There was pain in his eyes as he pulled up in front of my house. He put the truck in park and turned toward me. “You don’t think I’d ever hurt you, do you?”
I knew immediately that he meant something I didn’t. “Physically? No. Emotionally? Well, you already did, right?” I was almost yelling now. “You know you dropped me like a hot brick.”
He nodded. “Okay, this…this I get. Look, angel, I was hurt and emotional, and Brielle needed me. Needs me. But if you’d given me a chance, I would be with you right now.”
“I know.” My voice cracked, so I swallowed and took a deep breath. This conversation had taken a turn I hadn’t planned, and his new nickname for me completely undid my composure. “So what do we do now?”
His shoulders tensed. “I don’t know. But I can’t do…whatever this is. Not right now.”
I glared at him. “Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll back off.”
A vein jumped near his eye, but otherwise, he might as well have been made of stone.
I had the answer. I leaned towards him. “I bet there’s a country song about a woman who gets her man back after he was stolen from her.” I flipped his radio on. “You might want to get familiar with the way it goes.”
I got out of the truck, wondering if I’d permanently ruined his ability to speak. “Pick me up for school tomorrow. Okay?”
“Amber, I can’t.”
“I liked it when you called me angel, but don’t be too sure I am one. And if you don’t pick me up, I’ll have to walk. My car is still at the school, remember? Don’t worry. There’s nothing wrong with giving your friend a ride to school when she’s stranded. Brielle will totally understand.”
When I got home, I showered and crashed on my bed, planning to spend the rest of the night there doing homework and plotting for the next day. I could sneak some leftover spaghetti up later and binge watch something on Netflix until I went to sleep. Because otherwise, there was no way I was going to get to sleep at all.
But as soon as my mom stepped into my room, dressed up in a floral chiffon blouse with full makeup on, I knew I was out of luck.
“Hey, sweetheart. Can you get up and get ready to go to dinner?”
“Mom, please, can I stay here and eat leftovers. I’ve had a hard couple of days.”
“I know you have. That’s why I’m running Ryker over to a friend’s house for the evening. We’re going to have some one-on-one time to talk.”
She was out the door before I could answer. I closed my calculus book and flopped back, pulling a pillow over my head. This was not good. Especially since I knew I wasn’t getting out of it.
But if they were going to torture me, there was no way I was getting dressed up for it.
I went downstairs in jeans and one of my team T-shirts. I’d dried my hair and left it down, which was probably why my mom smiled in approval when she saw me instead of sending me straight back upstairs to change.
Then Cole walked in. He always met us for dinner because of his work schedule. The fact that he’d come home earlier than usual seemed ominous. “Okay, are you ladies ready to go?”
“Yep,” my mom said, grabbing her purse from the entry table and putting her sunglasses on.
Cole held the door open, waiting until both of us had walked out, then followed us over to his BMW. “Where do you want to eat, Amber? Your choice tonight.”
Both of my eyebrows went up. Okay. Something was definitely up. “Let’s go to Cocina Tortilla.” Maybe I could at least get some enchiladas and salsa out of this. Cole usually hated anything spicy.
“Sounds good to me. I’ll take some Tums later if I need to.”
At the restaurant, their unnerving and undivided attention continued. They asked about how my classes were going and complimented me on my game from the day before, before our food even came.
Once our plates were set in front of us, I hoped that would be the end of it. But they were just getting started.
I had a forkful of cheese and onion enchilada halfway to my mouth when Cole said, “So about the young man at your game the other night.”
I stuffed the bite in my mouth, but it was too hot. Opening my mouth, I sucked in a breath and flapped my hand in front of my mouth. I chewed quickly and swallowed before gulping down some ice water. When I could speak, I said, “Jason? What about him?”
My mom smiled at me, but she looked uncertain about what to say. “You told me he was dating someone else, but then he came to see your game.”
I nodded. “All true.”
Her brows pinched together. “Well? What’s going on?”
I held my hands out wide. “How should I know? It’s complicated.”
Cole worked on pulling every grain of rice away from the sauce on his enchilada. “Why don’t you tell us about it? Maybe we can help.”
I had my doubts. “Okay, so this guy and I started talking. He’s cute—”
Mom nodded her head. “Yes, he is.”
“—and actually really cool once I got to know him. He asked me out after the football game last week, and I turned him down.”
“Why?” Cole asked.
“Because of my no-dating rule.”
He looked at me like I was talking gibberish. “What no-dating rule?”
I explained all about it, all the reasons why I had it, and fully expected him to appreciate my maturity.
“Amber, it’s admirable that you are so focused on your goals, but you have plenty of time to be responsible. I’d love to see you go on a few dates and have some fun.”
“But if I’m going to go to Duke—”
“Honey,” my mom said, “relax, just a little. You’re not going to have any trouble going to Duke. Honestly, I’ve been worried about you because you seem so stressed all the time. I wish we’d had this talk sooner.”
Cole put his fork down. “You know, even if Duke doesn’t work out, there are other options out there.”
I frowned. “You guys have always been so proud of my decision to go there.”
“Sure,” he said. “But your mom is right. Don’t work so hard that you don’t enjoy what’s right in front of you.”
It took a real effort not to point out that he did exactly the same thing. I only managed it because he sounded sincere, like he actually cared about me. From the pained expression that came over his face, I think he figured it out anyway.
My mom looked between us. I could tell she was trying to figure out what wasn’t being said, but she pressed on. “Honey, all we want is for you to be happy.”
I nodded, sorting through my thoughts. “I know. But I guess I’ve felt a lot of pressure because…” I looked at Cole. “Everything I have seems so temporary. I have always felt like an orphan that got to go live with Daddy Warbucks for a while. But soon I’m going to have to leave and stand on my own two feet. Duke is my shot at making my dreams come true for myself.”
My mom’s brows pinched together. “Amber, I hope you’ve never felt that pressure from us...”
I shrugged. “I don’t know where it came from. But it was there. So that’s why I didn’t want to date. That’s why I turned Jason down even though I didn’t want to.”
“Did he started dating someone else?”
There was so much more to it than that, but I didn’t want to get into the details. “Basically.”
“But you still like each other?” she asked gently.
I nodded, knowing my expression was probably giving away more of my true feelings than I wanted.
Cole picked up his fork again. “Well, I approve. I hope things work out.”
That took me aback. “What?”
He looked at my mom, as if wondering what he’d said wrong. “He seemed like a good, respectful kid. It says something about a boy who comes over on his own to meet a girl’s parents and shake their hand.”
I chuckled in disbelief, thinking of Jason’s bad boy reputation. If Cole had seen him thrashing Troy on the beach, he might have a different opinion of h
im.
But knowing the reason behind it, it made sense. There was a lot to Jason—so many layers of complicated history and incredible strength. I realized then that all Jason needed in life to reach his potential was someone who believed in him. And I did.
“So if I was to start dating him, you guys wouldn’t mind at all?”
My mom shook her head enthusiastically. “Not at all.”
“Good to know.”
I had a ton to figure out with Jason and the whole Brielle catastrophe. But for the first time, I felt free to kick my rule to the curb with no hesitation.
12
I couldn’t believe I was doing this.
Apparently falling for a guy makes you do stupid things.
With a critical eye, I studied my reflection in the mirror. I had on a pair of skinny jeans, but there my usual dressing choices ended. Instead of a T-shirt and tennis shoes, I was wearing a silky white blouse with an open navy-blue cardigan, a long gold chain with a feather pendant, and camel-colored ankle boots. Most drastically of all, I’d straightened my hair and put on makeup. I’d used a very natural palette, but with a dark gold shimmer eyeshadow and mascara, it still popped. As did my plum-toned lip gloss.
Jason hadn’t actually agreed to pick me up, so I worried about that some. Especially since I couldn’t just call or text him to find out. But at 8:15, while I was eating a bowl of cereal and looking out the kitchen window toward the road, I saw him pull up at the curb. I smiled. He wasn’t the type of guy to come if he didn’t want to.
After scarfing down the last few bites of my cereal, I rinsed out the bowl, grabbed my bag, and hurried out the door. As I walked down the driveway, I tried to look like I was confident instead of totally self-conscious because of my attempt to look nice for a change.
When I got to the truck, Jason leaned across the seat and opened the door for me. I tossed my bag in first and hoisted myself up. I’d planned to smile at him, all part of the whole flirting thing, but it was so good to see him that it came naturally. In fact, my smile was probably a little out of control so I bit my lip. “Good morning, tough guy.”
“Not going to play fair, are you, angel?”
Okay, sound innocent. “What do you mean?”
He shook his head and put the truck in gear. “Good thing Brielle is at basketball practice.”
I pressed my lips together but told myself to not be hurt. He could mean a dozen different things by that, and he was dating the chick after all. For whatever reason. And even though I knew he had feelings for me, I could totally sympathize with how awkward and frustrated he must be feeling. Determined to help him relax about things, I decided to keep the conversation easy.
“I’m looking forward to English today. We’re starting A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s my favorite Shakespeare play.”
Jason laughed.
“What?”
“You’re such a cute nerd.”
“Not your thing, huh? Do you like anything about school?”
He thought for a minute. “Football. History isn’t too bad. Especially American History.”
“Ooh, a history buff.”
That made him send me a level look. “I said it wasn’t too bad. I told you school isn’t my thing.” He sighed. “I’m only trying to graduate because it means a lot to my grandma. And because I might have a chance at playing college ball.”
“What would you do if you didn’t graduate?” I was so curious. I’d never even considered the idea that someone might choose not to graduate high school.
“I’d go to a trade school. I’d like to learn welding. Or I could be a mechanic.” He looked sideways at me. “Not what you’re used to, huh?”
“No, but it sounds cool. And there’s something hot about it.”
This time his laughter got that bitter tone that made me sad. “Just what every girl dreams of. Did I ever tell you why I got expelled from my last school?”
“No. And I don’t care.”
He continued anyway. “I started dating this girl. She was the principal’s daughter, and he didn’t like it. All of a sudden, I was getting in trouble for every little thing. He suspended me twice for minor things most kids just got warned about.” Smirking, he shook his head. “I didn’t exactly try to reform, either.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“He pulled me in one day because of my excessive absences. He went on to tell me exactly what he thought I was going to make out of my life. Even though he was trying to get a rise out of me, and I knew it, I told him exactly where he could stick his opinions.”
“Jason!”
He shrugged. “It gave him what he needed to expel me.” He grinned at me. “Then I told him he could have saved himself the trouble because his daughter was a spoiled brat.”
It was crazy that talking about him getting expelled had somehow lightened his mood. “My parents like you. That was pretty smart of you to come shake my stepdad’s hand.”
“Not smart.” He adjusted his ball cap. I’d noticed it was a tic when he felt unsure about something. “It’s good manners. And lets a man know you respect his daughter. And him.”
I’d thought I couldn’t like him any more than I already did, but when his words set off a firestorm inside me, I realized I was wrong. “Jason Hunt, if you want me to keep my feelings for you to myself, don’t keep making me fall harder for you.”
He did have a marvelous jaw, especially when he clenched it like that.
It was probably a good thing that we pulled up at the school then. I knew better than to force this conversation on him.
As we got out of the truck, we walked in slowly together––closer together than we should have. The fingers on my left hand twitched as I thought about reaching out to hold his hand. Maybe he was thinking about the same thing, because he shoved his hand in his pocket.
“Um…I need to go put some stuff in my volleyball locker.”
“Yeah. I’m going to drop my bag off too,” he said, moving with me toward the gym entrance.
“What about your books?”
He raised his eyebrows, and the corner of his mouth twisted up. “My teachers are lucky if I bring a notebook.”
I couldn’t help it. I giggled.
Jason bumped me gently with his shoulder, so I bumped him with my hip.
That was when I saw Brielle ahead of us, her face red and her lips pressed together. Her face was probably just flushed from her basketball practice, but the anger in her eyes was all directed at me.
There were so many other people around that I just hoped she’d keep her cool. Jason might not care about getting into fights, but I did. Not that I couldn’t take her if she tried something, but I wasn’t about to get suspended from school because Brielle had a jealous fit.
Her head jerked to the side, and her chin thrust forward for a few seconds. She was going to say something catty; I just knew it.
But something caught her attention, stopping her. I followed the direction of her eyes and turned to look over my shoulder. Troy had just come in. He looked terrible with a black eye, a swollen cheekbone, and tape over his nose. I was still gawking at the damage to his face when Brielle lunged at Jason, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing herself against his chest.
“Hey, baby. Did you miss me?” she purred, tipping back her head as if looking for a kiss.
Jason gave a slight shake of his head and looked much more annoyed than welcoming. “Sure, babe.”
As Troy walked by, I could feel his glare as if it was meant for me. I shivered. Then I realized that he and Jason were having a stare down.
What the heck was happening to my life? Had I really ever just come to school, gone to class, and played volleyball with absolutely no drama? Now, every muscle in my body was tense as I waited to see what would happen. By the time Troy was past us, my teeth ached from clenching them together.
“Oh, thank goodness,” I said. “Jason, please don’t let him draw you into another fight. You’d
get in so much trouble this time.”
Brielle flung around and responded before Jason could. “It’s nothing to do with you.”
My eyes didn’t waver from hers. “We’re friends, so it matters to me. Get used to it.”
“Just remember that’s all you are.”
Jason rolled his eyes behind her back. His expression became an apology.
I shrugged and smiled at Brielle. “Don’t worry. I don’t mind taking my turn in the friend zone. See you later, Jason.”
13
We got out of practice early that day because Coach had an appointment to get to. I know I should have just gone home. Being around Jason at school right now wasn’t the best idea. But such logical thoughts didn’t keep me from waiting for him in the hallway.
Thinking back to my opinions of girls who waited around in the hallway for the football team to come in, I had to shake my head at myself. I was even still wearing my spandex shorts—though that was honestly just because there was no way I was putting my nice clothes on again while I was sweaty and gross. When the football team came in, the hallway echoing with the clack of their cleats on the floor, I waited, tucked in a corner between a door frame and the wall. When Jason came in, he took his helmet off and brushed back his damp hair, leaving it in messy spikes just the way I liked it. Man, he was so hot in his football pads.
When he saw me, he gave me that half-smile that made my pulse race and then shouldered his way through the rest of the team to get to me. “Hey, there. I was hoping to talk to you.” But instead of talking, he pulled off his practice jersey and then his shoulder pads. He dropped them on the floor beside me. Underneath, he wore a skintight Under Armor shirt that showed off the tone and definition of his torso nearly as well as if he’d taken it off too.
I bit my lip, not quite sure what to do. Everything about this situation was way over my head. Be cool. “Yikes.”
Crap. Had I said that out loud?
Flirting with the Bad Boy Page 8
