Jess felt her body tense at the mention of his girlfriend. She’d almost forgotten. “Why are you with her then?”
Greg broke eye contact and turned to gaze back up at the stars. “Because the person I really want to be with seems way out of my league, and Sandra is all right, I guess.”
She had a suspicion about where this was going, but she was hesitant to mentally set herself up for disappointment. “I don’t think anyone’s out of your league, Greg.” She stared at the side of his head, hoping he’d face her again. “You’re smart, funny, nice. If any girl doesn’t want to be with you, it’s her problem, not yours.” Would this work? She was just high enough to hope so.
He finally turned his head toward her again. “Does that include you?” While she tried desperately to think of a smooth response, he rolled over onto his side and propped his head up on his hand.
This was happening. Heck yes, this was happening. “Yeah, that includes me. I would be crazy not to like you.”
He leaned in close, going for the kiss, and Jess closed her eyes, waiting for contact. But he paused before it happened. “I’m sorry it took me this long to kiss you,” he whispered.
A small giggle of relief escaped her. “I forgive you,” she said.
Greg groaned. “Damn you.” And then he pressed his lips against hers.
Her mind briefly traveled back to her practice with Chris earlier in the day, but all of the lessons were useless because she hadn’t planned on lying down while she made out. The hand placement was impossible. Besides, this was a million times better than with Chris, whether because she knew Greg meant it or because she was high, she wasn’t sure. She didn’t care, either.
Greg took charge, and she didn’t mind one bit.
Then he broke the kiss, and she wondered if they were done before his warm lips found her neck right below the jaw.
Whoa.
Suddenly so much about the sex scene in Cutthroat Times started to make sense. Not the actual sex part, but a lot of the other things leading up to the sex. This was amazing. She wanted to make out forever.
Please don’t be a dream. She scanned their surroundings for Jesus, and when she didn’t immediately spot him, she was able to relax again.
His hand started to roam up her torso, like Jameson’s had in her dream, only she didn’t wake up when it reached her chest. He grabbed a handful—if there was even that much—and began massaging it through her shirt.
It was okay.
Not great.
She’d expected it to be great.
She managed to wiggle one arm free so she could wrap it around his shoulder and pull him closer.
His hand let go of her breast and traveled down her body, over her stomach and lower to rest just above a body part she had no intention of bringing into this scenario, partially because she wasn’t ready, but mostly for fear of his safety.
She cleared her throat and pushed him back just a bit.
He got the hint and leaned away, looking down into her eyes. “Sorry. Too much?”
She nodded. “I mean, you have a girlfriend, and I just …” She didn’t know how to say what she was really worried about, which was that if Greg touched her there, something nearby might actually get struck by lightning, despite the clear sky. Also, she didn’t want to lead him to believe that she would do the things that Sandra did. But mostly lightning.
“No, I get it.” He scooted up into a sitting position with his back against the cab. “I want to break up with her,” he said.
Jess pushed herself up as well to sit next to him in the bed.
He folded his hands in his lap. “I know I can’t expect you to be okay with this until that happens. But once that’s over with, do you …” He looked at her. “Are you actually into me?”
She had to keep herself from shouting it. “Yeah.”
“And how long have I just been totally oblivious to it?”
She thought about it. “About three years.”
He leaned his head back against the window and laughed. “I’m such an asshole.”
“And how long have I just been completely oblivious to it?” she asked.
He sighed. “About three years.”
Jess giggled. “Oh, wow.”
He shook his head and rubbed his mouth. “Yeah, sorry. I guess I just didn’t think it would ever happen. I should’ve said something sooner.”
“No, it’s all fine, don’t worry about it.”
He nodded somberly. “So when I break it off with Sandra, you’d want to be with me?”
“Yes. Definitely.”
He turned his head toward her. “Can I kiss you again?”
Her heart raced this time just as much as the first. “Absolutely.”
In a sitting position, even though they were facing the same direction, Jess was able to bust out the move Chris had shown her. She placed one hand on Greg’s jaw, the other on his chest, and this time the kiss was slower, less frenzied. She hoped he broke up with Sandra soon.
“Burns! Buuuurns!”
Greg jerked away from her as soon as he heard the boy’s voice. “Shit.”
Their assumption that parking at the very back of the lot would provide privacy was clearly not a good one. Jess turned to look over her shoulder, where the voice had come from, and when she did, she saw Trent strutting over. He squinted through the darkness. “Wait, is that Jessica?”
“Go away, Wurst,” Greg said.
“What the heck are you doing with her?”
“Nothing. Go away.”
Trent laughed. “Sandra’s gonna have your balls when she finds out.”
“She won’t find out if you don’t go be an asshole and tell her.”
Trent lifted up his hands defensively. “I’m not a snitch, but you aren’t exactly being careful. Not exactly having high standards, either.” He looked at Jess, who glared at him. “You know how her mom is. Fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“Fuck you!” Greg said, which was essentially what Jessica had wanted to say, but never in a million years would have actually said to Trent. “Get the fuck out of here!”
Trent opened his mouth to reply, then as his eyes fell on Jess, who was scowling as hard as she could, since that was the only thing she was brave enough to do at the time, it looked like a switch was flicked in the Wurst boy’s brain, and his smugness instantly warped into fear. He turned and power-walked away. It was strange, sure, but so was most of his erratic behavior.
“Don’t listen to him,” Greg said. “He’s just being a jerk.”
“As much as I appreciate you standing up for me,” Jess began, feeling extremely uncomfortable and wishing she could find a nice place to hide, “you don’t have to. You always do it, and I probably don’t deserve it.”
“Stop.” Greg reached over and grabbed her hands, holding them in his. “I don’t know your mom, but I do know you, and no one who raised you could be even half as bad as Trent’s mother.”
That was true. “I mean, you might have a point. Mrs. Wurst has been cheating on his father with their reverend for years now.”
Greg eyed her suspiciously, his mouth hanging open. “And you know that how?”
“God told me.”
“Ah. Okay.” He obviously wasn’t convinced, though he looked like he wanted to believe. “Either way, I don’t think liking you means having low standards. I think you’re amazing, Jess.”
“Sure. Okay.” She paused. As much as she wished she could sit here and make out with Greg all night, she knew that the mood, at least for her, had pretty much been demolished as soon as she’d heard Trent’s whiny voice. “We should get going. I feel bad running late when I told Miranda I’d be there by the time it started.”
“Yeah, all right.”
They crawled out of the truck bed, and Greg walked around with her to the passenger’s side. “You can leave your backpack in here. I can give you a ride home after, if you want.”
She leaned against the truck, gazing up a
t him. “Yeah, that works.”
He looked like he was about to take a step back so that they could head to the stadium, but then he paused. “Hey. You want to split another joint before we go?”
“Hell yes.”
He opened the door open for her and she jumped back inside.
Once that was done, it was well past the start of the game, and they trekked across the parking lot in calm silence.
As they crossed in front of the stands, surveying the crowd in search of good seats, Jess spotted Trent sitting between his sister and Stephanie Lee. She caught his gaze and sent him another warning look. The glimpse of fear she’d spotted earlier was gone, stuffed behind his cocky self-assurance, no doubt. He rolled his eyes, and she understood that in terms of Trent reactions, the mildness of a little eye roll was essentially a pinky swear that he wouldn’t mention anything about what he’d seen. He must, to some extent, still be scared of her. There was just no way he’d forgotten what Destinee had done to his mother last time he pushed his antagonizing too far, even if that was years ago.
Jess spotted Miranda in the stands and waved to her. “This way,” she said to Greg, and he followed her up the next set of stairs as they made for the open seats. When Jess finally sat next to her best friend, with Greg on her other side, she leaned in close to Miranda’s ear. “Yes,” was all she said.
The Mooremont Mexicans were trailing by seven at the start of the second quarter, which was only just starting when Jess and Greg took their seats, but Jess couldn’t have cared less about the score. She wished she felt passionately about football, since basically everyone else did, but she just didn’t have it in her.
Greg leaned over. “This is boring. I wish we could get out of here and go do something a little more interesting.”
He meant making out. She was sure of it.
She wanted that, too. “You want to go get something to drink?”
He nodded, and she asked Miranda if she wanted anything from the concession stand.
“Uh, sure. Maybe a coke?”
“What kind?”
“Dr. Pepper.”
“You got it.”
Miranda grinned like a fool, and Jess smiled coyly back, and then she and Greg headed down the stairs toward the concession stand by the far end zone.
When they got to the edge of the rows of seats, Greg said, “Hey, follow me,” and he took Jess by the hand and led her away from the field, and back behind the stands.
She looked around to see if anyone was watching. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
She’d never been behind the cement stadium seating—because why would she? The action was in front of them.
Until it wasn’t.
Greg stopped and turned to face her, pulling her into his body. His mouth met hers immediately, and he backed her up a few steps until she was pressed against one of the cement pillars.
Anyone could walk back there and spot them, which she realized made it somehow better, even though the consequences of that might not be fantastic, especially if it were a teacher or parent.
But that didn’t matter. This was a little like a dream. Except no Jesus.
He pulled back away from her for a moment to let her catch her breath. “God, I just want to kiss you all night,” he said, “but we better get back to the game before anyone gets suspicious.”
“For sure.”
He led her by the hand back around the stands, and then they let go once they were within view of the crowd.
By the time they made it through the long, slow concessions line and returned to their seats, there were only five minutes left in the second quarter.
“’Bout time,” Miranda said, but she was clearly more impressed than annoyed. Jess handed her the coke, and when Miranda went for her wallet, Jess stopped her. “On me since it took so long.”
Miranda wiggled her eyebrows at her. “Well isn’t someone feeling generous.”
Jess’s giggle was cut short when Greg said, “Oh shit,” from next to her. Jess looked at him. “What is”—she followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at. “Oh.”
Sandra, Emma, and Drew were stumbling up with large Sonic drinks in their hands, despite the no-outside-drinks rule. Sandra must have played the Principal’s Daughter card. It wouldn’t have been the first time.
She spotted Greg and smiled, then her eyes lit on Jess and Miranda, and that smile died a sudden death. She headed straight for them—well not exactly straight—with Emma and Drew following sloppily behind.
“I’m too high for this right now,” Greg mumbled to Jess.
Miranda overhead it and leaned quickly into Jess’s ear. “Wait, are you high?” she whispered.
Jess nodded. “Yes, it’s awesome. You have to try it.”
“God’s cool with that?” she asked.
Jess shrugged. “Probably. Doesn’t matter. It’s awesome.”
“Okay, then.”
Sandra forced her way down the row toward where they were, not even waiting for the other spectators to get their feet out of her path. “Oh my God, Greg! I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Let me tell you about my day.” She spoke at a volume that indicated she thought people around her cared to hear. When she made it to where Greg sat, she forced herself between him and Jess, cutting Jess out of the conversation. Even for Sandra this seemed a bit overt. Miranda stared wide-eyed at the spectacle.
Sandra leaned in for a kiss, and Greg moved away from her. “Jesus, Sandra, how drunk are you?”
“Please. I’m fine. I haven’t even been drinking.”
“So did you pour the booze in your drink between the last time I saw you drink out of it and now? Because I can smell it from here … and the lid is on.”
“Why didn’t you respond to my texts?” she asked, wrapping an arm around one of his.
“Well, for one, I was at the audition, which went well, thanks for asking.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that. How’d you do?”
Greg inhaled deeply and Jess could tell he was losing patience. Perfect.
“I just said it went well.” He looked over Sandra’s head and made eye contact with Jess, who raised her brows at him expectantly.
“Sit down!” a student yelled at Drew and Emma, who were still standing on the other side of Greg, totally oblivious to everyone else who was trying to watch the game.
“Fuck off!” Drew yelled.
“You know what?” Greg said, pushing Sandra back from where she was leaning heavily on his arm, presumably because she couldn’t otherwise hold herself up. “We’re done.” He slipped his arm free of her grasp.
“Done with what?”
“You and me,” Greg clarified. “It’s over. I’m breaking up with you.”
Sandra snorted. “Please. Like you would actually do that. You’re just saying that because you’re high. You always say stupid shit when you’re high.”
She went to grab his arm again, but he pushed her away. “Fine, you don’t have to believe me, but I mean it. You’re a mess. Leave me alone.”
Sandra sat up straight and glared defiantly at him before turning to eye Jess. The pieces seemed to be coming together for her. “Her? Are you serious?”
“It’s none of your business. The point is it’s not you.”
Sandra stood up quickly and struggled to get her balance. “You’re so going to regret this. I’m not taking you back whenever you realize you’ve ditched me for a complete prude.”
“Go,” Greg said sternly.
Sandra grinned wickedly. “Enjoy celibacy, asshole.” She waved bye and shoved Emma the opposite direction toward the stairs again.
Jess watched the clique go, and while she was relieved that it was done, a few of Sandra’s words had lodged themselves into Jess’s mind.
Prude? She’d never thought of herself that way. Wasn’t a prude someone who thought sex was bad? She didn’t think that; she just thought it was gross. Was there a separate word for someone like t
hat?
But mostly, she realized that Sandra had a point. Greg would eventually want something more than making out. She’d known it the whole time, but now that there was no Sandra standing between them, it was real.
Greg stared determinedly at the game, despite the fact that he didn’t care at all about football (something no one ever actually admitted to publicly). Had Sandra’s words struck a chord with him, too?
She let him be for a while, not sure what she should even say.
Chris threw a touchdown pass, and Miranda jumped up to cheer along with the rest of the home crowd. But Jess and Greg stayed seated.
“Sorry,” she said over the noise of the crowd. She wasn’t sure what exactly she was sorry for, though.
“Nah, don’t worry about it.” He waved her off but didn’t look at her.
“Do you forgive me?”
Now he looked at her. “For what? For being awesome? For being someone I really like? You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who’s sorry for staying with Sandra past her expiration date.”
The crowd stayed standing, waiting for the extra point, as was school tradition, creating a fortress of bodies that made Jess feel like she was alone with Greg.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I forgive you.”
He grabbed her face on both sides and leaned down to plant a passionate kiss on her lips as the crowd moaned and cursed and a grown man behind her shouted, “Nothing short of a goddamn miracle if Rivera ever got it through the goddamn uprights!”
The Mexicans came back to win the pre-season game 30-7, meaning it really wasn’t much of a game once Chris hit his rhythm.
Between halftime and the final whistle, Greg’s mood had lightened significantly. Jess had even managed to push the words “prude” and “celibacy” from her mind enough to continue enjoying herself.
The crowd seemed to be in no hurry to leave after the game, despite it being just past eleven. “Let’s head down there,” she said to Miranda. “You can go say hi to Chris.”
Miranda stared down at the field longingly. “Please … He has enough people to talk to him right now.”
And It Was Good (Jessica Christ Book 2) Page 7
