by Dawn Martens
The boys all laughed, but Jasper didn’t. I made the mistake of looking at him and noticed his eyes shooting daggers at me; I felt naked under his stare. I couldn’t help but notice all three of them checking me out, actually. I guess I blossomed a bit over summer. I had a nice tan from the beach, and I went up a whole cup in bra size.
“Can we talk?” he growled out.
“Nope. I, uh, gotta go. Bye.” I pulled Lilly with me, since Hilary was currently mouth fucking Mason, and we strolled down the hallway.
We didn’t get far before a hand clamped down on my arm. “I said, can we talk?” Jasper said, but not in a questioning way. He might have looked all cute in his black motorcycle t-shirt and dark jeans, but he wasn’t getting to me so easily.
My body tensed. “No, Jasper, we can’t.” I shrugged his arm off me and moved away. Lilly, biting her lip, looked like she wanted to say something.
I heard a loud bang as I walked down the hall. “He just totally trashed that locker,” Lilly said in shock, looking behind her as we moved.
“Immature child is what he is,” I said.
“Maybe you should just talk to him. He looks pissed,” Lilly said quietly.
“Nope. New year. No more Jasper,” I stated firmly.
A week passed, and I was still avoiding Jasper at all cost, to the point I even stopped sitting at the same table as him during lunch.
It pissed Mason off. Two days later, after they realized I was just sitting a few tables over, Mason came to me after school, fuming.
“What the fuck is goin’ on, Eden?” Mason asked.
I shrugged. “I just don’t want to hang around Jasper anymore. Is that a problem?”
His eyes narrowed. “Why not? You and Jasper are best friends.”
“Yeah, well, not anymore,” I said, clenching my teeth.
Mason leaned in close. “Did he do something?” he asked, his voice low.
I shook my head. “Nope, it was just me being stupid.”
Mason stepped back and let me walk away from him. Vinny had the same idea the next day.
“What is your fucking problem with Jasper, Eden?” Vinny asked, stepping beside me as I walked home from school.
“You too, huh? Well, I’m just done with that chapter in my life. That’s all,” I told him.
“Bullshit. You and Jasper, it’s always been you and Jasper. He’s not the only one you are hurting anymore, Eden,” he said quietly.
“Sure. Why don’t you run along now and find some female friends your age,” I said, snubbing him.
Vinny stopped walking, and I continued on my way home. I hated that I hurt his feelings like that, but it had to be done.
Jasper, though, after a week of my silent treatment, had had enough, because I heard a crash while I was talking to Trent. I looked up and saw that he sent a chair flying and was walking over to me.
“Talk. Now,” he spat out angrily, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the cafeteria.
“Would you stop dragging me? Let me go,” I demand, struggling.
“Nope, no more of this shit,” he said. We made it into the hall, and he shoved me up against the lockers, moving in close with his body pressing into mine. “You’re mine, Eden,” he said savagely. Before I had a chance to say anything, he moved, fast as lightening, mashing his lips to mine, kissing me.
Oh my God, Jasper was kissing me!
When he started grinding into me, I stilled, pushing on him to move away. “What the hell was that?” I said, my voice cracking.
“That was me claiming you,” he told me, smirking.
My eyes narrowed at him. “Claiming me? I’m not yours,” I spat out.
His face shut down. “Eden, you are. This, now, is me and you. No more anyone else. You are finally mine,” he told me, not giving me any room to budge.
I gulped, nervous and scared. I didn’t understand. “Why now?”
He kissed my nose then whispered, “Because now, finally, you can be mine,”
Someone clearing their throat snaps me out of my memory. ‘Angel’ grins and sends a look to the other men in the room, almost knowing what I was just thinking about. He seems to have relaxed now. I wonder if he is remembering all the times he used to come here. We were a couple back then. Not much has changed since then other than the furniture.
“We’ll get it,” the shorter one says, getting off the couch and walking toward the kitchen.
My body becomes still. “Uh, no, no, that’s okay. I will. Just let me...” I start and get cut off.
“Darlin’, you’re safe with us,” Jasper, well I mean, Angel says.
“I know, but my sister, she’s in the kitchen,” I whisper, afraid that two men unknown to her will scare her. I am sure they are nice enough, but they have a rough edge about them that warns you not to fuck with them.
“She’ll be in good hands. Trust me,” he says softly, trying to reassure me. “Zippo, why don’t you go sit with the kid. Reaper, you grab us some food and drinks.”
The men walk by me and into the kitchen. I nervously look around the room, not sure of what I should be doing. I fidget with my hair, trying to make use of my nervous hands.
“Have a seat and tell me about why you need our protection,” Jasper says, pointing to the chair by the couch. “Then you can tell me why the fuck I haven’t heard from you in nine years,” he says in a low, menacing voice. His dark eyes now seem even darker if that is even possible.
Taking a seat, I pull my legs up and wrap my arms around them. Before I can even say a word, I start crying. My emotions are too strong. So many thoughts and memories are tugging on my heartstrings; seeing Jasper after all this time, thinking about my father, wanting to protect my sister…
“Darlin’ it’s okay,” Jasper says, sitting on the arm of the chair and wrapping his arms around me, hugging me tightly. It feels good being in his warm arms again. God, he smells nice.
“I’m sorry for this. I’m not usually so weak,” I tell him through my tears. I’m really not. I’m strong. My friends all say I’m feisty and stubborn, and with my size you would never think I had it in me, but with this crap with my father, I’m terrified. I’m not strong enough to go up against that sorry bastard—he’s the devil in the flesh.
“You’re not weak,” Jasper says, sounding angry. “I know you, Edie. You’ve never been weak. I already read your file, so if you don’t want to talk right now, that’s fine. The club and I will help you any way we can. I promise you that.” He places a reassuring hand on my knee, and I find his touch comforting.
I nod my head. “So you know everything?” I ask quietly, ashamed of what the man known as my father did to me. I take a tissue from the side table and wipe my nose.
“Yeah, darlin’, I do. We all do. Your father—that monster won’t come near you when he gets out,” he says with a tone that I can tell he means what he says.
I want to ask him why he hurt me all those years ago, but, at this moment, I just want to feel safe, be safe. I want Glenna to be safe. There will be time for asking those questions later.
“Who are the other two?” I ask him when my tears dry up.
He stiffens and removes his arms, moving to sit on the couch and looking at me. “You don’t remember them? We all hung out as kids,” he states, sounding hurt.
I try to remember back. “Wait, Vinny and Mason?” I ask, shocked. I can’t believe I didn’t place them or put it together before now. I guess I was just so taken by surprise at the sight of the only man I’ve ever loved to notice. Vinny is still tall and skinny. Mason is huge now, tall and broad shouldered, and still has that mean snarl on his face.
He grins at me. “Yeah, darlin’. Looks like the crew is back.” I hope he doesn’t think things will just go back to the way they were before. I’m not that naive little girl who thought Jasper was all there would ever be for me. It was always Jasper, Vinny, Mason, Lilly, Hilary, and me. But that was then.
“Push me higher, Vinny, or when I get off of here, I will
nut you!” I screamed, swinging on the swing set.
“Shut up, you little twerp,” Vinny growled out. “Jasper, why are we playing around with a fuckin’ girl again?”
“Cuz she’s Edie,” is all Jasper said with a shrug.
I stuck my tongue out at Vinny as he shook his head and glared at me. “Yeah, cuz I’m Edie.”
My thoughts get interrupted when Mason comes back into the room with plates full of the food I baked and three bottles of Coke Zero.
“You ain’t got no beer or rum,” he grunts, setting the stuff on my coffee table.
I shoved Mason to the ground. “What was that for?” he asked, spitting sand out.
“That’s for telling Hilary that she stinks,” I said, glaring at him.
“Well, she does. What, was I supposed to lie?” he asked, confused.
“Well, duh, dumbface! Of course!” I told him.
Coming out of that memory, I smile. “Hi, Mason,” I say hesitantly.
He lifts his chin. “Hilary’s doing amazing, by the way. I just talked to her last night. I’m trying to convince her to come home,” I say, tilting my head to the side, smiling sweetly. At the first mention of her name, his body goes rigid, but when he sees the look on my face, he relaxes. I know about what happened between him and Hilary, and, personally, I think both of them are morons. If she just told the truth, and he didn’t jump to conclusions, they’d probably still be together. Although, I think they’re still married, since I haven’t heard anything different.
His eyes narrow, and his lips twitch, trying to hold in a smile. “Still the trouble maker.”
After all these years, Eden still looks beautiful—short blonde hair, big blue eyes. I want to reach out and touch her, hold her, so she can’t escape me again. She’s lost weight since I saw her last. I guess that’s what nine years does, though. I can still see that fire hidden under her small frame. I know my Edie’s in there somewhere, and I will get that girl back. She still looks good as I rake my eyes over her body, a body I once knew and wish to touch once more.
I look at her face closely, seeing faint scarring covering most of her face. What the fuck?
Noticing her spacing off a few times, I wonder where her thoughts are, but I don’t say anything. Part of me wonders if she’s remembering how I made her mine back in high school.
After kissing her and claiming her against the locker, I didn’t let her out of my sight except for classes. The bullshit move she pulled when she came home from summer vacation wasn’t flying with me. Her mom told me, before I knew she went on vacation, that once she was in high school she could date.
It was her way of telling me to make my move.
Eden wouldn’t let me at first, but after a week of her bullshit, I wasn’t letting it go on any longer. Seeing her talking with that fuck face, Trent, made my blood boil. She was mine, and I’d be damned to let anyone else have her.
It wasn’t easy, especially once everyone found out that we were finally together. Most people weren’t surprised; I heard whispers of ‘finally’ and ‘about time’. The ones that were pissed were the ones that either wanted in Eden’s pants, which wasn’t fucking happening, ever, or the ones pissed they wouldn’t get a taste, or another taste, of me.
Roni was my biggest problem. I made the mistake of fucking her just before summer, after school let out, and the bitch has been causing problems ever since, her little cousin Monica too.
The first part of our relationship was hard. We were in new territory, and both Roni and Monica weren’t back to school yet—both having been away for a few weeks. But now, week three of school, they were back.
The guys, myself, Eden, Lilly, and Hilary were standing around in the courtyard just talking, my arm over Eden’s shoulders, when Roni came sauntering up. She rolled her eyes when she saw Eden with us, something she’d done a lot of over the years. She never understood our friendship.
Eden’s body went stiff as Roni walked up to me, moved away before Roni ran her over. Before I realized what she was doing, Roni flung herself at me, planting a kiss on my lips.
“I’m back, babe. Did you miss me?” she asked.
I shoved her off of me and pulled Eden back into my body, where she remained stiff in my arms while Roni looked like she was about to completely lose her shit.
“What the fuck, Roni? We fucked once, never again. I’m with Eden now,” I told her then placed a kiss on the top of Eden’s head.
Roni’s face scrunched up. “What do you mean, you’re ‘with her’ now? You can’t seriously be dating,” she sneered.
“Actually, yeah, we are together. Go latch onto some other fuckwad that’ll want between your legs.”
We all turned around, so we didn’t have to see Roni make an ass out of herself. “It won’t last! I promise you that!” she screamed as she left.
I give my head a shake and look back at Eden. She’s stiff around me, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. She left me. No note, nothing—just left. But if I have my say, not only am I going to make sure her father never touches her again, or her sister. She’s not leaving me again. She is mine, and I swear I’ll go back to my old ways if I have to achieve that. She doesn’t realize the affect seeing her has on me, and fuck, the way her shirt reveals the shape of her breasts makes me want to bury my face in them.
“So, how did you and Vinny get the nicknames?” I hear Eden ask Reaper.
“Don’t let Zippo hear you call him Vinny. He gets pissed when someone calls him that,” I tell her, trying to stop staring at her lips. Actually, he really only still lets Lilly call him that, but even then he gets upset because that’s the name Eden always used for him.
She shrugs and grins. “I’ll still call him Vinny.” She licks her bottom lip. Fuck me, I’m in trouble.
I shake my head, and Reaper shoots me a knowing look. “Vinny got his name because that idiot is always losing his expensive Zippo lighters. Every day he has to buy a brand new one. And Mason, well, it should be obvious.”
She frowns. “I would have thought his nickname would be Mr. Broodypants, or maybe even Cranky-ass. That’s more him. But then again, I haven’t been around him in, what, nine years? There is probably lots I don’t know anymore,” she admits.
I crack up laughing. “He’s still all that, Darlin’. Trust me.” I wink at her, and she blushes—still so fucking sexy. I’d love to taste her sweet lips again. I’d claim her in a heartbeat if it wouldn’t freak her out.
Reaper is sitting on the couch beside me, glaring at the two of us. “I feel like this is a fuckin’ time warp or something,” he mutters. His mind must be on Hilary.
“Except, this time, Jasper and I won’t be together,” she says, glancing at me for a second before switching back to looking at Reaper.
My eyes narrow on her. She’s got another fucking thing coming if she honestly believes that. I still want her. Finally, since she’s over eighteen, there’s not one God damn thing to stop me from putting a ring on her finger, making her mine in every way possible.
Reaper speaks up. “You tell yourself that, Eden. I bet you, before long, you’ll be on the back of his bike,” he says, sounding amused. His lips curl up in a menacing smile.
She slaps her palms down on her thighs. “Wanna bet?” she says, full of attitude—still defiant.
Reaper shakes his head. “Last time I bet you, you played dirty.”
I burst out laughing as my head takes me back down memory lane.
“I bet you that I can run to the bakery and back, naked, without getting caught.” Eden said to Mason.
“Bullshit! You would so get caught. But, whatever, I’ll take that bet, and I’ll do the same thing. We’ll make it a race. Loser has to eat the frog I caught last night down by the pond,” he said.
Eden looks at me and makes a gagging face. “Don’t worry, you won’t get caught. I’ll run alongside you,” I told her.
She nodded. “Okay, you’re on. Let’s do this,” she yelled to Mason.
Vinny, Hilary, and Lilly were all sitting on the grass, looking between everyone, laughing. I watched Eden walk over to Hilary and Lilly, pulling them aside and whispering. All three girls look like they’re up to something.
“Ready?” Mason asked, buck naked from beside me.
Eden quickly took off her clothes. She was only twelve, and I felt dirty for looking at her. “Ready,” she said, skipping over to us.
The two took off before I could even give the count. I looked back over to the girls and Vinny. “Be right back,” Hilary said with a big smile on her face as she walked into Martha’s house.
Vinny, looking amused just laughed.
A few minutes later, a cop pulled into the driveway with Mason in the back seat looking pissed. I saw Eden running down the road, still naked, clutching a box of donuts.
“That was a great day,” I say.
“Not really. That damn cop has had it out for me ever since,” Reaper says. He turns to look at Eden, thinking. “How about this for a bet? You and Angel here end up back together, you bake me that lasagna I smell in the kitchen.”
Eden grins at him. “Sounds easy enough, but if I win, I want to see that dick piercing Hilary always told me about.”
Hearing her say that, my blood boils. I look to Reaper. “You’ll be winning the fucking bet, bro, because she’s not seeing your dick.”
I hear Eden giggling. “I think, bet or not, I’ll still see it. If not, I’ll just Google it or something,” she says, smiling before it’s wiped off her face. “But don’t worry, Mason, you won’t win this bet, because there is nothing that could ever have me wanting him back.”
I gulp, her words slicing through me. What the fuck happened to her to make her hate me like this?
“Well, I guess we should start this?” I ask, breaking the bit of tension that’s worked itself into the room.
Jasper nods, and Reaper suddenly tenses. “Go ahead.”
“I know the police don’t believe me, but after the night, that um, I was with Jasper, I came home to my parents fighting. It was worse than ever before. I watched it happen- watched him stabbing her, watched her try and fight back.” I shudder as my mind returns to that horrible night.
