My nostrils flared as I took in a deep breath, trying to contain the anger that was bubbling just under the surface. “She missed out,” I finally managed to say. “She missed out on being part of your incredible life and being right there next to you.”
“It must be hard to have an autistic kid,” JJ said, no emotion in his voice. He was stating it as a fact.
Did he really think that?
“No.” I stood and grabbed the first thing I could see which happened to be JJ’s T-shirt, and pulled it over my head. “That statement is so wrong that I don’t even know where to start.” I planted my hands on my hips and stared down at him. “Autism is just a part of you, JJ. It’s not who you are.” He stared at me, probably wondering what the hell I was talking about, but I had to make him see. “You’re amazing, JJ. You’re kind, genuine, sexy. You’re one of my favorite people on this planet, and nothing will ever change that.”
“What about other planets? Who are your favorite people there?”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, duh. Thor is my favorite person from the other planets.”
“Not StarLord? He’s my favorite. He’s half human and half alien.”
“I know.” I chuckled. “You made me watch his movie twice in the last week.”
JJ grinned and held his hand out to me. “Are you coming back? I’m cold.”
“Then pull the sheet over you.” I shook my head.
“But—”
My cell ringing cut him off, and I picked it up. Seeing Vi’s name, I answered the call right away. I’d been ignoring her for a couple of days, but this was the third one today, and I knew she wouldn’t stop until I answered her.
I faced the door so that I wasn't staring at JJ’s part-naked body because it’d do nothing but distract me right now. “Heeyyy!”
“El! Finally!” There was a pause. “Why is it dark? Do you have the cell against your ear again?”
My eyes widened as I realized she’d video called and not called me like a normal person to just speak to me. Shit! I pulled the cell away from my ear, positioned myself so she couldn’t see JJ, and pasted on the fakest smile ever known to man.
“What’s up?” I asked, flicking my gaze over to JJ who was getting out of his bed. No. No, no, no. He had to stay where he was so she didn’t see him. I held my hand up, silently trying to tell him to stay put, but he wasn’t paying attention to me.
“Nothing.” She sighed. “I just miss you.” Her lips pulled into a grin. “But I get to see you this weekend, right?”
I frowned and turned as JJ moved around the room. Could he not keep still for just a couple of minutes? Sheesh! “This weekend?”
“Yeeeeah. Miriam and Marcus' party?”
“Oh sheeeeet. That’s this weekend?”
I froze, staring at nothing in particular. Had I really lost track of the dates and been here for nearly three months already? How the hell had all that time flown by so quickly? I hadn’t even gotten them a gift or booked my flights. I needed to start packing. All I had left were three days. Oh, god. I’d become unorganized, and the thought had me feeling like I was spiraling out of control.
“El? El? Ella!”
She wasn’t meeting my eyes. Nope. She was looking at something behind me, and when I turned to see what it was, I came face-to-face with a naked JJ, his parts swinging around like they had a mind of their own. Thank god Vi couldn’t see them. I hoped. “Why is JJ naked?”
“We just had sex,” he told her. He looked at me, his eyes widening as he groaned. “I did it again, didn’t I? I said the personal stuff when I shouldn’t have.”
I couldn’t help but smile over at him gently. He’d listened when I told him about blurting out personal things and tried to filter himself, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. Apart from the fact that Vi now knew. It wasn’t that I didn’t want people to know about JJ. It was the fact that as far as Vi was concerned, I was in a long-term relationship with Chad.
“El? What the hell is going on?” She looked behind her and then from the way her background moved, she must have been going out of the room she was in. “You slept with JJ?”
“I...erm…” Okay. This was not going to happen again. I refused to lose my words for the umpteenth time. I turned to JJ. “I’m going to go into my room to talk to Vi.”
“Okay.” He dipped down and placed a kiss on my lips, and then I was on the move to the opposite side of the hallway. I paced the length of the room I hadn’t slept in for what felt like weeks. It was colder in here, less...me. My heart was in the room I’d just left, and I was damned if I’d admit that to anyone right now.
“Okay…so here’s the thing—”
“You cheated on Chad? Oh my god, El. I can’t believe you’d do that to him. Does he know? Have you told him?”
“Vi. Calm the hell down. Jesus, you’re giving me a headache.” I rubbed at my temples and plopped my ass down on the edge of the bed, pulling in a deep breath and getting a lungful of the woodsy cologne JJ uses. “Chad and I aren’t together.”
“What? What do you mean you and Chad aren’t together anymore?” Vi’s innocent face scrunched up, her brows drawn down in confusion. “I don’t get it, El. You said he was the love of your—”
“It doesn’t matter,” I interrupted, not wanting to go into all the details right now. Chad had sworn me to secrecy, and I knew Vi couldn’t keep a secret if her life depended on it. One wrong move and she’d tell Axel at the drop of a hat.
“But you can see how much he loves—”
“I turned him,” I whispered, regretting it as soon as it came out of my mouth because it was nothing but yet another lie to cover his secret. I was sick and tired of keeping his secrets. Maybe going back to New York this weekend was just what I needed. I could tell Chad face-to-face that this couldn’t keep happening and that he needed to tell his parents and brother. I could move on then...preferably with JJ.
“Huh? What, like...a vampire?” She chuckled. “We’ve been through this, El. Vampires aren’t real.”
“Psssh.” I raised a brow. “I’ll prove it to you one day. When one of those old grandad-aged sexy-looking vamps comes to make me his bitch. I’ll show you.”
She was silent for a beat, and I thought I’d distracted her until she said, “I just don’t get—”
“For Pete’s sake!” I stood, waving my arms about. “He’s gay! Chad is gay!”
“How can he be gay when you’re together?”
“Oh my good lord, give me the strength to handle this conversation.” I took three calming breaths and pulled my shoulders back. I wasn’t going to shy away from this anymore. Vi could keep a secret for a few days, right? “I need you to not tell anyone about this conversation, okay? I mean it, Vi. I’m going to talk to Chad this weekend about everything, but until then, I need you to just keep your lips zipped up when it comes to him or me. Got it?”
Her wide eyes stared at me like I was about to explode as she nodded. “Got it.”
“Chad’s gay. He’s always been gay, I was, for all intents and purposes, his beard. I was the girl who was his best friend who he could pass off as a girlfriend so that people didn’t get suspicious.”
“But why doesn’t he just tell people?”
“He was going to, but then his mom got her diagnosis and he didn’t want to have anyone upset. So we came up with this plan, and it worked. Until…”
“Until you had sex with someone else.”
“Right.”
I knew it was a lot to take in. We’d tricked everyone into thinking we were one thing when we were the total opposite.
“Okay. Two things.” Vi held up two fingers. “First thing is that I hate you for lying to me.” I dipped my head, knowing it was coming whether I liked it or not. “And the second thing is that if you’re not serious about JJ, you need to stop it before it goes too far—”
“No!” I shouted, standing up. “I’m not calling things off with him. I...I...really like him.”
Vi’s
lips quirked to the side, and she raised a brow. “You’re going to come clean this weekend? Promise?”
“Promise,” I replied.
“Fine. I’ll keep the secret but know that you owe me.”
“Of course.”
“With lots of candy and possibly a lifetime supply of fluffy socks.” She pointed at me through the screen.
“On it.”
“Good.”
The video call cut off and I stared at the blank screen for a beat.
What the hell did I just do?
“El?”
My hand halted as I pushed my laptop into its bag and I titled my head to the side. Smirker-Dude who I now knew as Gabe stood next to me, that ever-present smirk still showcased on his face. I think I preferred my name for him as opposed to his given one, but alas, I could only call him that in my own head.
“Gabe.” I zipped up my bag and turned to face him. “What can I do for you?” I’d just finished my last lecture for the week, and tomorrow I’d be hopping on a plane back to New York to celebrate with Marcus and Miriam. Oh, and to come clean to Chad too.
Gabe stepped closer, shifting next to me and leaning against the edge of my desk. He was way too close for my liking, so I moved back. “I wondered if you could explain this last assignment to me.”
I huffed out a breath and glanced up at the clock on the wall. JJ would be waiting out in the hallway for me, and as much as I didn’t want to keep him waiting, I had to talk to my students if they had any problems with the work I’d assigned. Unfortunately, when it came to Gabe, I knew it wasn’t a ploy to spend time with me and do his smirking routine. He was one of the hardest workers in this class. He may not have been naturally gifted like some of the other students, but he tried his hardest.
As frat guys went, he was an okay one.
“What is it you’re struggling with, Gabe?”
He shuffled and pulled his backpack around to his front and pulled a piece of paper out. “I printed the information off the online portal, but it still…” He huffed out a breath, causing his cheeks to puff out. “I just don’t get it.”
I could understand what he meant. I’d split the course into several sections, and we were coming toward the end of that now which left what I’d deemed the boring stuff. When it came to operating your own business, there weren’t any classes you could take to help you manage your finances, and that was where I had struggled most at first. Who the hell cared about incomings and outgoings and how to keep track of them?
“Okay.” I stepped closer and pointed at the sheet. “All I want you to do is mock up a financial year. Mark incomings and outgoings and work out your net and gross profit.” I flicked my gaze up to his, noting the frown on his face.
“And where am I meant to get those figures from?”
I pointed lower on the sheet. “I’ve put some examples here, but honestly? Google is your best friend. They don’t have to be definite figures but try your hardest to make them realistic. Think about what your incomings and outgoings would be on your business.” His cheeks started to flush, and I could see he was struggling. I stepped back. “You’re in this class for a reason, Gabe. Tell me, what business do you want to run?”
“A gym.”
I raised a brow. “A gym?”
That smirk lifted at the corner of his lips again, but the earnest in his eyes never dropped. “I’m a black belt and want to open my own dojo, but I don’t want it to be just that. I want it to expand into all martial arts, but I also want it to be a place where kids can escape.”
“Wow, Gabe.” I nodded, impressed. “That’s amazing.” I cleared my throat and frowned when I heard something outside, but it went silent a second later. “Now think about what you’d have to pay if you had it. Then what you’d charge people to attend there. That’ll be your incomings and outgoings.”
His smirk morphed into a grin. “Holy shit. I think I get it.” Gabe stood to his full height. “Thanks, El.”
“It’s what I’m here for.” I shrugged. “This is all leading to you leaving this class with a first draft business plan. I told you at the start of the semester that you’d leave this course with a definite direction if you put your mind to it.” I pointed at him. “And you definitely have a good idea and direction.”
He moved forward. “You know—”
“Give it back!”
My skin broke out into goose bumps, my back going ramrod straight at the sound of that voice. JJ. I glanced at the clock and noted I’d been in here for fifteen minutes past the time we were meant to meet. “Shit.” I grabbed my bag and practically ran out of the room.
The hallway was deserted apart from two guys halfway down, and as I got closer, I realized there was a third. “What’s so special about this bag?” one of the guys said, a sneer on his face. His dark-brown hair needed a wash, and as he pushed his fingers through it, it stayed in place. Now I’d gone days without washing my hair, but he’d taken it to a whole other level. Dude needed to be schooled on dry shampoo, or at least introduced to a shower.
“Give it back,” JJ replied, his voice low, but his gaze connected to Greasy-Hair-Guy. It took me back to all those months ago when I first met JJ. He wouldn’t dare look at them then, choosing to ignore him, but yet he was pulling up to his full height now, matching their stances and not taking their shit. That’s when I realized this was the same guy from the quad that first day.
What the hell was his problem?
Warmth washed through me at the sight of JJ and the anger pouring off him in waves, and I wouldn’t lie, it kind of turned me on seeing this side of him.
Greasy-Hair-Guy handed it to the guy with him who proceeded to open it up and pour the contents of JJ’s bag on the floor. His hair wasn’t greasy, but in fact, the total opposite. It was tousled to perfection and even had a few highlights thrown in there. They looked like the bullies cornering the nerd in middle school. Jesus, had they not grown up in the last decade?
“El.” A hand gripped my arm, and I spun to stare at Gabe. “Don’t go over there. He isn’t a good guy. Trust me.”
“Like I give a shit,” I told him, twirling back around.
“Seriously,” Gabe said, hot on my heels. “Just leave them. He’s a weirdo—”
I halted, causing Gabe to run into my back. He managed to pause quick enough so he didn’t knock me down. I lowered my voice as I turned around to face him. “I will say this once, and once only,” I warned him. “JJ is not a weirdo. Let me hear you say anything about him again, and I’ll make sure you have so much workload that it’ll be impossible for you to finish this class.” I could practically feel the steam blowing out of my ears. “Got it?”
Gabe held his hands up in the air, an international sign of surrender. “Got it. I wasn’t talking about him. I was just saying—”
“Well, don’t.”
I twirled back around, not caring about Gabe but more concerned with JJ. My gaze fixated to the side of his face, noting the muscle in his jaw jumping, and as I looked down, I spotted the fists clenched at his sides. He still hadn’t taken his eyes off Greasy-Hair-Guy in front of him.
“You should be locked up in a mental hospital.” The guy laughed, Perfect-Hair-Guy joining in with him. I was a couple of feet away now. “Look at you, you’re fuckin' crazy. What grown-ass man wears a Star Wars backpack and waits in the hallways like a stalker.” Greasy-Hair-Guy moved forward. “I saw you eyeing up my girlfriend.” JJ’s nostrils flared. “You want a piece of pussy, huh? Too bad you’d never get one on account of you being a retard. I bet you can’t even get it up—”
“I assure you,” I cut in, pushing my way next to JJ. He didn’t move an inch, not giving any indication as to him hearing me. “He has no problem getting it up.”
Greasy-Hair-Guy raised his brow, looking me up and down and causing a shiver to roll through me. Definitely not the good kind. “Cheerleading practice is that way.” He chuckled, fist-bumping his friend and then spotting Gabe. “Yo, Gabe. What you doin
’ here?”
“I erm… Had to talk to my lecturer.” He raised his arm, his finger signaling to me.
It took a second for Greasy-Hair-Guy to realize who he meant, and in that time, I placed my hand on JJ’s arm.
“You okay?” I whispered.
His head whipped around, his gaze finding mine, anger burning behind his irises. The gold flecks had disappeared, making way for the darkness to pour in. “They took my backpack.”
“I saw.” I rubbed my hand down his arm, encasing his closed fist with my palm. “We can get you another one—”
“No. That’s my backpack.”
“Oh shit,” Greasy-Hair-Guy’s whiny voice announced, and when I turned to face him, his brows were raised high on his too big forehead. “You’re fucking a teacher?” He threw his head back, laughing. “Maybe we underestimated you.” The guy’s leering gaze strolled from the tips of my toes to my forehead. “Fancy giving me a ride, miss?” He grabbed his junk. “I know how to use mine, unlike him.” He tilted his head to JJ and stepped forward, his other hand reaching out to take my arm.
“Get off her,” JJ warned, his voice like thunder in the empty hallway, even I shivered from the tone of it. “Or I’ll hurt you.”
Jeffery had told me about JJ’s anger and how it had taken years for him to control it to the point where that wasn’t his first go-to emotion. I’d never thought anything of it, but as he stepped forward into the guy’s space, causing him to let go of my arm, I realized just how dangerous he could be.
“JJ.” I stepped forward, my hand flattening against his back and wincing at how tense he was. “Come on, baby. Let’s go and have some lunch. He’s not worth it.”
No one spoke for several seconds, the tension in the air palpable. I prayed that no one would come out of the rooms lining the hallway and make a bad situation even worse.
My gaze flicked between the two guys and over to Gabe who was kneeling on the floor, picking up the workbooks and shoving them into JJ’s bag. He glanced up, meeting my gaze, silently trying to tell me something but I had no idea what.
Confessions Of A Chatterbox (Confessions Series Book 2) Page 16
