Jaded (17 page)

Corrigan was feeling pretty good. Bryce looked a little glazed over too, which surprised me a little. Even though he drank, he rarely got drunk.

That could not be said for Corrigan.

Collette stayed in place with a look of defiance on her face when she saw me approaching.

Corrigan threw an arm around my waist and I was tipped into his lap.

Uncomfortable, I managed to crawl out from underneath Corrigan’s suddenly

exploring hands. He managed a few grabs until I finally—accidentally—placed my knee over a certain anatomical organ of his.

As he sucked in his breath from the pain, I moved to the middle.

Collette was eyeing me with disdain by this time.

Bryce had been watching the show in amusement.

“You look rested,” he murmured.

“I am. I slept all day.”

Corrigan whooped. “That just means you can party all night, Shell!”

I had nothing better to do and just to piss off Chantal, who now had her hand on Bryce’s arm, I grinned slyly and raised myself to capture Bryce’s lips in a melting kiss.

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Bryce’s hand moved around and swiftly deposited me in his lap.

I wrapped an arm around the back of his neck and let it hang loose as we

continued kissing.

When we pulled apart, Corrigan had an enraptured look on his face.

Chantal was suddenly cramped, but she held firm and didn’t leave. I had to give the girl some credit for that.

Bryce kissed me again and asked, against my lips, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I feathered him with another kiss and then stood up. “But I need a drink.”

One of the guys stumbled to his feet from his haste. “I’ll get you one. Stay.

Please.”

The other guys were grinning like idiots.

I sat back down, but I moved in between Corrigan and Bryce this time.

“Hey, Corrigan, I brought who you wanted me to bring.”

“Who’s that?” So many girls, too little time. Mena had already been forgotten.

“Mena.”

“Oh…oh!”

Bryce chuckled and murmured, “Going for number two, Corr?”

Corrigan licked his lips and salivated. “I just might be.” He jumped up and asked,

“Where is she?”

“I left her at the door with Harris. You better go quick.”

And off he went with a little stumble here and there, but he made it through the door upright.

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“What happened with Becky? Where’d she go?” Tatum asked, materializing on

the other side of Chantal.

“She took off,” Chantal said coolly as she flipped her golden hair back.

Tatum asked, amused, “She took off or she got off?”

The guys laughed and Chantal rolled her eyes. “Get another joke, Tatum.”

“Whatever,” he shrugged and sat beside me. “How you doing, Sheldon?”

“I’m good, Tatum. How are you?” I responded, reserved. He was in a weird

mood. He was normally scary, serious, and/or bored. Right now, he was joking, smiling, and alive. “Are you high?” I asked and leaned forward.

Tatum gave me a weird look and replied, “No. Why…you got something?”

“Sheldon Jeneve on drugs. That’s new.” Acid dripped from Chantal as she

sneered at me.

“Tsk, tsk, Chantal.” I grinned. “Showing me your teeth just shows me how big your bite is.”

She rolled her eyes and sniffed, “Whatever, Sheldon. You know, Becky’s right about you.”

“About me? Enlighten me, please.” This was starting to get interesting.

“She says that you’ve slept with everyone. The only reason you’re friends with Bryce and Corrigan are because you sleep with them.”

“That’s it?” I was actually disappointed. “No threesome? No kinky behind the back doggy stuff? Nothing except that I sleep with everyone?”

“You can have a threesome with me, myself, and I,” Tatum suggested and patted my knee.

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“Sounds like you’re doing just fine by yourself. There’s no room for me in that threesome.”

Tatum

frowned.

Bryce

laughed.

And I was pretty sure Chantal was still figuring out the math.

Mena rushed up to us, frantic, “Please help me.”

She squeezed in between Tatum and myself and let out a deep breath.

“Help you from what?” Chantal asked as she readjusted her top. Her boobs got bigger and the guys all watched.

“Corrigan,” Mena exclaimed. “He doesn’t stop.”

“Let’s not tell the police that,” Bryce said dryly.

Mena flushed and mumbled, “You know what I mean.”

“Where’s your psycho brother?” Bryce questioned and leaned forward to see her better.

Mena shifted underneath his scrutiny.

I watched Bryce intently. I wasn’t sure I liked where this might be heading.

“What do you mean?” Mena asked.

“I mean, where’s your brother? I have a hard time believing he’d want you to hang out with Sheldon.”

Chantal’s interest piqued as she stopped moving her halter top around.

“What is it with family members not liking me?” I joked.

Amusement flashed across Bryce as he pointed out, “Luca likes you.”

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“Luca is a fourteen year-old boy. If he didn’t like me, we’d know he likes the other side.”

“Good point.” He looked back at Mena. “Seriously. Is your brother going to show up here tonight? Does he have GPS attached to your phone or something? Is he going to show up at Sheldon’s tomorrow morning?”

I tensed. I really didn’t like the idea of people at my house anymore. Or myself being there alone when an angry brother showed up.

“What’s with the interrogation?” Chantal piped up. She pursed her frosted red lips farther out. One of the guys groaned.

“My brother’s on-location. He’s not even around.”

Bryce relaxed slightly and sat back.

Mena muttered, “Is this what all the parties are like? I didn’t know I’d get attacked by your boys, Sheldon.”

My eyes sparked at that. “What are you talking about?” I asked.

Chantal purred, enjoying the change in conversation.

Mena bristled uncomfortably. “I mean,” she swallowed. “I didn’t mean anything.”

“No, you did. What did you mean?”

“I just meant…come on. Corrigan throws himself at me inside and Bryce is doing twenty-questions out here. What happened to just ‘here’s a drink, now sit and flirt’?” She laughed nervously.

“I think your ‘hazing’ is nothing compared to what your brother said to me.”

Bryce leaned forward and watched us intently.

“What are you talking about?” Mena stilled.

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Bryce swore and demanded, “Like you don’t know. You were at the house when

we got back. We were getting out of the car at midnight when you showed up. That’s freaky.”

I sucked my breath in. Whether Bryce had meant to or not, he’d just destroyed Mena’s social credibility. I didn’t care about rumors or gossip, mainly because it was junk and normally about me. However, when Bryce Scout said that he thought someone was freaky, so did everyone else.

I almost heard Chantal’s own snub as she giggled in delight.

Mena

paled.

“Look,” I said, a little gentler. “Bryce is right. You knew Denton came to talk to me and you knew what he was going to say. He said some pretty harsh stuff to me, and he
still
hit on me. So between the two of us, I think I was the one attacked.”

“That’s because you two kept baiting him.”

“Because he’s weird,” Bryce bit out and stood up. “I don’t like the fucker.”

He walked away and Mena looked at me helplessly.

“Was it bad? What he said to you?”

“Yeah.” It was the truth. “It was pretty low.”

“I’m sorry.”

I heaved a sigh. I didn’t know what the hell to do now.

Chantal asked, a malicious innocence on her face, “So…is your brother Denton Steele?”

Wariness flashed over Mena before she said, “Yeah.”

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“That dude’s gay,” Tatum grumbled and walked off. The rest of the guys

followed except one, who was intent on Chantal’s boobs.

Bryce had started it and the other guys followed in line.

I’d only felt pity a handful of times and this was one of those times. I pitied Mena.

Chantal sniffed and stood. Another halter-top readjustment was followed with a shift of her miniskirt.

“Why do you wear clothes like that if you have to constantly do that?” Mena

asked, coolly.

Chantal gave her a blinding smile and replied sweetly, “Because it drives the guys crazy.”

When she left, I leaned over and whispered, “And it earns you a reputation as a whore.”

Mena gave me a wan smile. “Sorry. I just saw my social career crumble into

dust.”

“I’m sorry.” I meant it.

“I know. I don’t think Bryce was even thinking. He was just concerned about

you.”

I

coughed.

Mena continued, scornfully, “And what is
her
name? What is her problem, anyway?”

“Collette Chantal. She’s a plastic booby Barbie.”

“She’s a bit plump to be a Barbie.”

“Yeah, but…the guys seem to like the extra meat.”

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“I should just leave,” Mena sighed in resignation. “The rest of the night is going to be awful. Everyone’s going to turn on me pretty soon. They’re going to throw peanuts like I’m a monkey in the zoo or something.” Mena moaned.

I patted her knee. “I’m not going anywhere. They wouldn’t dare throw peanuts at me.”

“Right. It’ll just happen when you’re not by my side. Besides, you’re going to disappear with Bryce tonight anyway.”

I shifted again, uncomfortable.

“Let’s get something else to drink,” I announced and dragged her behind. Inside the kitchen, where the keg had been placed, Bryce and the guys all stood around it.

Corrigan spotted us and stumbled over. He threw an arm around both of our shoulders and announced, “So…I heard there was talk about a threesome.” He grinned stupidly.

“How about it, ladies?”

I smiled as I slid a hand downwards.

Corrigan held his breath, his eyes widened.

And I pulled his zipper up, purposely catching on something.

Corrigan howled in pain.

I laughed, “That’s what you get for walking around with your pants open,

Corrigan.”

“You are such a…,” he fumed.

I waited with an eyebrow raised.

“I hate you,” he growled and limped away to grab an icepack.

I laughed in delight.

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Mena had been quiet the entire time, but she murmured now, “I don’t think I

could be friends with you guys. You guys have your own rules or something. You’re vicious to each other.”

I caught an icepack from Bryce and chucked it at Corrigan’s back. He turned and glared before he bent to place it over his groin.

“It’s called respect, Mena,” I remarked. “You have to earn it before you can demand it.”

Mena stayed as I pushed through the crowd.

I hadn’t gone far before I spotted Mandy Justice flirting with two guys that I remembered from the cafeteria. One of the guys had been talking to Leisha.

“Mandy,” I called out and Mandy’s eyes widened in alarm. “Hi.”

“Hey, Sheldon,” she replied, guarded.

“Who are your friends?” I asked, flirtatiously.

“Uh…” She shifted and said shortly, “This is Braven and Carlos.”

“Hi!” I stuck a hand out.

Even though I didn’t pay attention to most gossip, I knew my social hierarchy. At first, I thought Carlos was in Leisha’s group, but when I saw him next to Braven—that changed things. That put him in a much higher position. Braven was a Bryce or Corrigan for his grade. That meant that Carlos would be there too and it wasn’t a shock to see some of the more-popular senior girls flirting with them.

Braven looked to be the leader because he spoke up, “Hi.”

Carlos nodded and watched.

“I know your friend Leisha.” I ignored Braven and remarked to Carlos.

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“Oh yeah?” Interest sparked in him and he murmured, “She’s great, isn’t she?”

“I

like

her
,” I said meaningfully to Mandy, who moved her hand from Carlos’

arm. “She’s funny. She’s a little nerdy, but it works for her.”

“I had hoped she’d come tonight.” Carlos leaned closer. “But I don’t see her anywhere.”

“Maybe you should call her. She might come then.”

“I don’t know.”

“I do. Call her.”

Braven spoke up, “I thought you were hoping that Cassie chick was here?”

Carlos ducked his head. “So?”

“Cassandra Bens is good for one thing. If you’re looking for a girl with class, I’d lay odds on Leisha any day,” I spoke up.

Braven snorted in disbelief just as he was pushed out of the way.

I found myself staring into Chad Yerling’s malicious eyes. There was nothing innocent in that gaze as he skimmed me up and down.

“What are you doing, Yerling?” I asked, stiffly.

He stepped closer to me and whispered, “I came to collect.”

“Collect what? Another beating?”

“Your boys can come after me all they want, but they won’t be able to beat it out of me what I’m going to do to you.”

Carlos muttered, “Uh, dude…I don’t think…”

“Back off, loser,” Chad snarled.

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Braven suddenly pushed in between us. With his back to me, he growled in

Chad’s face, “You might want to get out of here before you’re sent to the hospital.”

Chad smiled and it sent shivers down my back.

“Look at you.” He looked Braven up and down. “You think you can hurt me, little boy?”

Carlos stood beside him.

Chad rolled his eyes.

“You two are pathetic.” He sneered and met my gaze. “You and me, Jeneve.

That’s what it’s going to be one of these nights. Scout can’t always be there and even if he is, it’ll be one to all my buddies. You do the math.”