I stepped back with my right foot, lifting my fists to chest height as I swept my foot from behind me to just under her feet. She fell, landing on her ass with a plop.
Outraged, she flicked her gaze at me from her spot on the floor. While screeching, she rolled to all fours and then stood again. “You stupid bitch.”
“I won’t be the stupid one, if you come at me again, Staci.” I kept my voice calm. There was no reason to fight her. She didn’t have something I wanted. I had no doubt that she was talking about me behind my back, but did that really matter? Did I really care? Not that much. Not as much as the group of girls probably thought I did.
She froze, eyeing me as she held her distance. Her gaze flicked from me to the group of girls and then back to me. Her smile turned sly. “We could take you. It wouldn’t be hard.”
I started laughing softly, mockingly. “Girl, listen. You haven’t been here that long. These girls? They have. They know I don’t mess around and that I can most likely take them. You’re not the first fight I’ve had. Got it? You don’t get to being queen by having other people do your dirty work.” I glanced her up and down and folded my arms. “Or dressing like a whore.” I held my hands open at chest level. “But, hey, you do you. You didn’t ask me for advice. I’m just letting you know, Braddox likes to have to work for it. You’re not just giving it away, you’re begging him. He won’t be interested for long.”
I needed to get her closer to me without hurting her. The necklace looked to similar to the one I had. I couldn’t exactly ask her for a closer inspection.
She glanced over my shoulder and motioned for the girls to leave. “I got this. I’ll be right there. You guys go on ahead.” She waited until the door closed and then looked at me again as she stepped closer. “How the hell do you know that?”
I pretended to be doing a head to toe scan as I glanced at her head and then looked at the necklace. Yep, it was exactly like mine with its rotating blades on the top in the motion like a windmill and silver diamond cut skids. I finished my inspection by glancing at her shoes. “I was with him almost two years. I never screwed him. Acting like a whore gets you treated like one. It’s not hard to understand.”
Something clenched in the depths of her eyes as if I’d slapped her. She pressed her lips together and then brushed past me, ramming her shoulder into mine. “Stay out of my way, Ramirez.”
I turned and watched her walk away.
I wasn’t sure why, but she had my necklace. It wasn’t the same one, but it was exactly like it. Mine was in my new room, locked away in the small jewelry chest my father had bought me. At least, I could have sworn it was.
I got through PE and the rest of the day without getting any closer to Staci or anyone else. The girls avoided me like the plague. Fine. Whatever. I didn’t care.
Jaxon fell into step beside me as we walked from school at the end of the day. I glanced at him, relieved to be around someone who created tension in me that wasn’t painful or contentious.
“How’d your day go? You were late to gym. Just like Staci was.” He peered at me, hiking his bag higher on his shoulder. He had no idea just how sexy he was in a dark shirt that only seemed to enhance the size and shape of his muscles and the color of his eyes.
“It was fine. Yeah, she thought it was necessary to establish territory.” I rolled my eyes. “Hey, can I get you to drop me off at Stephanie’s? She just got out of the hospital and doesn’t want to be alone.” I wrinkled my nose as I watched him from under my lashes.
“Of course. Did you need me to talk to Staci?” He led the way to his car and leaned against the hood as he watched me reach my own door.
I shook my head. “No. I don’t want you doing anything with Staci.” Was he kidding? What was wrong with him? Did he think I seriously wanted him anywhere near that whore?
He arched an eyebrow and climbed in the car, leaning across to unlock my door and let me in. “I sense a little bit of jealousy. Can I hope that to be true?” He side-grinned at me when I climbed in, backing out of the parking spot and driving out of the lot.
“You bet, I’m jealous. She’s… obviously available and very experienced. Not to mention gorgeous. Why wouldn’t you want her?” I listed the reasons why he should choose her. Would I be surprised, if he did pick her now? I could have slapped myself.
We stopped at a stop sign and Jaxon turned to face me. “If you think for a second, she’s comparable to you, you’re wrong. I wouldn’t trade a sexless moment with you for a blow job from her.”
“Really?” I hated to sound so whiny or even like I was looking for a compliment, but Braddox had made it fairly clear that relationships were about sex, especially when he’d chosen to go after Staci after taking me to dinner.
Jaxon continued driving toward Stephanie’s from the stop sign. “Of course. If the only thing that mattered was sex, I wouldn’t still be chasing you.” He pulled to a stop in front of Stephanie’s house and shifted into neutral as he turned back to face me, grazing his thumb down my cheek. “And let me be clear, I’m definitely chasing you.”
My eyes widened as Jaxon’s gaze dropped to my lips. He licked his. “I haven’t forgotten that we made promises. When things calm down, we will definitely sneak some time together.”
I swallowed. How in the hell was he able to twist me up and wring me out without even really touching me? I blinked and then nodded. “Yes, okay, I… that sounds… ahem.” Heat flooded my cheeks and I shook my head. “Yes, of course.”
We hadn’t really spoken like that face to face; it had mostly been via texting.
Jaxon chuckled and pulled back. “You better get going. I’ll be at Crenshaw’s again tonight so I’ll see you in the morning?” He glanced at me, questions in his eyes as if I might not ride to school with him.
“Perfect. And… if you’re staying with your dad now, why do you need a job?” I was genuinely curious why he felt he needed money.
Tilting his head to the side, he shifted into first while he waited for me to climb out. “Honestly? That’s his money. There’s no freedom in someone else’s cash. I need my own, you know?”
Thinking about that, I smiled and climbed from the car. He drove off and I couldn’t help wondering just how free I really was.
In Staci’s room, I sat on the chair beside her bed.
She looked so much better than when I’d left her at the hospital. She blinked as she spoke. “Hey, whore. How’s it going? Am I missing anything at school?” But her words were slightly slurred as she tried not to split her still-fat and cut lip. She squinted at me from both eyes, one almost swollen shut and the other black and blue along the lower rim.
I sighed, leaning forward on my arms to get closer to my friend. “Staci Stabler has the same necklace Dad gave me for my sixteenth birthday. She has my dad’s last name. She’s living in my house. Like… am I stupid to think that’s a lot of coincidences?”
“She’s a bitch, man. And I agree with you. There has to be an explanation.” Staci reached out and grabbed my hand, her fingers slightly chilly. “Hey, stay for dinner. It’s just me again.”
After she was released from the hospital, Stephanie was still all by herself.
That made me inexplicably sad. I nodded, swallowing down the choked sensation of sadness for her. “Of course. Mom and Trenton are still in the honeymoon phase so I’d rather hang out with you than go there to the House of Horny.”
She snorted and shook her head. “Don’t make me laugh. That hurts.”
My grin was wide as we stared at each other. How nice to know someone had my back? I had Jaxon and I had Stephanie. Stephanie wasn’t in a position to have my back right then, but I couldn’t help knowing she would if I needed her to.
Too bad she had her own crap to deal with. Stuff I could help her with. Was Steph glad she had me?
Chapter 9
Jaxon
Living with the knowledge that Olivia lived feet from my bed was hard enough. Add to that the information that she w
as a genuinely kind person who took care of her friends and I was in danger of craving more than just her body.
Braddox had gone out of his way to stay away from the house as well while I worked at Crenshaw’s. I couldn’t just quit on him. Plus, I needed the normalcy the shop offered. I might have been moved to the lap of luxury but I was in even more precarious situations than I’d been in before.
At least, there was predictability in Mom and Norman’s drug and drinking binges.
I walked into my father’s house – still not comfortable enough to think of it as mine and I paused by the door to the kitchen. My dad stood at the counter, sipping a glass of white wine and staring at a newspaper. He glanced up as if sensing my presence. Confusion colored his eyes until he took in my clothes. “Jaxon, hello. How was your day?”
I stepped a little further into the doorway of the kitchen. “Good, thanks.” I shifted, moving my backpack to my other arm. “Have you heard when Mom’s funeral is going to be?”
He lowered his glass and angled his head to the side. “Look, Jaxon, I’m not sure how much you know, but the funeral won’t be until next week at the earliest. Your mom… she was involved in some pretty bad stuff. They aren’t releasing the body until the investigation is complete.” He studied me, as if waiting for me to lose my shit or something. “Are you okay? I can’t imagine how hard this has been for you.”
I shrugged. “I’m good, thanks. I have a bunch of homework. I’ll see you in the morning. Thanks for the update.” I turned without giving him a chance to say anything else and I climbed the stairs to the next level.
A window nook overlooking the front yard was to the left at the top of the stairs. Settees and couches were arranged in a U-shape around the bay of windows.
Olivia sat on the couch closest to the windows with her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around her lower legs. Her long hair had been left free to cascade around her shoulders and she wore a loose t-shirt over a pair of blue leggings that closely fit her form.
I should just walk away. Any time I got near her, I had to try to talk myself out of a hard-on and it never worked. Just watching her for those brief moments left me aroused.
Already affected by her, I moved further into the nook area, grateful for the slight whiff of her scent as I walked by her to sit down on a seat near her but not close enough to touch her.
I had a habit of not keeping my hands to myself when I was around her. Judging by the pensive look on her face, right then was not the time to pursue the sexual attraction between us.
We didn’t say anything as I loosened my hold on my bag and claimed a seat on the couch kitty corner to her. I stared in the same direction she did, content to sit there with her, just being in the same space as her. She’d been under a lot of pressure lately. I didn’t need to push for anything else.
And in all honesty, I didn’t mind the peace and quiet for a moment either. Just to sit there and watch the ocean under the stars. When was the last time I just relaxed? Relaxation wasn’t something the residents of East Side actually did. Every minute was a hustle for another dollar.
Relaxation was an activity of the rich.
“You know… I used to be so jealous of Stephanie.” Olivia didn’t look at me as she slowly spoke, her volume almost reverent as if she were speaking to herself.
I didn’t answer or ask my questions. Why would she ever be jealous of anyone?
She continued, as if she’d heard my query. “She’s always been so easy. Not just sleeping around, but yeah, she does that. Which I’m a little jealous about that, too. I’m uptight about it. I know it sounds stupid and antiquated, but I always… I wanted to sleep with someone because I really cared about them. Not because they got a boner and couldn’t wait to get their rocks off, you know?” She scrunched her nose up and then glanced at me.
“I always wanted to be her because her life seemed so ideal with her parents gone all the time. She would come over to my house and have dinner and spend time with us and I couldn’t believe she would want that when there was so much freedom at her place.” Bright tears welled in Olivia’s eyes and she wiped her fingertips across her cheeks to dash any moisture away.
“She… She’s lying there at her place, completely alone. She wanted that baby because she’s lonely. I think she hates herself and her life and that’s why she sleeps around. She wants to feel loved. But when Ryan…” She fell silent and looked down at the couch, tugging at the seam lining of the cushion before glancing back at me. “At Donnie’s last party… he raped her. She said it wasn’t a big deal, but then he went and did this and I’m… I’m scared for her. He’s not… I don’t think he’s all there, you know?”
I took a deep breath. Olivia was running around with a girl she cared deeply about but who wasn’t around the safest people and wasn’t making the best choices. How did I explain to her how scared that made me?
“I’m not jealous at the same time, you know? But growing up… yeah, she came over a lot and always said she loved my family. I kind of… I kind of hoped she’d be jealous of me a little bit because of my family and now look what happened.” Olivia blinked again, lowering her head and sniffing. “My dad died. Did I tell you that? He died three months ago. That’s why we moved to the east side. We lost… everything. He’d apparently sold the company or something and then lost all the money doing something else. The details are really confusing, but overall, it boils down to… my dad didn’t love us enough to protect the family legacy.”
Her confessions piled up around us and I suddenly realized she just needed someone to listen. She didn’t want me to fix anything – even if I could – she just wanted me to hear her.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” So, she actually understood where I hurt from losing a parent. At least hers wasn’t a drug addict and hadn’t torn the family apart like mine had.
She shook her head, waving her hand in the air like that part didn’t matter. “No, that’s… I mean, yeah, it sucks, and thanks, but the hard part about this? You know Staci? Her last name is Stabler. That’s my dad’s last name.”
I furrowed my brow and studied her. “But your last name is Ramirez.”
“Yeah, but that’s part of the Ramirez legacy. The name stays with the children. So, my dad was a helicopter pilot and when I was sixteen, he gave me a necklace with a mini helicopter on it, gold, right? Very original piece. Then I see almost the exact necklace on Staci today.” She shook her head. “And just when you think it can’t get any weirder? I found out from Stephanie that Staci Stabler lives in my old house. I mean… None of it makes sense. She’s from Denver – at least that’s what Stephanie said. That’s where my dad died, in a helicopter crash right outside of the city.” She sighed. “Ramirez International didn’t have anything in Denver since the 1980s. Most everything moved south.”
She turned from me, staring back outside as if the secrets to her trials lay just beyond the shining water line.
Anger boiled inside me. Her father had spent her family money, did something to it so that Olivia had to rely on other people.
She shook her head and sniffed. “Sorry, to vent like that on you.”
I stood, moving to lean over and press my lips to her forehead. “Don’t worry about it. I’m here if you need to talk. Let me run my things to my room and change and I’ll come back, okay?”
She nodded half-distractedly as she continued staring outside.
I rushed to my room, tossing my bag on the foot of the bed my father had provided for me. I pulled out some relaxing pants and a t-shirt. Maybe I could hold Olivia while we both needed comfort. I hadn’t mourned for my mom yet, but it also didn’t seem real.
I changed quickly then crossed the hall to Braddox’s room. Asking Braddox about Staci and what he thought of her would be the best place to start. After Olivia went to bed, I’d ask Dad what he knew. Something didn’t seem right. There were too many coincidences in the small bits that Olivia had told me. The last name was a red flag and it was more th
an a little trippy.
Taking a deep breath, I rapped my knuckles on the door to his room.
Loud giggling and then some shushing carried through the doorway.
Braddox had a girl in his room?
After a minute, Braddox opened his door, blocking the ability to see further inside. His eyes darkened and he slid more fully to take up the space between the door and the doorjamb. “What do you want?”
“Did you know that S-″ Giggling cut me off and I caught a glimpse of Staci’s naked ass and she ran from the bed to the bathroom. “You have Staci here? Does Olivia know?” I glanced down the hall. We were far enough away that if we spoke loudly, Olivia would barely hear the tones of our voices, but that was it. I still lowered my volume anyway.
Braddox shrugged, letting the hold on his towel relax a little bit. “Actually, I thought you were her.” He winked and peeked his head out and glanced down the hall toward her door. “She’ll know soon enough with how loud this girl is.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Staci sauntered out of the bathroom, her breasts swaying gently in front of her with her shoulders pulled back. “Jaxon, it’s you.” She moved closer to Braddox, wrapping her naked arms around his neck from the back and almost purring at me. “Come on, boys. I’ve always wanted twins.”
She sounded like a broken record with her supposed need for twins. Why would anyone want to share anything that used?
I shifted my gaze from her face to Braddox’s. “Are you serious, right now?”
He shrugged. “Look, I don’t share well with others, but it might be fun to try at least once. With you, it’d be like I was doing it with myself. We’re so similar.” His eyes were red-rimmed and it hit me. He was stoned. Probably drunk, too.
“Come on, come in. We can share this one time. You can pick how you want it and I’ll take the flip side.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me and pushed the door open more.
I stepped back, hands up at chest level as I shook my head. “You know, I’m not even interested.”
Forbidden: A bully romance (An Academy Twin Rivalry Series Book 2) Page 8
