When she gets in my car, she slams the door shut and turns her back to me.
This is going to be a very long car ride.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I take off, out the gate and onto the road. I drive for 15 minutes, not saying a word. Jade remains with her back to me, her arms crossed over her chest. I know she doesn’t want to talk to me but she at least needs to listen to my apology.
I pull over at one of those scenic overlook spots and turn the car off.
“Jade, I’m sorry about what just happened back there. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. And I’m sorry that—”
“Take me home, Garret. I’m doing all I can not to explode right now and I would really like it if you just took me home.”
“Let me explain.”
“I don’t want to hear whatever excuses you’re going to tell me. You lied to me. And don’t say that not telling me technically wasn’t lying. Because it IS lying. It’s lying by omission and it counts as lying.” She finally faces me. “I don’t understand. Were you spying on me for them? Did they tell you to do that or did you just do it on your own?”
“I wasn’t spying on you. I just wanted to get to know you.”
“Why? So you could sleep with me? Did you think I’d be easy because I’m an orphan from a crappy home? Jasmine was right. You are an ass. I’ll just walk the rest of the way.”
She gets out of the car and starts walking along the road, which has no shoulder and is pitch-black.
“Jade, get back here.” I catch up to her. I left my headlights on so she’d at least have a little light. “You can’t walk on the road. It’s dangerous.”
“My safety is not your concern. Now get the hell away from me.”
In the few days I’ve known her, I’ve figured out Jade’s extremely stubborn. If she says she’s going to walk back, she’ll do it. But I can’t let her. It’s way too dangerous and we’re still 15 miles from campus.
I watch as she continues down the dark road. I’m so annoyed with her stubbornness I just want to pick her up, throw her over my shoulder, and carry her back to the car. But that wouldn’t go over well. I need to find some other way to get her to stop.
“There are all kinds of wild animals out here,” I tell her. “Coyotes, raccoons, fox. They all come out at night.”
She keeps walking but I see her jump a little and check the area by her feet. She must’ve heard a sound in the woods because she jumps again and her body shudders.
I go back and get in the car and wait. She’ll turn around. Her fear of wild animals will win out to her stubbornness.
About a minute later, she’s back in the car.
“Let’s go,” she says, slamming the door.
She doesn’t have her seat belt on so I reach over and pull it across her. “I swear to you, Jade. I wasn’t trying to spy on you or sleep with you or whatever other evil plots you’ve conjured up in your head. I just wanted to get to know you. That’s it.”
She glares at me. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She grabs the seat belt from me and clicks it in place.
How do I explain this to her? I can’t tell her the truth about my dad and what he’s involved in. I don’t even know what he’s involved in. Well, I kind of do based on what I’ve seen, but I don’t know for sure. And I’m not allowed to ask.
I lean back in my seat. “I’m embarrassed by my family, okay?”
It’s the only thing I can come up with to say. And truthfully, I am embarrassed by them. I’m embarrassed by what they do and how they act and how they treat people.
“You’re embarrassed to be part of one of the richest families in America? Yeah, I’m sure it’s a real hardship for you.”
I don’t like her tone. I don’t like her assuming she knows what my life is like. She has no idea what’s it like, just like I have no idea what it’s like to be poor. But at least I don’t assume to know. I don’t make judgments about people based on their income. Not all poor people are the same and not all rich people are either.
“Just because people have money doesn’t mean they have happiness or that they get along. My dad and I barely speak to each other. And when we do, we fight. And I hate my stepmom. She feels the same way about me.”
“Great. So you don’t get along with your family. I don’t know what that has to do with me.”
I wish I could explain this better but I can’t. It’s a secret. My whole life is a secret.
“It’s complicated. Being part of the Kensington family comes with responsibilities. And consequences.” I sigh. “And rules. Lots of rules. Rules that don’t even make sense.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about and I really don’t care. Can we go now?”
“No, because I’m trying to explain and you’re not listening.”
“What are you talking about? You haven’t explained anything! Why did you lie to me about who you really are? Why did you act like you didn’t know me at dinner? You haven’t explained any of that, Garret!”
“I told you. My family is messed up. I didn’t want you involved with them.”
It’s true. I don’t want them anywhere near Jade. She’s not one of us, and my family doesn’t accept people like her. Poor people. People without status. Without power. Without the right last name. And then there’s the fact that my dad’s part of some secret group that makes him do bad shit and cover it up. That alone is reason enough to keep Jade away from my family and that house. If she ever saw or heard something she shouldn’t have, she’d be in danger. Serious danger. The kind that could end up getting her hurt, maybe even killed.
“I’m already involved with them,” Jade says, and my mind returns to the conversation we were having. “They’re paying for my school. Why are you so freaked out about me knowing your family?”
I can’t explain it to her, but I can at least hint at what goes on with my family and maybe she’ll understand.
“How do you think people like my dad and stepmom get the kind of money to afford that house? And all the other houses they own? We have six houses, Jade. We also have a private plane. And a yacht. And at least 10 very expensive cars. Maybe more. I’ve lost count.”
“I don’t know. Your dad owns a big chemical company. The company makes a lot of money.”
“It’s more than that. You don’t get that rich from a single company. At least not from ours.” I clench the steering wheel, staring out the front window, feeling anxious because I shouldn’t be telling her any of this. “They do things besides run the company. And those things result in secrets that have to be kept and then they have to protect those secrets. It’s messed up. And sometimes it’s dangerous. That’s why I wanted to keep you away from all that. As far away as possible. That’s why I acted like we didn’t know each other tonight.”
“You’re making no sense. Your parents just told you to get to know me. And as for your true identity, it was just a matter of time before I knew your last name.”
“Yes, but I wanted you to get to know me before that happened. I knew you’d think differently of me when you found out I was a Kensington. And I was right. Look how you’re acting.”
“Don’t put this back on me! I’m only acting this way because you lied! If you would’ve been honest with me I wouldn’t have cared about your last name.”
Does she really think I’m that stupid? Everyone knows how this works. The rich look down on the poor and the poor despise the rich. It’s been that way forever. But it’s wrong. You can’t judge people by their bank accounts, which is why I don’t do it. But I know Jade does. When I first met her, I told her my family had money and she accused me of trying to buy her friendship before she knew anything else about me.
“Yeah, right. You would’ve said a quick hello and then kept your distance.”
“Well, I guess we’ll never know because you never gave me the chance. You just assumed what would happen and took it upon yourself to lie to somehow protect me from your scary rich parents. Ooh, I’m so scared of th
em. Their money might come and attack me in the night. Is that the best excuse you can come up with, Garret? You’re just like every other spoiled rich kid. You get caught in your lies and then expect everyone to forgive you. But daddy can’t buy your way out of this one.”
So that’s what she thinks of me? That I’m just another spoiled rich kid?
That’s one of the worst things she could say to me. I may have money, but that doesn’t mean I’m like every other rich person. I’m not some stereotype from a movie. And Jade should know that by now. I’ve done everything I can to make her feel welcome here. To try to be her friend. To protect her from people like Ava and Sierra and Blake. I guarantee the spoiled rich kids she’s talking about would never do those things. I’m different. I’m not like them. But I guess she just refuses to see that.
I give up trying to convince her. I start the car and remain quiet as I drive back to campus. When we get there, we go in the dorm and she heads to her room and I go up to the second floor.
There’s no goodbye. No plan to see each other again.
I’m not sure where we go from here.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Classes start today and my first class isn’t until 10 so I sleep in, then go out for breakfast. The dining hall is open but I didn’t feel like eating there. Cafeteria food is bad enough, but breakfast is usually the worst. The eggs are always rubbery and the pancakes are always dense and tough. I also avoided the cafeteria because I knew Jade would be there and I’m not ready to see her yet. I don’t know what to say to her.
I was up most of the night thinking about her. Thinking about whether I should still try to be her friend or just leave her alone. She’s obviously made up her mind about who I am and what I’m like and she doesn’t seem open to letting me prove that she’s wrong. Not that I’d have the opportunity to do so. She’s so pissed at me for lying that she probably won’t even talk to me anymore.
With Jade consuming my thoughts all night, I only got a few hours sleep and now I’m really tired. I make my way to microeconomics, my first class. Decker’s also in this class. He’s a journalism major but he’s required to take one econ class, so he decided to take this one because I’m in it.
Decker sucks at anything that involves math, and since econ involves math, he’s thinking he can copy off me and pass the class. I might let him copy some of my assignments, but he’s not copying off my tests. I’m not getting kicked out of school because he’s too lazy to study.
“Hey. Long night?” Decker asks as I take the desk next to his.
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” I drop my backpack on the floor and pull out my laptop.
“It means you look like shit.” He has an egg sandwich on his desk. It’s one of those English muffin sandwiches fast food places sell. Guess he’s avoiding the dining hall, too.
“Thanks. You look like shit, too.” I point at his sandwich. “Can you hurry up and eat that? The egg smell’s making me sick.”
“Why are you in such a bad mood?”
“I’m not. Sorry. I was at my house last night and things didn’t go so well.”
“Why? What happened?”
“We had the scholarship winner over for dinner.”
“You mean Jade? The girl I met at the party?”
“Yeah.”
He thinks for a moment, then puts it together. “You never told her who you are. And she found out at your house.”
I turn my laptop on. “Yeah. Something like that.”
“So she was pissed.”
I don’t answer because I don’t want to talk about it.
“What did she say when she found out?”
He’s going to force me to talk about it. That’s Decker. He likes to talk about shit and he doesn’t shut up until you answer him.
“She said I’m just like every other spoiled rich kid. That I lie to get what I want.”
“That’s not you at all.”
“Well, she disagrees.” I check my emails, scanning but not really reading them.
“You really like this girl, don’t you?”
I shrug. “Doesn’t matter. She won’t even talk to me now.”
He takes a bite of his sandwich. “Why are you giving up so easily?”
I keep my eyes on my laptop. “I’m not giving up. I’m being realistic. She’s made her mind up about me. She has this idea in her head of who I am and she refuses to think any differently. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
“What the hell?” He sets his sandwich down and shifts in his seat to face me. “You’re Garret Kensington. You go after what you want and you don’t stop until you get it. I know you want this girl, so why aren’t you trying to get her?”
“I told you. It’s over. She doesn’t even want to be friends with me.”
“So you didn’t tell her who you are. Big deal. Just explain why you did it. She doesn’t know our world, Garret. Just tell her how it is. Tell her how people judge you for being a Kensington. How they judge all of us with rich, famous parents.”
Decker’s father is one of the most well-known, successful lawyers on the East Coast. He’s one of those accident lawyers, also known as ambulance chasers. He makes a shitload of money off people who’ve been hurt in car accidents or other accidents. He has billboards all over the place, even by our school, and his commercials are on TV all the time.
“It’s not just that I lied. Jade doesn’t drink and she doesn’t party. And she doesn’t want to be around people who do. I’m sure Ava or Sierra or someone else at this school will tell Jade about my past, if they haven’t already. Jade would never date someone like me.”
“Is that why you haven’t been going to parties? Because you’re trying to show her you’re not like that?”
I don’t answer. I just keep going through emails.
“Have you even had a drink since you met her?”
I reach down into my backpack for my econ book. “I had a beer and a couple shots of vodka last Saturday, but nothing since then.”
“That’s it? How is that possible? I didn’t think you could go a day without drinking.”
I roll my eyes at him. “Thanks a lot. You make me sound like a damn alcoholic.”
He picks up his sandwich again. “Well, you do drink a lot. Or at least you used to.”
“Blake drinks way more than I do. And so do you.”
“Whatever. Garret, I’m just saying I don’t think you should give up on this girl. When I saw you with her at the party, I could tell there was something different about her. I’ve never seen you look at a girl that way. You couldn’t take your eyes off her.”
“She’s gorgeous. Of course I’m going to look at her. It didn’t mean anything.”
“It was more than that. You looked at her like—I don’t know. I can’t explain it. All I know is that I can tell you really care about this girl and I don’t think you should give up so easily.”
The professor walks in. “I don’t want to talk about it. Class is starting.”
“Fine. But I know she’s the reason you look like shit today.”
I don’t bother denying it. Decker’s known me for years and everything he said is true. I drink way too much, or I used to until a few days ago when a certain girl from Iowa showed up in the parking lot. It’s true I’ve tried to avoid alcohol and parties since she got here, hoping to win her over. And he’s right about me not giving up. I go after what I want. And I want Jade. But I don’t know how to get her, especially now that she knows who I am.
Class begins and the professor starts flashing all these econ graphs on the screen. I glance over at Decker. He already looks completely lost. Knowing him, he’ll drop this class by the end of the week. He’s not good at following through on stuff and he doesn’t like to work hard.
After econ, I go out for lunch with Trevor and Michael, the guys I helped with the couch. Michael lives next door to me and Trevor’s in the room next to him.
They seem like okay guys, but not the ty
pe I want to hang out with. They’re from Maryland. They grew up together and both have parents in high-up positions in the military. Because of that, their parents were really strict and now that these two are on their own, all they want to do is drink, party, and meet girls. There’s nothing wrong with that, but right now, I’m trying to stay away from all that, so I can’t be around people like them. Plus, they’re both kind of immature. They act like they’re still in high school, saying stupid shit about the girls who walk past us at the restaurant. Given their comments and the way they act when they see a girl, I’m guessing they’re both virgins.
I get back from lunch and go to my afternoon class. Then I’m done for the day so I head to the pool. It’s the only place I can relax. The water calms me and clears my mind. But today it’s not working. All I can think about is Jade. I can’t get her out of my head. What is my obsession with this girl? Why can’t I just forget about her?
During the night, I can’t sleep. I’m thinking about being with Jade in the pool and how amazing she felt and how perfect we felt together. I’ve never had this level of intense chemistry with someone. I’ve been with a lot of hot girls, but I’ve never been this attracted to any of them. Jade just gets me going. Even seeing her from afar I feel my body react.
And she’s got my head going in all different directions. I need to get this under control. I can’t let a girl get to me this way, especially a girl who doesn’t even like me.
The next morning I go to my marketing class. It seems like it’ll be easy, which is good. I could use an easy class to balance out my harder classes.
I go out for lunch again, avoiding the dining hall, and then go to English. It’s a required course for all freshman and should be another easy class.
When I get there, the only seat left is in the back row. And it’s right next to Jade.
I’m sure she won’t want me sitting there but I don’t have a choice. I walk over there, but Jade doesn’t notice because she’s getting her laptop out of her backpack. As she does, her pens spill out all over the floor. The girl packs a lot of pens. There must be at least 20. Why does she need so many pens?
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