Persuade

by Wendi Wilson

  “What’s your name again?” Jett asked. I shoved a bite of spaghetti into my mouth to keep from laughing.

  “Fiona Butler,” she said, her voice tight.

  “Ah, yes. Fiona. And you?”

  “This is Lizzie,” Fiona answered, her annoyance making the pitch of her voice rise. “We told you our names five minutes ago.”

  “I guess that tells you how much of an impression you’ve made,” Jett says.

  I sucked a noodle down the wrong pipe with that gem of a statement. I attempted to hack it back up as Wyatt patted me firmly on the back. I grabbed my chocolate milk and chugged it down. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I took a deep breath.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  I looked up at Fiona. She was shooting daggers at me from her eyes, like it was somehow my fault the Alts were not falling for her charms. The fact that they didn’t fall at her feet made me smile. The fact that it was Fiona, and she started this conversation by trying to humiliate me, made me put a little extra sass into that smile. I even snuggled into Wyatt’s side a little for good measure. He played along, tightening his grip on me and I wasn’t sure, but I think he may have brushed his lips against my hair. If he did, that was a nice touch.

  “There’s no need to be rude,” Fiona said in response to Jett’s comment.

  “Actually, I think there is, Fiona.” He said her name like it was something dirty. “You see, Savanna is our friend. If you mess with our friend, you mess with us. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “Are you threatening me?” she asked, standing and yanking Lizzie up by the arm.

  “Jett,” Beckett warned, speaking for the first time.

  Jett waved his warning off. “Of course, it wasn’t a threat,” he said, smiling big enough to show off his pearly whites. “However, you know what we are,” he pointed at his bothers, then himself, “and you know what we are capable of. What we can do.”

  His voiced dropped an octave on last bit and it sounded downright ominous. Fiona slapped a palm against her chest dramatically and took a step back. Jett’s smile didn’t falter as a myriad of emotions played across her face.

  “If you try anything, I’ll tell.”

  “Really? You think I can’t persuade you to keep your trap shut?”

  “I’m gonna tell Mrs.—”

  “Stop.”

  “Jett,” Beckett repeated when Fiona seemed to freeze in her tracks.

  “Sorry, Beck, but this needs to be done,” Jett said before turning his attention back to the girls. “Come closer.”

  Fiona moved forward, pulling Lizzie with her, their faces showing twin looks of confusion. It was like she couldn’t understand why her body was moving. I looked from them to Wyatt, who was smiling, of course. I leaned forward to look at Beckett. He was shaking his head with a frown.

  “From now on,” Jett said in a voice quiet enough that only the five of us could hear it, “you will leave Savanna alone. You will not insult or annoy her in any way.” He paused for a moment before leaning in closer. “Also, if you hear or see any of your friends mistreating her, you will tell them to stop. You will tell no one about this persuasion. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Fiona nodded and Lizzie followed suit. Jett waved them off. Whatever spell he’d woven with his voice was broken with the movement. The girls turned and hurried away. Tension drained from Wyatt’s body as he let his arm drop from my shoulders. I missed its warmth immediately. Jett swung around to face us across the table and Beckett stood and walked around to join him on that side.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” I said. “I can handle her on my own.”

  “Oh, I know you can,” Jett said, his words ringing true. “I just couldn’t resist having a little fun.”

  “You’re going to get us expelled, again,” Beckett murmured.

  “Again?” I asked, but Jett waved it off.

  “No, I’m not. They won’t be able to tell anyone. I made sure of that. I just hate prissy girls like that who think they’re better than everyone else.”

  “Well, thanks, I guess,” I said.

  “You’re welcome,” he replied. “No one should make fun of another person for a disability.”

  “Disability?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “Your speech impediment.”

  “I do not have a speech impediment,” I said, sounding huffy even to my own ears.

  “Okay. Your stutter, then.”

  “I haven’t stuttered since the first grade,” I said. “Well, at least, I hadn’t until yesterday.”

  “Are you saying we make you nervous?” Jett challenged.

  My first instinct was to deny, deny, deny. After a moment’s thought, though, I decided to be honest.

  “Maybe. At first.” I paused to look at each of them in turn. “But I don’t think I’ll have a problem with it from now on.”

  Three identical smiles flashed at my words. I had no clue what I was getting myself into, but I had a strange feeling that whatever it was, it was going to be worth it.

  Chapter Six

  Gym class. My final class of the day and the bane of my existence. You’d think that being five-foot-ten would give me an advantage in the volleyball games we were forced to play every day, but no. I would have to have had at least one athletic bone in my body for that to be the case. I was terrible.

  Every day during what our gym teacher called a “schoolyard pick,” I was, of course, picked last. My status as the school pariah would have guaranteed that even if I was good at the game. Which I wasn’t. The worst part was hearing the groans of frustration from the students who had the misfortune of being stuck with me on their team. They didn’t try to hide their disappointment.

  Every time I missed the ball or, when I occasionally managed to make contact and hit it out of bounds, my teammates would throw their hands in the air, sigh, growl, or use some other form of body language to express their disgust. Some of them would yell at me, adding to my embarrassment. Volleyball sucked.

  After changing into my gym clothes, I shuffled out onto the indoor basketball court. Two volleyball nets had been set up on the floor. One for the girls and one for the boys. At least, that’s how it was usually done. I walked over to the center of the floor, where the rest of the class was crowded around Coach Bellamy, our gym teacher.

  “…Jett, Wyatt and Beckett Patton.”

  I caught the tail end of his statement as I joined the group. I could see the brothers, front and center. With their height and my own, I would have been able to make eye contact with each of them. They weren’t looking at me, though. I took a moment to study them while I had the chance.

  Jett was smirking, looking arrogant as ever and happy to be the center of attention. Wyatt was grinning, of course, and Beckett just looked downright uncomfortable. Coach Bellamy’s voice snapped my attention back to him.

  “We’re playing co-ed today. Jett and Fiona are our captains on court one. Jonas and Amelia for court two.”

  Co-ed? I thought. Great. Now the Alts will have a front row seat for my humiliation. Maybe I won’t get picked to play on their court.

  “Lizzie,” Fiona said, making her first pick. I rolled my eyes. Of course.

  “Savanna.”

  Several gasps echoed through the gym, including my own. I couldn’t believe I’d been picked first. Technically, I was second, but I was first on Jett’s team. He chose me above his brothers. I walked to the front with wide eyes and stood behind Jett.

  Girls were whispering, snickering and pointing. I heard snippets of what they were saying. How stupid Jett was for picking me. How they’d be happy to show the new guys what a real player looked like. How it sucked to be me. My face heated, making my temper rise. I hated blushing and doing it in front of the entire class pissed me off.

  Somehow, Wyatt and Beckett ended up on our team, as well as two of the other athletically-impaired girls in the class, Holly Robinson and Jamie Gibbs. I shook my head at Jett. Either h
e sucked at picking players or he had a lot of confidence in his ability and that of his brothers. I hoped they were good.

  We took the floor and I got positioned in the front row between Jett and Beckett. Wyatt was in the back, sandwiched between the two girls. Fiona won the coin toss, so they served first. Lizzie took the ball to the back corner, threw it into the air and punched it with her fist. The ball shot through the air…right at my face.

  Time stalled and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I threw my hands up, a defensive maneuver to protect my face. Beckett wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me toward him as Jett leapt into my spot. He jumped into the air and slapped the ball with his palm. It flew back over the net and bounced off the floor, right in front of Fiona. She squealed and jumped back, losing her footing and falling right on her butt.

  I laughed. The sound startled me, flowing from my mouth unbidden. Fiona glared at me as Lizzie helped her from the floor, and I quickly wiped the smile from my face. Fiona’s revenge tactics were legendary, and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. Crap.

  But then, something changed. Her narrowed eyes widened, then shot around the room, landing everywhere but on me. She shouted something about getting on with the game. I stared at her, waiting for her signature “you’ll pay for that” glare, but it never came. She looked downright nervous.

  Then I remembered. Jett’s persuasion at lunch pretty much guaranteed me immunity from Fiona’s machinations. As I rotated to the right, I kept my eyes on her. She didn’t look at me, not even once. I couldn’t help but smile. Maybe having these Alts as friends wouldn’t be so bad.

  We ended up winning the game, thanks to the Patton brothers. They dominated every play, but still kept us girls involved by gently passing the ball in our direction whenever they had the chance. I hit it out of bounds four times, but the fifth time, it went over the net. No one on the other team expected it to stay in bounds, so they weren’t ready. I scored the winning point.

  The boys cheered and I was picked up from behind and swung around in a circle. When my feet hit the floor, I turned and slapped Wyatt on the shoulder as I caught my breath. He grinned, unrepentant.

  “Don’t do that,” I said, breathing hard.

  “Why not?” he asked, his face a picture of innocence.

  “Because… you’ll hurt your back.”

  That gem was the best I could come up with on the spot. The truth was, I wasn’t used to physical contact and, obviously, Wyatt was a touchy-feely kind of guy. First his arm around me at lunch, then swinging me around like a rag doll… it was sensory overload.

  “Seriously?” he said, one eyebrow arched.

  “Yes, seriously,” I said. “I’m heavy.”

  I wasn’t what you would consider overweight, but I wasn’t some little waif like Fiona, either. I was tall, and tall girls weighed more. That’s just the way it was.

  As I rationalized my irrational statement, Wyatt did something I will never, in my entire life, forget. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head, dropping it to the floor. His tan chest glistened with sweat that sparkled in the overhead fluorescents as his muscles twitched. My eyes, totally uncontrolled by my brain, travelled down the length of exposed skin, following rippled muscles to the V that ended somewhere below his waistband.

  He was extraordinary.

  “Ahem.”

  My eyes shot back up to his as he cleared his throat. His signature smile was back, this time laced with satisfaction. I liked what I saw and he knew it.

  “Do I look like someone who’d hurt his back picking up a girl?”

  “Hit the showers!” Mr. Bellamy called out.

  His command saved me from having to answer, thank God. I couldn’t have formed a coherent sentence if I tried. With one last smirk, Wyatt bent over to retrieve his shirt before straightening. Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he used the wadded-up material to wipe the sweat from his chest.

  I tried with everything I had in me to keep my eyes on his, but, once again acting independently of my brain, they dropped to follow the slow movements of that shirt. I knew, somewhere in the still-functioning part of my mind, that he was teasing me and I was wholeheartedly taking the bait. At that moment, though, I didn’t care. My tongue, also going rogue, darted out to wet my lips before I sucked the bottom one into my mouth.

  “Wyatt, knock it off.”

  Beckett’s voice pulled me out of la-la land and back into the real world. My face caught fire and I turned without another word and ran.

  Literally.

  I ran straight for the locker room. Slamming through the door, I silently berated myself for being such a coward. I headed for my locker and grabbed my street clothes, then sat on a bench to wait for the other girls to clear out of the showers.

  I didn’t know how I was going to face the boys after my blatant appreciation of Wyatt’s assets. I could feel my face burning, just thinking about seeing their faces again. I decided to take my time in the shower, hoping they would give up and leave when I didn’t come out of the locker room in a timely manner.

  I washed my hair twice, conditioned it and shaved my legs. By the time I turned off the water, the locker room was empty. I took my time drying my skin and rubbing citrusy smelling lotion over every inch of my body. I dressed and packed my dirty gym clothes in my backpack. It was Friday and I needed to wash them over the weekend.

  I pushed the door open with my shoulder and grabbed my wet hair, twisting its blond lengths into a bun and securing it with a hair tie. Looking up, I froze. Sitting on the bottom row of the bleachers, obviously waiting for me, were the Alts.

  “Finally,” Jett said, standing. “We’ve been waiting forever.”

  The other two brothers stood as I approached, but I kept my focus on Jett. Lashing out at him for his attitude gave me a great excuse not to look at Wyatt or think about his amazing abs. I narrowed my eyes and, stopping in front of Jett, planted my fists on my hips.

  “Nobody asked you to wait,” I snapped. “I don’t know why you did when you obviously have better things to do.” I waved a hand in a shooing motion. “So, go.”

  He didn’t move or speak. His eyes were wide, like he couldn’t believe I’d just dismissed him. Wyatt coughed, but the sound was forced like he was trying to cover a laugh. I didn’t look to see if he was smiling. If I had to bet, though, I’d say he was. Beckett remained as quiet as ever.

  “Well?” I asked, my voice laced with impatience. “Why are you still here?”

  The lights in the gym went out, casting us in shadow. They must have been set on a timer to go off after everyone left. I jumped as someone grabbed my elbow and, on pure instinct, swung around and clipped the offender on the side of the head.

  “Ow,” a male voice said. “That hurt.”

  Wyatt laughed and Jett was still in front of me, which means I smacked Beckett, the nicest one of the three. To reinforce his kindness, he said, “Sorry, Savanna. I just wanted to help you to the door. We can see better in the dark.”

  His words were meant to be reassuring, but they had the opposite effect. They brought home the fact that I was standing, alone, in a dark gym with three boys. And not regular boys, who could be dangerous in their own right. Three Alts, who could hold me down and drain me dry in minutes. Not that I really thought they would, but the fact that they could set my nerves on edge.

  I turned and headed toward the gym doors. It was dark, but not so dark I couldn’t see where I was going. The sound of sneakers squeaking against wood sounded behind me. I forced myself to keep an even pace. The last thing I wanted was for them to think I was running scared.

  I breezed through the doors, out into the bright afternoon sunshine. I stopped and dug my sunglasses from my bag, slipping them onto my face. Turning, I let my eyes travel over the three boys. I took comfort in the fact that they couldn’t really tell who I was looking at. In the bright light of day, I felt more comfortable talking to them.

  “I’m
sorry I hit you,” I said, nodding at Beckett. “You just startled me, is all.”

  “It’s okay. It was my fault.”

  I took a deep breath and released it on a sigh. “Why were you guys waiting for me?” I asked again, determined to get an answer.

  “We just wanted to hang out,” Wyatt said.

  “To get to know you better,” Beckett added.

  I looked at Jett, waiting for whatever smart-assed comment he was going to make. He didn’t say a word. He simply nodded and lifted his arm to indicate I should precede him toward the parking lot. I started walking and Jett fell into step beside me. Wyatt and Beckett brought up the rear.

  When we reached the student lot, it was deserted save for an oversized black pickup truck with dark tinted windows. Jett headed straight for it, pulling a key fob from his pocket and pressing a button. The lights flashed as I heard the click of the doors unlocking. I stopped walking and Jett turned back to stare at me with one eyebrow raised.

  “Is there a problem?” he asked.

  I didn’t know what he expected. That I would just go along with them, no questions asked? I would never get in the car with a strange boy, much less three. Much less three Alts whom I just met the day before. Did they think I was stupid? Or just plain crazy?

  “Um, yeah,” I said. “My parents always told me not to talk to strangers and to never, ever, get into a car with one.”

  Wyatt laughed, of course, and even Beckett grinned. Jett stared at me, his face thoughtful. He pressed the button on his key fob again, causing the lights to flash and the doors to lock. Putting it back into his pocket, he rocked back on his heels.

  “Okay, Miss Safety-First, can we at least walk you somewhere?”

  I wasn’t sure I wanted them to know where I lived, so I wracked my brain for a public place within walking distance where we could talk. In our small town, pretty much everything was within walking distance. I decided against the public library. Too quiet. There was a playground a few blocks away, but it was pretty secluded. I needed something more public.