Fallen Crest Alternative Version (30 page)

After that bit of information, the girls turned from polite to warm. They acted like I was their new idol. It made me uncomfortable, but it made me wonder what Kate was like at their school. I knew the girls were tough. I knew they wanted to rip me apart at the mansion the other night, but they stood down. I wasn’t sure if that was good or not. It also made me wonder if Mason or Logan had something to do with it. I’m sure they did. I wasn’t stupid, but a part of me still wanted to fight Kate. A shiver of ownership went through me when I thought about her time with Mason. My blood boiled as I remembered when she slid her hand through his hair and tried to pull him down to her at his last game. Then a rush of lust soared through me when I remembered how Mason had shoved her hand off.

“Sam?”

I turned and saw Logan at the end of the Fiat. He frowned and ran a hand through his hair. As he messed it up, he shook his head. He was dressed in jeans and his school’s sweatshirt. “What are you doing?”

“Logan!” Mason shouted at him from across the lot. His eyes met mine for a second. They narrowed, but then he yelled at Logan, “Come on. We’re heading inside.”

Logan gestured to me. “Did you know about this?”

I felt the girls’ tension behind me. One of them sucked in her breath and the other let loose a twitching hum from her mouth. I figured she wasn’t aware of it.

“Let’s go!” Mason gestured again. “Coach wants to talk quick.”

Logan groaned and ran his hands through his hair again. “Sam, are you coming to the game?”

Then Laura surged forward. Her chin was tightly clamped, but there was a tremor in her voice. “Mason introduced her to us. He wants us to be friends with her.”

“Why?” Logan snorted. He skimmed up and down her figure. “You’re nothing.”

Kelly surged forward this time but skidded to a halt in front of her friend. “We are not. We were friends with Marissa and we still are. All of you people bullied her and made fun of her. We didn’t. We stood next to her the whole time.”

“Logan!”

I flinched as I heard the anger start to rise in Mason’s voice.

“Logan.” I stepped forward. He was locked in an angry stare-off with one of them, but I stood between and caught his shoulders.

He jerked his face up and softened. Then he touched my arm. “You sure you want this?”

“It beats sitting alone at your games.”

His shoulders dropped and he groaned again. This time it sounded in surrender. “I’m sorry, Sam. I forget about your crappy friends.” Then he gave me a small smile. “Are you going out with us tonight? At least do that. Please.”

One of the girls harrumphed behind me and I stiffened.

He glared past me. “I wouldn’t advise you two to come. Kate hates you two.”

Laura crossed her arms. “We don’t care. We hate her too. We hate the whole Fab Four, but we like Sam. We’re going to stand by her too.”

“Sam, are sure about this? They hate us. They hate Mason too.” He touched my shoulder and turned me back.

“Logan!” Mason’s tone was sharper now and closer.

We turned and saw him five feet away. Irritation was evident as he jerked his head towards the school. “Let’s go. Now.”

Logan narrowed his eyes, but sighed. “Fine.”

As he went to his brother and passed him, Mason held my gaze in his. I felt him searching inside of me. I knew he wanted to know if I was okay and I nodded. I gave him the answer he wanted and then he softened. The look in his eyes switched to a different message and desire burst through me as I answered it. A knowing grin spread over his face before he turned and headed after Logan, who now waited for him.

Laura and Kelly came to stand on both sides of me. Then Laura sighed. “I don’t like ‘em. I don’t like ‘em at all, but after that look he gave you, I can see why you’re with him.”

I gave them both a small smile. They still didn’t know I was the future Kade stepdaughter, but then I forgot about that fact as we went into the game. Mason was right. It was more fun to go with others, people who were not his mother. As we took our seats in the cheering section, high above the section that Ethan and their friends congregated, I glanced at the box across the gymnasium. I couldn’t see inside that well, but I wondered if Helen had come to tonight’s game. I hoped not.

When their team entered the gym, the cheering was deafening. Mason and Logan entered last and were still dressed in their street clothes. A round of booing went over the crowd, but it faded after awhile. It went ignored by their team and soon everyone was cheering again. I saw that Logan and Mason were both looking for me and gave them a small wave when they spotted me. Both looked relieved and then I was ignored the rest of the game, or most of it. They conversed with each other, with their coaches, and with the rest of the players the rest of the game. Every now and then I felt a tingle and looked up. I was never surprised when I saw Mason’s eyes on me. Then we’d share a look, one that sent desire pulsating through me again, before he would get distracted by one of his teammates.

After the fourth look, I smoothed sweaty palms down my pants and forced myself to take deep breaths.

Laura nudged me with her elbow and passed over a box of popcorn.

My stomach was unsettled, so I shook my head with a polite smile.

She shrugged and stuffed a handful in her mouth. Then she grinned as she took another one.

I would’ve relaxed during the game and enjoyed it if Kate and her friends had been glaring over their shoulders at me. Instead of where they sat last time, right behind the bench of players, they took their seats in the cheering section. They sat in the second line, behind Ethan and the rest of the guys. All four of the girls stayed to themselves. They would talk to the guys, but it was rare to see another girl approach them. Two of their cheerleaders braved it and went to talk to them during the half time, but they were the only girls.

I noticed another group of girls that took up the entire row, three rows behind the Fab Four. While Kate and the rest were dressed as sexy tomboys, these girls should’ve had the Fabulous name to their group. They wore the fashion designer clothes that I recognized from the Elite members. Their hair resembled a beauty queen and their fake smiles completed the look. All they needed were crowns.

I gestured toward them and asked Laura, “Who are those girls?”

She snorted. “The wannabes.” She rolled her eyes. “Kate and Natalie are the top girls in school, but those girls like to think they are. They’re always trying to hit on the guys and they act like don’t fart or anything.” Then she shrugged. “They’ve got two leaders, Camryn and Candace Twill. Twin sisters.”

“Do Kate and Natalie like them?”

A hearty laugh escaped her and she wrapped her arms around her stomach to quiet it. “Oh god no.” She shook her head as more laughs came out. “I’m sorry, but no. Camryn and Candace prance around school like they own it, but they crap their pants anytime Kate or Natalie walk by them. I guess they used to be friends with them when we were in elementary school. Something happened in middle school. Camryn and Candace got different friends in seventh grade and Kate and Natalie became friends with Parker and Jasmine. Jasmine had just moved to town that year too.”

“They don’t look like the type to fight someone.”

“If you count backstabbing then they’re great fighters.” Laura rolled her eyes and grabbed a soda from Kelly. “Nah, they’re not in your face like Kate and the rest.”

I scooted over so Kelly had room to sit. As she did, she handed me a soda as well. Then she wiped at her forehead. “Man, the concessions are a killer to get to. I swear. I think my boob got swiped three times before I finally gave them my order. I had to shove through two groups of guys to get to the counter.”

Laura frowned. “Was it Derek Wobb and his friends?”

Kelly groaned. “Of course. He’s such a pervert.”

And then I tuned them out. They gossiped the rest of the halftime and through the rest of the game. When the last alarm sounded, FCP had won 66-50. As I followed the girls down the bleachers and out to the hallway, I overheard a few veteran fans grumble. They thought if Mason and Logan had played, FCP would’ve smoked the team by another forty points. My eyebrows shot up, but pride filled my chest. The emotion stayed with me when I went to Laura’s locker with her and Kelly.

When Laura grabbed her jacket and book bag, she shook her head as another girl whipped past us. She had the same complaint. “We should be happy that we won, instead of griping that Mason and Logan didn’t play. Seriously.”

Kelly blushed and ducked her head down.

“Not you too, Kelly.”

Her shoulders lifted up and down. She turned towards a different locker. As she went, Laura grumbled and hugged her jacket and bag to her chest. “I can’t believe this school. Everyone is brainwashed to think Mason and Logan are these gods…” Her eyes flicked to me and her voice trailed off.

I laughed. “You remembered who I am, huh?”

“Sorry.”

I shrugged. “Six months ago, I would’ve agreed with you. They’re assholes.”

She gave me a small smile. “Unless they care about you and I can see that they care about you. They’re not jerks to you. Mason wasn’t a jerk to Marissa either.”

“No, they aren’t.” I glanced down the hallway and saw Kate at the end of it. She stood in a group. Ethan was with them, along with the other guys I recognized from the parties. A few of them spotted me and frowned, but I turned away. “How did Mason and Marissa become friends?”

The statement felt odd on my tongue.

Laura shrugged. “Who knows? Everyone was confused by it too, Logan the most of all. He hated Marissa, but Mason never knew that. Logan was the reason Tate went after Marissa so much.”

“Really? I thought you said Kate bullied her?”

“They did. Tate was their leader at that time. She really hated Marissa. It was bad. Everyday something happened, but after a while Logan backed off. Tate didn’t, though. By that time, she and Logan had broken up and she seemed to blame Marissa for it.”

“Was she the reason?” I waited to hear her theory.

“I don’t think so. None of it made sense. No one really knows what happened, why Logan and Tate broke up, but Mason went after Tate instead. People left Marissa alone after a while and joined him against Tate. She blamed everything on Marissa and took it out on her. She was cruel to her and the school didn’t do anything to stop it. I always wondered if the school kicked Tate out for what she did to Marissa. They both left school, but Marissa was the first to go. I know Mason felt bad about it.”

“Why do you hate him so much?”

“I don’t hate him. I don’t like them, either of them.” She regarded me for a moment. “I’m just one of the middle people who aren’t sold on the Kades.”

“Middle people?”
“The people in between. We’re not at the bottom, but we’re not at the top.” 

Someone shouted down the hall and we both turned. Then the shouting multiplied and everyone raised the volume another notch.

Laura sighed. “The teams out. Your boy’s gonna be looking for you.”

I looked around. “Where’d Kelly go?”

“She’s hiding.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s always had a crush on Logan. She pretends to hate him because I do, but I know she doesn’t really. The thought of both of them coming over here, I’m sure she’s worried she’ll wet her pants.” She grimaced as she looked over my shoulder.

Mason was headed our way.

“Anyways.” She gave me a formal smile. “It was nice meeting you, Sam. You can sit with us at any game.”

“Wait.” I grabbed her arm as she was about to slip away.

She gave me a sad smile, but pulled my hand from her arm. “I’ll see you later, Sam.”

“Hold on.” I blocked her and then turned to Mason. “What’s the plan after this?”

He frowned. His eyes lingered on Laura, but he replied, “We’re going to have people over to the house. Basement only.”

I nodded and smiled at Laura. “You’re invited. Do you know how to get there?”

She paled. “Are you sure about this?”

I shrugged. “Why not? You can meet my friend Becky. She’s like a hyper bunny on Ritalin.”

She seemed to pale even more. “I don’t know, Sam.”

“You’re coming.” Then I spotted Kelly and shouted, “Both you and Laura are invited over. Make sure she comes.”

Her eyes were wide, but she nodded. Her legs were trembling. After I made sure to get their phone numbers, I let Mason pull me away. His hand found mine and when we walked through the crowd in the parking lot, he tugged me close. As he maneuvered us through the few who hadn’t parted for him, he nibbled on my ear. Then he breathed on it. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

His hand slid to my stomach and he pressed against me.

I grinned and pressed back.

As he sucked in his breath, I turned and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I’m making different friends. That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?”

As we got to the Escalade, he trapped me against it. We weren’t hidden from everyone, but his car and Logan’s provided a small semblance of privacy. He pushed against me and held my hands above me. His hips ground into me and I held my breath when he moved between my legs.