by Cassie James
On the opposite side of the room, Patrick and Smith look like they’re arguing about something. I’m not sure what’s going on, exactly, but Patrick looks livid. Smith looks calmer, but not all that happy, either.
I look to Ace with a sigh that I know he can’t hear over the music playing. “I should go talk to them.” I nod where the guys are standing.
“Okay. Should you go alone or…?” he leaves his question to trail off. He doesn’t look offended at all. I know he’s genuinely leaving this up to me. But even though I don’t think he would be mad if I split up with him so early on, it doesn’t feel right. I keep my arm joined with his.
“No, it’s okay. You come, too.” I chose him to be my date. If that’s what’s causing problems again, then the guys are just gonna have to get over it. I’m tired of rehashing the same argument. Mostly with Patrick, who still can’t stand that I chose a third party date when he was so convinced I only had two real choices.
Smith smiles when we approach, but Patrick glares off in the opposite direction. I send Smith a questioning look, but he shakes his head like he has no explanation for me. So, apparently the problem isn’t with Smith, then. Why am I not surprised?
It’s becoming abundantly clear to me that although Smith might be fine with an arrangement that values honesty over monogamy, Patrick can’t handle it. He’s too jealous. Which is awfully ironic considering I still have to watch him flirt constantly. It’s like his default setting, and I’ve tried to be accepting of that, all things considered. But this obviously isn’t working.
“Should I have brought a wedding gift?” Patrick asks under his breath. I look at him, puzzled by the comment.
“Chill out,” Smith tells him.
Patrick laughs in his face. “Chill out? Are you serious? They look like a bride and groom. That seriously doesn’t bother you?” He gestures wildly between Ace and me.
I glance down, realizing for the first time that he’s right. My dress is just fancy enough to look like a dressed down wedding gown. No wonder people were staring so hard. Still, that doesn’t give Patrick a right to be a jerk about it. After tonight, I’m gonna have to talk to him. This isn’t working for me anymore. The closer I get to Ace, the further apart is seems to push Patrick and me. He’s getting pushier about wanting me to make choices, and when it comes down to it, if I had to make a choice right now, it would be Smith.
With Ace, I feel protected and like we can talk about anything. Patrick? He really makes me think when we talk. Somehow we just seem to connect naturally, like we understand each other on a level I don’t quite understand. But Smith is the one I’ve built the most real relationship with. He’s the one I turn to most for comfort and the everyday stuff. He’s the closest to being an actual boyfriend. Also, there was that whole thing we’re not talking about where I kind of accidentally said I loved him, but I’m not sure I’m ready to analyze that, even now.
So, if Patrick wants me to choose, I hope he’s prepared to not like the outcome. Not that I’m sure I’ll like it much, either. As weird as this arrangement seemed in the beginning, it’s been kind of nice to know there was no pressure for me to focus all my attention on one of them. There might be things I like about each of them, but it’s having all three of them in my life that really makes me feel safe and cared for—and as happy as I can be considering all the other things in my life that feel uncertain and messy.
Smith glares daggers at Patrick. “Do you have to be such a fucking asshole? Look.” He punches Patrick in the arm and then points at my face until Patrick reluctantly looks my way. “Look how you’re making her feel. Is that really what you want? Your masculinity is so fragile that you’d hurt her feelings to spare your own? I don’t think that’s winning you any points, you idiot.”
I blink back my surprise as Patrick nods, actually seeming to agree with Smith’s assessment. “I just need a minute. Sorry.” He touches my arm as he passes me, which sort of feels like he’s trying to tell me things will be okay, but I can’t really be sure.
“Thank you for that,” I tell Smith, “but I didn’t expect you to get involved. It shouldn’t have to be your job to police him.”
Smith shrugs. “If it’s affecting the group, then we might as well talk about it as a group. I care about you, Juliet. I want you to be happy, and I don’t think it’s fair to restrict that to a rule where I’m only content if you’re happy with me. But, it does help that I already know the score.” He looks off the way Patrick went. “He’ll either have to figure it out or he won’t, but either way he doesn’t get to take it out on you.”
I let go of Ace so I can hug Smith. He’s so freaking wonderful in a way that I’m only just now beginning to fully appreciate.
Smith never pressures me about anything, it’s part of why I’m so comfortable with him. Though there is a decidedly uncomfortable aspect of our arrangement. I know he’s only so okay with it because he’s had practice. With Jax. It’s not even the idea of the other girls that bothers me, it’s that I don’t understand how Smith and Jax could share any girl considering their styles are so different. But then I think about how as much as I adore Smith, there’s been plenty of times where I found myself inexplicably attracted to Jax.
So maybe there is no explanation for it. Maybe it’s pure magnetism.
“I’m not fully aware of the dynamic here,” Ace says slowly, “but I’d like to state for the record that I respect everything Smith is saying and I’d like to avoid being lumped in with Dupont at the moment.” He looks so serious and confused at the same time that I can’t help but laugh.
“Noted,” I reassure him.
The three of us stand there awkwardly for a moment. I try to focus on either of them, but I can’t. As infuriating as it is, I can still only focus on what just happened with Patrick. “Hey, guys? I’ll be right back,” I tell them. They both respond with nods and knowing looks. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that I’m gonna go after Patrick.
It doesn’t take me long to find him, either, since he apparently didn’t go far. There’s a cute little area in the corner with a bench and some bushes. He’s standing, though, leaning on a decorative railing that separates the sitting area from the dance floor. His back straightens as I get closer, so I know he notices me, even if he doesn’t turn around.
“I fucked up, didn’t I?” Patrick says before I get a word out.
“No.” I sidle up to him and curl an arm around his waist, leaning my other arm on the bannister next to him. “Not necessarily. But we’ve got to talk.”
“I’m not like Smith, Juliet. I can’t just not get jealous. I don’t work like that. Especially not when I see you with him and wonder if we’ll ever be as close as you are to him.” He sighs as he raises his arm so he can put it around my shoulder. “I keep thinking you’re just going to tell me you’re choosing him and that I’m out of luck. And now, it feels like you’re adding Ace to the mix, too. I don’t know how you expect me to compete.”
I lean into him. “I don’t expect you to compete. I never wanted it to be like this, either. But now… I don’t really want to give you up, but I don’t want to give Smith up, either.” I’ll let him go if that’s what he wants. He’s obviously struggling with this, and I don’t want to trap him in something that I don’t even quite understand myself yet.
“Just tell me this, do you think it could ever be more than casual? This whole arrangement? Because I keep trying to picture how it would work when we live in a world that’s so quick to judge. It’s one thing dating both of us—or all three of us, I guess, if that’s what you want—when it’s casual. People understand casual dating, more or less. But what happens when it should be turning into something more than that? When all these relationships you’re having start to progress into something serious? What’s going to happen then?”
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “It sort of feels to me like we just fell into this abnormal arrangement, and now I’m just trying to stay afloat. I don
’t know what’s going to happen, and I don’t blame you if you don’t want to stick around to find out.” God, that words hurt even more than I expected them to.
“I’m not giving up on you, Juliet.” He tightens his arm around me and leans over so he can rest his cheek on my head. After a moment he adds, “I hope you won’t give up on me, either.”
“Of course I’m not giving up on you, Dupont. This is all part of my secret plan to lower your defenses and then steal your class ranking right out from under you.” I add a terribly bad rendition of an evil laugh for good measure, trying to lighten the mood a little. I feel Patrick’s body rumble with his laughter. We stay like that for a few minutes, enjoying the renewed peace, now that most of the tension has passed.
Eventually, Patrick and I both turn as if on instinct just in time for Smith to stop besides us. He offers Patrick a tight smile before turning his attention more towards me.
“Sorry to interrupt. Jax has something he wants us to see,” Smith explains. He looks calm, so I guess he knows what it is already. I consider refusing to go, but I trust Smith not to lead me to anything bad. If he seems okay with it, then I guess I’m following along.
“Lead the way,” I tell him. I start to follow, but I realize almost immediately that Patrick’s not coming. He’s looking at me with those honey eyes of his, the ones that always make me melt. “Come with us.” I hold my hand out to him. For a second he hesitates, but I breathe out a small sigh of relief when he finally reaches out and takes it.
Smith leads us to a back door where Ace is waiting already. This actually seems sketchier than I was anticipating. The two of them walk straight out like it’s no big deal, but I’m about to hesitate until Patrick nudges me forward. “It’s okay, I’ve got you,” he says. For a second, I wonder if he knows what’s going on, too, but then he lets go of my hand and lifts the hem of my dress up a few inches on either side. He must have thought I hesitated because of the dress.
I thank him and force myself to take the last steps out the door. Jax is pacing when I step out, that’s the first thing I notice. The second thing I notice, which really should have been the first thing I noticed, is the fleet of police cars lined up behind the building.
“Finally, you fucking show up. I was starting to think you were going to ruin everything,” Jax growls at me. I have no idea what he’s talking about or what’s going on here.
“Excuse me?” He really never fails to be an asshole.
He claps his hands obnoxiously, which must be some kind of synchronized cue, because suddenly every cop is stepping out of their cars and heading our way. A couple of them break away from the group and head the other direction, towards the front of the building, I assume.
“What’s going on?” Now I’m uneasy. What the hell is happening? And why does Jax look so smug about it? One of the officers walks directly towards us while the others look like they’re casing the building.
“Woods,” he greets Jax. “We should have eyes inside in sixty.”
Jax huffs. “Make it fast. This is still a high school prom. I’d like to get back to it before graduation,” he deadpans. My eyebrows shoot so far up my forehead that NASA might as well launch them into space. Jax’s words and tone are so unbelievably disrespectful that I can’t even fathom what would possess him to treat someone this way. A police officer, no less.
“Don’t talk to a police officer like that,” I chastise him before I can think better of it. He opens his mouth as if he’s gonna snap back at me, but then much to my surprise, he turns to the officer again and apologizes.
“Sorry. You’ve done good work so far, do what you need to do.” He nods to the officer, who nods back before putting some distance between us.
I do notice that the guy glances back at me with what appears to be respect in his eyes. I’m sure he wishes he could have corrected Jax himself, but no one ever wants to risk messing with the governor’s kid. I seem to be the only one willing to take the risk, which actually is quite the adrenaline rush, if I’m being honest. I have to give Jax one thing, never being able to anticipate his reactions always keeps things interesting.
“Better?” he asks me, though he still sounds so pissy that I don’t want to acknowledge him. I cross my arms and stare at him with a level look instead.
“Fuck you, too, then.” It almost looks like he’s pouting as he turns and shuffles several feet away from us.
I look to Smith, who knows Jax better than anyone. “What was that about?” He studies me for a long minute, looking like he’ s trying to weigh his answer.
“You know what? Trust me, you don’t want to know right now.” I start to protest but he shakes his head. “Just watch.” He takes me by the shoulders and forces me to turn and face the building door just before it bursts open, bringing with it a tirade of cursing that makes my eyes widen. It’s an awfully colorful vocabulary we’re hearing.
It takes a few more seconds before I realize it’s Cece they’re bringing out in handcuffs. I gasp so loudly that she and the police officers all look in my direction. “This is your fault!” she screams at the top of her lungs.
I’m not sure what she thinks is my fault, considering I have no idea what’s happening right now. I look to Jax, who seems to be playing ringleader here, and he’s already got his eyes on me. He’s watching me react instead of watching what’s going on, I realize. He really did know exactly what was going to happen. I wonder why he didn’t say anything or give anybody any warning.
It’s like the world’s worst surprise party. Surprise! Here’s one of your classmates getting arrested for some reason.
“Wait.” I shake my head, and look at Smith, who also doesn’t look too surprised. I start to ask him for clarity, but it turns out I don’t need to.
They drag her close enough that we can hear them start to read her rights. “Cece Winchester, you’re under arrest for the murder of Kathryn Lassiter…” I tune everything out after that. My head feels like it’s going to explode as I try to make sense of what’s happening right in front of me.
People are starting to trickle out of the building in droves now, gathering behind us as they try to see what’s going on, too. Flashes start going off, and I can only imagine how many pictures of this moment are going to show up after tonight.
“So, that means…” I look at Smith, who nods.
Quietly, he tells me, “It turns out Sadie wasn’t just being paranoid. She was right.” As glad as I am that Sadie’s still at Banner-Hill working things out for herself, I wish she could have been here to finally see Kathryn get justice.
We all fall silent again as Cece starts wailing. “This isn’t fair! Everyone hated Kathryn, it wasn’t just me!” I’m surprised I can tell what she’s even saying considering how hard she’s sobbing. “I didn’t want to hurt her, but she wouldn’t stop. She just kept saying over and over again how she was going to replace me with you!” As she says the last words, her eyes find me again and narrow. “She was terrified you were going to overthrow her and she still decided she wanted you to be her second in command, anyway. Can you believe that? You! The white trash that doesn’t even belong here.”
I can feel all three guys around me tense up immediately, but it’s Jax that steps forward. “Shut the fuck up, you little psycho. You’re the one that doesn’t belong here. You really thought anyone would choose you over a Lexington?” He laughs right in her face.
“Okay, that’s enough,” the cop says, jerking Cece back by several feet to put more distance between her and the crowd that’s growing larger by the second. Apparently, word has really spread.
“I told you there’d be something else to talk about,” Ace murmurs to me, and I struggle to hold in a very inappropriately timed laugh. This definitely wasn’t what either of us were expecting when he said that, but he’s right. No one’s gonna give a damn who I showed up to prom with, now.
I can’t believe after all this time I spent worried that Kathryn died because of Hollis’ treasure hu
nt, that it wasn’t actually about that at all. Cece just didn’t want to lose her social rank. Of all the reasons a person might decide to kill someone, this one seems really bottom of the barrel. Even if Kathryn had tried to turn me into her new sidekick, there’s no way I would have gone along with it.
Cece killed her closest friend for nothing more than a few months of elevated popularity. I have a feeling she’s realizing right about now—as they have to practically shove her into the back of the cop car—that it wasn’t worth it.
It’s almost funny, how quick people are to turn on each other here when there’s power up for grabs. What’s even the point of developing relationships with people if there’s never any loyalty between them? I don’t understand it, and I hope I never have to.
Our show, which was pretty anticlimactic when it comes down to it, ends with the police cars leaving the parking lot. A couple stay behind, but the interesting part is over. People are quick to make their way back inside now that the dramatic part it over. Me, I’m still standing frozen in place, trying to wrap my mind around everything.
Jax steps in front of me, looking at only me despite the fact that Ace, Patrick, and Smith are still standing here, too. He looks at me expectantly, but I’m not sure what exactly he wants from me.
“I got it taken care of, just like you wanted. You’re welcome.” He sounds seriously agitated, and he doesn’t even give me a chance to respond before he moves several feet ahead of me again. I gape after him, really dumbfounded by this. Jax acted like he wasn’t listening to me and he didn’t care when I told him to get involved. But it turns out he did exactly what I’d been asking for? I don’t understand it. More importantly, I don’t understand him. But you know what? I’m exhausted already, and I still haven’t gotten to dance. Jax Woods will have to be a puzzle to try to solve another day.
We trudge back inside as a group, no one really sure what to say after what we just saw. We’re some of the last people to make it back inside, and I assumed everything would already be at least somewhat back to normal, but that isn’t the case. Music is still playing, but no one is dancing.