Jaded (2 page)

“What is?” I asked, suddenly tired of the game. Baiting her wasn’t fun without Corrigan to suffer the consequences.

“Me and Corrigan. We hooked up at Bryce’s party on Friday. You weren’t there.”

No, I wasn’t. I knew everyone wanted to know where I was, but I told none.

“You and Bryce have a fight or something?” Becky shifted closer to me, like it was a whispered secret between the two of us.

“Well, if we did then we just kissed and made up.”

“I don’t get the two of you. You’re on his arm half the time and the other half, he’s got someone else on his arm. What’s the deal?”

Tijan

Jaded

14

“So…you and Corrigan, huh? Good luck with that.” I patted her shoulder and

pushed past to my own locker.

I wasn’t really surprised to see that Corrigan had waited for me.

“Your girlfriend’s a bit too nosy for her well-being,” I murmured as I opened my locker and stashed my book.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he muttered.

“Where’d Bryce go?” Spanish for second period wasn’t looking too enticing. Sex was.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “What am I going to do about Lew?”

Spanish it was. Sadly.

Corrigan fell into step beside me when I pointed out, “It’d help if I knew what happened.”

“We hooked up,” he evaded. That was a duh, but what else happened? There was always something else.

“And went back for seconds last night?” I guessed the ‘something else.’

“Please,” he puffed his chest up, arrogantly. “
Thirds
was last night.”

His cockiness just rolled over off his shoulders.

“And you suggested a fourth tonight?”

“Something like that.”

“So Becky Lew is your new screw-buddy and she doesn’t know it?”

“She thinks she’s my girlfriend.”

Bingo. We just found the problem. So many thought they were the girlfriend.

Tijan

Jaded

15

“And that’s why you want me to bring Steele’s sister.” It made sense. A movie star’s sister would trump Becky Lew on any day.

“Oh no, I just want to get laid by a movie star’s sister. You know me better than that, Sheldon. I can dodge Lew all week.” He flashed another arrogant smile.

I think the girl behind me fainted, but I didn’t care. I called him a not-so-nice word instead, but I did it with a sparkle in my eye.

“Please,” he huffed. “You and Bryce are always all over each other, but the

minute emotions might come into play, the two of you are all over someone else. Who’s the bad guy between us?”

Coolly, I promised, “Watch it.” He knew where to step and where to avoid. He’d just stepped wrong. Corrigan knew the conversation that had words like Bryce, myself, and emotions were automatically off limits.

“I’m just saying, help me out.”

“You don’t need my help getting laid, Corrigan.” Had he not just left Becky Lew in his dust?

“It’s different. Girls in school are different. Seriously, make friends with Steele’s sister for me?”

“How do you even know if she’s hot? Maybe there’s a reason why she’s not

known. She could be ugly and fat.”

“She’s not. I’ve already met her.” He cursed at his slip.

I arched an eyebrow and asked, “You didn’t want me to know that?”

“Look.” He glanced up and down the hallway and moved closer. One of his hands rested at my hip as he whispered, “She’s not exactly a fan of mine.”

Tijan

Jaded

16

I slapped his hand away and said, “You already shagged her, didn’t you?”

“Not quite,” he sounded pained, but shook his head. “Just…do it for me? Please, Sheldon?”

Whatever.

I sighed and replied dully, “Yeah. I’ll make buddy-buddy and bring her round.”

“To the party?” he pressed.

“To the party.” I was such a sucker.

Tijan

Jaded

17

When I entered Spanish, I saw the normal crowd in the back. Bryce sat, listening to whatever Chad Yerling was saying. A few of the other guys were also listening while some of the girls either gossiped or had perched on the guys’ laps.

Stephanie Hills was perched on Bryce’s table, but not his lap.

As I moved forward and dropped to the empty seat at Bryce’s table, she shot off and scurried away.

Tijan

Jaded

18

Bryce switched his attention to me and leaned closer.

“What were you talking to Corrigan about?”

I shrugged and refused to meet his eyes.

“Wanna skip?” he suggested.

I smiled slowly and asked, “And do what?”

“You know.” His eyes fell to my lips and stayed there. One of his hands rested on my knee and started a slow rhythmic caress.

“Scout,” Chad called loudly.

Bryce ignored him and asked me again, “Now or never. Wanna go?”

I bit my lip, knowing it’d turn him on, but murmured, “You’re in a weird mood today.”

Bryce sighed and leaned back. His hand stayed in place.

“So a no, then?” he asked. Bryce and I had our own language. And we both knew my response was an evade.

I could never say no or yes. Neither could he.

“Scout,” Chad said again, a little huffy now.

I leaned forward and pressed a slow, torturous kiss to Bryce’s lips.

He grasped the back of my head and held me in place as he explored me in return.

I’m pretty sure I heard Chad groan in frustration. He’d effectively lost the battle for Bryce’s attention.

“Mr. Scout and Miss Jeneve.”

Our teacher, Mr. Dwellsworth, banged a ruler on his desk.

I tried to pull back, but Bryce finished the kiss, languidly, before he released me.

Tijan

Jaded

19

I was a little relieved to hear Bryce panting right alongside me.

“Mr. Scout and Miss Jeneve!” Our teacher tried again.

“Yeah?” I asked, knowing my voice was hoarse.

“I don’t want the two of you to sit at the same table. Mr. Scout, please switch seats with Miss Veera.”

“Who?” Bryce asked as he stood, relaxed and confident.

A girl in the back, tiny and pissed, stood up as she grabbed her books. She glared as she retorted, “That’s me.” She brushed past him, her red hair smacked him in the face as she dropped into his vacated seat.

Bryce chuckled as he took her seat.

She glanced my way, but hunched her shoulders as she opened her book to read.

“What’s your first name?” I ignored her silent request to be left alone.

She ignored me so I reached out and plucked her book away.

“What’s your name?” I asked again as she paled. I wasn’t one to be ignored—

ever.

“Her name is Shelly Veera and you need to leave her alone, Miss Jeneve,” Mr.

Dwellsworth said sternly.

When he started his lecture, I leaned forward and whispered, “Why are you all pissy?”

She made a sound like she was in pain, but didn’t reply.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see that Chad held out a note for me.

We should’ve skipped.

Tijan

Jaded

20

I looked to Bryce and nodded. I bit my lip again and he coughed.

“Mr. Scout!” The teacher again.

I rolled my eyes and turned eyes front.

“Yes, sir?” Bryce questioned, politely, sarcastically.

Mr. Dwellsworth became red in the face and sputtered, “You continue to disrupt my classroom day after day. I have had enough, Mr. Scout.”

Bryce didn’t say one word.

That was something I’d always been envious about. Bryce had the hot body that could get him into a magazine, but it was the air that surrounded him. The air drew in all the attention. He could muster anyone to do anything for him without a single spoken word.

Sometimes it turned me on and other times it pissed me off.

Today was the former.

I raised my hand and decided to join the foray, “Mr. Dwellsworth.”

You could feel the enraptured tension in the class. All eyes slowly trailed towards me.

“Yes, Miss Jeneve?” Mr. Dwellsworth asked cautiously.

“Bryce didn’t say anything to disrupt your class. He just coughed.”

Mr. Dwellsworth weighed his words, but he responded with forced politeness,

“Miss Jeneve, when I ask to debate the decisions of my classroom, you may talk then.

Right now, I am the teacher and I will tolerate your disrespect no longer.”

“So are you going to have us leave?” I asked, looking almost bored.

Tijan

Jaded

21

His eyes narrowed as they took in my relaxed state and saw that Bryce mirrored my look. It had been practiced and perfected throughout our lifetime because of unjustly parents who thought they could tell us what to do. Or, at least, that’s what my third shrink told me when I made the not-so-startling revelation that I struggled with authority. It was because my parents were never parents to me. The little they chose to stick around didn’t grant them the right to suddenly turn parent on me for two holidays of the year.

I had liked that shrink, but my parents hadn’t.

“No, Miss Jeneve.” He sighed and shook his head. “No, I am not. Unlike every other adult figure in your life, I’m going to make you learn something. I think, from now on, you and Mr. Scout will be tutored in the library by two of my student aides.”

Shelly gasped beside me and I cast a curious look her way.

And to this, she ducked her head back into her book and tried to ignore everything else. Interesting.

“Are you serious?” Bryce yawned. “We get an hour to ourselves in the library instead of coming here?”

“Trust me,” Mr. Dwellsworth grinned, in all his evils delight that a teacher could muster. “You won’t be enjoying yourselves.”

I didn’t really care what our ‘discipline’ was, but I spoke up, “Are you serious?

Just because I spoke up for a friend doesn’t give you the right to suddenly expel us to the library. You have no reason to remove us from this class.”

“Oh, Miss Jeneve.” Mr. Dwellsworth shook his head. “You are not being removed from this class.”

“Shut up, Sheldon,” Bryce murmured. “We get out of here.”

Tijan

Jaded

22

It wasn’t the point.

“You may both leave now, but if you are not in the library when my student aides report there, you will receive detention for the rest of the week.”

Well, it was pretty obvious to everyone what we were going to do. Detention it is!

Bryce stood and waited at the door for me.

I heard Chad starting to laugh just before the door shut behind us.

In the hallway, Bryce asked, “What was that about?”

I shrugged, “I had a point.”

“Whatever. I think he’s getting used to us after two years.” Bryce chuckled.

“Wanna skip?”

“That’s what got us into this punishment in the first place.” But we both knew we were going to go.

Bryce shot me one of his melting grins. He tugged me close and rested his

forehead against mine. As his lips rested just above mine, he said again, “Let’s go somewhere else.”

“And do what?” I smiled and enjoyed the brush of my lips against his. Bryce transferred my book into his hands and clasped me closer to him. I reached around his neck and brought my body flush against his. Bryce turned and backed me up against a locker. He started to kiss my neck.

“You guys need a room.”

Who else? Only a few would dare…

Corrigan.

Bryce didn’t stop.

Tijan

Jaded

23

“What are you doing out of class?” I asked as I remained in Bryce’s arms and tilted my neck for better access.

Corrigan leaned against the locker beside us and stuffed his hands into his

pockets. He looked dejected when he mumbled, “Nothing. I could go for some food.”

If memory served correctly… I teased, “Isn’t Becky Lew in your second period?”

Corrigan rolled his eyes and pushed off from the locker. “You guys coming or not? My treat.”

I sighed and Bryce felt it when he stepped away.

We shared a glance and both turned to follow our best friend. When we got

outside, I saw that Corrigan had taken up residence in my car.

“Of course,” I said sarcastically as I took the driver’s seat. “You’re the one who’s up for food, but I’m the one driving.”

Corrigan grinned cheekily at me and remarked, “You like driving stick, Sheldon.

We all know it.”

I shared a resigned look in the rearview mirror with Bryce before he laid down in the backseat.

“No sleeping,” I remarked as I pulled out of the parking lot.

“Yeah. Yeah,” Bryce mumbled back, but Corrigan turned and punched his best

friend in the stomach.

Without shock, pause, a reaction, anything—Bryce reached up and slammed

Corrigan’s head against his headrest. It happened so quick…this is why we were best friends.

I shook my head, grinned, and pulled out into the street.

Tijan

Jaded

24

“Oomph,” Corrigan breathed.

Bryce laughed and punched Corrigan in the shoulder before he laid back down.

“So what’s up with this impromptu food trip?” I asked, shifting gears.

“No reason. I’m just hungry,” Corrigan murmured, vaguely, as he turned back in his seat. He tapped the dashboard absent-mindedly and reached to change the radio station.

Bryce sat up and our eyes met again, but not in shared lust.

Corrigan was evading my question. Corrigan only evaded when he was upset.

“Right, you’re just hungry,” Bryce murmured sarcastically as he studied his best friend.

“If you wanted food, you would’ve gone to the vending machine,” I added and

pulled into my house’s driveway.

“Thought we’d go to a restaurant or something,” Corrigan half-heartedly

protested.

I didn’t like restaurants. He knew that.

“Whatever,” I brushed it off as I climbed out and led the way into my kitchen.

Having rich parents had its benefits. When I requested a chef to come in, a chef came in.

I rarely ate so the chef was only requested when Corrigan and Bryce ate through my stock. As they did now—they both attacked the fridge to find some lasagna while I ate grilled chicken.