I knew this would come back to bite me in the ass, I just knew it, but Presley can go a little Donovan-ish if she knows the kids are in trouble, and I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers if I didn’t need to. “What did he say?”
“That Jace was no longer allowed in your house anymore. He wasn’t sure why; he just knew one day Trey kicked him out and that was that.
“Cora’s been spending a lot more time with him lately and Jax is worried about her which results in Robert and me worrying about her. Is there something to be concerned about?”
I never saw this coming. “Oh Presley, I’m so sorry. I should have told you guys sooner. I had no idea they were getting close or that they were even spending time together.
“I caught him with Emma one day. His hand was up her shirt and he had her pinned to the upstairs hall wall. She was crying and said he wouldn’t leave her alone.
“She said he had been making suggestive comments to her, but she just thought since he was Jax’s friend nothing would come of it. She was embarrassed to tell Trey and me and hid it from everyone, Becca and Jax included. I should have told you the minute it happened.”
“Thank you Liv.”
“Is Cora okay?”
“At the moment she is...I think. She hasn’t said anything that would cause us to worry, and Jax told us everything he knew. He told us all about the fight, and what led up to it. You and Trey have done a great job raising him, Liv.
“I just can't get over this feeling like we’ve been lied to by Jace. He’s always been polite when he’s dropped her off from school. I can only imagine how this is going to affect her.
“I remember when a senior liked me as an underclassman. I was devastated when I was told I couldn’t see him.”
The revelation of Presley with an older guy shocks me, I just can't picture her with anyone but Robert. “So you’re telling me...after all these years, Robert wasn’t the first senior you dated?” I chuckle and can almost sense her eye roll through the line.
“Liv, right now Jace is supposed to join us for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. I’ll let Cora know he is no longer invited.”
Cora shouldn’t have to be the one to deal with my mistakes. “It’s okay Pres. Emma will be fine, there’s no reason to make changes last minute. Let’s all enjoy tomorrow and then, tomorrow after dinner, Emma and I can talk to her. I have a feeling it will be better received coming from us.”
“Are you sure? I really don’t mind.”
“It’s fine, really. I’ll talk to Emma tonight and make sure she’s okay seeing him. If not, I’m sure Trey would love to handle things.”
“If you say so.”
“Everything will work out. You’ll see. Now let me get off this phone so I can finish with this list you gave me.”
* * *
It’s been two days since Jackson punched me and got suspended. Cora’s been staying late to choreograph the high school’s musical, so unfortunately, I haven’t seen her since gladly acquiring my black and blue marks.
Some of the bruises have started to fade, so I paid a guy to punch me a couple more times.
I need her to see that her perfect Jax isn’t so perfect. That in fact he has a temper and she should be careful getting too close to him. If he could do this to someone he’s known since kindergarten, then maybe he was capable of hurting her.
All I need is a sliver of doubt.
I’m taking her home tonight, so now is the perfect chance to cause distrust in him. She won’t know who to believe soon.
I watch her as she puts her books in her locker, talking and giggling with another girl about something. I don’t want to deal with other people, and I’m almost positive that’s the girl I made out with last week during lunch, no use causing more drama than I’m about to, so I wait in the shadows until she’s alone before limping up to her, milking this for all it’s worth.
“Oh my god! Jace, what happened to you?”
“It’s nothing.”
“You look like you were hit by a semi! Are you hurt?” I wince a little as she touches my cheek and arm. “Who did this to you? Were you in an accident?”
“I’m fine, Cora. Really, I am. It’s not worth you get upset over. He’s already suspended.”
Her eyes go wide and this is better than I expected, she really doesn’t know. “Who?”
“You haven’t heard?” I shift my weight and look away. It’s taking all my strength not to smile. “Cora, it was Jax. He came out of nowhere. You know we’ve been friends since kindergarten. I don’t know what happened.”
She looks shocked as she tries to grasp what I’m saying.
“He’s probably never hurt you, but just promise me you’ll keep your guard up around him. I never expected him to do this. He was like a brother to me.”
And there it was, the subtle look of doubt. Mission accomplished.
“Promise me, Cora. I would feel awful if something ever happened to you. I really like you.”
I lean into her and she doesn’t pull away from my advance. I go to kiss her, but at the last second someone calls her name and she looks away, leaving my lips to brush her cheek.
She gives an excited wave to the interrupter before turning back to me, ducking her gaze and apologizing before she sweetly smiles.
“Take me home would you? I’ve got lessons tonight and choreography to work out.”
“Can’t that wait? I was really hoping to spend some time with you tonight.”
“Sorry.” She shrugs and starts to walk down the hall. “I have to do this Jace, besides you’ll be over tomorrow and the three of us can hang out then.”
I roll my eyes behind her back. Was she not listening when I said Jax was the one that caused these bruises, how dumb is she. “Cora,” I run after her, trailing behind her as she speed-walks to the car. “I was hoping to spend time with just you.”
She stops and turns on her heals, a slight blush on her cheeks. “Come on Jace.”
“Whatever you want my angel.”
* * *
My angel?
What the hell was that?
Jace has never called me anything besides Cora since I’ve known him, and today he calls me angel and tries to kiss me in a matter of minutes.
Jax told me he’d changed and asked me to just be cautious around him, but he hadn’t exactly told me how he’d changed. But now after having his lips on me, I felt dirty and just wanted to go home and shower.
Did Jax and Jace really fight?
If they had, it must have been over something serious enough for Jax to risk getting suspended for. I love Jax, but I know those bruises didn’t come from him.
A couple of years ago, Ms. Trousseau had me take a couple boxing classes to gain a little muscle in my arms and back because she thought I looked too weak. I was nervous so Jax took the lessons with me. He was hilarious. His punches were worse than mine, so unless he had suddenly added weight to his frame and learned to fight in the last three weeks, Jace definitely had someone beat him up.
I’ll be ungrounded in a couple of hours and then I can find out what exactly is going on.
I miss my Jax.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
I’ve counted down the days till I was ungrounded. From hours to minutes to seconds, and now fifty-eight seconds were all that stood between Jackson and me. I’ve tossed and turned just waiting for the digits to read that magical one, two, zero, zero on my alarm clock.
Mom and Dad said I was ungrounded on Thanksgiving Day, and as soon as the clock reads midnight, I am technically ungrounded. If they had any issue with my thinking, they should have put a time stamp on my release like other prisoners receive upon release day.
I pace in front of my window, occasionally looking across the field and stare at the pitch-black color seeping from Jax’s window. What would happen if I were to sneak into his house and up to his bedroom? Would the back door even be open? Would he welcome me with open arms or push me away.
Just thinking about th
e last time I saw him, the feel of him against me, the fluttering of a million butterflies in my stomach, his umm—I blush just thinking about it, but yet I wanted to feel it again. I had done that to him, or at least I think I had.
I’d heard of a couple of girls in my class that were already sleeping with guys, and they had a reputation around school. I knew I didn’t want to be like them, but surely Jax wouldn’t let that happen. Was I ready for that, though?
Who was I kidding, of course not, I couldn’t even say the word, and yet here I was thinking about his—penis? Cock? Dick?
I’d grown up in a house surrounded by penises. All the boys talked about them, and even had pissing contests off the back porch sometimes. I’d wiped my share of dirty diapers, so I knew what one looked like, but the feel of Jax...OMG...when did a penis turn into a cock or a dick because he definitely didn’t have what my brothers did. He was hard, long, and girthy? Is that even the right word? He felt big and powerful. When he rolled his hips against me, heat built like fire down low, and I knew I would get lost under his touch. There was no way around it; I would let him do whatever he wanted because it wouldn’t just be about him. He loved me. He’d always looked out for me, and this would be no different.
I needed to get my mind out of the gutter. Jackson was mine that much I knew for sure, but how would we go about it?
Twenty-four seconds.
God, why was it taking so long?
I take one final look at Jax’s window, and my stomach dips, still dark.
Midnight. There’s no sense in letting this building energy sit untouched. I have work that needs to be done for the musical, and I know Mom won't let me out of the house once she and Aunt Liv start the Thanksgiving Day festivities.
I can get a few hours of dance in, nap, and then be ready to go by the time Jace comes over.
I slide into a pair of joggers and lace up my tennis shoes, and as I take one final glance into Jax’s room, I notice a soft glow coming from the studio’s windows.
I know I turned the light off when I left last night. The light can only mean one thing, Jax.
Quietly I make my way downstairs, leave a note on the fridge, and run just as quick as I can down the hill to the studio. I reach for the door handle and pull hard only to find it locked; Jackson’s laughter audible from the other side. “Jackson Michael! Open this door! It’s freezing out here.”
“Only if you promise to start locking it when you’re down here late at night. You never know what kind of crazy person will try to get in.” His words come broken in between snickers.
“Haha. Very Funny. You made your point. Now let me in.”
The lock clicks into the open position, and the door swings open.
The butterflies from earlier are back in full force as Jackson stands in the doorway, looking bigger and manlier than just three weeks ago. His sexy smile called to me like my own personal invitation, corners nearly reaching his deep brown eyes. It was as if I was seeing him for the first time. Three weeks had seemed like an eternity, but this was different as I drank in his features.
His shoulders seemed broader, the fabric of his shirt tighter around his chest and biceps and loose around a tapered waist. I was attracted to him before, but now—I finally understood the saying absence makes the heart grow fonder. My heart belonged to him.
He holds the door open for me, but I can't seem to move my feet past him, instead stopping and wrapping myself in his arms. This is my happy place. My safe place. Anywhere with him, and as his lips press into my hairline, I know he feels the same way. I rest my head against his chest, listening to the beating of his heart.
Soft music pulls my attention away from the thump, thump, thumping, and I notice he’s laid out a pile of blankets in one corner of the studio with pillows set up against the wall. “What’s all this?” I ask in amazement through shaky laughter, part giddy, part anxious.
He takes my hand and leads me over to the little space he’s created for us and sits down, patting the space next to him. The warmth from flapping butterfly wings surges through my veins.
“Well, I figured you would be watching the clock waiting for it to read midnight, and just like you, I couldn’t wait for a second longer to see you.
“You waking up early to come here isn’t an uncommon thing, so I figured this was the safest place to meet.”
I smile at him, at the thought he put into this, and take my seat next to him, except I don’t sit against the wall; instead, my back rests against his chest, wrapping his arm across my shoulders, snuggling into him, willing us to be closer.
His fingers tickle my arm as they move from my shoulder to my elbow and back up.
“So tell me how bad was it?” He chuckles, pressing his lips to my temple, and I relax into him more.
I think back on the three weeks where it was school, schoolwork, and dance rehearsal only: no phone, no friends, and no studio time outside what was seen as a requirement. I begged Ms. Trousseau for longer rehearsals just so I wouldn’t feel caged in, but my parents got to her first. But not seeing Jax was the hardest part of all. “It wasn’t too bad.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” He chuckles and pushes me off his chest before sliding down to his back, adjusting the pillows under his head and easing me down into my place beside him. “You should really stop it and just be honest with me, always.”
My head finds that perfect spot between his shoulder and chest and I can’t stop myself from draping my leg over his and sliding my arm across his stomach. Mine. I didn’t care about the age gap, or the fact that the senior girls looked more mature than me, I was claiming Jackson as mine.
With one arm tightly wrapped around my shoulders, his fingers played with my hair while his other hand interlocked our fingers together, his thumb gently rubbing against my knuckles. “I like this.”
I press my smile into his side, closing my eyes against the feel of this lips on my forehead and sigh my response. “Me too.”
Up and down his fingers brushed through my hair in a hypnotic fashion. “So tell me, three weeks is a long time. I want to know everything that’s been going on with you.”
I knew Jax’s appearance had changed, but now, even his voice seemed deeper. Grittier. In three weeks’ time, it seemed as if he had moved from boy to man. My man.
I huff a breath and squeeze my body tighter to him. “You’re telling me. I can’t believe Ryan was such a snitch.”
“Well, you didn’t pay the man, what did you expect.” Jax’s chest vibrates with laughter and I struggle to free my hand from his grasp, only to have him pull me tighter to him while I want to slap his chest in frustration. “No way. I’m not letting you go tonight.”
At his admission I stop my struggle and melt into him. I don’t ever want him to let me go.
“There’s really not much to tell. The school offered me a paid position as the musical’s choreographer and after much begging and pleading Mom and Dad let me take it.
“Hey, did you know Emma tried out for it? She’s actually really good.” I try to stifle a yawn, but the little devil won't be held back.
“I heard.”
“Your mom asked me to give her lessons a couple days a week. Who knew I would be getting paid to do what I love and at fifteen none-the-less. Is this what success feels like? This surreal feeling of accomplishment?”
I close my eyes, listening to the cadence of his speech, feeling the soft vibrations rattle through his chest, “It’s awesome, isn’t it.
“And you’re amazing, Cora. I haven’t seen many ballet dancers, but I’d be willing to bet you’re at least in the top ten.”
I giggle while fighting another yawn. “Thank you, Jackson. I don’t know about top ten, but...”
“No buts Cora. You’re an amazing dancer. What else?”
“Mom and Dad still let Jace bring me home...” my words trail off as I think back to my encounter with him earlier today
“But?”
I shift my body so that my
chin is resting in the slight valley between his pecs. “But, you were right. He has changed, and not in a good way either.”
Jax tenses under me, and becomes still, both hands cupping my face as he frantically searches my eyes, shifting so he can get a better view of my body, protective Jackson. My Jackson.
“Cora did he do something to you?”
“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” God was I naïve. I couldn’t even answer Jax’s question and here I was, thirty minutes earlier, contemplating taking things further with him. I was ridiculous, and still just a child no matter how bad I wanted things to be different. “I’ve just gotten a weird feeling lately when I’m around him.
“He tried to kiss me yesterday and...I just froze. I didn’t want it, but for some reason I just stood there, unable to move.”
Tears sting at my eyes, and as if he could sense my hesitation, he squeezes me tighter giving me the strength to go on.
“A guy from the play called my name and I was able to snap out of my trance and turned at the last second. Jace didn’t seem too thrilled about getting my cheek.”
Jax’s eyes seemed darker and pained. “I’m sorry, Cora. I should have been there.”
I rest my head back on his chest and slide it once again to the safety of his crook where he can hold me better. “Speaking of which, why weren’t you in school? Jace said you attacked him.”
His chest rises to make room for his expanding lungs as he seems to suck all the air in from the studio before slowly releasing it. “Kinda.”
“What happened?” I say around a yawn, eye lids heavy with sleep, but this is important.
“Cora, you’re tired.”
“No...I’m...not.” He’s not wrong, but I want to know what happened.
“I’ll tell you in the morning, Buttercup.”
“Mm-hmm.” I tilt my head up to him and kiss the underside of his chin just before he kisses my nose. “You better.”
“Good night, Cora.”
“Good night, Jackson.”
* * *
Tag Fight For Me Page 30