bear to ask him about those. I think he knew I saw them because the next day, he was sporting a hoodie, and every day until they were gone. After that, he must have been more careful to have them in places I wouldn’t see. Stop thinking about the other women.
The doorbell rings, pulling me from my insecurities and back to reality.
It’s now or never.
Juice comes in, looking perfect in his low-slung jeans and the Snoop Dogg T-shirt I bought him shortly after he nicknamed hi
mself. His scent fills the entryway, and I close my eyes momentarily when it hits my nose. He puts the six-pack of Mtn Dew he brought in the fridge and already my nerves are on overdrive.
An hour into the movie, I’m snuggled up next to him on the couch.
He gives me a nudge. “When should we order pizza?”
I have to do this now or I’ll never get the nerve. Just rip off the Band-Aid.
“Jarrett?” I pause the movie and turn toward him in the dark room. Blood pumps in my ears when I see the questioning look cross his face—I rarely call him Jarrett. “Can I ah… can I ask you a favor?” The pounding in my chest is painful, then relieved a little when he quickly sits up and gives me his concerned attention.
“Anything. You know that. What’s wrong? You’re white as a ghost.”
Shit, Gin, just do it! “Will you have sex with me?” Lame! Fucking lame!
“What?” His shock is just a whisper, followed by silence.
“If you don’t want to… I mean, you can say no…”
“You want to have sex?” It’s a prayer on his lips, and he doesn’t sound disgusted by what I’ve asked.
“I want it to be with someone I trust.” And love. But I can’t tell him that or he’ll run. “And…”
He scoots in a little closer and puts his hand on my face. “Gin, baby, are you sure?”
He’s never called me baby before, and I let the declaration wash over me as I pretend that for right now, he loves me as much as I love him. Even if it’s a one-sided deal and I will only ever be a friend to him, I will allow myself to share my feelings with him physically, even if I can’t verbally.
“I’m sure.”
He leans in slowly, keeping his blue eyes fixed on my hazel ones as he silently asks permission to kiss me. The second our lips touch for the first time, I know I’ve made the right decision. There is no one else on this earth that I would rather share my body with than this man.
Four
Jarrett
I can’t believe this is really happening. That I’m really going to get to be with my Gin in every way possible. I grab her hand, not wanting to be downstairs on the couch, and walk her up to her bedroom. Having sex will change everything between us. It’ll also make the fact that I’m moving away tomorrow sting like a motherfucker, but we’ll figure it out.