“When can you magically go back and not sleep with my best friend? Oh, wait. You can’t.”
“Exactly,” I tell her. “I can’t change what I did so at some point you’re going to have to accept it and move on. I’m sick of seeing you hurting about this and you won’t let me close enough to fix it.”
“You can’t fix it. I lost my best friend.”
“You didn’t have to lose your best friend. That was a decision you made. I didn’t take her from you, you pushed her out because you were hurting. Yes, Henley and I fucked up and it never should have happened, but while you’re here feeling betrayed, imagine how she’s feeling? We up and left Haven Falls without a word. She’s lost everything that was important to her, while all you’re going through is a few hurt feelings. It’s time to end this, Kaylah.”
A tear rolls down her cheek and I hate seeing it there. All my life she’s been this precious little flower who’s needed my protection, and her tears always have me ready to kick someone’s ass, only this time, that would be me.
I let out a breath before dropping down on the seat beside my sister and pulling her into my arms. She nuzzles her face into my shoulder and wipes her tears all over me. I hold back a groan. If there’s snot mixed in with those tears, then what I do next is not going to be pretty.
“I hate being angry with you,” she tells me, taking my mind away from the possible snot situation. “You really hurt me, Jackson. All the girls at Haven Falls wanted you. Why did you have to go after the one that was off-limits?”
I shake my head, not really knowing the answer to that. “I don’t know what to tell you. Henley was like a little sister to me, she was always there, hanging around and laughing at my jokes. She’d be at all my games and at the races supporting me, and then overnight, she turned into a woman and I realized how fucking beautiful she was. I don’t know…maybe it’s one of those things where you want what you can’t have. But I swear to you, what you saw is all it was. We weren’t getting around behind your back. We didn’t have a secret relationship or anything like that. It was just a bit of fun one night.”
“You fucked everything up for ‘just a bit of fun?’”
I nod. “I guess I did. You know what us guys are like. We act first and realize how badly we fucked up later.”
Kaylah sighs and leans heavier against me, wrapping her arms around in the process. “I still hate you.”
“I know, but not as much, right?”
“Not as much.”
A smile plays on my lips as a wave of relief crashes through me. My sister doesn’t hate me. “You know I love you, right? And I promise that I’ll never hurt you like that again.”
“Keep it coming. I hate you a little bit less now.”
I laugh. “Don’t push it.” Kaylah pushes up off my shoulder, rolling her eyes as she gets to her feet. “Wait. We’re good?” I ask, still needing that confirmation.
“Yes,” she groans. “We’re good. Well, mostly.”
I cringe. “So…that means you can stop screwing around with Jesse, right?”
Kaylah’s brows pull down as she looks at me in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re only dating him to annoy me,” I state.
“No, I’m not. I really like him.”
I gape at her as though she’s gone insane. “You realize who you’re talking about, right? Jesse Ryder literally goes out of his way just to make life hard for me.”
Kaylah shrugs. “As if you don’t do the same to him and his brother.”
“Yeah…but.”
“No,” she cuts in. “No buts. I’m with Jesse and I really like him so please just keep your big head out of it and let me figure this out on my own. You know, he really likes me. He treats me better than anyone I’ve ever known.”
“Even me?”
“Even you.”
I scoff before grumbling under my breath. “Bullshit.”
Kaylah lets out a frustrated sigh before taking her cereal bowl to the sink and putting the milk back in the fridge. “You know,” she says, skipping over my last comment and giving me one of those looks that after knowing her all her life, I’ve come to recognize as fishing for information. “I think I like Elle. We could be friends.”
I narrow my eyes on her. Where’s she going with this. “You should be. She’s great. Maybe go out for coffee or something like that, you have a lot in common.”
“Great idea. Big brother. Perhaps we could be best friends.”
My eyes fly open as I throw myself to my feet. The last chick she deemed as ‘best friend’ material instantly went onto the ‘off-limits’ list and I cannot let that happen to Elle. “No,” I demand. “I saw her first. She’s mine, not yours.”
Kaylah leans against the fridge, crossing her arms as she looks at me as though she’s about to win something. “Oh, really?” she says, still fishing. “She’s yours, is she? Does Elle know that?”
I grin. After last night, she’s better fucking know it. “What do you want, Kaylah?”
“Admit that you’re in love with Elle. I’ve seen the way you both look at each other. It’s nauseating.”
My mouth drops. “I…um.”
“Admit it and I’ll let you off the hook.”
I press my lips into a firm line. Am I in love with her? I’ve never really thought about it. I can’t stop thinking about her, she makes my heart race like never before, and when she smiles, my whole world brightens. Kaylah’s right, this is definitely more than just some silly crush. So much more.
“Shit,” I groan, falling back into the chair. “I love her, don’t I?”
“Fuck yeah, you do,” Kaylah shouts, jumping up and down in her excitement. “MOM! YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT JACKIE JUST SAID.”
Not a second later, Kaylah is gone from the room and I’m left sitting here with the realization that I’m screwed.
Chapter 12
Elle
I sit in Mr. Thompson’s classroom, tapping my pencil against the desk while watching the clock as it slowly ticks towards the end of class. It feels like I’ve been sitting in this seat forever. When will this day end? It’s as though someone up above woke up this morning and decided they wanted to test my patience today.
I’ve had to deal with Phoenix cornering me again, only to shut her down, as usual. I’ve had some footballer strutting around like king shit, bump into me and knock my coffee right out of my hands. I forgot that I had a math test, and to top it all off, I walked in on my parents this morning.
Yeah, today seriously needs to end.
The bell finally sounds and I push up out of my chair, desperately needing to give my ass cheeks a rub, but I don’t. That’s the last thing I need to get caught doing today. Who knows what kind of awful comments something like that would bring? Attending Broken Hill High is like walking on eggshells. Every move has to be perfectly timed and done with grace, otherwise, you’re a sinking ship. Though, no one ever said navigating high school was supposed to be fun…or easy.
I grab my shit and head out to my locker. It’s only lunchtime so I still have a few more hours of school to endure before I can get my ass home and climb into bed with the chance to forget that today ever happened.
Maybe I’ll call mom’s masseur and see if she can make a last-minute appointment this afternoon. Maybe I’ll see if she’s got time for Chloe too. After all, she’s been a little stressed about exams lately. She’s my little nerd girl like Brylee and I don’t doubt that they’re both going to go far in life.
I walk down the busy corridor, bumping into the other students as they hurry to get their things in their lockers so they can make the most of their lunch break. I stop by my locker and do just that before sliding my phone out of my back pocket and scrolling through my contact list, searching for our masseur’s number.
An arm curls around my waist before a body presses into my side and I glance up to find Jackson grinning down at me. “Come with me,” he murmurs, giving me only the briefest
second to close my locker before pulling me away at a pace that I can hardly keep up with.
He pulls me along until he comes to a door that says ‘staff only’ and I hold back, but he tugs on my arm and pulls me straight through the door, leading us into a spiral stair-well. “Where are we going?” I whisper-yell, terrified of getting caught in here and then having to explain to my parents why I got suspended from school.
“Just…trust me, okay? I promise you’ll like it.”
I groan but allow Jackson to keep pulling me up the stairs and I’m once again reminded that my fitness levels are dropping, and if I intend to keep spending time with this guy, maybe I should do something about that.
My skin burns under his touch and I find his excitement contagious. “How much longer?” I pant, trying not to die on our way up.
“We’re nearly there,” he says. “Just a few more.”
As promised, we reach the very top of the stairwell and he breaks through yet another door that reads ‘staff only.’
I find myself screeching to a halt as I come flying through the door behind Jackson. We’re on a garden rooftop at the highest point of the school which overlooks everything and showcases the mountains in the distance and the beaches of Haven Falls to my right. Absolutely everything is seen. The train lines, the old mall, even the mountain resort in the hills.
“Wow,” I breathe, taking it all in.
“I know, right. Pretty fucking awesome, huh?”
I walk through an incredible, blooming garden to get to the edge of the building and peer over the side to get the full view. “Awesome?” I scoff. “That’s an understatement. This is simply spectacular. It’s incredible. How did you know this was up here?”
Jackson comes and stands behind me, placing a hand at each of his hips as he looks out over my shoulder. “I didn’t,” he says. “I just found out this morning while playing a bit of a…uh, prank on Jesse and realized that I had to bring you up here.”
I turn in his arms, looking up at that face that has begun to capture me in ways that I can’t even begin to understand. “Do I even want to know?”
He shakes his head as he tries to hold back a devilish grin. “Trust me, it’s better if you’re left in the dark on this one.”
Oh, geez. The possibilities of this are endless. All I know is that no matter what, I will be steering clear of Jesse Ryder for the rest of the day. Maybe the rest of the week just to be safe. “You know, you and Jesse would probably be really great friends if you just gave each other a chance.”
Jackson laughs. “That’s never going to happen, babe. Besides, the guy is dating my sister now, it’s only natural for me to hate him.”
“You two are such boys.”
“Why thank you,” he grins wide.
I roll my eyes at his display, but can’t help but steal a moment to glance around the rooftop. There’s a beautiful garden to one side and some expensive seating that looks as comfortable as my couch at home, but that’s absolutely nothing compared to the basketball court, private bathrooms, and outdoor kitchen area that seems to spread the whole way over the top of the building. I mean, I know it’s a private school which in turn comes with high fees, but this is just taking advantage. It certainly pays to be a staff member of Broken Hill High.
“This place…” I murmur, unable to find the words.
“I know,” he laughs. “The teachers are up here living the life while we’re down there all jammed packed into the cafeteria like sardines.”
“Whatever,” I laugh. “Our cafeteria is huge, and not to mention, there’s a whole football field for you guys and three basketball courts in the gym. We’re not exactly missing out.”
“No,” he agrees, “But would it kill them to offer us some of that seating down there?”
“True.”
I grin up at him as his eyes meet mine and it’s as though something clicks within him. One second he’s laughing and the next, it’s the Jackson that I was seeing at Tora’s party.
He steps that little bit closer and slowly brings his lips down toward mine. Everything leaves me. All the shit that’s happened today fades into the background as the only thing that exists at this moment is me and Jackson.
I suck in a breath just moments before his lips come down on mine, making all the memories from our night together come slamming back.
It was incredible. Every touch, every whisper, every smile. It was perfect. He knew when to be rough and he knew exactly when I needed to slow things down. No guy I’ve been with has ever been able to read me like that and because of it, he made me feel things that I didn’t realize my body was capable of.
How could I have been such a fool to wait so long to experience life with Jackson? I’ve been missing out and I fully intend on doing it all over again. That’s if I don’t get screwed over like I usually do by boys, especially ones who happen to play football.
Jackson pulls back and his eyes shimmer as he watches me. He trails his fingers over my shoulder, treating me as though I’m the most precious creature in the world and making me feel like a queen.
“I realized something this morning,” he murmurs, lifting me up onto the ledge so we’re eye to eye. I briefly look down, hoping he’s not about to throw me over when I realize there’s a railing at my back, keeping me safe from falling.
I should have known Jackson would never put me in harm's way like that. It’s simply not in his nature. He’s a protector. I see it in the way he loves his sister and is always looking out for her best interests, I see it in the way he persists to mend the bridge between him and Tora, and I see it in the way he looks at me.
Whatever this is between us, it’s something special and I don’t want to miss the chance to make it something more.
“And what’s that?” I ask him, looping my arms over his shoulder and briefly brushing my lips over his, making the softest smile spread across his handsome face.
“I’m warning you; I’m about to drop a bomb. Are you ready for it?”
I roll my eyes and laugh as I playfully nudge his shoulder. “Whatever it is, I can handle it.”
Jackson raises his chin as joy shines through his eyes, making something stir within me. “I’m in love with you, Elle.”
My heart stops.
“What?” I breathe, staring at him in shock. No one has ever said that to me before. What am I supposed to do? Say ‘thank you?’ Say it back? I mean…woah. “You love me?”
His eyes soften as a gently smile plays on his lips. “Yeah, babe. I do.”
He reaches out and brushes a strand of hair back off my face and as he looks deep into my eyes and bears his soul to me, I see that he truly does, and what’s more is that I absolutely love the feeling. How could I have missed this? This is new ground for me and I’ve never quite felt so lost, but the one thing I do know is that I don’t want to do a damn thing wrong to ruin this.
I swallow back the fear that raises in my throat as I take his hand and lace our fingers. “How?” I whisper, probably making myself sound like a stereotypical dumb blonde.
Jackson shakes his head, laughing at my ridiculous question. “I’ve got no fucking idea. I’ve never said that to a girl before, all I know is that I feel it.”
Emotions overwhelm me as I pull him in before kissing him with everything I have. “What does this mean?” I murmur when I finally release him.
“It means that from here on out, you’re my girl. I want you to be mine, Elle and I swear, I won’t stop asking you until you say ‘yes.’”
“What?” I laugh. “Do people even ask each other out anymore? I just kind of assumed we were together after what happened the other night.”
Jackson looks at me dumbfounded. “Huh?” he grunts. “We’re already together? I could have saved myself all of this effort?”
“Hey,” I scold. “Don’t even think about it. This is the best moment that’s happened to me all senior year. Don’t take it away from me.”
“I won’t,” he promises, d
ipping his head again and hovering them over mine. “You’re really my girl?”
I nod. “Definitely.”
Jackson closes the gap and my eyes fall shut, reveling in the pure pleasure that comes from his kiss. He holds me tight, making me feel safe as the wind blows through my hair. This is everything and more. Absolutely perfect.
Jackson pulls back and we’re both breathing hard. His hands fall down to my hips and he considers me a short moment. “I kind of have another bomb to drop.”
“Seriously? You hit me with the ‘I love you’ bomb and have the audacity to hit me with another?”
“Uh-huh. Though, this one is a little more terrifying than the last.”
I shake my head, still unable to stop smiling with the knowledge that Jackson is mine. “That’s not possible.”
“Believe me,” he murmurs, his low tone making the butterflies go nuts in the bottom of my stomach. “You’re going to think it is.”
“You don’t?”
“Nope. I think it’s the best fucking thing that will ever come out of my mouth, but you…yeah, not so much.”
Dread fills me. “This is when you hit me with the ‘it was all a joke’ bullshit, isn’t it?”
He sucks in an outraged breath. “You better not be doubting me.”
I laugh. “Fine. Just tell me what it is.”
Jackson nods but a seriousness comes over him and maybe I’m even seeing a little bit of uncertainty in his eyes. My heart rate instantly picks up. Maybe he was serious when he said this was going to be worse than his ‘I love you’ bomb.
What the hell could it be?
“Elle,” he says, taking my hand and bringing it up to his lips. He presses a gentle kiss upon my skin before placing it back down on my lap and taking my hips. “Kaylah helped me to realize that I was in love with you. She said she sees it in the way we look at each other. Not just me, babe.”
“What are you saying?”
Jackson: Broken Hill Boys (Novella 2) Page 9