by Amanda Abram
He did not look happy.
“What the heck?” I muttered as Zach pulled over to the curb.
“What's he doing here?” Zach asked.
“I have no idea, but I guess I'm about to find out.” I smiled over at him. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Any time,” he said, and then narrowed his eyes. “Would you like me come with you? He looks mad.”
“No thanks. I'll see you tomorrow.” As soon as I stepped out of the Jeep and was about to close the door, Zach spoke again.
“Oh, by the way,” he said, leaning over in my direction with a sly grin on his face. “In case you were wondering, I was the one who suggested putting your name on that list.”
I could feel myself blushing as I gave him a small smile and a wave. “Bye, Zach.”
He waved back before pulling away from the curb and driving down the rest of the street at about ten miles over the speed limit.
I was still smiling when I spun around in Jase's direction and our eyes met. I set mine into a glare as I approached him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, making sure I sounded annoyed by his presence.
“What are you doing getting rides home from Zach?” he asked, sounding equally annoyed.
“He offered and I accepted,” I replied, wanting to kick myself immediately after. I had been the one to ask questions first. I should have made him be the first to answer. “I'll ask again. What are you doing here?”
I watched as a muscle in his jaw contracted. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“I thought I'd made it pretty clear I never wanted you to talk to me again,” I said in a low voice.
“What happened with Jeffrey?” he asked, completely ignoring what I'd just said. “Why isn't he giving you rides home?”
I let out an exasperated grunt as I began walking past him up the driveway. “Seriously, Jase, I'm not in the mood for this. So if you could please leave—”
“I'm just surprised, that's all,” he continued to say. “I expected to see you two all over each other today. Instead, I see you hanging out with Zach. Do you really think it's wise hitching rides home with other guys so soon after getting back together with Jeffrey?”
I stopped. Just ignore him, I urged myself. Just keep walking. Go inside the house, shut the door and just forget about him.
But there was no way I could do any of that.
“For your information,” I said, turning around and walking back toward him, “I'm not back together with Jeffrey. See, soon after that kiss you witnessed on Saturday, I realized I was completely over him. And when he told me he wanted to get back together, I rejected him. If you had just come to me and asked me about it, instead of arriving to your own conclusions about it, then you would have found that out sooner. But then you wouldn't have had a valid reason to go cheat on me with Kylie, so I guess it's just as well you hadn't.”
Jase looked surprised, to say the least. With eyebrows raised, he said, “You're over him?”
I nodded. “Yes. And I've been over him for quite some time now.” Because of you, I added silently.
I couldn't figure out what was going on inside his head at the moment. His expression was blank, so either he had no feelings on the subject, or he was doing a great job of pretending that he didn't.
“So what's up with you and Zach?” he asked, his voice strained.
I shrugged and glanced down at the ground. “Not much. He just asked me out for Friday and I accepted.”
He looked shocked at that. “You're dating him?”
“We're going out on a date. If that qualifies as dating, then I guess, yeah, I'm dating him.”
A look of disbelief washed over his face. “You've got to be kidding me,” he muttered. He raked a hand through his hair and pushed himself off the side of his car, taking a step closer to me.
I blinked up at him as he towered over me. I hadn't really noticed our height difference before. I felt so small compared to him, it was intimidating.
“You can't date Zach,” he said slowly, pointedly.
“Actually,” I said, folding my arms tightly over my chest, “I can date him, and I will date him if I so choose. He seems like a pretty decent guy. And I happen to know for a fact, from having you drag me to his party under false pretenses, that he's a damn good kisser.”
I think I surprised both of us with that.
Inhaling sharply, Jase took a step back. “You have no idea what you're getting yourself into with him. Zach doesn't date girls, he sleeps with them. And then after he sleeps with one, he moves right on to the next.”
I didn't doubt that at all. “I'm a big girl, Jase. I can take care of myself, thanks.” I gave him an insincere smile. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going inside my house now. You know your way out of the driveway.”
I turned to go, but I made it no more than two steps before I felt a strong hand clamp down on my arm, turning me back around, preventing me from moving forward. I frowned as I glanced up at Jase, who was staring down at me with a hardened expression, his eyes burning into mine. He took a step forward, closer to me, so that we were only a couple inches apart.
His sudden proximity made me dizzy.
I waited for him to speak, but he said nothing. He wanted to, I could tell, but he didn't.
I hated myself right then because looking up at him, looking into his eyes, I wanted so bad for him to kiss me. I wanted him to forbid me from seeing Zach. I wanted him to apologize for what happened with Kylie. I wanted him to tell me I was the one he wanted, not her.
But you can't always get what you want. Glancing down at his hand on my arm, he instantly released his grip on me and stepped back. I tried desperately to read the expression on his face, because there was actually an expression there, but it was useless. He was unreadable.
“Just be careful with him,” he said finally, although it came out more like a mumble. And then he turned, opened the door to his car and got in. He slammed the door shut, started the engine and turned up his radio full blast.
I took a step back and watched him pull out of the driveway, noticing that he never once glanced back at me. When he was gone, I sighed and closed my eyes.
And then, slowly, I began to smile as my eyes reopened.
So Jase didn't like the idea of me dating Zach. He'd just made that pretty clear.
Suddenly, I couldn't wait until Friday.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Should I wear this, or this?”
Trish glanced up at me from her place on my bed. “Are you kidding me? You would never be caught dead in either one.”
That was true, to an extent. On the hanger in my left hand was a short red cocktail-style dress I'd picked up at the mall after school the day before. It was somewhat modest, even though the length would not have passed school guidelines, as it didn't go much past my fingertips when I held my arms down at my sides. The straps were wide at the shoulders, and the neckline wasn't even all that plunging, just low enough to show the slightest bit of cleavage. I found out I actually had some, after purchasing a push-up bra the day before as well. I had to admit the dress looked pretty decent on me. It would have looked perfect on Kylie, but it looked okay on me, and that was all I could really ask for.
On the hanger in my right hand was an ensemble I'd put together from the clothes I'd purchased during my post-breakup-with-Jeffrey phase. It was a simple but cute outfit consisting of a mini jean skirt and a black halter top that required no cleavage at all, due to its higher neckline. Along with the red dress and push-up bra, I'd also purchased a pair of black knee-high boots that looked like they were made for the outfit. It was pretty much the perfect, typical high school party ensemble and was most likely the one I was going to go with. Still, the red cocktail dress was bordering on sexy, so it was fun to entertain the idea of wearing it anyway.
“Regardless,” I said, holding them both out closer to her, “which one would you choose?”
Trish sighed and put down the magazine s
he'd been reading. Crawling to the end of my bed, she raised herself up onto her knees and placed her hands at her hips while she studied each outfit. After about a minute, she pointed to my right hand.
“The red dress is hot,” she said finally, “but you're not going to a post-Oscar Awards Vanity Fair party, you're going to a sleazy high school party with a guy who likes to get drunk and who has about a ninety percent chance of vomiting on you before the night's through. It would be a shame to waste the dress on that.” She paused for a moment before adding, “Besides, the other outfit is much more you.”
I grinned. I knew which one Trish was going to pick for me. If she had been going to the party too, she probably would have chosen the red dress for herself to wear, because it practically screamed her name and because it would have looked nothing short of amazing on her. And I would have let her wear it, too.
“Are you sure you don't want to go?” I asked her as I turned to place the red dress back in my closet. “It might be fun.”
“Uh, no way in hell. And I really wish you'd change your mind about going. I mean, you're going with Zach. I'm sorry to say, but you must have some sort of chemical imbalance in your brain if you actually think that's anywhere close to being a good idea.”
Rolling my eyes at her, I took the halter top off the hanger. “Believe it or not, Trish, Zach is actually an okay guy. And if you were really that concerned about me going with him, then you would be tagging along tonight.”
“Whatever,” she mumbled. She retrieved her magazine and once again began flipping through it. “So he's been nice to you all week. He's just trying to fool you into believing he's a good guy so it won't be as hard to get into your pants when the time is right.”
“Again, if you really believed that, you'd be going with me.”
“You're a big girl, and I know you are more than capable of handling yourself. I'm not worried about you going to this party. Not because I don't care about what happens to you, but because I think Zach knows that if he does anything to hurt you, he'll be dead before he can finish off his first can of beer.”
I had no doubt in my mind that Trish had spoken that exact same threat to Zach within the last couple of days. However there was also no doubt in my mind that he would have viewed it as an empty threat, coming from her. If it had come from Jase, though...
But it hadn't, because Jase probably wouldn't care what happened between me and Zach at that party.
Pushing that thought out of my head, I proceeded to quickly throw on the outfit, complete with the boots. When I was done, I spun around to face Trish. “What do you think?”
She glanced up at me and the corners of her mouth turned upward just slightly. “I think you look hot.” She jumped off the bed, came over to me and pinched my cheeks. “This is your first high school party without me. My little girl is all grown up.”
I slapped her hands away from my face. “You should try growing up yourself sometime.”
She stuck out her tongue at me and then bounced up and down. “Okay, time for hair and makeup!”
I groaned. “What's wrong with no makeup and the way my hair is already?”
“Sweetie, this outfit demands makeup and styled hair. Otherwise, you might as well be wearing what you normally wear.”
“What's wrong with what I normally wear?”
“Nothing.” She gathered up a brush and eyeliner. “You look cute in whatever you wear, and straight, flat hair and no makeup is perfect for that. But this outfit is more sexy than cute, therefore you need sexy hair and sexy makeup. End of discussion.”
“But—” I began to say as she dragged me over to my computer chair and forced me to sit.
“What part of 'end of discussion' did you not understand?”
I sighed and decided not to fight back. I just let Trish do her thing, and luckily it took less than ten minutes.
“Okay,” she said finally. “I'm done.” She held up a hand mirror in front of me to show me her work.
I had to hand it to her, she knew what she was doing. I was totally expecting to look trampy, but I didn't. Instead, the smoky eyes and the slightly tousled hair made me look older. If I hadn't known I was seventeen, I would have guessed my age as being closer to twenty.
“Wow, Trish, you've done good.”
She gave a nonchalant shrug. “Yeah, I know.”
I shook my head at her lack of modesty, just as the doorbell rang.
“That's probably him.” I glanced over at the clock and was instantly impressed. If that was, indeed, Zach ringing the doorbell, that would mean he was five minutes early, which in my book was the perfect time for a guy to arrive for a date. Not late, but not too early, either.
“I'll get it!” I yelled. My parents weren't home, but Aaron was. And there was no way in hell I wanted him answering the door.
I heard a faint, “Whatever,” coming from his bedroom, so I figured I was safe.
Turning to Trish, I asked, “How do I look? Do I look okay?”
“You look good. Too good, probably.”
I beamed at her. That was exactly what I wanted to hear. “Okay. I should go get the door, right? Or should I make him wait a few seconds longer?”
Trish gave me a shrug. “Just go,” she said, giving me a push.
Normally, I would have run down the stairs, two steps at a time, but the heels on my boots were preventing me from doing anything but gingerly taking each step, for fear I might trip over myself and break my neck.
The doorbell rang again, just before I opened the door. Zach was standing on the other side, wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a white button down shirt, open over a black T-shirt with some sort of strange design on it. It was not a spectacular outfit in the least, but I hated to admit he wore it quite well.
“Hey,” I greeted him.
“Hey,” he said back, glancing down at me. I think it took a second for his eyes to fully focus on me, and when they did, they slowly traveled up and down, looking me over twice before saying, “Wow, you look hot.”
I felt myself blush at his compliment. “Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself.”
“Thank you.” He flashed me a fabulous grin. He glanced over my shoulder. “Hey, Trish. Are you coming with us?”
“Not even if my life depended on it,” she replied.
Zach smirked and gave her a nod. “Okay, then. Lexi, are you ready?”
“I just need to grab my jacket,” I said, heading for the coat closet.
Trish followed me. “Okay, you've got your phone on you, right?”
“Yes, Trish,” I said, suddenly feeling like I was talking to my mother.
“I'll be home tonight,” she continued. “You can call me at any time, for any reason. If you want to leave the party early and there's nobody sober to drive you home, I will be there in a heartbeat to pick you up. Okay?”
“Okay, Mom.”
“I'm serious.”
“I know you are,” I said as I grabbed my jacket.
Zach looked amused by our exchange. “I see the role of Mrs. Turner is being played tonight by Trish Holloway.”
Trish glared at him. “Remember what I said to you earlier, O'Connor.”
“Yeah, yeah. I will be on my best behavior. I will be a perfect gentleman.”
Trish snorted and looked at me. “If that actually ends up happening, take a picture with your phone. Otherwise, I won't believe it.”
“I will do that,” I said with a grin, then yelled up the stairs, “I'm leaving now, Aaron!”
“Uh-huh,” he responded with a lack of enthusiasm.
“Don't burn the house down!” I added for good measure, just in case he did. That way I could tell my parents I told him not to.
“Will you just leave already?” was his annoyed response.
Trish snorted. “Have fun. But be careful. And don't do anything I wouldn't do. Oh, and—”
“Bye, Trish.” I gave her a wave and then followed Zach outside.
“Wow,” Zach s
aid as we headed for his car. “Over-protectiveness must run in the Holloway family.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Trish has threatened to castrate me if I don't return you from this party in the same condition you were in when you left for it. And just this afternoon, Jase informed me that I wouldn't have to worry about the castration if I did anything to hurt you at this party, because there would be no reason to castrate a dead guy.”
“Jase threatened you?” That was definitely a plot twist.
He nodded as he opened up the passenger door for me. “He did. Don't look so surprised. He may be your ex-boyfriend, but that doesn't mean he's stopped caring about you.”
But he never cared about me, because he was never my boyfriend. Quickly pushing that thought away, I shrugged. “Whatever. He had no right to threaten you.”
“What about Trish?”
“Trish is my best friend, she's entitled to threaten any guy that looks at me funny. Jase, on the other hand, has been indefinitely banished from my life, so he needs to just stay out of my business.”
“Whoa. And here I was, thinking it was sweet that he was so worried about you.”
“There's nothing sweet about it, just obnoxious.” I climbed into the car carefully, which was kind of hard for me, since I wasn't used to maneuvering around in short skirts.
“If you say so.” He proceeded to shut the door for me and five seconds later, he was joining me inside the car. Glancing over, he studied me for a moment. “You know, if you'd feel more comfortable if Trish came with us, I can think of a few ways to talk her into it.”
His remark made me wonder if I looked nervous or something. I certainly felt nervous. I was such a wuss. I was going to a high school party with a high school boy. There were going to be tons of other kids there. Granted, they would be kids I'd never spoken to before, but still. There was nothing to be worried about, especially since Zach actually seemed like a halfway decent guy.
“No, I'm fine without her.”