by A. Jade
I didn’t like him at first, but when we were assigned partners for a school project, sparks flew.
For a little while, anyway.
In the end, Caspian and I only dated for eight months. I cared about him enough that I gave him my V-card a few weeks before our relationship ended, but I never fell in love with him.
Not like I did with Jace.
Which is why I knew I had to break up with him.
Considering he fucked my friend two days later; he bounced back pretty quickly.
Tommy, on the other hand, is obviously still upset with me for blowing him off.
“Look, I already told you I was sorry. I don’t know what else you want—”
“What I want is my chance.” His gaze fixes on my mouth. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted from you.”
Oh, boy. I’m so not in the right headspace to pursue any kind of romantic relationship.
“My life is a mess, Tommy.” A wave of exhaustion sweeps over me. “And it’s only going to get messier because Jace hates me and I have no idea why.” I throw up my hands and laugh helplessly. “And he’s not the only one. Britney is back to her old tricks with her crew of mean girls. Bianca Covington’s planning my murder for some unknown reason. Hell, even my own step-cousin—” To my surprise and shame, my voice cracks. “I don’t mean to lay all this shit on you. I’m just really not read—”
“I get it, you have a lot to deal with.” Concern lines his features as he tips my chin. “I’m not trying to add any more bullshit onto your plate. I’m content being your friend…for now.”
“Thank you. That’s…I could really use a friend.” I tilt my head. “I should probably go before my aunt gets worried and comes out here.”
She won’t. Not only is she laid back, I doubt she can even see us because the house sits on top of a giant hill. However, the longer I stay in this car, the worse I’ll feel about not being able to give him what he wants.
“Hey, Dylan?” he calls out when I start walking.
I spin around. “Yeah.”
“You have my number. If you need a ride, or someone to talk to—if you ever need anything. I’m here.”
I give him a sincere smile. “That means a lot.”
A muscle in his jaw jumps. “The next time Jace starts with you, you better tell me. I don’t want him making you feel like crap or filling your head up with lies because he can’t deal with his shit and he’s taking it out on you.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I’m perfectly capable of handling Jace on my own, but I really want to go inside so I can find Oakley and try to find some common ground with him.
“Sure thing,” I call over my shoulder before I start my ascent up the driveway.
I’m thankful when he starts the engine and I hear him drive off.
I’m passing Oakley’s car when furious, dark eyes slice right through me like a hot knife through butter.
“Jace. What are you—”
As if answering my question, Oakley rushes out the front door. There’s a beach towel slung over his shoulder and a pair of swimming trunks in his hand.
“Ready to—” He stops speaking when he spots me.
Of course Jace is here to see Oakley.
My stomach sours. Jace and Oakley are best friends now.
Jace’s eyes lock on something behind me, but he stays silent.
Oakley tracks his gaze and scowls. “What the fuck was Tommy DaSilva doing here?”
It’s all I can do not to roll my eyes. “Giving me a ride home. You know, like you were supposed to.”
He snorts. “Damn, I knew you were easy, but I didn’t think you were desperate.”
Anger races over my skin. “Excuse me.”
He takes a step forward. “That piece of shit is not welcome here. Ever.”
He has no right to tell me who I’m allowed to hang out with. Especially since he started the rumor that made me a leper.
“That piece of shit is my friend. Deal with it.”
He wags a finger in my face. “Christ, you got a lot of fucking nerve. You want to screw around with trash, do it somewhere else. If I ever catch him on my property again—”
“It’s not your property,” I remind him. “Last I checked; it’s your dad’s.” I glare at him. “You don’t own shit, bitch. Except maybe a few bags of weed so you can get high and forget what a loser you really are.”
Oakley tosses his head back and laughs. “I’m the loser. Baby girl, don’t get it twisted.” His voice drops to an icy whisper. “Rumor has it the coolest thing about you is that everyone thinks I stuck my dick in your snatch.”
It’s all I can do not to swing my fist into his nose. So much for trying to call a truce.
I mock gasp. “Oh my God, you poor thing.” I look at Jace who’s standing there as impassive as a statue. “You haven’t told him?”
My stare snaps back to my step-cousin. “I hate to break it to you, sweetie, but you’re only popular because of him.” Reaching over, I pat his shoulder. “How does it feel to know you’ll never be good enough to be more than someone’s puppet? Or that all the girls you screw…are not-so-secretly wishing you were someone else.”
I can tell it was a low blow by the way his voice drops. “Listen to me, you little twat waffle. Your place here isn’t a permanent one. All I have to do is snap my fingers.” To prove his point, he does. “And you and your aunt’s skanky asses will be out on the street.” He chest bumps me so hard I stumble back. “Fucking try me.”
“Let’s go,” Jace grunts. “Britney said the girls are already in the pool.” He clamps a hand on his shoulder, directing him to his car. “I bet Hayley’s wearing that little red bikini you like.”
Oakley grins like the Cheshire Cat. “I do freaking love that thing. Makes her tits look huge.”
Jace nods. “Yeah, man. Now quit fighting with her so we can go have some fun.” For a moment, I think Jace is doing me a solid, but then he says, “Hang out with girls who aren’t two-faced freeloaders.”
The frosty glare he gives me as they get into Oakley’s car and drive off could melt a glacier.
Chapter 15
DYLAN
“Hey, you’re home. How was your first day?” my aunt asks as I’m hanging my blazer on the coat rack by the front door.
My face must give me away because she frowns. “Oh, my God. I’m the worst aunt ever. Please tell me you didn’t walk home. I was going to pick you up, but I figured Oakley would drive you. And then, when I got your text, I realized he didn’t…but then I got your second text and you said a friend of yours was giving you a ride, so I—”
“It’s fine, I’m not mad at you.”
It’s clear she doesn’t buy it because she guides me over to the couch in the living room. “Okay, start talking. Dinner is in the crockpot, which means I’ve got at least an hour and a half for girl talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. If you don’t mind, I’m gonna take a nap before dinner.”
If I crack and tell her everything happening at school, it will be like experiencing it all over again and I just want to forget for a few hours.
Worry flashes in her eyes. “But I really want to know how your day was.” Her face lights up. “Did you get the job?”
I nod. “Yeah. Wednesdays after school, and Saturdays six a.m. to eight p.m.”
She scrunches her face. “That Saturday is a killer for your social life, but I guess you can rest on Sundays.”
It takes everything in me not to laugh. “What social life?”
She waves a hand. “Don’t worry, a pretty, smart girl like you will have the boys swarming in no time. I bet they’ve already started.”
That’s the thing about my aunt Crystal. I love her, but she was never a social outcast. She was the head cheerleader and dated the most popular guy at school.
She was Britney.
Only a blonde and way less bitchy version.
She sits up straight. “Tell me about this friend who
dropped you off. Do you know her from—”
“Him,” I correct. “And yeah. We’re kind of…old friends. I guess.”
Her eyes light up. “Does this boy have a name?”
“Tommy.” I look at the carpet. “He doesn’t go to RHA, though. He goes to the public high school on the other side of town.”
Her brows furrow. “Then how did—”
“He was picking up his younger brother who goes to RHA. Or rather, used to.”
She blinks. “Oh.”
If there was ever a good time to push for going to public school again, this would be it.
“So, I was thinking, would you and Uncle Wayne reconsider me going to Royal Manor High—”
“Honey, no. I’m sorry, but it’s the one and only thing your uncle Wayne won’t budge on. He wants you to have the best education.” She sighs. “Obtuse people really bother him. He says he deals with them all day in the courtroom and doesn’t want to deal with them at home too.”
I want to point out that there are plenty of obtuse people with million-dollar educations. As well as a plethora of intelligent people who went to public school, but it’s moot at this point.
I stand up. “Right. I’m gonna take a quick shower and nap. I’ll be down for dinner.”
Her face scrunches. “That shirt is swimming on you. I could have sworn I got you a size small—”
“You did.” I open my purse and hand her the bag with the pastries in it. “But Britney tripped me at lunch, and my tray of spaghetti and meatballs broke my fall. Luckily, a girl named Sawyer took pity on me and lent me one of her spare shirts.”
Her hand flies to her mouth. “Wait. What? Some girl tripped you in the cafeteria.”
“Yup.”
“On purpose?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m her public enemy number one.”
Crystal looks outraged. “What’s this brat’s last name? I’m gonna call her parents an—”
“Aunt Crystal, I’ll be eighteen in a few weeks, not eight.”
She looks deflated. “I know, but…I don’t know, Dylan, you can’t expect me not to do anything about this. No one messes with my niece and gets away with it.”
Wait until she finds out what kind of rumor her stepson started about me.
I feel like crap for thinking she couldn’t possibly understand when I see the tears in her eyes.
“We’ve always been close. You’re like my…you know how much I love you.”
I do. And seeing her so upset makes me feel like shit.
“I’ve been dealing with Britney for years. She’s like a fungus that never goes away, but one I can deal with. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. It is what it is. Sooner or later she’ll get bored.”
Sadness flickers in her blue eyes. “You remind me so much of your mom right now.” She takes a tissue out of a nearby box and dabs her eyes. “She was so strong and beautiful.”
I start to smile, but then she starts bawling her eyes out.
I freeze, unsure what to do. She’s definitely the more emotional one of the two of us, but I’ve never seen her this emotional before.
I’m completely out of my element. “Is…are…should I call—”
She waves a tissue. “I’m fine, I swear. It’s just the Clomid.”
I have no idea what that is. “Is that like a fancy yoga technique or something?”
She laughs, despite the tears still streaming down her face. “No, it’s my infertility medication.”
Well, shit. “Oh. I didn’t know you were doing that.”
Although I guess it’s not surprising. My aunt’s wanted to have babies for as long as I can remember. To be honest, I’ve always wondered why she and Wayne hadn’t yet.
I guess now I know.
“I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to make you feel like you were inconveniencing us by coming to live here.” She reaches for my hand and I sit back down. “You’re not. I needed something to brighten my spirits after the miscarriage and having you here has.”
My heart twists. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t—”
“You weren’t supposed to. I know how you are, Dylan. I didn’t want to make you feel like you were getting in the way. Or make you think about…” Her voice trails off.
My mom.
The only thing worse than finding my mother dead on the kitchen floor that morning…was that she was five months pregnant when it happened.
I didn’t just lose her. I lost my baby sister.
The one I told my parents I never wanted.
The irony…because I’d give anything to have them both today.
A disturbing, horrifying thought hits me. “Aunt Crystal, are you okay? You said you had a miscarriage. Did you have a heart attack like my mom?”
She looks fine, but so did my mother. The room starts spinning and it’s a struggle to draw in oxygen.
My aunt is literally all I have left. If I lose her…I can’t.
“No, nothing like that.” She pulls me into a hug. “I’m okay. It happened a little over a month and a half ago. I barely even knew I was pregnant, it was so early. The doctor said it was just one of those things that happen sometimes.”
I hug her tighter. “Are you sure you should be trying again so early?” It’s absolutely none of my business, but I need to make sure she’s okay. “I’m not trying to be a downer. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“I’m in perfect health, I promise.” She smiles. “In fact, I had an appointment with my doctor today. It’s why I didn’t respond to your first text right away.”
Relief fills me and my eyes become glassy. “Oh. That’s good.”
“Look at you being the sappy one now.”
“I can’t help it. It’s been a shit day and I don’t want to lose my favorite aunt.”
“I’m your favorite, because I’m your only. But I’ll take it, kid. You’re stuck with me forever.”
“Promise?”
“Yes. But I’m gonna need you to tell me where this Britney girl is so I can kick her ass.”
That only makes me cry harder. “She’s with Jace having a stupid pool party.”
I can hear the disappointment in her sigh. “Boys seriously suck sometimes. Jace may be the gorgeous, popular boy at school right now, but he’s also a dumbass. Sooner or later he’ll realize his idiot ways and come crawling back.”
“I’m not so sure about that. He’s really angry with me and I have no idea why.”
She cups my cheeks. “You and I both know you did nothing wrong. You guys were best friends. A bond like the two of you had doesn’t just vanish into thin air. He’ll pull his head out of his ass and come around soon.”
The sound of my uncle clearing his throat interrupts our little hug-fest. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” Crystal says as we break apart. “We need chocolate.”
“And ice cream.”
I might as well go for gold.
My aunt hands me a tissue and holds up the empty box. “And more tissues.”
Wayne’s eyes widen. “Anything else you two want?”
Yeah. I want to make your son my personal piñata.
But mostly?
I want my best friend back.
Chapter 16
DYLAN
I feel it the moment my aunt drops me off at school the next morning.
Something is off.
People are staring.
Some of them are laughing.
Everyone is whispering.
And I’ve barely even stepped inside the building.
You’d think the stupid rumor about me hooking up with Oakley would be old news by now, but apparently not.
Sawyer rushes over the second she spots me in the hallway. “Hey. You’re here.”
“People really need to get a life.”
She shuffles her feet. “Yeah.”
“I didn’t fuck my step-cousin,” I hiss loud enough for the
people gawking nearby to hear. “Find something else to feed your drama.”
“We already have,” some guy says smugly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Sawyer blows out a breath. “I’m so sorry, Dylan. I tried to take as many as I could down, but they keep taping them back up.”
“Taping what—” My knees buckle as we turn down the hallway where my locker is.
This can’t be happening.
“How did they…” I swallow and it feels like glass. “Who?”
My stomach churns as I pass the rows of lockers lined with my dad’s mugshot and an article outlining his court case.
All my dirty laundry, the one thing I wanted to keep private is laid out for everyone to see.
Humiliation burns through me like wildfire as I approach my own locker where the word thief is spray painted in bright red.
Who would do such a cold-hearted, cruel…
I freeze as it occurs to me.
Oakley not only knows about my father being in jail, he dislikes me enough to use the information to hurt me.
Since the moment I stepped foot in Royal Manor, he’s made it clear I wasn’t welcome.
I figured it would blow over soon, but he’s gone too far this time.
“I’m gonna kill him.”
Sawyer’s eyebrows shoot up. “Who?”
I don’t answer her because I’m too busy pushing my way through the hallway full of people, searching for the asshole responsible for today and yesterday’s spectacle.
My pulse quickens as my Doc Martens hammer the shiny, terrazzo floor. Each step I take is fueled by vehemence.
I’ve been here less than a week and already I’ve reached my breaking point.
I’ve tried ignoring them.
I’ve tried turning the other cheek.
I’ve tried standing up for myself…all to no avail.
And the one person who should have my back in this hellhole—my family member—is the one pulling the strings to this little shit show.
If I don’t do something drastic and put an end to the bullshit now, it will only continue.
I catch Oakley hanging out at the end of the hallway by his locker. His back is turned to me as a visibly agitated girl—who I presume must be his girlfriend—berates him about ignoring her phone calls.
