Anna Martin's First Love Box Set: Signs - Bright Young Things - Five Times My Best Friend Kissed Me

by Anna Martin

  Jared took a deep breath, playing with the ring-pull on the can. “I need a tutor,” he said on a long exhale. “I’m failing the classes they didn’t offer at my last school because I’m behind.”

  “I’ve got it,” Hadley said immediately. “Don’t worry.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. It’s not your fault you got sent to that horrific place, sweetie. I’ll call your dad and get the money out of him.”

  “Please don’t tell him I’m failing,” Jared said. He didn’t care what his father thought about his sexuality or what he was getting up to on the other side of the country. But he didn’t want to have to listen to the awful lecture that would surely follow hot on the heels of that news.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Hadley said and crossed the kitchen to touch Jared’s arm lightly. “You’re at one of the best schools in the country. I know your dad wants you to go Ivy League, and I’m sure that’s still not out of the range of possibility. We’ll get you there. As long as he’s paying.” She winked.

  “Thanks,” Jared said with a laugh. “How come I wasn’t allowed to move in with you before now?”

  Hadley sighed dramatically. “Oh, I’m a terrible influence, of course. Black sheep of the family. Or I was, until Richard’s son decided to be gay, and all hell broke loose.”

  “Did I steal your crown?” Jared said, teasing.

  “Yes! I should be very annoyed with you.”

  “Please don’t send me home.” Jared was only half-joking.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “Tell me about work?”

  Hadley was an artist, which annoyed Jared’s mom no end. There were buildings all over the west coast with her murals painted on the side, all in her distinctive, graffiti style.

  Most of her connections were in the cities where she liked to hang out, which meant anywhere along the coast where the sun shone. Jared realized he didn’t know much about the woman he’d been staying with for a while now and felt a little guilty. Hadley had done him a favor by opening her house to him, even if she was getting a decent financial reward from his father. She was nice, and she didn’t have to be. Jared decided to make more of an effort.

  He listened as she fixed dinner and chattered about her commissions and projects, and he tried to nod and smile and mm-hmm in all the right places. Truth was, he’d never really understood the art world, and Hadley was so immersed in it she barely knew anyone who wasn’t.

  They stayed in the kitchen to eat, sitting across from each other at the breakfast bar. Jared had to admit it was good.

  “Hey,” Jared said on impulse. “I don’t suppose you know the Hemlocks, do you?”

  Hadley snorted. “Sure. It’s hard to live in this town and not know them. Old man built half the businesses around here from the ground up.”

  “The kid is in my class.”

  “Adam?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is he a brat?” Hadley asked.

  “He’s….”

  “Uh-oh. Do you have a crush on him?”

  “No,” Jared said, hoping to inject the right amount of derision into his tone. “He’s gay, though. The girls I hang around with seem to want to set us up.”

  He took another bite of his lasagna and tried not to look too interested in what Hadley was saying. Even though he trusted her, he wasn’t ready to admit his feelings for Adam to himself yet, let alone his aunt.

  “Well, they’re filthy rich, so if that appeals to you, I’d say go for it. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not all about the money, but it certainly helps.”

  “He’s good-looking,” Jared conceded.

  “I bet. His grandparents used to run this place. His family was one of the first to settle here, god knows how many years ago. Didn’t his dad die?”

  “I don’t know,” Jared said.

  Hadley leaned back and frowned. “His mom is an architect, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Yeah,” Hadley said, clearly remembering now she’d been prompted. “Her husband died when Adam was a baby. I can’t remember how. I know he was in the army at some point, but it wasn’t a military funeral, so I don’t think he died in service.”

  “How can you know this?” Jared asked with a laugh. “You didn’t even live here when all of that went down.”

  Hadley shrugged. “One of the most important things to know about high society is anything that’s anyone else’s business. You’ll figure that out soon enough.”

  “These kids gossip like old ladies.”

  “Oh, god, yeah. As long as it’s someone else’s private life, they want to talk about it.”

  “Do you know the Metagos?” Jared asked, aware he was the one gossiping now but wanting to know as much as he could. Hadley was an untapped source of information he hadn’t anticipated.

  “Yeah,” she said darkly.

  “Their daughter is in my class too. Clare.”

  “If she’s anything like her mother, she’s beautiful and evil.”

  “That sounds about right.”

  “The Metagos are old money as well,” Hadley said, licking her fork clean and pushing her plate away. “Their sense of entitlement is ridiculous. I never got on with Sharon Metago when I was with Mark. She called me a tramp once.”

  Jared laughed. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah,” Hadley grinned. “Oh, I was wrong for this place right from the start. Too young, too artistic, too liberal. I liked being the ‘other woman’ for a while; that was fun. It felt sexy, you know? Then we got married, and it all went downhill from there. Never get married, Jared.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” he said drily.

  “You can talk to me about sex, you know,” Hadley said, leaning forward on her elbows.

  “Oh, really?” Jared said with a groan, covering his face with his hands. Hadley reached over and pulled them away. “I’m very sure that’s not necessary.”

  “Jared, I’m serious,” she told him. “I won’t get squicked out, I promise. I don’t like that you don’t have anyone to talk to about your relationships.”

  “Trust me, if I was living at home, I wouldn’t be talking to anyone there.”

  She harrumphed. “That’s another issue entirely.”

  “I’m okay. I don’t need to talk to you about anything.”

  “Are you having sex?”

  “Yes,” Jared said, staring out of the dark window and the huge low moon hanging in the night sky. “Not right now, obviously. But it’s on the cards.”

  “Okay. Are you being safe?”

  “Yes.”

  “That means more than just using condoms, you know—”

  “Yes,” he said again, interrupting her. “I know.”

  “And there are other ways for you enjoy each other apart from penetration.”

  “Oh, God,” Jared groaned again, and Hadley laughed.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I feel like I have a responsibility to you though, Jared. I know you don’t have anyone else to talk to.”

  “Thank you,” he said and hoped he sounded grateful. Her concern was unnecessary but appreciated.

  “Trust me. I know what it’s like to be eighteen and think the world begins and ends with having sex.” She got up, crossed to the fridge for a bottle of white wine, grabbed two glasses, and was pouring them as she sat back down.

  Jared accepted the glass gratefully. Hadley always chose good wine. “I like sex, Hadley. I’m not going to apologize for that.”

  “I’m not saying you should. But like I said. The world doesn’t revolve around fucking.” She shrugged, her expression nonchalant. “You’re growing up in this hypersexualized culture. There’s nothing wrong with waiting a while.”

  “For what?”

  She laughed again. “For… the right time. The right person. The right….”

  Jared got where she was going with this. Waiting for the right person was fine, in theory, but there was nothing wrong with fucking a few g
uys until Mr. Right arrived. Waiting was what Christian girls with Republican fathers did, and he definitely wasn’t one of those.

  Hadley slid off her stool and collected the dirty dishes. Jared rushed to help. He didn’t want her to think he was a total freeloader.

  “I’ll try and be around more,” she said softly as Jared loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, and Hadley portioned the rest of the lasagna to be frozen.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “Really. After living in a dorm room with seven other guys last year, this is bliss.”

  “You’re a good kid, Jared. Work hard and get the fuck out of here. God knows, you don’t want to stay.”

  With Hadley funding the tutoring mission, Jared called the number on the paper Ryder had given him and got through to Dylan Gorden, who had a smooth, deep voice and was more than willing to help out a friend of his friends. It turned out knowing who to name-drop was key in these parts.

  After a bout of Facebook stalking, Jared discovered Dylan was hot. Not cute or nice looking, but all-out hot. He had light brown hair that was a little too long, worn styled back from his face. Smoky eyes. Charming smile with a dimple. Jared got all this from one profile picture, but it was definitely enough.

  For a moment Jared was confused, then he realized Dylan must be Ryder’s twin, not just her brother. He wondered why no one had mentioned that. It was strange to think Dylan was at least six months younger than Jared but currently a college freshman. Still, Jared needed the help, so he set up a first meeting in a coffee shop between New Harbor and Seattle. The last thing he wanted was to be flirting with a hot guy and someone walking in on them. That someone being Adam.

  Things there were still too complicated for Jared to put a label on. He wanted Adam, and he wasn’t sure how much his deal with Clare played into that wanting. There was little doubt in his mind if she decided to, Clare could make his life very, very difficult. She was manipulative to a degree he’d never seen before, and she had access to information on his private life and history. Starting over in Washington was supposed to be a change for something new. The last thing he wanted was his family’s dirty laundry being tossed all over the Academy.

  Out of town meant not having to see anyone from school for a whole Saturday, which was appealing in itself. Since arriving in New Harbor, Jared had spent every day at school, plus nearly every weekend with those people. They were exhausting.

  He took the truck out over the bridge and down to the north side of Seattle, then pulled into the parking lot of the first Starbucks he came to. It was the right one. Dylan had given him directions, but Jared couldn’t see that his tutor had arrived yet.

  Jared ordered an Americano and set up his Mac in a corner with a pile of books from his classes, and went through the assignment list for the rest of the year. It wasn’t too bad; with a few good grades to pull up his bad ones, the college his father was pushing for wasn’t completely out of the equation.

  That was, as long as he could pass chemistry and government.

  When Dylan walked in and looked around, Jared raised his hand in greeting. Dylan grinned, pointed to the barista, and raised his eyebrow. Jared shook his head, pointed to his mug, and Dylan gave him a thumbs-up before heading over to order his drink.

  Jared leaned back in his seat and blatantly cruised his new tutor.

  He wore nice jeans and big, clunky worker’s boots, a white shirt rolled up to his elbows, and a gray pinstripe vest that looked too damn good to be true. There were layers of leather cord bracelets around his wrists and at least one glinting silver ring on his finger.

  It wasn’t that Jared had a particular type, or even that Dylan was it. He liked the guys who were confident, sure of themselves, who owned their look.

  Since he wanted to make the right kind of impression, Jared stood when Dylan came over and offered his hand to shake.

  “Hi. Jared, right?”

  “Yeah,” Jared said, shaking Dylan’s hand, and sat down, shuffling papers to make room for Dylan’s drink. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.”

  “So, you know Ryder, right?”

  Jared nodded. “Yeah. And the rest of the Scooby gang.”

  Dylan hid his grin behind a mug of coffee. “I haven’t been across the bridge in a while. How are things?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t like to be presumptuous, but I’m guessing the same as they’ve always been.”

  “You’re trying really hard not to insult my friends, aren’t you?”

  “So hard,” Jared agreed dramatically.

  Dylan laughed. “It’s okay. I’ve been out of the loop for a while now. It’s funny how much perspective you get once you step back from it all.”

  “They’re all batshit crazy,” Jared said. “I’m serious. I know I’m the new guy and all, and I’m messing up their perfect little routine, but….”

  “They’re messing with you,” Dylan said bluntly. “I honestly don’t know what’s going on. All I got was a text from Ryder saying Clare told her to pass on my number. But if I know Clare—and I have since I was about four—she’s up to something.”

  “I wish I knew what,” Jared admitted.

  “You’ll figure it out sooner or later,” Dylan said, which was oddly reassuring. Jared nodded and tapped his keyboard to bring his computer to life.

  “So, chemistry,” he said with a baleful grin, and Dylan leaned over to see the screen.

  An hour later Jared felt like he’d finally found someone in this godforsaken corner of the country he could be himself around. Dylan was easygoing; he joked and laughed frequently but took the time to explain things when they were working in a way that made sure Jared understood, but he didn’t patronize him. It was both reassuring and promising. Dylan seemed to think they could work together a couple of times a week, and Jared wouldn’t have trouble bringing his grades back up.

  “You get all this stuff,” Dylan said, leaning back with his second cup of coffee. Jared had insisted on buying. “It’s just figuring out how to retain those bits of information you didn’t learn last year and how to apply them to the new assignments you’re getting. I think you probably do better in essays than tests, right?”

  Jared nodded. “Yeah. Exactly. How do you recognize stuff like that?”

  “I’m training to be an educational psychologist,” Dylan said. “At least, that’s the long-term plan. I’ve got a long way to go before I get there. But all of this helps—tutoring, I mean. I get to apply what I’m learning and actually help people in the process.”

  “That’s really cool. I’ve got no idea what I want to do.”

  “That’s okay, you know. Figure it out as you go along. Sometimes the best-laid plans go awry, and it ends up being something you never considered that stokes your passion or interest.”

  “What was yours?” As soon as Jared asked, he wished he could take it back. “I’m sorry. That’s way too personal.”

  “No, it’s fine. My younger brother has special-education needs, and I spent a lot of time helping teach him. Especially things his classroom teacher didn’t have time to go over. My parents didn’t want to homeschool him because social interaction is good for kids like Tyler. He just needed the support.”

  “So now you’re building that into a career.”

  “Exactly. I was lucky I got into a college on the West Coast where I could study, because I think being away from Tyler for a long time, or a long distance, it wouldn’t be great for him, you know. So I stay closer to home, and we’re all happy.”

  “It’s so easy to get wrapped up in school stuff,” Jared said with a sigh. “Particularly when there’s Clare and Chris and Adam all wanting to fuck with me in different ways….”

  Dylan grinned. “Don’t tell me Adam’s after you.”

  “Yeah. It looks that way.”

  “Damn kid will never learn.” Jared gave him a questioning look. “Oh, to leave the straight boys alone,” Dylan qualified.

  Jared laughed. “I’m gay, Dylan.�
��

  “Oh! Oh.” Dylan blushed, and Jared decided it was cute. Really cute. “I didn’t know.”

  “I’m not quite so much of a flaming queen as Adam….”

  Dylan laughed then too. “He said he could always tell I was gay, probably before I knew it myself. I think he talks a lot of bullshit. And I wouldn’t call him a queen to his face if I were you.

  “I wouldn’t dare. He terrifies me.” Jared wondered for a moment, then decided to bite the bullet. “Was there something between you two?”

  Dylan shook his head. “I didn’t come out until after I left the Academy. Adam has been out and proud since he was about fifteen, sixteen maybe. He’s got this aura about him. No one was going to mess with him about being queer. I wasn’t like that, though. I’m still not. It would have made my life hell to be out at school.”

  “I didn’t get that option,” Jared said wryly. “Clare outed me before I even arrived.”

  “Shit,” Dylan said with a wince. “That sucks.”

  “Nah, it’s fine. Saves any awkward conversations.”

  “I suppose.”

  For a moment the silence hung between them, and Jared wondered if it would be really, really weird if he asked Dylan out. Probably, since Jared was currently paying Dylan to tutor him. Maybe in a few weeks.

  “Well, I should get going,” Dylan said, rifling through the notes he’d made while they’d been working. “Will Thursday nights work for you? I come into town to see Ryder anyway, so I could always swing by after.”

  “Yeah, that’s fine. And Sundays here?”

  Dylan nodded. “Great.”

  There was another brief, awkward silence while Jared daydreamed about a kiss good-bye, and raised his hand in a short wave instead. Finally… finally he’d met someone here he could trust.

  He hoped.

  Chapter 8

  Gym classes got shook up somewhere in mid-October when the girls were taken out of their cozy, air-conditioned gym and forced to play either field hockey or soccer. The guys were given the choice of soccer or baseball. There would be no crossover between the girls’ and boys’ games.

  Baseball being one of the only sports Jared truly hated, he opted for soccer and wondered who would join him. It was a more aggressive sport for sure, and he’d enjoyed his position as the star goalkeeper at the middle school he’d attended in Michigan.