The Heavier The Chains...

by M. E. Clayton

  “Alex, even if Talon wasn’t off his nut, I don’t want a boyfriend,” I replied. “I’m not…I’m not in the right headspace for more drama or distractions.”

  Alexandria cocked her head as her brows gathered. “Are you still hung up on Cameron?” she asked. “I mean, I know it’s been a while, but I get it. He was your first and-”

  I shook my head. “I am not still hung up on Cameron,” I assured her. “Whatever I felt for him died when he dismissed what Kaden’s death did to me.”

  “Well, then…” She looked pained when she continued, “Well, then what’s wrong with dating Talon, Kenz? I mean, the dude is fucking hot. Like molten-lava-hot.”

  I could feel my eyes bugging out of my head. “Are you kidding me, Alex?” I screeched. “The dude is crazy. Like straight-jacket-needs-meds crazy. No one just pronounces to the world that they have a girlfriend without…asking the girl first!”

  Before Alex could argue in Talon’s favor, a very pretty, petite brunette plopped herself down next to Alex. She had light brown hair that she wore straight down her back. There weren’t any bangs to distract from her flawless face. And there also wasn’t disguising those rare blue eyes of hers either. Sitting next to Alex you could see the difference between Alex’s normal blue eyes and this girl’s powerful cerulean gaze. There’s only one other person I’ve ever seen eyes like that on.

  This beautiful girl could only be Edie Draven.

  “Hey, Alex” she greeted cheerfully.

  “Hey, Edie,” Alex greeted back, just as cheerfully.

  Then the girl turned those hypnotic eyes towards me, and it was hard not to think of her brother as she spoke. “Hi,” she said smiling. “I’m Edie Draven, Talon’s sister.”

  I smiled back. “Hi, Edie. I’m Kenzl-”

  She waved away my introduction. “Oh, I know who you are,” she chuckled. “You’re the girl who has my brother acting like a nutjob.”

  I laughed. Whether Edie realized it or not, her teasing nature diffused any anxiety I may have been feeling about sitting with her. “So, it’s not just me who thinks he’s crazy, then?” I asked, laughing as to not hurt her feelings.

  Her smiled flashed a set of perfectly straight white teeth. “No,” she confirmed. “He’s definitely crazy. But, cut him some slack, will ya? The boy’s never had a girlfriend before. He’s…new to all this.”

  Edie seemed like a sweet person, and she radiated an…inviting aura, so I didn’t want to lie to her. “Oh, Edie, I’m not Talon’s girlfriend,” I said, correcting her. “I’m not even sure if we’re friends.” Edie’s face fell, and she looked so forlorn, I almost took my words back.

  “But…why not?” she asked, and she sounded so earnest, it made me wonder what the hell Talon had told her.

  I didn’t like lying. Sure, I could white-lie fib for politeness sake, or to not hurt anyone’s feelings, but I couldn’t lie about this. “Well…because he’s a jerk,” I answered honestly.

  Edie blinked at me as Alex sat perfectly still. A few seconds later, she started laughing. Once she calmed down, she said, “Well, I know he’s a jerk. He’s always been a jerk.”

  “Not the best endorsement, Edie,” Alexandria mumbled.

  She laughed again, and it sounded genuine. Edie Draven didn’t fake laugh for anyone. She was genuinely a sweet person. “What I mean is, I know he can be a little…rough around the edges, but he’s wonderful to the people he cares about,” she explained. “It’s just…he doesn’t care about that many people and that’s why he comes off as a jerk.”

  I didn’t know what to say.

  Edie was defending her brother like any good sister would, and if the rumors were to be believed, what she was saying was true. According to Alex, Talon adored his sister and so why wouldn’t she think he hung the moon? She got to see a side of him that no one else saw.

  I took a deep breath, trying my best to not come off as a bitch. “Be that as it may, Edie,” I said, “I just really don’t think I’m Talon’s type. And, if he took some time to think about it, he’d know I was right.”

  Her gaze slid towards Alex and then back towards me. “I actually think the fact that you’re not his type is why…I think he’s…serious.”

  I needed to give her something. “Our first…encounter wasn’t a pleasant one, Edie,” I confessed. “He was…mean.”

  Her face fell again. “Oh,” she muttered.

  “But there’s no reason we can’t all be cool though, right?” Alex beamed, trying to smooth things over. “We don’t need your brother to be friends, Edie.” Alex looked over at me. “Right, Kenz?”

  I started nodding my head frantically, like a goddamn bobblehead. “Oh, sure, yeah,” I sputtered. “We don’t need Talon to…hang out, or whatever. There’s no reason we can’t still be friends.”

  Edie gnawed her bottom lip like she was feasting off it. “I don’t think…I can do that,” she mumbled.

  “Why not?” I asked, curious.

  Her eyes went from sweet and friendly to determined and absolute. “Talon...likes you,” she said. “He likes you and…I won’t betray him like that. I can’t hang out with the girl who…who’s breaking his heart.”

  Oh, God. Edie was a romantic.

  “Edie, I can promise you, I am not breaking your brother’s heart,” I emphatically denied. “He’d have to be in love with me for that to be the case, and he is not in love with me.”

  “I think he is,” she said, shocking the holy hell out of both me and Alex.

  “What makes you say that?” I asked, stunned. “I’ve only known him a day, Edie.”

  She cocked her head at me again. “Exactly,” she replied. “And, in one day, a guy who cares about nothing and no one else save me, Mom, Lars, and Hunter is claiming you. What do you call that?”

  “Insanity,” I blurted out truthfully.

  “And what is love if not insanity?” she replied, wise beyond her years.

  Chapter 9

  The confusion we’re not used to.

  Kenzlee~

  I walked into seventh period just happy to have had no run-ins with the Finelys during fifth period. Sixth period had been okay because I had it with Alex, but I spent the entire time dreading seventh period.

  Lunch with Edie had really thrown me for a loop because she was super pro-Talon and Alex hadn’t offered up enough reasons why dating Talon would be a bad idea. As a matter of fact, the more Edie convinced me to date Talon, the more pro-Talon Alex had become.

  And it was all so crazy.

  I mean, really, really crazy.

  I couldn’t deny I was attracted to the guy, because I was. It was the intensity of that attraction that had me scared out of my wits. I didn’t need that kind of distraction. I had real grownup life shit to figure out.

  It was one thing to stay with Uncle Allen while I’m in school because school gave off the illusion that I was still a minor, even though I wasn’t. High school made me still seem like a kid. But what about once I graduated? I couldn’t freeload off them after that. I felt like breaking out in hives when he just gave me lunch money as it was.

  I needed an after-school job, is what I needed.

  Walking into seventh, my eyes immediately went towards the back row. Talon was sitting on the extra chair next to his desk, and a quick scan of the classroom told me Mr. Styles still hadn’t procured an empty desk for me yet.

  I walked towards the back of the class because, honestly, I was exhausted. Last night’s lack of sleep had been kicking my ass all day, and the mere thought of trading barbs with Talon, had me feeling exhausted.

  I walked my pathetic ass towards his desk and sat down like a defeated soldier. I mean, this thing with him felt like war, after all.

  “What’s wrong?” Talon asked as soon as I sat down. “You look tired.”

  I rolled my eyes but didn’t bother to face him. “Awe, what a good boyfriend you are to notice,” I deadpanned. “You really are the best.” I heard him growl, and I wanted to drop my
forehead on the desk.

  Repeatedly.

  “Cut the shit, Kenzlee,” he grumbled. “What’s wrong?”

  I stayed mums.

  It might have been immature and ridiculous, but Talon wasn’t my boyfriend regardless of what he said. He didn’t deserve an explanation of my emotions or my appearance. Besides, I could hardly admit to him that I was tired because I’d been thinking of him all night.

  “Kenzlee, don’t make me ask you again,” he warned. “You look tired, and I want to know why.”

  I turned to face him, surprised-but not surprised, by his audacity. “Maybe I look like crap because you and your ridiculous notions are stressing me out,” I hissed. “You ever think about that?”

  “I didn’t say you looked like crap, White,” he hissed right back. “I said you looked tired. And, if you’re looking tired, there’s a reason why, and I want to know what it is.”

  I wondered if I could get my scheduled changed.

  When I had gotten my school schedule, I hadn’t even bothered to review it. I trusted the transfer of my school records had gone to the right person to ensure I graduated. Maybe I should schedule a meeting with the school counselor and see if I could rearrange my classes.

  Crap.

  Reality settled in when I realized I had no idea what Talon’s other classes were. I could very well end up changing my schedule and ending up with him in more of my classes than just the two I had already. Or those two idiot friends of his. Or Edie. Or, hell, I might end up in a class with all four of them.

  Suddenly, two classes didn’t seem so bad.

  I looked over at him and gave in.

  I gave in because…I’m stupid.

  Because I’m stupid, and lost, and lonely, and confused, and…desperate.

  I’m desperate to matter to someone.

  Not in the way Uncle Allen feels relative responsibility for me. Not in the way Alex pities me. Not in the way Aunt Sheri feels sympathetic towards my situation. Not in the way Julie feels sorry for me. And not in the way I wish Kaden was still here to love and protect me.

  And even though I wanted to matter to someone, I wasn’t sure Talon was the right person for that. I know that made me wishy-washy, but I just couldn’t get a grasp on his…forceful personality.

  “I didn’t get much sleep last night,” I confessed.

  “Why not,” he barked as if it was a personal affront to him that I hadn’t slept.

  The look I shot him was not friendly. “Oh, maybe, because I have shit on my mind,” I clipped out, my voice full of sarcasm.

  His voice was full of sex and sin when he replied, “Do you need me to tuck you into bed at night?”

  Suddenly, Cameron’s mechanical lovemaking flashed through my mind. All those memories flipped through my brain like a Rolodex, distorting the memories from sex to fumbling intercourse. It was like he wouldn’t be able to measure up to Talon and I haven’t even been with Talon to even have a comparison.

  I had teased Alexandria about Talon probably not taking the time to get out of the backseat, but his simple question, designed to antagonize me, had me wondering.

  But I wisely kept that to myself.

  “That’s very sweet of you, really,” I retorted. “Is it a service you provide for all girls? Is there a discount card available? You know, like after you’ve tucked the girl in ten times, she gets a free tuck later?” My eyes lit up with attitude. “Oh, or maybe, there’s a buy one tuck get half off a second tuck. I bet you’d even provide discounts for tucks that included more than two people.”

  Talon didn’t appreciate my sarcasm.

  He reached over and squeezed the shit out of my thigh, and while I should probably be taking exception to his manhandling, all I could do was thank God I wore jeans today because then his hand would have been on my bare skin, and I’m not sure I could handle that.

  “Keep it up, White,” he snapped, his voice a quiet, deep rumble. “I’m not going to take your shit for much longer.”

  “How about you save yourself the aggravation and just leave me the hell alone, Talon,” I suggested, ready to beat him over the head with my book.

  “Never,” he replied before letting go of my thigh and facing the front of the class again.

  ∞∞∞

  Talon~

  I needed Kenzlee under control, and I needed it now.

  While I liked that she wasn’t a doormat, despite her proper upbringing, I didn’t know how much longer I could go without kissing her; claiming her. She was driving me crazy, and it didn’t help when I got a text from Edie saying she spent lunch with Kenzlee and Alexandria. Now, with Edie involved, there was no way I was letting this thing go south.

  I was following behind her, but there wasn’t a need to rush. I knew she was going to her locker, and I knew she’d wait there until Alex met up with her. Between mine, Edie’s, Lars’, and Hunter’s eyes and ears, I knew she didn’t have a car and rode with Alex.

  The more I learned about her, the more curious I became. Kenzlee reeked of money and manners, yet she was going to school at Lakeside and she didn’t have a car of her own. She had a story that I was dying to know about, and I’d get it out of her, sooner or later.

  Coming around the corner, my feet picked up their pace in the quick second it took my mind to compute what I was seeing. Jason Fuller was leaning up against the locker next to Kenzlee’s, presumably waiting on her.

  Oh, fuck no.

  Kenzlee’s back was towards me, but Jason saw me coming. He stood up straighter and pulled his shoulders back as if that would somehow make him as tall as me. And, like the little bitch he was, he gave Kenzlee a tight nod, letting her know someone was behind her. She whirled around, and I’m not sure what my face conveyed, but her eyes widened a bit.

  I stepped to her, wrapped my arm around her waist, and yanked her to me. Everyone in the hallway, including Jason, could see my actions for what they were. I just pissed a circle around the girl, and I was ready for anyone who came sniffing around.

  Since I was so much taller than Kenzlee, it was easy to mean mug Jason over her head. “Can I help you with something, Jason?” I asked, not giving a fuck how pissed off Miss Manners was going to be.

  And because Jason didn’t want to look like a pussy in front of Kenzlee, he replied, “Just talking with Kenzlee.”

  Even though we all knew I knew about the encounter during gym yesterday, I said, “I didn’t realize you knew my girl, Fuller.”

  “Talon…” Kenzlee growled.

  His eyes flew to Kenzlee and back before saying, “Are you sure she’s your girl, Draven?” He shrugged a shoulder. “There seems to be a lot of…uh, uncertainty on what’s going on between the two of you.”

  I gripped Kenzlee’s waist and pushed her behind me. Stepping up to Jason, I cleared things up for him and whoever else was in the hallway listening. “There’s no uncertainty, Fuller,” I replied. “Kenzlee’s mine.”

  “Talon!”

  Jason smirked. “You sure about that?”

  I had only one card to play here. Kenzlee was one second away from refuting my claim, and I couldn’t let that happen. “I’m positive,” I told him. “However, if you’re still confused, maybe I can explain it to you better during a Friday night.”

  He reared back knowing exactly what I was suggesting, and that gave him pause, but he still didn’t back down. “That still won’t make her yours if she doesn’t want to be yours, Talon.”

  He was right.

  As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I could kick his ass and every other guy’s ass whoever came near her, and that still wouldn’t mean anything. She had to confirm our…relationship.

  I took a step to the right and gave Kenzlee the floor. She was going to have to set Jason-and everyone in the goddamn hallway-straight. And I was going to have to trust that she would.

  If she said she was single, I’m not sure what I would do. And the hell of it was, I was pretty sure that’s what she was going to say. I mean
, why wouldn’t she? She’s been very vocal about her objections to being railroaded; this was her perfect chance to put me in my place.

  I looked down at her and said, “Do you want to clear things up for Jason, or should I?”

  Her light brown eyes were full of resentment, but there was a touch of surrender in them too, and it was helping me breathe a little easier. Kenzlee didn’t like this pull between us any more than I did, but I’ve stopped fighting it where she was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that it existed.

  She turned her head to face Jason, and, no lie, my heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest with anticipation. Her next words would cement herself to me or make me fuck Jason up.

  Jason eyed her as she cleared her throat and hugged her book to her chest. “Ja…Jason, I’m…I’m not in the position to be anything but your friend-”

  Not good enough.

  “Kenzle-” Jason started.

  I stepped towards her letting her know I didn’t appreciate her response, and it was looking like I was going to have to fuck Jason up, after all. But then she said, “Talon and I…we…”

  Jason didn’t let her finish. “You can’t be serious?” he asked incredulously. “Come on, Kenzlee. Don’t let him intimidate you into-”

  Kenzlee shook her head at him. “I’m not letting him do anything,” she said, interrupting his accusations. “I’m sorry, Jason, but…even if Talon and I weren’t together, that doesn’t mean I’d be interested in anything with someone else.”

  I stepped in front of Kenzlee, cutting Jason off from any further contact with her. “You heard her, Fuller. Now, I’m not going to tell you again. Stay the fuck away from my girl,” I warned.

  He shot me a hate-filled glare before turning around and storming off. After he was a safe distance away, I turned around to face Kenzlee, and asked, “Why?”

  Her glare was every bit has hate-filled as Jason’s. “What was I supposed to do?” she hissed quietly, so we couldn’t be overheard. “Let you beat him up?”