“What about you?” he asked as he pointed to me.
“What about me?” I responded, mocking his rude tone as I spat my response at him.
“Matt, calm down. Her friend said she wouldn’t tell, there’s no need to be mean to her,” his boyfriend stated calmly.
“I need to know, Chase. You know that I can’t risk my scholarship, and I can’t risk ruining the reputation I have. I can’t ruin my future, you know that.”
“I know,” Chase responded sadly as he looked at the ground.
Once I heard Chase’s name, I was able to connect the dots to where I had seen these boys before. These were the same guys who gave Brooke and me clothes after we went skinny dipping and ended up hiding in a backyard.
Matthew Hurst was the star football player at our school, and had a full ride to The University of Alabama to play for them. No wonder he was so worried about his good reputation. He also played hard to get with women, but apparently that was because he was secretly gay. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t recognized him before, but then again I never was one to go to the football games unless I was hooking up with one of the players.
“You’re the one who gave us the clothes that night when we were in your yard, aren’t you?” I questioned, completely ignoring the fact that he was still waiting for me to answer if I would tell or not.
“I thought that was you when I saw it in the papers the next day. Don’t worry I didn’t look too closely at the images,” Matt responded.
“Well, I hope not. I wouldn’t want to attract gay men, then I’d really need to shave,” I sneered as he flinched back at the venom in my words. “The golden boy is gay! Oh, how will the world accept this?” I asked dramatically, emphasizing the sarcasm of my words.
“I just can’t have this getting out. I have too much going for me and I can’t risk it! It could ruin me since homosexuality is frowned upon in football. You have to promise that you won’t tell anyone,” Matt pushed the topic so that I would finally give him an answer. He clearly didn’t know me if he thought pushing me would get me to answer him.
My eyes landed on Chase as I pointedly ignored Matt’s question. “So how do you feel about this?”
“About what?” Chase questioned, his expression mirroring one of complete and utter confusion.
I crossed my arms, responding with, “About the fact that your boyfriend wants to keep your relationship a secret.”
“I don’t want to keep it a secret. I have to. I can’t let it affect my future in football. A lot of people keep their private lives separate from their careers,” Matt pointed out, defending himself.
“Chase?” I questioned, returning the attention to my question.
Shrugging, Chase flipped his blond hair out of his eyes. “I’d prefer if we didn’t have to keep it a secret, but I understand why he wants to, so I’m fine with it.”
“That’s so sweet,” Brooke cooed from beside me. “Gay couples are so intimate.”
I smiled at her words. “We would know,” I joked, referring to our lesbian lover status.
Chase smiled at my words. “Can’t two lesbian lovers help out a pair of gay guys?”
I laughed at his statement. “Good one,” I said, acknowledging his alliteration skills. Chase seemed to be the personality in the relationship; he took a bad situation and tried to make it work out for all groups involved. He also didn’t get angry when we interrupted their make out, unlike Matt.
Brooke poked me in the side. “It’s not like they haven’t helped us before.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m aware of that, and it’s not that I would go around telling people about you guys. I’m not heartless, I just don’t know who I’d tell that would care.”
Brooke tilted her head at me, thinking for a moment before saying, “You’re right. No one we know would care. The only teams Austin cares about at school is the cheerleading squad, the dance team, and the gymnastics team,” Brooke joked, ticked the teams off on her manicured fingers.
“Hey, he likes the girls’ swim team and the girls’ basketball team too,” I added.
“Oh, and how can we forget the girls’ lacrosse, soccer, and field hockey teams?” she questioned, feigning shock at the fact that we forgot to name them.
“He doesn’t like the women’s scholastic decathlon team?” Chase asked, a smirk on his handsome face.
Brooke and I nodded simultaneously. “I’m sure he likes them too,” I replied smugly. “He just likes anything with three holes and a heartbeat.”
“Ew, that’s my brother!” Brooke grimaced, holding her stomach and pretending to barf.
Chase laughed, causing deep dimples to appear on his cheeks.
Brooke’s eyes flashed to his face, then to Matthew’s, with his boyish good looks. “Man it’s so sad that you guys are gay,” she sighed, catching everyone off guard.
I nodded, catching onto what she meant. “Straight females all over the world are crying.”
“While the gay men rejoice,” Brooke added, shaking her head sadly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Matt questioned, speaking for both him and Chase, who looked offended by our words.
Brooke raised her hands in surrender. “It’s nothing bad, trust me. I’m just extremely horny and if you guys were straight I’d try and convince Jade to have a foursome with me,” Brooke said honestly, causing Matt and Chase’s eyes to widen at her words.
“Sorry, she can be very outspoken at times,” I apologized for her, giving Brooke a harsh look.
“What?” she asked. “I feel comfortable saying that, knowing that the idea of a foursome with us probably repulses you both.”
Chase nodded, followed by Matt who said, “Yeah, no offense or anything though.”
“But thanks for the compliment,” Chase added.
“Aw, they finish each other’s sentences,” Brooke sighed. “I need a boyfriend.”
“You have me,” I said in a high pitched excited voice. “I’ll love you even when your boobs sag and your thighs turn to cottage cheese.”
Brooke raised her eyebrow. “But will you finish my sentences?”
“I can try.”
Matt and Chase exchanged looks while we spoke. “Man you guys are a strange pair,” Chase stated.
“We are not...” Brooke started.
“Strange,” I finished.
“Yeah!” Brooke fist pumped, receiving a grin from me.
“Really strange,” Chase repeated with a sigh.
“So you won’t tell,” Matt stated, reassuring himself and changing the subject.
“I have no one to tell,” I repeated.
“Good.” He raised his hand, pointing at the door. “We should go now. You know, gotta get back to class and all.”
Brooke nodded her head. “Yeah, we’re gonna stay, but y’all can go.”
Matt raised his eyebrow suggestively. “Got some lesbian loving to do?”
I smirked while Brooke shook her head. “No, just some delinquent skipping class stuff. The usual.” Matt and Chase gave us sideways looks as they exited the room, leaving us in silence. “Well, that was awkward.”
“It was interesting to say the least. Very interesting,” I spoke while glancing around the room. A smile curved onto my lips as I shouted, “Last one to climb the rope buys dinner tonight!”
Chapter 10
“So this is where I will be living after the wedding I guess,” I mused out loud as Damien continued to give me a tour of their mansion. Damien called it a house, but it was really a mansion with at least thirty different rooms that all had a particular meaning.
“I don’t think that’s been decided yet. Plus, I don’t think my mom could handle the both of us under one roof.”
“Why? She would be able to keep an eye on both of us at the same time. It should be music to her ears,” I said with a smirk. I would find ways to make her life miserable if I lived here. She didn’t like me for my actions, and I didn’t like her because of how she had treate
d me. Who brings news articles about a skinny dipping adventure to an introduction dinner? It wasn’t the way to make a good first impression.
“I guess I should rephrase that; I don’t want my mom to handle us if we’re under the same roof,” he said as he turned to give me a wink.
“Why’s that?”
“Because I’m hoping to use those condoms Brooke found in Jake’s house the next time you’re here.”
“What makes you think that’s ever going to happen?” I questioned as Damien slowly approached me. His dark eyes were piercing into mine as he stepped forward and cupped his hands around my face. He gently stroked his thumbs along my cheeks as he tilted my head upwards to look him head on. I swallowed as I looked into his eyes, trying to control myself when he leaned closer to me, as if he was going to kiss me again.
“That kiss was a good indicator,” he said, walking me backwards until my back pressed against the wall and his lips were inches from mine.
I could feel the same heat from the kiss outside of Jake’s house returning due to our proximity. I could see the smirk on his face, so I decided to wipe it off by pressing my lips to his. He was stunned for a few moments at my forceful action before he pressed his body to mine and deepened the kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, but before we could really get into it, someone cleared their throat behind Damien.
“Damien, this is what got you in trouble not even twenty-four hours ago,” a girl’s voice warned. “Yet, here you are doing it again.”
“Alyssa, I swear if you tell mom on me again, I’m not going to be responsible for what happens to your artwork,” Damien growled at her without having his eyes leave mine.
“That’s not nice, Damien,” she cried out as if he had slapped her in the face.
“It’s not nice telling mom about every little thing I do. Now please give Jade and me some privacy. I’m hoping to show her what it’s like to fall in love and where it can lead,” he said with a smirk curving his lips and a suggestive eyebrow lift as he leaned in to kiss me again.
“Separate now, or I’ll go tell mom and you’ll get sent to a boarding school in London,” Alyssa threatened.
I raised an eyebrow at her words. I was starting to like her; not for interrupting us, but for the way she was handling herself. Damien groaned as he pushed away from me to reveal Alyssa standing behind him. She was smiling brightly as she motioned for us to follow her. Her wavy brown hair swung from its ponytail as she led us out of the room and down the hallway.
We stopped a few doors down and walked into a light blue room that was filled to the brim with sketchbooks, pencils, paints, and minimal furniture. She had a black bed with green accents and a bedside table with a green and blue lamp on it. With the exception of a desk near the window, everything else was for her artwork she was currently finishing. The only thing other than her bed that wasn’t covered in artwork was a large easel that stood at the foot of her bed and held a blank canvas. I assumed that she was going to be starting on it soon considering the paint and brushes that filled the holder attached to the easel.
Suddenly Alyssa spoke, pulling me out of my mental reverie. “I would just like to take this time to apologize for my mother’s behavior at lunch the other day, Jade. I am truly sorry for how she treated you. It’s not fair to you, but that’s how she is. She only cares about her reputation, and if anyone gets in the way of her perfect status then she kicks them into shape.” Alyssa shook her head at the thought of her mother’s harsh ways as she plucked a sketchbook out of Damien’s hands and moved to sit down on her bed.
“Is that what she did to you?” I asked curiously. The way Alyssa had described it made it sound as if she had lived through the experience herself.
“You could say that, but I was never like you and Damien. The only bad thing I ever did was steal some of those gel pens that I thought were cool from a Hallmark store when I was younger. My mom put me on punishment for two weeks and made me return them to the cashier. It was so mortifying that I never did it again.” Alyssa grimaced, her blue eyes rolling as an embarrassed expression crossed her face.
“Well you’re right; you aren’t like Damien and me. In fact, until a few nights ago I would say you sound like my friend Austin, but then we convinced him to break into a house.” Damien and I shared a laugh for a few moments, until our eyes met and we remembered the kiss.
“Then you kissed and got in trouble,” Alyssa stated knowingly, obviously seeing our shared look.
“Not before Jade realized how much she wants me, and that she can’t stand to be away from me,” Damien teased with a smirk as he reached out and placed his hand on my thigh.
“Who said I want you? I only kissed you back because it was either that or we get the cops called on us for being suspicious and lurking outside houses at night,” I stated with an eye roll. “Brooke and I have already been arrested for that and I didn’t need a repeat on my rap sheet.”
“You’ve been arrested for that too? Damn, you two know how to have fun. I’m still hoping that we can reenact the skinny dipping.” A dazed expression crossed his face as he was obviously thinking about us swimming naked together. “Maybe we can sneak out and try it together. Brooke can be away from her lesbian lover for a few hours, and I will give you a taste of what it’s like if you go straight for me.”
“That’s not going to help our situation, Damien. I’m sure your mom is in the process of digging up everything I’ve done wrong in the past so that she can have me sent away,” I grumbled as I thought of having to live with my grandmother.
I haven’t seen her in years, and for good reason. When her husband died she turned to religion and then relied on it for everything. She got rid of her healthcare, her car, her phone, and everything to get in touch with the Holy Spirit. I loved the woman, but I could only handle her in small increments of time because I had no patience. If I didn’t watch my mouth and my temper I could only imagine the repercussions. She would have a field day with me when she heard why my father was sending me away. I was a sin within a sin.
“What do you mean by send you away?” Alyssa asked confusedly, her head tilted slightly as she scrunched her delicate eyebrows together. She must not have been paying much attention when my dad had given me that ultimatum.
“Jade has one more strike from mother dearest,” Damien said sarcastically with a British accent, “before she is sent away to live with her grandmother in the middle of nowhere, where she will be under strict control, and away from her lesbian lover, her friend, and me, her soon-to-be lover,” Damien added confidently as he looked over my body again. Austin would have been furious if he was here and saw the way Damien looked at me. Too bad for Austin, I was starting to warm up to Damien’s suggestions.
“So just don’t do anything bad,” Alyssa stated matter-of-factly. She was clearly confused as to why it was such a big problem because for her it was easy to be good, but for me, not so much.
“Being bad is who I am. Even when my mom was around I was still rebellious, just not as much until after she passed away. That’s when my dad didn’t want to deal with me anymore. I can’t just change who I am,” I answered as Damien squeezed my thigh gently before withdrawing his hand, offering me a soft smile as I glanced at him. I bit my lip to keep from thinking about the kiss we had been having outside, but it was difficult.
“Then act like you’ve changed when you haven’t,” Alyssa responded with a shrug as if it made as much sense as a fish in water.
“What do you mean?” Damien questioned, suddenly interested in finding a way to keep me here instead of having me get sent to Ohio.
“Date someone with a future, with promise, and someone who is a prime example of your opposite. He can please your father, be appealing to my mother’s reputation, and if you can get him to fall in love with you then you get a boyfriend too. Everyone’s happy.” When she finished speaking, Alyssa flipped open her sketchbook and picked up a pencil to start a new sketch.
“So basically
the male version of you?” I questioned with a smirk as she smiled back at me for my joke.
“Basically,” she said with a smile.
Damien shook his head, his dark hair flopping into his eyes. “It won’t work.”
“Why wouldn’t it? The idea is perfect. I get to stay and still be me without doing anything out of the ordinary.”
Damien squinted at me. “Who are you going to find to go along with an idea like that? What guy in his right mind would do that?”
I shrugged my shoulders and smiled playfully. “I’ll just call up one of my many male suitors,” I joked.
“It won’t be hard to find someone,” Alyssa mused, glancing away from her sketchbook to look at me. “Face it, Jade, you’re hot. Even your future stepbrother wants to get in your pants.” She waved her hand at Damien who furrowed his eyebrows.
“Who says I want to get in her pants?” he questioned, astonished at her statement.
“You do!” we yelled simultaneously, causing Damien to laugh.
“Who says I’m not just trying to boost your confidence for this stupid plan you have going now?”
“Sure you are,” I responded. “It’s okay, Damien, you can admit that you want me.” I gave him a saucy wink, blowing him a kiss.
He raised an eyebrow at my action. “Only after you admit that you want me.”
“Well then I guess neither of us will be admitting anything.”
“I guess not,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “The only thing I’ll admit to is that Alyssa’s plan is stupid and it won’t work. No guy is dumb enough to willingly become a girl’s boyfriend just because she needs him in order to stay in the state. Good luck finding someone who can deal with you and somehow fit into the idea of a perfect boyfriend.” With those words, he walked out of the door, shaking his head on his way out.
Alyssa and I watched him leave, then stared at each other with a confused look.
Crush: A YA Romance Collection Page 8