I could say yes. For all I know, this little friendship will be over soon anyway, once the guys learn everything about me. But again, the idea of going back to being alone doesn’t sit well with me.
“Nah, it’s fine,” I assure him.
He visibly relaxes. “Good.”
I playfully nudge him in the shoulder. “You wanna be my friend, Jaxon?”
He shakes his head, struggling not to smile. “You’re lucky I do, or I’d have to teach you a lesson about calling me Jaxon.”
I can’t help thinking about what Katy said to me yesterday, about Jax being a scary mothereffer or whatever. Besides a few subtle remarks here and there that could be a little bit uneasy, I just can’t picture him being scary.
Why do these rumors get started? Are they just rumors? Or is there truth to it?
“What’s your next class?” Jax asks, drawing me from my thoughts.
I dig my schedule out of my pocket. “Math. Blah.”
“Math definitely sucks.” He leans over to look at my schedule, getting so close that this hair tickles my cheek.
He smells good, like cologne and mint.
An arm suddenly loops through mine as someone steps up beside me. “What’re we doing?”
I immediately tense, preparing myself to have to relive the incident of being in the janitor’s closet. Then my head snaps to the side to see who’s got me, and the tension unravels from my body.
Hunter is beside me, all cheery and full of smiles, like he usually is.
“We’re going to class,” I tell him as we continue to wander down the hallway with his arm looped through mine.
Jax is walking close beside me on the other side of me, and I feel safe wedged between the two of them. Although, Hunter’s appearance has made the staring increase.
“Or, well, I am,” I tell him. “I don’t think anyone has math with me, do they?”
“Unfortunately not,” Jax says as he moves his books into his other hand.
Sighing, I tuck my schedule into my back pocket, secretly wishing I didn’t have to go to class alone. Then I roll my eyes at myself. Since when can’t I handle going to class alone? I’ve done it a ton of times before.
“What teacher?” Hunter asks me as he swings us around a couple making out against their lockers.
Well, at least that’s two people not staring at us.
“Mr. J.” Jax’s shoulder lightly touches mine as he moves closer to me to dodge around a cheerleader. Once he gets around her, he keeps his shoulder resting against mine.
And that’s how I get walked to class with Hunter’s arm looped through mine and Jax’s shoulder attached to mine. It’s a nice way to get walked to class, and by the time we arrive, I’m feeling pretty decent.
After Hunter unloops his arm from mine, he faces me. “Text any of us if you need anything at all, okay?”
I nod, trying to conceal my nerves of walking into class alone.
Get over this, Raven. You’re a big girl.
So, mustering every ounce of courage I have, I walk through the door, hoping everything will be fine. And it is for a while. That is … until I receive a text. One single text, but it’s enough to ruin my entire day.
Unknown: I see you, Ravenlee, and I know what you did. But, do they?
8
Raven
By the time lunch rolls around, I’m in a sullen mood. And worried. Not just because of the text, but because I’m worried that, when Hunter tries to work on tracking down the sender, he’ll see the text and might ask questions. Or that this person sending the text will somehow tell them since I took the last message they sent as a subtle threat to do that.
I guess that’s the one good thing about me being off the grid or whatever. Sure, the guys said they found some vague stuff, but I doubt they know the whole story, like how I was accused of murdering my parents, of the state I was found in that day, of my time in the psychiatric ward. After Hunter looks at the texts, though, he might ask. And then what? I just lie or tell them the truth and cross my fingers they don’t look at me like I’m the freak that I am?
Murderer.
Loser.
Disappointment.
To add to the craptasticness, my side is beginning to hurt like a real bitch. I do my best to disregard the pain as third period comes to an end and I make my way out of the classroom to go get lunch. Or, well, play spy.
When I exit the room, I see a familiar face. Blonde hair, blue eyes, basically the female version of Hunter.
“Hey.” Harlow waves at me as she practically skips over to me.
I’m starting to think the skipping thing is a family trait, since Hunter does it, too.
She’s got her hair in a high ponytail, is wearing the coolest plaid sneakers, and she has a huge smile on her face.
“So, how’s your second day going?” she asks as we start down the hallway with her hands tucked into the back pockets.
“Not too bad.” At least, it’s not if you don’t count the note I got in first period and the text. But, to be honest, this is definitely not the worst day I’ve ever had. In fact, all that is pretty mild. “Well, except for I got a headache in math.”
“Almost everyone gets a headache in math,” she says. “Mr. J. is so monotonous.”
“He really is,” I agree. “I swear I even saw him fall asleep for a second while he was giving his own lecture.”
“Oh, he did that once already.” She laughs. “Literally, he let out this snort then woke himself up. It was so funny.”
I laugh. “Really?
“Yep.” She grins. “Anyway, I wanted to apologize for not giving you a ride to school. I totally spaced off this appointment I had.”
“You’re fine,” I assure her as we head in what I hope is the direction of my locker—I’m still trying to get my bearings here. “You didn’t owe me a ride or anything.”
“I know, but I told you I would, so now I feel bad. Next time, I won’t blow you off, I swear.” She brushes a wisp of hair out of her eyes. “So, totally off the subject, but I heard a rumor about you today.”
Tension zaps through my body, and I nearly trip over my own feet. “What? What’d you hear?”
She gives me a sneaky smile. “That the one and only Jaxon Capperellie was super friendly with you this morning. He even walked you to class, which is kind of weird ’cause I thought you and my brother had a thing going.”
I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear her say that. For a second, I thought she was going to tell me she heard I was a murderer.
“Both of them have been nice to me, but we’re just friends.” Sort of. Honestly, I don’t know what we are. Colleagues? Yeah, I can’t tell her that. “Jax didn’t walk me to class, though. He had the same class as me, so we walked in together.”
“It’s still weird.”
“Why?”
“Because Jax barely speaks to anyone besides Hunter and Zay, let alone go to class with someone.”
I wish I could tell her that the only reason he’s hanging out with me is because I agreed to help them spy on my aunt and uncle, but I’m unsure if she’s supposed to know that. Probably.
“Well, to be fair, I think he only did it because we rode to school together, and we had the same class first period, so he offered to show me where it was.” I slow to a stop at my locker, giving myself a pat on the back for being able to find it.
She slants against the locker beside mine with her arms crossed. “It’s still super weird. In fact, I think the last time he even paid attention to a girl was Lana.”
I spin the combination to my locker. “Who’s Lana?”
“The only girl he’s ever dated. They broke up a while ago, and he hasn’t dated anyone since. I think everyone assumed he was still in love with her. Now, though …”
This Lana girl must be the same girl in the hallway that Jax ran from, I’m guessing. “Now, though, what?”
She gives me an insinuating look, but it takes me a moment to catch on.
<
br /> “Wait—do people think Jax and I are dating?” I ask, taken aback.
“Not everyone,” she stresses. “But I’ve heard a couple of people talking about it.”
I open my locker. “Just because we went to class together?”
She lifts her shoulder. “Call it the perks of a small town. And being friends with my brother and his friends.”
“Yeah, about that …” I put my bag into my locker then shut it. “What’s the deal with Hunter, Zay, and Jax? I mean, Katy basically corners me yesterday to tell me they’re scary, but they don’t seem scary to me. In fact, they’ve been nice. And everyone stared at us this morning when I walked down the hallway with Hunter and Jax.”
“Well, personally, I don’t find them scary, but they’ve done some stuff that’s given them a reputation. It’s for a good reason.” She presses her lips together, almost seeming frightened.
“What is it?” I wonder.
She rubs her lips together, contemplating. “Has Hunter or Jax told you much about this town and the families who run it?”
“Families who run it?” What?
“So, I’m gonna assume that’s a no.” She bends down to tie her sneaker. At least, I think that’s what she’s doing. “Let’s not talk about this anymore while we’re standing out in the open, okay?” she whispers as she ties her shoe. “However, if you want to hang out at lunch or after school, I can totally give you the rundown of this hellhole that you now call home. That way, you’ll be able to survive.”
I want to ask her, Survive what? but she seems pretty adamant about shutting that conversation right now, so I let it drop.
She stands up and dusts off her hands. “So, you wanna leave campus and get some lunch?”
I want to. I like Harlow, and it’d be nice to hang out with her, but I’m helping the guys, and I really do want to help them, mostly so I can get some answers for myself.
I’m about to tell her I can’t when Jax walks up to us. He still has that pen tucked behind his ear, which I find amusing, and he’s also carrying a small wooden box.
“Hey, Low,” he greets then looks at me, his eyes all warm, again making me question what this shy, sweet guy could’ve possibly done to make everyone afraid of him. “You ready to go to lunch?”
I start to nod then look at Harlow. “Sorry, I was about to tell you that I told Jax, Hunter, and Zay that I’d go to lunch with them today.”
“It’s cool,” she says, but I can tell she’s a bit hurt, and I feel bad. “You want a ride home from school?”
I start to nod when Jax interrupts.
“Actually,” he says with hesitancy, “I was going to take you to get a new phone after school.”
“Oh.” I can feel Harlow’s gaze burrowing into me.
“You’re buying her a new phone?” she asks with a trace of amusement. “Interesting.”
“Hers is really old,” Jax explains, looking at her confusedly. “But why did you say it like that?”
“Like what?” Harlow replies innocently.
Jax does not seem impressed, narrowing his gaze on her. “Don’t play dumb with me, Low.”
She tosses a sassy grin in his direction. “You don’t scare me, Jaxon. I can still remember that shy little boy who cried because he accidentally killed a butterfly.”
He shakes his head and mumbles, “That’s not why I was crying.”
I’d probably find it funny and kind of adorable that he cried over something like that, but I’m getting the strangest sense of déjà vu.
The little boy holds the butterfly in his hand, crying. “I killed it.”
“It’s okay,” I say, crouching down beside him. “Butterflies have multiple lives.”
He sniffs as he glances up at me. “You promise?”
I nod, even though I don’t know for sure. But it seems possible. Butterflies are magical, right? That’s what my mom told me. And magical things live forever.
He stops crying, but sadness continues to reflect from his eyes. “I don’t want you to die.”
“Earth to Raven.” Harlow waves her hand in front of my face.
I jerk back and blink. “Huh?”
She examines me with concern. So does Jax.
“Are you okay?” Harlow asks with a questioning look on her face.
I nod, an uneven breath slowly easing from my lips. “I think I’m just tired. I slept like shit last night.”
That appears to satisfy her. Jax, however, doesn’t seem to buy it, his gaze basically burning a hole into the side of my head.
“We should get going”—he shifts the box to underneath his arm—“before Zay has a shit-fit.”
“Zay always has a shit-fit,” Harlow remarks. “But yeah, I’ll let you go.” She starts to back away then pauses. “You remember that thing I texted you about them yesterday? That club thing?”
I nod, attempting to focus past the bizarre déjà vu still plaguing me. But seriously, what was that? “Yeah. Why? What’s up?”
“Well, I want to talk to you about it more,” she explains. “However, since my brother and his friends seem to think they get to claim your entire schedule, I wanted to pen in some time with you Saturday night.”
“To go clubbing?” I check to make sure that I’m understanding her correctly.
“Sort of.” Her gaze glides to Jax then back to me. “I’ll text you more info tonight, okay?”
I nod, and then we wave goodbye as she heads off toward the cafeteria while Jax and I start toward the exit.
My thoughts instantly go back to those images. I don’t know why they appeared other than maybe my imagination is working overtime. Still, I can’t help but think about all the time I’ve forgotten memories.
Do I know Jax from a long time ago?
And then there was that dream I had that I thought Hunter was in …
“So, about this club she wants you to go to,” Jax interrupts my thoughts as he opens the door for me. “Did Low mention what it was called?”
I take a discreet breath and force myself to focus on the conversation, shaking my head as I step outside. “No, but even if she did, I don’t think I’m supposed to tell you,” I tell him with a teasing smile, hugging my arms around myself as the cool breeze touches my arms.
He steps out and lets the door shut, looking completely serious. “You need to be careful about the places you go in town, especially with you hanging around with us. If you run into one of our enemies, it could get bad if you’re by yourself.”
“You make it sound like you’re in the mob or something.” I start to laugh, but the noise fizzles when he doesn’t even so much as crack a smile. “Are you in the mob?”
He briefly hesitates. “No.”
“You hesitated,” I say slowly.
He hesitates again, strands of his hair blowing away from his face, giving me a good look at his eyes, which I’m noticing look shadowed, haunted.
“We’re not really in the mob,” he finally says. “We’re just … I don’t know …” He sighs. “Can I talk to you more about this when we’re in the car where no one can overhear the conversation?”
He sounds just like Harlow, and I’m left wondering what the hell is going on in this town.
I nod, shivering from the wind. “Sure, but you kind of have me worried.”
“You don’t need to be worried. You’re with us, so you’ll be protected.” He offers me a small smile, and I want to return it, but protected? Protected from what?
Then his gaze drops to my arms, and he frowns. “Are you cold?
“A little,” I admit. “It was a lot warmer where we moved from. I wore shorts around this time of year all the time, so I didn’t think much of it, but I’m definitely regretting my clothing choice right now.”
“Yeah, Honeyton gets cold earlier than a lot of places,” he says, setting the box down on the ground. “And we have snow like nine months out of the year.” He slips off the zip-up hoodie.
My eyes widen. “Nine months? Holy shit.”
/>
He nods then moves to place the hoodie on my shoulders.
My shock of the wintery weather here is mild in comparison to what he just did. No guy has ever done something like this for me. Like ever. No one has, really.
“I don’t really need your hoodie,” I tell him. “I can tough it out until we get to the car.”
“No way. You’re not used to the cold, and I am.” He tugs down the sleeves of his shirt then leans over and picks up the box.
Yeah, scary my ass.
“Well, thanks.” I slip my arms through the sleeves, and then, to add to his sweetness, he zips it up for me.
The fabric smells like his cologne, and I discreetly breathe it in.
“So, when does it start snowing then?” I ask as we make our way across the campus yard and to the car. Unlike my old school, hardly anyone is eating lunch outside, but it’s also probably like forty degrees tops right now.
Jax’s gaze flicks up the cloudy sky. “To be honest, it could easily snow right now.”
I look up at the sky. “It’s not cold enough for snow, is it?”
“Temperatures can drop quickly here,” he explains, lowering his gaze, and so do I.
“This town is freakin’ weird,” I remark as the wind stings my cheeks.
“That it is.” He reaches over and draws the hood of his jacket over my head. “It’ll keep your face warm.”
“Thanks.” I lightly bump my shoulder against his. “You know, you’re making me doubt this whole scary thing more and more, Jaxon.”
He just laughs and shakes his head, slipping his hands into his pockets. We reach the car then. Zay is leaning against the bumper, texting on his phone, and Hunter is standing on the passenger side with the door open and has his arms resting on top of it. I think he’s dazing off since he’s just staring across the parking lot at nothing in particular. Zay spots us first and pushes away from the bumper, putting his phone away.
“About damn time.” He crosses his arms. “What the hell took you so long?” He looks at both of us when he says this.
Hunter glances at us, and his brows pucker as his gaze sweeps up and down me. “Are you wearing Jax’s jacket?”
The Rules of Being Friends (A Pact Between the Forgotten Series Book 2) Page 6
