by Tijan
“It’s not far from your place, a couple of miles. I heard about it from some friends at school.”
“Will I know people there?” Jason asked.
She took the car in a careful turn, pulling onto a gravel road. “I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”
“Wait. Friend or foe?”
Claire didn’t reply.
“Claire,” he urged, leaning closer to her. “Friend or foe? You know my enemies.”
She flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder, glancing at him from the side of her eye. “Um…”
He sat back in his seat, his back resting against the door. “You’re kidding me.”
“It might not be that bad—” she started.
He finished. “Park’s enemies? Right? That’s who it is? That’s who’s throwing the party?”
She cleared her throat and readjusted her hold on the steering wheel, as her little chin grew firm. “Sebastian Park is not on campus anymore, so that means you’re not indebted to him. You can do whatever you want, and that includes—”
He rolled his eyes, cutting her off. “I know how ruthless he can be. I think not. Park’s gone, but he’s not out of commission. Not fully. He still has some connections, and I’m not going against him. No way. If those guys who went against him last year are there, you know I’m done for. I won’t even be allowed into the party.”
“That’s not true.” Claire’s voice grew louder. “You’ll be fine, and you’re going in as my friend. You’re not working for him anymore, and besides, believe it or not, I doubt they even remember you. You do go to a different college than us.”
“Kade will.”
I sat up, recognizing the name. “Kade?”
Claire let out a soft, irritated sound. “It’s not even like that, and Kade won’t remember you. I’m sure of it. He’s…” She held her hand up, lifting it close to the car’s roof. “…up here, and you…you’re…” The meaning was clear. Jason was not a blip on this guy’s radar.
I kept my mouth shut. No way was I stepping into that.
“Thanks, Claire.”
“Well, it’s true.” She shrugged. “I’m sorry. You had one run-in with Logan Kade last year, and Park’s beef wasn’t even really with him. It was with his brother. So yes, I think Logan Kade will be at this party, but I don’t think you have to worry about him.”
I didn’t know who this Park was. Kade sounded familiar, though.
He folded his arms over his chest and fixed Claire with a brooding stare.
“Stop it.” She gave him the same stare right back. “I mean it. That’s all over and done with. You have nothing to worry about, and if you do, I’ll step in. Or Taylor will.”
“What?” My head swiveled between them. “Step into what?”
“It’s fine. If these guys come after Jason, just tell them who you are, who your dad is, and they’ll stand down. People know your mom died last year, and they respect your dad. So they won’t do anything you don’t like tonight.”
“Great.” Jason’s sarcasm was thick. “Just wonderful. I have to be saved by some girls.”
“Hey!” Claire and I cried.
“Nothing against vaginas, even your vaginas, but despite how I dress, I’m still a guy. I can handle myself.”
I leaned forward. “Do they know how my mom died?”
A sudden hush came over the car, followed by a slight wave of tension, and I knew why. It plagued me for the last nine months, but I hadn’t talked about it. No one asked, and I never offered. A counselor had asked my feelings once, but I spent the entire hour in silence. My friends never questioned me. They knew better. I’d talk when I wanted to. The last and only time I spoke on the subject was my statement to the police—until now.
Claire shifted in her seat. “Uh…no,” she murmured. “It was kept out of the papers, and I’ve never heard any word about it on campus.”
“No one talks about it on my campus either,” Jason added.
I was relieved to hear it, and as quick as I brought it up, I shoved it to the back of my mind. Seeing lights from a house growing brighter and brighter as we approached, I said the only other thing I wanted to do that night.
“Good,” I told my friends. “Now let’s get drunk.”
MOTHER F&CKER LOGAN KADE
TAYLOR
The house party had spilled out into the backyard. A river, down from the backyard’s slope, was lit up by floating candles anchored in place. It was beautiful. It gave the entire scene an almost magical feeling. My last college had parties—for the short time that I’d been there—but they were distinctly different from this. They were about beer, wine, rum, and deep conversation. I’d gotten into a few philosophical debates about religion and society’s selfishness, with Eric, the boyfriend, at my side.
He’d been at my side in high school, too. Those years had been about pretending to be mature while people hooked up, got drunk on whatever they could score, and kept one eye out for the cops. No one was running around naked tonight. A few were making out, but all in all, this Cain U party seemed tame. People were drinking and talking. Those who were swimming were doing just that: swimming. A few guys were pretending to dunk some girls, but that was the closest to shrieking anyone came.
Claire headed off to find her friends, and when she came back, I took the drink she offered. Gesturing with it around us, I asked, “Why couldn’t we have parties like this in high school?”
“We were too busy pretending to be cool?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Jason came over then, a scowl on his face. “I couldn’t get one. You were wrong, Claire. They do remember me.”
She almost choked. “You’re kidding.”
He rolled his eyes, and took the one she was holding. “Nope, sweet chickadee. They remember me. This is Blaze’s party. I didn’t know this house was his. He moved. He was closer to Cain campus last year.”
Claire held her hands up. “Chill, okay. I’ll get you a drink, and stop worrying. If they were going to throw you out, you wouldn’t have been allowed back here.”
“Mmm-hmmm.” He glowered at her retreating back over the drink he still held. “She’s off to get her own self a drink.” He raised the glass to me. “And I’m no idiot. They’re waiting for Logan Kade to get here. Then they’ll see what he wants to do with me.”
“Okay.” I shifted closer to him. “What happened, and who is Logan Kade? His name sounds familiar.”
“His name’s familiar because his brother is a football god around these parts: Mason Kade. I’m sure your dad’s mentioned him.”
I scratched at the corner of my mouth. Was that where I’d heard that name before?
“So his brother is a big football guy. What does that have to do with Logan and whoever this Park guy is? How were you involved?”
“Mason Kade hated Sebastian Park last year, so that meant his brother hated him, too. I don’t know the reason why. There are rumors, of course,” Jason said, fluttering his hands through the air. “But who really knows? What I do know is that I took bets on some fights for Park last year. Logan Kade wanted me to open it up to his buddies at a party, and I wouldn’t do it. It was a conflict of interest. I owed Sebastian. Everyone knew about the beef between the two. I was protecting myself.”
He ran a hand over his face. “Since then, I’ve not been invited to any Cain University party. Park basically got run out of town, and the Kades took over, kind of. I mean, a lot of people have no clue about the rivalry, but everyone who matters knows, and they paid attention. Once Kade gets here, they’re going to throw me out…” His voice trailed off as his gaze fixed on something over my shoulder.
He suddenly resembled an owl. His eyes got big, and his chest rose as he sucked in a quick breath of air.
Someone new had arrived at the party, and turning around, I assumed it was Logan Kade. I could only see the back of him. He was talking to a group of guys right outside the back door, and someone motioned in our direction.
J
ason groaned.
Logan lifted his head, looking right at us.
From the back, he was the finest specimen I’d seen in a long time. Tall. Lean. Broad shoulders. Trim waist. His shirt clung to his form, outlining his lithe build. He was obviously an athlete. Guys couldn’t get that look unless they played sports on an almost-daily basis and for hours at a time. Others might try to mold and sculpt their bodies to look as good as this one, but their efforts never played out.
Even the back of his neck was delicious. His shirt hugged the muscles of his shoulder and the ridges where his neck and shoulders became one. His hair had a crew cut. When he finally glanced over his shoulder again, looking in the direction the other guy had pointed, his eyes found mine. They held firm.
I swallowed, feeling like I’d just gotten the wind knocked out of me. He was breathtaking.
Dark chocolate eyes. Long eyelashes I would’ve killed for when I was younger—hell, I still would. He had an angular face with high cheekbones, and the front of him matched his back. His biceps bulged, and his shirtsleeves tightened around them for a second before they relaxed. The outline of washboard abs was visible through his shirt. His jeans sealed the image, making my mouth water, and I finally pulled my eyes away.
I had to. I hadn’t reacted to a guy like this in a long time. It didn’t feel right. A breeze picked up, sliding across the back of my neck, and goose bumps formed. I felt a shiver go through my body, and I turned, as if to shield myself from the wind. Maybe I was shielding myself from this guy. I didn’t know. He was just…too much. His charismatic pull still tugged at me, even when I wasn’t looking at him.
I swallowed over a knot. Claire hurried over toward us, holding two big glasses in front of her. She almost tripped in her haste. “He doesn’t even remember you, Jason,” Claire said once she arrived. “You don’t have to leave.”
“No.” Jason shook his head. “I’m going. I’m not sticking around and waiting for whatever Kade is going to do.”
“Come on—”
“He starts fights, and he finishes them,” Jason said firmly. “Don’t try to tell me you’re not hoping he’ll come over. I know you’ve got the hots for him. Honestly, Claire. He’s a manwhore. He’s had a different girl with him every time I’ve seen him. And look at him.” Jason pointed as Logan Kade approached. “Tonight’s no different. There are two girls with his group. I’m not—”
Claire huffed. “Believe it or not, not every girl is enamored with him. I’ve got my own set of friends and—”
Jason’s voice rose higher as Logan approached. “Like you said before, he’s up here…” His hand rose to his head, then lowered to his waist. “And we’re down here. Isn’t that the way it is?”
Ten feet away.
Jason’s breaths came in quick gasps.
Eight feet.
Claire threw him a look. “Maybe we can remember why we even came tonight?”
Six feet.
Jason wasn’t listening anymore. He was frozen, his gaze fixed off to the side. He watched Kade coming from the corner of his eye and let out a shrill breath through his nose.
Four feet.
I didn’t know the guy, but now I was on edge too. I turned so I couldn’t see him, but I could still feel his approach. His presence was even more overwhelming up close. Two feet away—one—and he walked right past us. His group followed, taking over a bunch of loungers that surrounded an empty bonfire pit. A keg sat in the center and as Kade got a drink, his friends filled theirs after him.
Jason wheezed. “I was pissing myself there for a moment.”
Claire cursed under her breath. “I told you it’d be fine, and look what happened. He asked where the keg was. They pointed it out for him. If you would’ve let me talk, I could’ve explained that, and also that no, they didn’t bring up your name.” Her eyes blazed. “Whatever. I’m going inside to hang out with friends who are actually nice to me.”
She took off, and Jason rolled his eyes. He shifted closer to me, his arm brushing against mine. “She’s the one who told me I was beneath Kade. Whatever, my ass. Maybe he is above me. Maybe I’m small potatoes compared to him, but so is she. She hangs out with the philosophy club.” He laughed. “Does that sound like someone Kade would date? Someone who’s into philosophy? He’s all about sex, fighting, and having his brother’s back. There’s only one girl I’ve heard he’s ever been loyal to, and it ain’t her. That’s for sure.”
My insides had begun to churn. My mother. My dad. Even my ex. I didn’t need this. “Can you stop? I thought we came to get drunk tonight.”
Jason caught himself before he could speak further and swung his gaze my way. “I’m sorry, Taylor. I…Claire…” He finished his drink, and after tossing the cup on the ground, he wrung his hands together. “We’ve grown apart since school.”
The knot was back. It took root at the bottom of my throat. “I’m beginning to see that.”
I should’ve asked what happened, why they’d grown apart, or how they had put up a good front for me over the last nine months, but the truth was that I didn’t care. I would someday, but I didn’t that night. I looked over at Kade and his group, my eyes lingering on a beautiful girl who sat next to him. She had jet-black hair and a stunning face that could’ve graced any magazine cover. She wasn’t touching him, he wasn’t touching her, but they were close. That was obvious.
I jerked my head toward them. “Looks like you don’t have to worry about him now.”
“Yeah. Guess not.” He linked elbows with me. “Come on, friend. You said you wanted to party, so let’s go do that. Let’s drink ourselves all the way back to high school.”
“That sounds fanfuckingtastic.”
Jason chuckled, and a couple of pitchers later, we were in two lounge chairs on the front lawn. I lost track of time, but I was happy. Or I had the buzz to make me feel happy. The world was a little blurry, just how I liked it. Jason just came back with the third pitcher and he plopped down when a girl came around from the back of the house. She was headed for the street, but before she could slip through two cars, some guys surrounded her. They seemed to have materialized from the road, stopping the girl.
She backed up at the same time Jason leaned forward in his chair. “Oh no.”
I looked. “What?”
“Move, assholes. I’m leaving,” the girl said. She wasn’t scared. She was annoyed.
Jason said to me, standing up, “That’s Samantha and those are Sebastian’s guys. This is so not good. Not at all. Hold on.”
“Who’s Samantha?” I asked, but he didn’t answer. I looked over and saw he wasn’t there.
As he disappeared around the house, a few people had followed Samantha to the front. Those people stopped, saw what was going on, and turned back to their friends. Pretty soon, more and more people started to come around the house. Soon a crowd started to fill in around her. I stood up, going over too. Maybe it was the beer in me, or maybe it was because of my own tragic douchebag ex-boyfriend, but I wasn’t going to let her stand there to be gawked at alone. My confidence that anyone would help was at an all-time low, so fuck it. I was going to help.
Damn the consequences.
I stepped closer, recognizing the girl now as Jason’s words clicked. This was the girl who came with Logan Kade. She stood now with her hands at her sides, her feet set apart. Her shoulders were back and ready as she watched the guys. She was ready to fight, and a nervous flutter moved through me, but there was an excited flutter right next to it. No. That was an angry flutter, but it was bordering on excitement. I was ready to fight, too, and remembering a time when someone who hadn’t stuck next to me, who should’ve, spurred me on.
“Get Logan,” someone yelled.
Another girl asked, “Where is Logan?”
I heard other people saying the same thing, but I focused on the girl.
She raised her chin, and a warning flashed in her eyes. “Touch me. I dare you.”
There were three of them, all tall
and, not to be stereotypical, but they looked like preppy douchebags. Each was good looking, with bodies built like they rowed every morning for hours. They looked like money. It practically dripped from their clothes. Their jawlines were rigid enough to form glaciers.
Their eyes were icy, too, as they stared back at the girl. They weren’t backing down.
I broke from the crowd, planning to go stand next to her. But before I could move, the crowd broke in half. An actual opening formed, and Logan Kade strode forward.
My foot jerked back into its spot, stepping back as he brushed past me.
Kade stopped beside her, and the three guys turned their attention to him. They didn’t move or say anything, but the air shifted. It’d been dark and ominous before, and I still felt a battle brewing.