“Of course I’m—”
“Braaaaains!”
“Ahhhh!” I yelled and leaned into Jackson, as a woman dressed as a zombie jumped out from the stalks. My heart continued to beat frantically beneath my ribs, and I told myself it was more from getting startled than the way his chest rumbled as he laughed at my reaction.
Oh, who was I kidding? It was like ninety-nine-percent Jackson and one-percent the zombie.
“It’s okay. I got you.” He pulled his hand away from mine and wrapped it over my shoulder.
I wanted to tell him I wasn’t scared, and I didn’t need his protection, but the truth was I’d screamed like a little girl twice since meeting up with him. And even if I wasn’t a scaredy-cat, I liked the way his arm felt draped over me. He was just tall enough that it fit comfortably as we walked side-by-side.
I thought of all the times I had to do an awkward shuffle when Anderson tried to walk like this with me.
Walking with Jackson was...nice.
We were met with fork after fork, and each time Jackson asked me which way to go. I chose without looking at the map, and soon we ended up in a dead-end. There were a couple of plastic arms and legs in a pile with fake blood poured over them. It looked like something you’d see in a low-budget horror flick our parents would have watched when they were kids.
I looked back up at Jackson. “Sorry.”
He squeezed his arm tighter around me. “Like I said, I’m happy to spend the time with you.”
“Why?” I asked without thinking.
“What do you mean?”
He pulled away so that he was facing me, but neither of us made a move to leave the dead-end.
I thought about all the things his friends said. How he was really into me. I lifted a shoulder. “It’s just something Mila said.”
He closed his eyes and nodded. “Of course, it was.”
“Is she an ex-girlfriend?”
He let out a sigh, and I could see the small cloud his warm breath made in the night air. “She likes to think so.”
“You know I don’t know what that means.”
“She’s just had it in her head ever since she made the varsity cheerleading squad, that we were going to date. I think she wants to be the idyllic varsity basketball player and cheerleader power couple.”
I laughed. “Wow.”
“Yeah, and that’s not what I want.”
I took a deep breath. “So, what do you want?”
Jackson shrugged. “I don’t know. I just saw you that first Saturday at Helping Hands, and I just couldn’t stop watching you. You were so pretty, and I could already tell you weren’t some prissy girl afraid to pick up trash. I begged my Aunt Kathy to let me work with you.”
My eyes widened. “You said she sent you to keep an eye on me!”
“I didn’t want to freak you out before I got a chance to talk to you.”
“And do I need to be freaked out by you, Jackson?”
“I think you’re good.” He grinned. “But the real question is how scared should we be right now? We’ve been standing in this corner for several minutes, and nobody else has come down this way.”
I looked down the path that led to where we’d been hanging out. Jackson was right. We hadn’t seen any people dressed up as zombies or even anyone else who was navigating the haunted maze. I had no clue where we were thanks to randomly choosing right or left without any regard for the map they passed out. “Crap.”
We were lost.
Chapter Ten
Jackson pulled out the folded-up map from his back pocket and shone his flashlight over the paper. “Yeah, I have no clue where we are.”
I started laughing. “Has anyone gotten stuck in the maze before?”
“I don’t think so?” He started walking down the path, still holding the map in his hands.
I quickened my stride to keep up with him. He turned left, so I followed him. When he turned right, I followed him again. Still, we didn’t see anyone. It was creepier than someone covered in costume paint chasing us. And yet, I wasn’t afraid. I had Jackson with me, and surely the Langfords wouldn’t leave anyone in here overnight. There had to be some kind of protocol for people who never came out.
Right?
Jackson stopped and looked at the map again. He pointed to the stem at the top of the jack-o-lantern. “So, I think we’re here. Which means if we go down there…” His voice trailed off as he walked down the path behind him. “We should—”
A guy jumped out and started yelling at us. Jackson reflexively reached for me, but it wasn’t necessary. My eyes focused on our assailant, and I about lost it when I realized it was one of Jackson’s friends. It was the guy with the spiky, blond hair who had teased Jackson when we’d stood together earlier. Now, he was bent at the waist laughing hysterically.
Jackson groaned. “Greyson.”
“You should have seen your face, dude. You were so scared.”
Jackson stood up straight. “I wasn’t scared,” he argued. “You just startled me.”
“Whatever. That was freaking hilarious.”
Annabelle came out from behind the corner. Her hand was covering her mouth as she also laughed at Jackson. “Greyson’s right. That was pretty freaking hilarious. Where have you guys been?”
Jackson and I looked at each other, before he answered, “We got lost.”
Annabelle’s face scrunched up. “Really? This was like, the easiest haunted maze ever.”
I raised my hand and spoke up. “It’s my fault. Jackson let me navigate, and I had no clue where we were going.”
Both Greyson and Annabelle’s eyebrows went sky-high.
“Seriously?” Greyson asked. “I knew you were into her, but that’s crazy.”
Annabelle explained. “Brooks is super type A and is usually very controlling about the map.”
I looked to Jackson, but he was busy shooting daggers in Annabelle and Greyson’s direction.
“You should have seen him last year. He was the perfect troop leader making sure none of his little scouts got lost. It was super lame,” Greyson added with a chuckle. “Annabelle and I were so excited to get to ditch him this year.”
“Thanks, buddy,” Jackson said, but not without good humor.
“Okay, but can we get out of here now?” Annabelle whined. “It’s getting cold, and I am so ready for some hot apple cider.”
Jackson and I followed Greyson and Annabelle out of the maze. The quiet guy from earlier stood under one of the giant, portable space heaters that were set up near the exit of the labyrinth. In his hand was a Styrofoam cup. He spoke to a couple of other people I hadn’t seen earlier, but one wore a Pinebrook letterman jacket.
Jackson leaned in, his breath warm against my cheek. “Just so you know, I’m buying your cider. That way we can call this an official date.”
I smiled up at him. “Sure thing,” I answered. “But just so you know, that means I’m going to hang out near the heaters and beg your friends to tell me all the embarrassing stories they know about you.”
His eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t.”
“It’s a done deal. Better get in that line before it gets too long.” I winked for good measure, which earned a smile in return.
Jackson and Greyson walked over to where everyone stood waiting for cider, while Annabelle and I walked toward everyone else. Now that I was separated from Jackson, I felt totally awkward. It was one thing to stand in their presence and joke around when Jackson was by my side but faced with the reality of talking to his closest friends was absolutely terrifying.
Thankfully, Annabelle was super friendly the entire time, and Jackson returned within a few minutes. My shoulders relaxed as he handed me my drink.
“Thanks,” I said as I lifted the drink to my face, allowing the steam to warm my skin. The stray looks from his friends didn’t escape my notice, but they didn’t seem to affect Jackson.
That, or he didn’t care.
He took a sip from his drin
k, and quickly pulled the cup away from his mouth. “Whoa. I think they have the temperature set to boiling lava hot. Careful.”
I rolled my eyes and took a sip because I wasn’t a toddler, and I didn’t need some boy telling me to be careful—no matter how cute or sweet he was. I instantly regretted my decision as I burned my tongue on the liquid that Jackson had accurately described when he called it lava hot.
Jackson smirked at me as I pulled my cup down as quickly as he had and struggled to swallow the cider. “Told you it was boiling.”
“Whatever.”
Jackson leaned in close. “You’re cute when you’re trying to act tough, did you know that?”
I rolled my eyes. “And you look stupid when you patronize me.”
Jackson’s responding laughter drew everyone’s attention again. He put his hand on my back and led me a few feet further from where his friends were—just out of earshot. He gave a quick look in the direction of the small group, before he said, “I had a really good time tonight.”
I smiled up at him. “Me too.”
Jackson cleared his throat, as he rubbed his cheek. “I’d like to go out with you again. Maybe just the two of us on a real date. What do you think?”
I hesitated.
Of course, I wanted to go on another date with Jackson. Walking through the corn maze with him had been a lot of fun, and it had been easy to forget just how intense the rivalry between him and Preston was. But Basketball season was just around the corner, and I knew the conflict between them would only get stronger.
How could I date a guy who my brother hated enough to skip school over? How could I date a guy who would be intentionally trying to take my brother down in every game they played against each other? Jackson went to Pinebrook for goodness sake! It would never work, and I would just end up with another broken heart when it was all over.
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I…”
I paused as I tried to figure out the best way to explain everything, but Jackson didn’t give me a chance to finish my thought. “You know what? Don’t answer yet, because I know what you’re going to say, and I’m kinda hoping you might change your mind.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Jackson.”
“Charlie.”
I let my lip slide from the hold my teeth had on it and smiled. “Fine. I’ll think about it. But don’t hold your breath, Romeo. We both know star-crossed relationships always end in tragedy.”
Jackson shook his head. “But we’re not star-crossed. We just go to different schools. That’s not even a big deal.”
I lifted my brows.
“Well, it won’t be in seven or eight months.”
“Assuming we even make it that long,” I argued. “You’re talking about what happens when summer rolls around, but we just had our first date.”
Jackson ran his hand through his hair. “You’re right, and I probably seem like such a hopeless romantic. I just really like spending time with you, and I’m not ready for it to be over, not when you seem to be having fun too.”
I was having fun but didn’t think I could say the words aloud. So I pulled out my phone and looked at the screen. It wasn’t quite time for me to leave, but I decided to make my exit anyway. “I gotta go. And I’ll think about it, okay?”
He smiled once more and stuck his hands into his pockets. “I’ll take it, Charlie Royce.”
“Goodnight, Jackson Brooks.”
I walked out to my car by myself, sent a quick text to my parents letting them know I was on my way home and tried not to think about how bad I had it for Jackson.
Because if the flutters in my stomach were any indication, I was in deep trouble.
“How was the corn maze, Charlie?” my dad asked as I walked in the door, with thirty minutes to spare.
He and my mom were still sitting on the sofa—though there were a solid two feet between them this time. I wondered if they kept the PDA to a minimum for Preston and me, but it wasn’t necessary.
We both were happy that our parents had found one another.
I shrugged as I stopped in the living room. “It was fun.”
“Did you guys stay out of trouble?”
I thought about how Jackson was the perfect gentleman the entire time, and how even his friends were pretty tame. “Yeah, we just did the corn maze, got some cider and then I came home.”
“And, do you feel better about not going to Homecoming now?” my mom asked.
“Yeah.” I nodded as I answered honestly. “But, um, would you guys mind not telling Pres?”
I wasn’t ready to answer his questions—specifically the one about who I went with.
I could see the concern in my parents’ eyes.
“Everything is fine, and I swear I didn’t do anything wrong. I just don’t feel like going through a bunch of over-protective big brother questions.”
A knowing smile touched my mom’s lips. “There’s a boy, isn’t there?”
My face heated, thinking about Jackson.
“Wait.” My dad sat up. “There’s a boy?” He turned to my mom. “And you knew?”
She rested a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down. I didn’t suspect anything until just now.”
“It was a group,” I quickly added. “It’s not like it was a date, date.”
Unless you asked Jackson.
“What’s his name, his date of birth, his social security number? I’m going to need it all,” my dad lifted a finger with each thing he listed off.
I snorted. “You didn’t ask for all of that with Anderson.”
“Yeah, and he turned out to be a terrible guy. Now, I know I have to do a little dad-recon.”
I rolled my eyes. My dad was great, but he wasn’t scary. His attempt at intimidating father wouldn’t turn away anyone.
“But, really, a name would be nice,” Mom said. Her voice was kind and filled with genuine curiosity.
“Jackson.”
“And do we know this Jackson?”
Yep. He’s just your son’s biggest rival on the court, I thought, but couldn’t say it. I quickly racked my brain for a good response when headlights shone through our front window. My brother was home.
I gave my parents a wide-eyed look. “I gotta go get changed. Please don’t tell him.”
“We won’t,” my dad assured me. “But don’t think this is our last conversation about this Jackson boy you met up with tonight.”
“Okay, okay.”
I quickly went to my room and got dressed in my pajamas in record time. I listened as Preston walked through the front door and our parents gave him the third degree. It didn’t matter if they were doing it for their benefit or mine, because regardless, it gave me just enough time to jump in my bed and pull up Netflix on my laptop before he gently knocked on my door.
“Charlie, you up?”
“Yeah, come in.”
He walked in and sat down at the small chair I had in the corner of my room. “Geez, sis. Did you even leave your room?”
I didn’t want to lie, so I settled on a shrug. How Preston interpreted it was up to him. “Did you have fun with Beth?”
He quickly looked down at the floor, but not before I saw the grin break out across his face.
“Please tell me you actually made it to the dance.”
Preston’s head snapped up. “Of course, I did. Beth and I danced the entire time.”
“You know what?” I shook my head. “I don’t even want to think about my brother and his girlfriend and what they may or may not have been doing on the dance floor.”
He barked out a laugh. “It was tame. You know Mr. Richards and his twelve-inch rule.”
Oh, yes. It was notorious. He literally carried a ruler around the gym and held it up to couples who were getting too cozy during the slow dances. The third time he had to speak to someone, they were officially kicked out of the school dance.
“Wanna hear something weird?” he asked, his voice turning serious.
My brea
thing hitched, and I forced my fingers from fidgeting. Did Preston somehow know where I’d been that night?
“Always,” I answered and hoped my voice was light.
“I didn’t see Anderson the whole night.”
I let out a breath. “That is weird.”
“I was sure he would be there with Linzie, making a big show of it. But nobody saw either of them all night.”
“Is it too optimistic to hope he finally realized what a d-bag he was being? And that parading his home-wrecker of a girlfriend at the Homecoming dance was a bad idea?”
Preston fixed me with a stare.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
We sat in silence for a few moments.
“Are you gonna be okay, Charlie?” Preston asked, breaking the stillness of the room. “You know, with this whole Anderson thing? I hate to think of you avoiding every school function because you don’t want to bump into your ex.”
“Don’t worry about Anderson and me. After this, I promise it won’t be an issue.”
He watched me and eventually nodded. “Okay. I’m going to go to bed then. Dancing all night can really wear you out.”
“Good night.”
I shut my laptop now that I was done putting on a show for my brother and grabbed my phone from where it had fallen on the ground in my hurry to get dressed. Thankfully, Jackson hadn’t messaged while Preston was in here.
Unfortunately, I had missed a text from someone else.
9:58 PM
Anderson: I know where you were tonight.
Charlie: What are you talking about?
He sent a picture of me standing with Jackson, Styrofoam cups in hands.
Crap, crap, crap.
It looked like I’d spoken too soon when I told my brother that Anderson wouldn’t be a problem anymore. And the worst part? I couldn’t go to Preston about it.
Chapter Eleven
Preston and I pulled up to Rosemark High together, but I hung back in the car until the bell was just about to ring. I leaned the passenger seat all the way back and lay there dreading the moment when I would have to talk to Anderson.
Courtside Crush: Varsity Girlfriends Book One Page 8
