Jaided

by Rose, Ashley

  She shifted a bit, rolling over onto her other side. She laid her cheek back down again. Her cheek hit something cold and metallic. She lazily opened her eyes and looked down. Bright light assaulted her eyes, and she gave them a second to adjust.

  It took her mind a moment to register the small piece of metal. It was a piercing, a nipple ring. She closed her eyes and put her head back down, preparing to fall asleep again.

  Oops! Blaize didn't have his nipples pierced.

  Jaide lifted her head again. She looked down, confirming the nipple rings and then looked higher. The body belonged to Leith.

  "Shit!"

  She sat up and scrambled off Leith but the sudden vertical position exploded the dull ache in her temples to a full-blown beast of headache.

  "Oh, God."

  She fell back down, clutching her head. The body below hers let out a grunt as she collided with his chest.

  "What the ... ohhhhh, fuck!"

  Now awake, Leith’s arms released her and both hands went to his head.

  Jaide and Leith both lay there groaning for a minute before their headaches subsided enough to move.

  Jaide sat up slowly and carefully. She squinted in the morning light.

  “Morning light?” she mumbled with a thick tongue.

  She looked around. No bed, no walls. She was in the backseat of her own big new Audi, with dawn sun flooding in all the windows.

  And, she realized, she was naked – bare-ass naked.

  Jaide squeaked and slid off Leith. she grabbed the closest piece of clothing to cover herself, Leith's T-shirt.

  Jaide looked around. No other clothes were visible except Leith's jeans. There were six bottles of beer and a bottle of Jack Daniels on the floor, three quarters empty.

  She looked over at Leith, who still had his hands on his head and eyes clenched tightly shut. He was lying on his back, boxers still on, taking up all of the backseat except the small corner where she crouched.

  She nudged him with her foot.

  No response.

  She nudged him again.

  He mumbled something along the lines of “Go away.”

  She kicked him.

  "Ow!" He opened his eyes and looked around the car. "What the ... hell? Jaide?" He slowly pulled himself into a sitting position.

  "Yes!"

  "What are you doing here?"

  "It's my car!"

  "Oh." He looked around, his bloodshot eyes adjusting to the light. He looked down at himself, saw his jeans on the floor, and then he looked her over. “Are you ... naked?"

  "Yes!" she said, clutching the T-shirt to her. "Will you just find my clothes please?"

  He rubbed his head again and looked around. He picked up his jeans, and finding her black underwear, handed her panties to her. He looked around some more. Not finding anything, he climbed into the front seat and discovered her bra on the driver's seat. He climbed back into the backseat and handed it to her too, then looked into the cargo bay. Nothing.

  "Where are the rest of your clothes? Why were you naked in the first place?"

  "How should I know?" she snapped. "Turn around."

  He rolled his eyes and turned to face the window as she pulled on what little clothes she had. Once she had her underwear and bra on, she looked for the rest of the clothes herself while Leith pulled his jeans on. She didn't find any more clothes anywhere. She sat back in the seat again, opposite Leith, eyeing him.

  "What are you looking at me like that for?" he asked, rubbing a hand through his hair. "Here." He picked up his T-shirt and handed it to her. "You can wear that if it will make you more comfortable."

  She quickly pulled the T-shirt on and looked at him again. "What and how and why are we here? I don't remember anything at all from last night."

  "Shit, me neither." He rubbed his head again. "I'm going to take a stab in the dark here and say that we got in your car," he looked out the window for moment, "drove up to Saddlerock ridge and parked on the side of road," he glanced down at the alcohol on the floor, "we got drunk," he looked over at her, "and then we had sex."

  That's what Jaide had been worried about. She tried desperately to remember the night before, "Why don't I remember anything?"

  "Probably all the alcohol."

  "Did you get me drunk?"

  He looked horrified. "I don't get girls drunk to have sex with them!"

  "I believe you,” she said calmly. She grimaced. The taste in her mouth was awful.

  He faltered. "You do?"

  "Yeah. I don't drink beer, period. That means you drank six beers and I drank the JD. It’s my favorite, you know."

  "Great."

  "But Leith, are you sure we had sex?"

  "I don't know. You were naked."

  She shifted on the seat. There was an odd sensation between her legs, the kind you got after having sex for the first time in a month or so.

  "What is it?" he asked.

  "Nothing."

  "It's something."

  "We had sex, okay!" she snapped at him again, her headache still pounding.

  "How do you know for sure?"

  "I just do. God, I feel terrible." She rubbed her hands down her face.

  "Aw come on, I don't remember it but I'm sure it was great sex," he joked.

  "This isn't funny, Leith!"

  "Yeah, but it kind of is," he said, bending over to pick up the bottle of Jack.

  "Please tell me you used a condom," Jaide said.

  Leith looked up. "Shit, no."

  "If you don't remember, how do you know?"

  "I don't carry condom's around, unless you had one but I don't see any around."

  "I didn't have one."

  "What kinda girl doesn't carry condoms around in her glove box?"

  "This car is brand new!"

  "Shit, shit, shit." Leith started to look panicked.

  "I'm on birth control though."

  Leith's panic dissolved. "Then what the hell is the problem then?"

  "I don't want STDs!"

  "I don't have any!" he said defensively. "I don't sleep with just anyone, you know. I'm careful."

  "Right." She rolled her eyes. "You swear you don't have any?"

  "I get tested regularly."

  "Me too."

  They both sighed, relieved.

  After a few seconds of silence, Leith started laughing.

  "This isn't funny, Leith."

  "It is a little bit." He smiled. "I mean, you've been craving sex. Blaize probably told you to have sex with me and then we finally do, and you can't remember it anyways." He laughed again, harder this time.

  "Oh har, har, har." She glared at him. "I can't believe I did this."

  "You can't really blame yourself. We were drunk. It happens."

  "But Blaize, what am I gonna tell him?"

  "Are you going to tell him?"

  Jaide didn't have a response. She knew it was the right thing to do, but would telling him be worse?

  "Look, Jaide, you and Blaize aren't in a relationship. We did nothing wrong. Not technically. He obviously doesn't have a problem showing other girls affection. Did you see him dancing last night? He was practically having dry sex with those girls. We just did it with our clothes off."

  "He was just having a good time."

  "I'm sure we had a good time, too."

  "Why are you trying to justify this? It was wrong." She felt frustrated.

  "What good is it going to do? The act is done. Unless you've got a time machine in your pocket, we can't change it. Either you're going to tell him or not. It’s your call, or mine, whatever you want."

  "Would you tell him, if you were me?"

  "No." He didn't hesitate, he sounded very sure. "I mean, I wouldn't flat out lie if he asked me straight up, ‘did you have sex with Jaide?' but short of that, I wouldn't tell him."

  "Why not?"

  "You two aren't dating, that's the fact. What you do is your business and only your business. And I can see why you feel so bad, b
ut is telling him going to make it all better? No."

  "Don't you feel bad at all?"

  "Of course I do. Blaize is my friend and if you want to tell him, that's totally cool. Just let me know so I can be warned. I wouldn't be surprised if he started throwing punches."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah, I've gotten in fist fights with Blaize before. Don't feel bad though. If you had slept with any of the other guys, he would still come after me."

  Jaide felt confused. "I don't get it."

  "When Blaize gets pissed, hurt or frustrated enough with any of his friends to the point that he actually wants to beat them up, he always comes to me and we fight it out."

  "Why?"

  "Because he knows that his friends are his friends, and doesn’t want to ruin that. So he comes to me and tells me the story and we bruise each other up a little bit and everything is better. He picks me because I'm a jerk and he doesn't have to worry about hurting my feelings."

  "You're not a jerk," she mumbled.

  "Yes, I am."

  "No, a jerk would have woken up and bragged about getting me drunk and getting laid. You didn't."

  "Maybe I'm a jerk disguised as a good guy."

  "Or maybe you're a good guy disguised as jerk to keep anybody from getting too close." She met his eyes with a withering look that dared him to challenge her.

  He just shook his head and looked away.

  A loud knock on Jaide's window caused her to shriek and jump away from the window, landing in Leith's lap.

  "Chill Jaide, it's just a cop." He moved around her and rolled the window down. "Good morning, officer."

  The cop leaned down to look in the car, his eyes skimming over the alcohol on the floor and Jaide's half-clad body. He quickly assessed the scenario. "Everybody willing?"

  Leith nodded.

  Jaide was lost. "Willing to do what?"

  "He's asking if I raped you," Leith said bluntly.

  "What! No, no, it was ... ah ... consensual."

  "Good. Are you sober, young man?" the cop asked Leith.

  "Think so. Slept all night, as far as I can tell."

  "Can you step out of the vehicle, please?" The officer stepped back from the door to allow Leith to step out.

  Jaide made to step out also but the cop closed the door on her. "Miss, you may stay in the vehicle."

  Jaide sat back, watching as the officer pulled a breathalyzer out of his small duffel bag and had Leith blow into it. After a moment, the officer put the device back into his bag. "You're under the legal limit. My rounds will bring me back around this way in a couple hours. I want this car gone by then."

  "Yes, sir. We’ve got to get back to school."

  "Don't let the girl drive. She’s jumpy."

  Leith smiled. "Yes, sir."

  The cop got in his SUV and drove away while Leith climbed back into the car.

  "I can't believe we didn't get in trouble," Jaide said.

  Lieth just shrugged. "Cops here are lenient. People come up here to drink and stay off the main roads. It’s safer for everyone; lots of open fields, not a lot of cliffs to drive off. Besides, he's a fan of our team."

  "He is?"

  "Yeah, he's been requesting security detail on our games since I've been here, probably long before. Officer Morrison."

  "So you know him."

  "Yeah, didn't I just say that?"

  "Whatever."

  " I probably got the alcohol from the bar and then drove up here to drink it. All we probably had before we drove was that one drink."

  "Shouldn't we get going?"

  "That depends on if your plan is telling Blaize or not telling him. If you do, then we can head back now, but if not we should wait until all the guys are down at breakfast."

  "I wonder where he thinks we might be."

  Leith shrugged. "We must have told them something or our phones would be ringing off the hook. So do you want to go now or wait?"

  Jaide hesitated before making her decision. "I want to wait. But I am going to tell him, just not right away. I don't want to ruin his day."

  Leith nodded and leaned back against the door. "Okay then, we wait. We’ve got about half an hour to blow."

  Jaide nodded. She couldn't deny that he looked sexy like this. Shirtless, his jeans riding low and nipple rings reflecting the light every time he breathed. He spread his legs wide, one resting on the floor, the other sat on top of the seat, next to her.

  She turned to face him, pulling both her legs up against her chest, leaning her back against the door. "I didn't know you had piercings."

  Leith looked down and touched one, fiddling with it. "Yep, these are my only ones though. No tats either. I got them when I went with Bhrade to get the latest edition of his tattoo this summer. He dared me to and I meant to take them out but all the girls loved them, so I kept 'em."

  Jaide suddenly experienced a flashback. Jaide clutched Leith's shoulders as he moved over her. She moaned in ecstasy and dug her fingers into his skin. She leaned up and kissed one pierced nipple, playing with the little piece of metal with her tongue a little before biting down, causing him to moan loudly.

  She shook her head hard and covered her eyes, ending the memory with a groan.

  "What is it? Your headache?" Leith leaned forward, looking at her face.

  She pushed his hands away. "No, ugh, I think my memory is returning."

  Leith laughed. "Is that a bad thing? What did you remember?"

  "Nothing."

  "Fine, don't tell me."

  "Can we talk about something else? I don't want any more of my memory returning."

  "Yeah, sure." He paused a moment, and then said, "Tell me about yourself, what's your story?"

  Jaide didn't want to give her story. She never did, but with Leith? She felt almost tempted. Why was that? Why did she trust him? She didn't even fully trust Blaize yet.

  "It's cool if you don't want to," Leith said, putting an end to her thoughts.

  "No, no, it's cool. But you first."

  He nodded. "Okay, that's fair. Let's see, I was born and raised a few hours away. My parents are married but didn't marry until a few years after I was born. Nothing too special. I went to the local elementary and middle school. I get along with my parents fine. We’re just distant, I guess you could say. I'm an only child and I get whatever I want, but I just don't talk to my parents much. They’re never home on breaks, always busy. They pretty much don't care what I do as long as I get decent grades and go to college. I entered this boarding school as a freshmen and I like it here. I've played on the team since I was a freshman. What else is there?"

  "Any serious girlfriends?"

  "Nothing too serious, the longest was only a few months. Sounds like a kinda boring life, huh?"

  "It sounds nice and normal."

  "It was, very suburban. Now, your turn. If you want, that is."

  "Yes sure, umm, well you know where I live now. I grew up on the other side of town though, and Tremaine’s dad adopted me."

  "Yeah, so you've said. Where are your real parents?"

  "Both dead."

  "Oh, I'm sorry."

  Jaide shrugged. "I don't know if this seems totally heartless but it honestly doesn't bother me that they are dead. I never knew my mother. She died before I was old enough to remember."

  "How did she die?" Leith asked.

  He was prodding. Jaide didn't mind. She felt comfortable telling him. "Murder."

  "And your dad?"

  "Death penalty."

  "Oh Jesus, what did he do?"

  "Murder."

  Leith was silent for a moment. "Did your dad murder your mother?"

  Jaide nodded.

  "Wow Jaide, that's really sad."

  Jaide nodded.

  "But that's not the worst part, right? I mean, that didn't seem hard for you to tell me. There's something else." He tried to meet her eyes but she kept them down.

  "My dad wasn't suspected of murder until after I was put into the foste
r system."

  "Then there's a whole different reason you were taken away from him, isn't there?"

  She opened her mouth to explain but shut it again, hesitating.

  "Only what you feel comfortable with, Jaide.”

  She nodded. "I got taken away because my dad wasn't ... very nice." She paused for a moment. "I went to a public elementary school in the area, through 5th grade, but then my dad homeschooled me. But he didn't really homeschool me. All the materials got shipped regularly and he gave them to me, but he never actually taught me. I learned on my own. I didn't have anything else to do."

  "What about hang out with friends or go shopping?"

  "I wasn't allowed out of the house. I wasn't even really allowed out of my room."

  "What did he do while he was at work or something, lock you in?"

  "Yes."

  Leith's face faltered. "Jaide ..."

  "I'm sorry. I'm sure you don't want to hear this." She dropped her head.

  He got serious and touched her arm. "If you want to talk about it, then I want to hear it. Okay?"

  She nodded. "Yeah ... um, well, like I said, he wasn't nice but he was a respected business man - a store owner, doing well for himself. No one suspected he kept his daughter locked up at home."

  "You said he abused you," Leith said quietly.

  "I didn't say that."

  "You said he wasn't nice. I'm not dumb, Jaide. I can tell by the way you talk about him that he abused you."

  She nodded but stayed silent, wishing he would keep talking so she didn't have to.

  "Verbally or physically?"

  She pulled her knees closer to her chest. "Both."

  "There's more," he said. It was a statement, not a question.

  "It wasn't just physical abuse it was ...” she took a deep breath. "I was sexually abused, for almost four years." She kept her eyes down, awaiting his reaction. She was proud of herself. She didn't have an overwhelming urge to cry like she used to when she thought about her past.

  He still hadn't said anything and she didn't want to look up to see his expression. "It's okay if you're disgusted. I get it. I was raped by my father, and you had sex with me. You have the right to be grossed out."

  "If you weren't a girl right now, I would probably hit you."

  She looked up, confused. "What?"

  "That's the most insulting motherfucking thing I've ever heard. You were raped, so I should be disgusted to have sex with you? You had no control over it Jaide, and I'm unbelievably sorry that that happened to you, but it doesn't change anything. Sorry to break it to you, but you are still as sexy as ever." He smiled. She saw him actually smile.