Now, that trainwreck of a human being was on her couch, a Cheshire smirk on her face.
Where the hell was Jack? If Jack had really and truly invited her over and let her in, where was he?
"It's probably a good thing your brother bailed, sweetie," Ronnie said from across the room. She had one skinny leg crossed over the other. "You wouldn't want me showing him the video, would you?"
"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.
It wasn't until the words were out of her mouth did Lily know she shouldn't have engaged her at all. Ronnie was a bitch who liked to wind people up, manipulate their emotions, and cause reactions. It was one of the reasons why Jack released his anger through fighting. At least, that was what Lily liked to assume. She was certain she'd know for sure after getting her degree in psychology.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Ronnie said. Her lips slid open into a wide smile. Her lipstick was hastily put on and there was a clump of it in the corner of her mouth. Lily wondered if Ronnie even realized it. "The video. I'm sure everyone is talking about it. You really are a star, you know that?"
Lily felt her entire body grow cold. "You didn't show that to Jack, did you?" she asked.
She hated that she was depending on Ronnie for an answer, that she had no choice but to trust her word. She didn't want to seem vulnerable in front of her, not when Ronnie liked to have the upper hand in order to manipulate everyone. She got a kick out of it.
"Of course I did," Ronnie said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course I told my son. There's no way in hell I would ever want him associating with someone like you, but I needed to show him who you really were or he would never believe me."
Lily heard her heart crack. It was like someone shot her chest and tiny shards of glass struck her at all angles. It was hard to breathe. She had to reach out and grab the wall beside her, her eyes blurry with sudden tears.
Jack knew about the video. Of course he did. Why wouldn't he? Now everything between them, everything that had happened, suddenly didn't matter. How could it? Jack had dated frequently in high school. Lily remembered that. He didn't stick to one type of girl, either. Lily liked to think he was trying on different looks, personalities, cultures, and sizes to find one person that fit with Jack and his preference for life. He never seemed to find it, however. He was typically onto the next girl a week later. At the time, Lily had felt bad for him. He so desperately wanted to be loved, to find someone stable, and yet he was too scared to let his guard down.
Lily knew they hadn't actually talked about what had happened between them, but she liked to think that what they had was different than what he had with anyone else. And now, it was ruined.
The worst part was it wasn't exactly Ronnie's fault. Ronnie had showed Jack the video, sure, but there was probably a good chance Jack would have discovered it on his own at some point. Not because he was a perv searching for porn, but because someone who was might recognize her and send it out to everyone in high school.
"Jack thinks he has feelings for you," Ronnie said, rolling her eyes. "Why he would have feelings for you is beyond me, especially considering you are not very pretty, you're not very smart, and, from the looks of the video, you're not good in bed, either. My Jackie deserves someone better than you are. Someone nice. Someone who can take care of him."
"Because you sure as shit didn't," Lily bit out, curling her fingers into fists. She was trying to control herself, but it was difficult for her to do so.
Ronnie's eyes widened in realization. "You love him, don't you?" she asked. "Too bad he doesn't care for you. You should have seen him after he saw the video. You'll be lucky if he ever chooses to associate with you again."
15
Jack
When Jack got to Andrew Corwin's place, he pounded on the door. The entire way over, there was a small voice inside his head that told him he needed to calm down, he needed to think this through. Andrew Corwin was a pathetic piece of shit who still lived with his parents before they retired because he dropped out of college and couldn't figure out what the fuck he was going to do with his life. Was Jack's anger towards him really worth it?
Especially considering Jack could get kicked off the team. His behavior—if he went through with beating up Andrew—could cost him his only shot to make a life for himself. Jack didn't plan on going to college. He barely graduated high school and that was because Mrs. Sinclair would force him to sit at her dining table and do his homework. She would even check it afterwards. He managed to graduate with B's and C's, and earned probably his best grades that year.
But college?
No way.
He didn't have very many skills besides skating and fighting, and he didn't like the notion of getting paid to fight. It was why Jack was so adamant about developing his skill and skating every day for at least an hour. He didn't want to be an enforcer. He didn't want to be paid for four minutes of ice time and a ten-minute misconduct. He liked standing up for his teammates—and that was what he would do no matter what—but he didn't want that to be his life.
If he didn't have hockey, what did he have?
Jack drove here. He remembered having to pick up Lily one night because Andrew's car was broken down and Lily needed to get home before curfew or her mother was going to ground her. He had no idea how he remembered this place, that it was this particular house even though they all looked the same.
He shifted his weight and waited for Andrew to emerge. It wasn't terribly cold, which annoyed him slightly, only because he didn't like the heat at all. He could walk around in shorts at KHS, arguably one of the coldest ice rinks in Orange County, without a problem, but the humidity was like being smothered with heat and it only added fuel to the fire that was burning inside of him.
And yet, even knowing that he was very possibly risking his spot on this hockey team, he didn't care. He didn't go back to his car. He didn't talk himself out of being here.
Because Lily was family. Lily was closer than family. Lily was his girl, and if anyone threatened her—anyone on this planet—he was going to have a conversation. If they couldn't be reasoned with, then Jack had no choice but to do something about it.
At that moment, the door burst open.
"What the hell, Lily!" he exclaimed, but stopped when he saw Jack.
His eyes darted around behind Jack. Jack didn't know if it was because he wanted to make sure there were people around so he had witnesses or if it was something else. Maybe he wanted to see if Lily put him up to this. Jack didn't care.
"Oh," he said, finally returning his eyes to Jack. "It's you."
"It's me," Jack said, with more emphasis than he intended. "Are you going to take down that video?"
Andrew's lips curled up into a small smirk, his eyes lighting as he looked down at Jack. Jack knew that at barely six foot, he wasn't the tallest guy out there. Sure, there were shorter guys—like Drew Stefano—but Jack knew he was on the shorter side in the grand scheme of things, and he was okay with that.
"So you saw?" Andrew asked. He fiddled with tying his robe across his waist but couldn't seem to undo the knot without looking down at it first. "You know, I'm not even surprised. I swear I would see you looking at her back in high school. I knew you would stare too long, and in a way that suggested there was more to it than her being your best friend's little sister. But I never said anything because there was no way. I thought there was no way you would fuck your friend over like that."
Jack decided to wait until Andrew said what he needed to say. He wasn't in a rush to beat the shit out of him, especially considering his mother was back at the apartment and the longer he could be away from her, the better.
"I mean, you have eyes, don't you?" Andrew continued. He gave up with tying his robe up and began to gesture with his hands in an animated fashion. "Lily is fucking hot. I was an idiot for breaking up with her but I expected college girls to be better. They weren't—at least, not in business school. The last thing
I wanted to do was be known as the asshole dating the hot high school chick so I didn't do shit about it. Too bad, though. When she came running over here this morning in those yoga pants…" He let his voice trail off and bit his bottom lip.
Jack had to clench his fingers into fists to keep himself from doing anything. "She came over today?" he asked.
Andrew nodded. "Trying to get me to take the video down, too," he said. "I told her I couldn't do it. I already sold it. Hey, did she tell you I have her a chance to pay for it herself so I wouldn't have to put the video up in the first place?" He scoffed. "You give the girl a chance, and this is how you get repaid. Fucking stubborn, you know?"
Jack blinked once, unsure if he understood Andrew correctly. To him, it sounded as though Andrew thought they were friends. Andrew thought they could share stuff like this without any ramifications. Andrew thought that just because Jack had a penis, it negated the fact that Lily was like a sister to him.
Andrew was a fucking idiot who deserved what was coming to him.
"So you videotaped the two of you?" Jack asked. He tried to make his voice sound casual, like he, too, thought Andrew was right in his annoyance with Lily, that Lily was overreaction. He had to keep flexing his fingers before curling them into fists. He had to subtly bounce between his two feet, constantly shifting his weight and expelling any pent-up energy. "Why?"
"I mean," Andrew said, looking up at the ceiling, like he might find an answer in the wood. "It was dumb of me to do. I was a senior. I knew I was going to break up with her, but at least I had something I could look back on. Definitely would help in the long run when I'm lonely, you know what I mean?"
At that point, Jack couldn't help himself. He reached across the threshold and yanked Andrew out of the house with one hand. With the other, he punched Andrew in the face but didn't let go of his robe. Andrew groaned.
"Dude!" he exclaimed, trying to yank away from Jack's grip while simultaneously reaching up to hold his nose. "What the actual fuck?"
Jack punched him again. He heard his knuckles crack. There was a flash of pain, but Jack pushed through. He wasn't done yet.
The second punch pushed Andrew back. Jack was forced to let go as Andrew fell back into his house. Jack got on top of him. One punch, two punches, three.
You need to stop, a voice remarked in his head. I think he's had enough.
Jack blinked and looked down. Andrew was groaning, as though he was too weak to make a noise stronger than that. His breathing was coming out in small, shallow gasps. Blood was everywhere, stemming from a cut on Andrew's lip and from Andrew's now-twisted nose. Jack looked down at his own hands and saw the sticky, crimson liquid covering them. He blinked again.
He waited for the rush of regret that typically accompanied a fight. Even when assholes deserved to get punched, Jack would feel twinges of regret just because he didn't like being this way. He didn't like handling situations with his fists. He wanted to speak, wanted to discuss things like adults, but something would trigger him and then he would lose control over himself.
Jack slowly picked himself up. It was only when he put his weight on his hands as he kicked his legs up to stand did he realize the pain that shot straight from his knuckles.
Moron, the voice said. You fought last night during the game, too.
Jack looked down at Andrew and his eyes widened. Jack had done a number on him. Bloody pulp would have been one step further. There would definitely be some bruising and, Jack couldn't be sure, but based on the cut on the back of his hand, he was pretty sure he chipped one of Andrew's teeth.
He nearly lost his balance, stepping back to catch himself.
"You piece of shit," Andrew screamed, slowly picking himself up.
Jack blinked, relief coursing through his body. It wasn't as though he wanted to injure Andrew to the point where internal or permanent damage was done. His wounds looked much worse than they actually were if Andrew had the ability to scream and move.
"I am suing your ass, you know that? Suing your fucking ass."
"Please, do so," Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest and ignoring the fact that his knuckles hurt when he did so. "I'll let them know how you put up a sex video of your high school girlfriend."
Andrew snorted. "We were both legal at the time, you idiot," he said. "It's not illegal if both parties are adults."
"I don't think Lily was an adult at the time," Jack said.
Andrew rolled his eyes. Blood dripped down everywhere, on his robe, his neck, his t-shirt. "You know my parents have an attorney on call, right?" he asked. "God, you are going to jail for such a goddamn long time. I can't wait to see your face. And I'm going to sue you." He furrowed his brow and then whimpered. "What the fuck are you still doing here, you piece of shit?"
"You already called me that," Jack pointed out.
"So?" Andrew asked. "Why are you watching me? You're the one with the hockey career, not me. You realize you just ruined it, right? Clearly, you're a good fighter and I'm not going to lie, it's cool that I get to say I got beat up by Jack Ruby, but I’m still suing you and you'll be arrested and I'm pressing assault charges." He shrugged and then grunted.
"Whatever," Jack said. "If I just threw everything away to beat the shit out of you, it was worth it. You're a rat, Andrew. You live in a house you don't pay for, wearing the same clothes every day, and instead of going out and getting a job like the rest of us, you sell underage porn for money."
"Don't call it that," Andrew said. "She wasn't a minor."
"You sure about that?" Jack asked. "Do you even remember her birthday? Are you willing to risk it? You obviously did. The video is out there. Let's hope you're right about it."
Jack watched as the color drained from Andrew's face. Good.
"See you around, motherfucker," Jack said, flipping Andrew off. He turned and headed back to his car, as though he was in a complete daze.
Jack had no idea if Lily was legal or not in the video, but at least it looked as though Andrew wasn't sure either.
16
Lily
Lily was ready to strangle Ronnie when the door flew open and Jack stood in the doorway. There was a dazed look on his face, as though he wasn't quite sure what happened or why it happened. However, when he rested his eyes on his mother, life snapped back into him.
"What are you still doing here?" he asked. "I told you to leave."
"You left in such a rush, Jackie, that I thought I should wait until you came back and make sure you were okay."
"Okay?" Alec moved passed Lily to look at his friend. "What the hell happened to you, man? Why are you holding your hand like that?"
"You didn't." Ronnie rolled her eyes. "Tell me you did not go over and beat up Andrew Corwin."
Lily felt her body seize up. "Why would he do that?" she asked, hoping her voice didn't quiver. She tried to keep a handle on it, but she knew she didn't have a good grasp of it. She looked back at Jack, and it was only then that she noticed he was tenderly clutching his hand. "Why would you feel the need to beat up Andrew?"
Jack opened his mouth. All the anger at seeing his mother, all the dazed uncertainty at the situation he found himself in, disappeared. When his eyes rested on Lily, there was nothing but sympathy and sorrow.
Lily swallowed. He knew. How could he possibly know?
He shut his mouth and looked away. That was probably the worst thing he could have done. It was a slap in the face. It kicked her heart into a million pieces. She tried to suck in air, but she couldn't. Her face got hot but she couldn't control that either.
"Jack?" Alec's deep voice penetrated the ringing in her ears. "What happened? What's going on?"
"Oh, nothing." Ronnie waved her hand dismissively before crossing it back over her chest. She still had not moved where she stood. "Just that your sister is a whore."
Alec's face contorted into something that Lily couldn't accurately describe. All at one time, his brow furrowed, his nostrils flared, his lips puckered, and his jaw p
opped. On top of that, he squared his shoulders, like he was going in for the kill, and his fingers tightened into fists.
"You wanna run that by me one more time?" he asked quickly, his tone nothing short of a warning.
"Get out of this house," Jack said, his voice low and dangerous, slicing like a knife. It was one thing to watch Jack fight. It was another to hear him speak when he was angry. "Like I told you, I never want to see you again. Get away from me. Get away from them. And don't even think about coming back. You aren't wanted."
Ronnie shrugged her bony shoulders like she didn't care, but Lily could see the hurt in her eyes.
"Jack," Alec said, now turning to face his friend. "What the hell is your mother talking about?"
"Oh, your brother doesn't know what a superstar you are now, honey?" Ronnie asked as she made her way to the door. "I can show you, if you want. I think this is her breakout role."
"Veronica." Jack's voice was low and deadly. Lily had never heard Jack call his mother by her first name. In fact, Lily had never heard Jack speak like this at all.
"No, no, no, Jackie," Ronnie continued, putting her hands out to prevent her son from grabbing her. "Your best friend needs to know what a little whore his sister is."
"Jack, I don't care that this is your mother," Alec said, his brow furrowed low and his voice tense. His body was tight, strained, like he was doing everything in his power to keep himself controlled. "If she calls my sister a whore one more time—"
"She's having sex with some guy on a video," Ronnie shouted. "Isn't that the definition of what a whore is?"
Rookies Do It Better: Book 1 in The Minor League Mayhem Series Page 9
