I moved Belle out of my way and stood front, and center. “Are you talking to me Mandy, because if you were I will have to ask you not to call me out my name again.” I’ma smack this bitch in her mouth.
“I don’t really care what you want you little nobody; I’m here to warn you to stay away from Jace. He’s mine and he’s going to stay mine. If you looked halfway decent I might’ve entertained the idea of a threesome, but I think I’d prefer my dog.”
My eyes widened when I got what she’d just said. Eww.
“Oh what’s the matter? You didn’t know that Jace was into kink? We’ve had lots of fun in bed together.
I’m sure a little mouse like you wouldn’t know what to do with a man like him. So why don’t you just go play with one of the other deadbeat males around here? That seems to be your preference anyway.”
She sneered at my girls as she said this. I didn’t say anything as yet because it didn’t look like she was finished, but I was sizing her ass up.
Sweat beaded her perfect forehead, there was spittle at the corners of her mouth and her eyes were getting that slightly enhanced glaze. Which meant that either she was on something, I’m sure that would be Belle’s door number one, or she was just plain dog shit crazy.
My refusal to participate in her little diatribe only served to make her even more rabid and she started spewing again. The weird thing is, the more she talked, the less worried I became. I guess what my dad says is true; a bully only has as much power as you give them.
“Ask your new friends, I’m sure they have some ideas as to what you can do with yourself if you need a date. Hey Belle. How’s that old vibrator coming along, or did that run away from your fat ass too?”
They all started laughing and high-fiving each other. I shook my head at Belle as she started to say something with fire in her eyes.
Cassandra was just standing there taking it all in, and Tammy was trying to disappear into the wall.
I buffed my nails and looked them over as I addressed the brainless twit that was about to catch new girl’s foot in her ass.
“So you’re saying that you and my boyfriend,” I was happy that I didn’t choke on the word, “had to have threesomes in order for him to get off? No wonder he came looking for me. Obviously he found you lacking.” With that I took my girls by the hand and walked away.
I knew where the scream came from that time; there was no guessing needed. I almost expected to feel something connect to my back but we got away unscathed.
Belle was mollified for the time being that I’d put that ass in her place, and her crazy was a little manageable, though not by much.
“Why did you stop me? I would’ve pulled every fake hair off her rabid ass head.”
“Belle, I thought your dad taught you that a lady never comports herself in such a manner.” I was talking like an ass to take her focus off of Mandy and get her started on me.
“What the hell are you talking about Sian? Comport myself. And while I’m behind these walls my dad had no jurisdiction.” I just shook my head and dragged her along until we reached the cafeteria.
“Oh shoot,” I stopped right inside the door, “Jace said to wait for him outside lit.”
“Yeah well, you couldn’t, because that twat beaver was all in your grill.” Belle watches MTV so her lingo is a little more advanced, not.
Just then I saw him coming towards me. He looked pissed and I was about to let him have it. I wasn’t in the mood for his shit after dealing with his ex cum dump.
But he stopped in front of me and took my face in his hands. He studied my eyes and face like he was looking for something, and from the way he gritted his teeth I figured someone had already spilled the beans about my little run-in with Mandy.
“Did she touch you baby?” I could only shake my head in wonder. Who the hell was this guy anyway? If he kept this up I was going to give him the goods on our first date, and that’s such a cliché.
Then he kissed my forehead and drew me into his chest and rocked me a little. This time I knew my girls sighed.
As soon as I started to get comfortable though he dropped his arms from around me, took my hand in his and dragged me across the room.
Oh shit! He stopped right in front of Mandy’s table where her and her crew were probably planning their next attack.
Of course by this point every eye in the room was on us and you could hear a pin drop. I think some people might’ve even been holding their breath.
I saw Jared and the rest of the team walk in, and from Jared’s face I guess he’d heard the news as well. Damn, news does travel fast in Hollywood.
I saw my brother’s shoulders relax when he assessed the situation and saw that Jace had things under control. Like the others he folded his arms and prepared to watch the show.
Chapter 6
JACE
I knew this bitch was stupid but I didn’t know just how stupid. I guess I had given her more credit than she was due.
The whispers were all over the school. I’d gone to pick up Sian after thinking about her all morning.
When my dick wasn’t hard from thinking about her ass, I was thinking about new ways to court her. Never gave that shit much thought before, but with her I wanted to do everything different.
I didn’t want to follow my usual routine, and she didn’t strike me as one to care too much about launch parties and being seen at the most popular restaurants where the stars hung out. Which was a welcomed change truth be known
My mind was full of her and I had a growing sense of excitement at the thought of seeing her again in the next few minutes.
So when I got there and she wasn’t where she was supposed to be I started to get a little hot under the collar. I hate it when things get in the way of my plans.
One of the freshmen who didn’t seem to give a shit that I was Jace Saunders, approached me as I stood in front of her classroom door while my boys waited for me down the hall.
By the time he was through giving me the rundown of what had happened, I was ready for blood.
Seeing her, making sure she hadn’t been hurt was my first priority. With that taken care of it was time to take some people out to the woodshed as my grandpa use to say.
I pulled her over to where Mandy and her brain dead entourage were sitting. I’m not sure why Mandy would risk my wrath, but either she really believed that shit that she’d been spouting about me not being able to stay away from her, or she was high.
“Hey Mandy, last warning so pay attention, the rest of you might as well listen too even though you’re too simple to have a thought of your own.
This is Sian for those of you who have been living under a rock for the last week and didn’t know that.
Sian is mine, I don’t give a fuck what any of you think about that, but I do care about people fucking with what’s mine.
If what happened today happens again, there will be a lot of fucks crying in their milk.” I glared around the table at them because if they had any sense at all they would realize it wasn’t just them that I’d just threatened.
Then again they’re not accustomed to me throwing my weight or more to the point, my dad’s weight around. The fact that I was even willing to make that threat, spoke volumes to me, and those who knew me.
I squeezed my girl’s hand and led her to my usual table where my boys followed. I saw that idiot Liz try to latch onto Shane’s hand, but he brushed her off. Serves her ass right, she use to be an okay person until she got caught up in Mandy’s web.
“Next time I tell you to be somewhere Ms. Sian you be there. Don’t let the likes of that one scare you she’s all talk.” I didn’t say anything more because there was nothing else to say.
Mandy and I were over long before she came on the scene, so there was no conflict there.
The fact that Mandy didn’t know why I’d suddenly decided to drop her might have something to do with her inability to let the fuck go.
She’s one of those types that hav
e to end things and everything has to be on her terms. At least she knew going in that that wasn’t going to fly with yours truly.
Still, she seemed to have bought into her own press. I’m going to have to keep an eye out and make sure she doesn’t do anything more than talk.
SIAN
“Jace can my friends sit here?” He was done dragging me around I guess, but from the set of his face I could tell he was still pissed.
“If they can’t that’s cool, I’ll just go sit at my table with them.” Belle and the others had gone to our usual table.
They didn’t look too put out that I wasn’t sitting with them; they’d expect me to sit with my new guy after all.
But I wasn’t about to leave them out. I’m thinking it’s time to shake up Eden High some and I’m sure having them at the head table so to speak, would more than ruffle some feathers.
“You’re sitting with me short stuff.” He pecked my lips and sat me next to him then he told some of his guys to get chairs for my three girls. Jared of all people went over and got the girls.
Their faces were almost comical and Belle, as was to be expected because she has to be a hard ass, was holding out.
Then my brother did something that I’m sure shocked the whole room. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.
His idiot friends were encouraging him and he grinned like a fool, while Belle threw invectives at his head, kicking and screaming all the way.
Cassandra was grinning and looking happy again and Tammy even broke a little smile before ducking her head and hiding.
***
Well, I guess that set the precedent nice and proper, as it should be. Belle for all her griping was looking very flushed I noticed, and I also noticed that Jared was sitting rather close to my new friend.
“So Tammy what happened, are we still on for our tutoring session this weekend?” Shane looked directly at her from his seat across from her and I think she was about to expire. Just what the heck was going on with these people anyway?
“Uh yes, yes we are.” She was suddenly very interested in her nasty ass tapioca pudding.
Jace meanwhile was running his thumb back and forth along my shoulder and giving me goose bumps. To say our table was the center of the universe at that point in time wouldn’t be overstating things by much. It seemed all eyes were on our little group; there had been a shift in their little dynasty.
I couldn’t help a little evil grin.
“Uh oh, what’s that look about?” I turned my head and grinned at Jace, suddenly happier than I could ever remember being.
“Nothing, I’m just, happy, excited, exhilarated…”
“All that huh, I hope I have something to do with all this newfound exuberance.” If you only knew, I thought. I gave him a look that I’d been practicing in the mirror since I was twelve.
He wasn’t expecting an answer apparently, because just then he groaned as if in pain and then his lips were on mine.
I was expecting one of his usual teasers, but whoa. The whistles and catcalls started and someone started pelting us with pieces of bread, at least that’s what I think it was.
I’m pretty sure that was Belle but soon others joined in the fun and we were being pelted from all sides.
“You guys are embarrassing.” That was Jared’s poignant assertion. Jace took a few more licks of my lips before turning back to the table. He got up and went to the lunch counter after telling me to stay put.
“Eat baby, you didn’t eat your lunch yesterday.” And how did he know that I wonder? He placed a tray with my usual lunch in front of me. Damn, he doesn’t miss anything it seemed.
Chapter 7
BELLE
I am about to die; I’m sure my face is ten shades of red and if I open my mouth I’m going to put my foot in it. I was getting some weird vibes from the new guy. Weird as in, I think he likes me.
But that so cannot be. I’ve seen the way the girls look at him, they’ve been following him around like lovesick puppies for the last two days.
So why was he sitting so close to me? This better not be one of those stupid high school set-ups where the popular guy loses a bet or something, because the way he just carted me around in front of the whole school gave a very distinct impression of…what?
“Something wrong with your food Red?”
“What?” Red, was that like some kind of endearment or something?
“You’re glaring at your sandwich babe, I thought maybe it had offended you in some way. I have noticed that you can be a bit prickly.” He grinned at me like my life wasn’t complicated enough, what with him sucking up all my oxygen and stealing my senses.
And since when have I become one of the bobble heads? I looked into his eyes and lost my train of thought.
“Is this some kind of game?” He squinted at me like I was speaking Latin or something.
“What, what’re you talking about?”
“I’m just wondering why the new guy who looks like the next big screen heartthrob would be sitting here wasting his time on someone like me.”
He sat back and folded his arms as he studied me. I was beginning to squirm under that intense gaze of his.
I’d noticed it quite a lot in the last two days. It was usually directed at me from across the room or a table, but this time it was up close and personal.
“Someone like you, what’s that?” I shrugged my shoulders and tore at the edges of my sandwich. As if he didn’t know.
“You know.”
“No tell me Belle, why do you consider me sitting here with you like this a waste of time? And thanks for the compliment by the way.”
“Let’s just drop it okay.” Now I felt foolish. And did he have to pay such close attention when he was talking to me? Like he was hanging on my every word?
“You know Red, I think you are your own worst enemy.” And with that little insightful tidbit he started eating.
I looked at him for five seconds, contemplating bashing him over the head with something. Why was he confusing me? And what was up with him and his sister upsetting the order of my universe?
Never would I ever have expected to be sitting at this table. Not even Mandy and her ilk ever set foot in this domain, and I was sure there was going to be a huge fallout. My big worry was Sian and that cheerleading crap.
She doesn’t know these girls like I do. Jace might’ve given them fair warning, but people like the Mandy Taylors of this world always find a way. I’ll have to have a talk with Sian; maybe at the sleepover she’d invited me to this weekend.
And wasn’t that a hoot? I’ve never been to one of those in my life, well sometimes Tammy and I would spend time at each other’s house, but we’ve never done the all night thing.
I knew these damn Claiborne’s were going to be trouble. Here two days and already they’re shaking up shit. At least Tammy and I weren’t at the wrong end of it this time, though I’m sure those twits will try to make our lives hell.
Shane was even talking to Tammy and across the way Liz was shooting daggers at her. I flexed my feet in my sneakers, testing the dexterity of them since they were new. I needed to be sure they could stomp her ass if she got stupid.
SIAN
“I want you to come meet my parents, do you think your parents would let you come to the house this evening? We can do our homework together.”
I stopped with my hand halfway to my mouth. “Your parents?” I didn’t see that coming.
“Yeah, it’s only fair, I met yours right?” damn that smirk, he could probably get me to agree to anything when he looked at me like that.
“I guess, um this evening? I’ll have to ask mom. I’m sure it will be okay, but…”
I’m dating someone and he wants me to meet his parents, in fact we haven’t even been on our first date yet. I don’t recall this part of the high school dating game. Jessica’s dates usually picked her up at the door and left.
I wanted to ask him if he’d taken all his former girlfrie
nds home to meet his folks, namely Mandy, but the thought was so depressing I benched the idea.
“Cool, I’ll pick you up after they give you the go ahead, say six? You can have dinner with me.”
“Oh, ok.” That was my spiffy comeback, what else could I say? The boy kept throwing me for a loop. First he defended me to his ex monster and now he was taking me home to meet mom, wow. This was so entirely different from anything I expected when I came here.
I noticed that he was a hoverer and very attentive, which I loved. I ate up all his attention like sucking up sunrays.
And each time I got a niggling doubt as to the longevity of whatever we had going on here, I pushed it aside and told myself to just enjoy.
He asked me a million questions about my life back home and what I wanted to do with my future.
“I’m not really sure, I always thought I wanted to be a doctor, but then I dissected my first frog and fainted, so that was out. Now I think I want to do something with kids, maybe teaching, I don’t know. Why, what do you want to do?”
“Me, football first definitely, but I know some day I’ll have to take the reins from dad so I’m going to have to study entertainment business in school among other things.
So you don’t fancy yourself being a movie star?” he seemed very invested in my answer to that one and I wasn’t sure why that was.
“Nah, that’s not my thing.” We ate in silence for a while and he seemed deep in thought as life went on around us.
His friends were talking football as usual. Belle was talking to Jared without hurling insults at his head, go figure.
And Tammy was showing Shane something on a piece of paper, while Cassandra seemed lost in thought. I have to figure out what’s going on with that girl.
“Cassandra, why don’t you come over a little early on Saturday so we can get some practice in before the big night?”
“Saturday, what’s happening on Saturday?” Jace played with the ends of my hair.
“I’m having a sleepover.”
Eden High Series One: The Eden High Series Boxed Set, Books 1-6 Page 8
