"What date?"
She faltered. "The one for charity. There was a raffle."
"You serious?"
Ethan leaned back from the table. "Dude, that pepgirl asked you last week if you'd do it."
"Oh—I thought she was asking me out. She was hot." Logan flashed a smirk and whistled under his breath.
Ethan clapped him on the shoulder. "What'd you think when you never went out?"
"Nah, we did. Last night."
Jessica's shoulders dropped as each statement was spoken between the two. Her head hung almost to the floor now.
I had no sympathy for her, none at all.
Logan must've noticed my gaze because he spoke up, "Did you pay a lot for that date?"
Her head bounced back up. "Some."
A hard look entered his eyes. "Are you going to screw me afterwards?"
She gulped, but responded in a timid voice, "Is that what you want?"
"You think I take girls out for nothing?"
Ethan watched the exchange and I felt his gaze rest on me for a moment. Wisely, he kept quiet.
"Maybe if you liked her?"
Logan barked out a laugh. It sounded harsh. "You paid for me. You think you're a girl that I like? There's very few who'd fall in that category."
Jessica glanced at me. "You seem to like Samantha."
His arm came around my shoulders and he pulled me close. "Well, if she wasn't spoken for…and if her mom wasn't doing my dad then maybe…"
"Her mom?"
My face got hot. "None of your business. Logan, shut up about that."
His smirk vanished. "Sorry." I shoved his arm off and started to brush past him, but he caught my arm. "I am sorry. I didn't think about your situation."
There was a scathing comment on the tip of my tongue, but I twisted my arm free and shoved through the crowd that had appeared. I gritted my teeth as I had to push through the hallways. The house was huge, but it seemed the entire two schools had shown up. It was standing room only and that was an exaggeration.
I headed for the lake and took a deep breath when I was able to break free from the house. The crowds outside were widely dispersed over the backyard and down the hill by the lake. Bonfire smell filled the air, mixed with a moist feel that was from the lake and slip-n-slide.
Two girls dashed past me giggling and two more boys followed in pursuit. All of them were soaked head to toe. One almost bowled me over, but he caught me and rushed out, "Sorry, little Kade."
My blood boiled and I snapped, "I'm not a Kade!"
But he was gone.
'Dammit, Logan."
As I made my way further down the hill, I spotted Mason and Nate. They were beside a bonfire in a far corner and each nodded in greeting, but they didn't come over and neither gestured for me to go to them.
Fine by me.
I relaxed a little and kept on. Finally I heard a voice I recognized.
Jeff.
"So you know the Kades?"
I turned around and braced myself, but there was no anger in his voice. After I searched his face, I didn't see any in his eyes either and relaxed again. "I guess."
He grinned. "You guess? You either know them or you don't. Man, Jessica crapped her pants tonight."
"Really?"
He nodded and twisted his fingers in his hair to pull it up. It was full of gel and stood straight up. It gave him a Mohawk look. Then he messed it up and flattened it again. "Jill's going crazy too. She doesn't know if she should kiss your rear or be a bigger bitch to you."
I glanced around. No one cared about our conversation. It was refreshing. "What do you think?"
He shrugged. "Whatever. Good for you."
I sighed. "Jeff, what are you doing?"
"What do you mean?" He stood straighter.
"Why are you talking to me now?"
He shrugged again and slid his hands into his back pockets. "I don't know. Guess it feels okay now, you know? I mean, I felt bad about what happened with us and then I was with Jill so quick. I didn't feel like I could apologize to you and then the other day…in the hallway…" He took a deep breath. "I know it's over."
I remembered and nodded. For some reason my throat felt closed off.
He gave me a bright smile. "And if you're going to be with Quinn, he's a nice guy usually, but you should know that he's not always."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
He jerked an arm towards the docks and boats. "He's down there being an ass. I guess he's pissed about you and the Kades knowing each other."
Great. If Jeff was the one who warned me then it was bad, really bad. And as I got closer to a pontoon attached to the dock, I heard Adam's voice. He was drunk and when I stepped onto it and peered under the canopy I saw a girl in his lap and one of his hands between her legs. The other was stroking her knee.
I took a breath. Something told me to be prepared.
He murmured something in the girl's ear and she let out a throaty giggle. It grated against my ears, but when I heard another squeal, I looked closer. Becky was huddled in the seat behind them. Her knees were drawn against her chest and she was hugging them to her. When her eyes met mine for a second, she squealed again and ducked her head down.
"Well hey there, Sam!" Adam heralded. He threw an arm out. "Welcome to our lowly depths."
I rolled my eyes and sat stiff in a chair towards the front. I turned towards them. "I see you've been enjoying the party."
"Why shouldn't I?"
The girl in his lap squeaked and shifted under his hold.
He grinned and nipped at her shoulder.
I eyed the happy couple before I met Becky's gaze. The sadness in her was evident and when she wiped a tear away, I stood. "Can I talk to you, Becky?"
"Why talk to only her?" Adam stopped us. "You've been lying to me too. Or were you laughing at us behind our backs?"
"I wasn't laughing at anyone."
Becky stood, but hesitated behind him.
"Becky, please. I'd like to explain."
Her hands were clasped together and she looked down at them.
Adam deposited the girl to another chair and stood between us. He stepped closer to me and asked in a harsh tone, "You want to lie to her again? Hurt her some more?"
She faltered. "The one for charity. There was a raffle."
"You serious?"
Ethan leaned back from the table. "Dude, that pepgirl asked you last week if you'd do it."
"Oh—I thought she was asking me out. She was hot." Logan flashed a smirk and whistled under his breath.
Ethan clapped him on the shoulder. "What'd you think when you never went out?"
"Nah, we did. Last night."
Jessica's shoulders dropped as each statement was spoken between the two. Her head hung almost to the floor now.
I had no sympathy for her, none at all.
Logan must've noticed my gaze because he spoke up, "Did you pay a lot for that date?"
Her head bounced back up. "Some."
A hard look entered his eyes. "Are you going to screw me afterwards?"
She gulped, but responded in a timid voice, "Is that what you want?"
"You think I take girls out for nothing?"
Ethan watched the exchange and I felt his gaze rest on me for a moment. Wisely, he kept quiet.
"Maybe if you liked her?"
Logan barked out a laugh. It sounded harsh. "You paid for me. You think you're a girl that I like? There's very few who'd fall in that category."
Jessica glanced at me. "You seem to like Samantha."
His arm came around my shoulders and he pulled me close. "Well, if she wasn't spoken for…and if her mom wasn't doing my dad then maybe…"
"Her mom?"
My face got hot. "None of your business. Logan, shut up about that."
His smirk vanished. "Sorry." I shoved his arm off and started to brush past him, but he caught my arm. "I am sorry. I didn't think about your situation."
There was a scathing comment on the tip of my tongue, but I twisted my arm free and shoved through the crowd that had appeared. I gritted my teeth as I had to push through the hallways. The house was huge, but it seemed the entire two schools had shown up. It was standing room only and that was an exaggeration.
I headed for the lake and took a deep breath when I was able to break free from the house. The crowds outside were widely dispersed over the backyard and down the hill by the lake. Bonfire smell filled the air, mixed with a moist feel that was from the lake and slip-n-slide.
Two girls dashed past me giggling and two more boys followed in pursuit. All of them were soaked head to toe. One almost bowled me over, but he caught me and rushed out, "Sorry, little Kade."
My blood boiled and I snapped, "I'm not a Kade!"
But he was gone.
'Dammit, Logan."
As I made my way further down the hill, I spotted Mason and Nate. They were beside a bonfire in a far corner and each nodded in greeting, but they didn't come over and neither gestured for me to go to them.
Fine by me.
I relaxed a little and kept on. Finally I heard a voice I recognized.
Jeff.
"So you know the Kades?"
I turned around and braced myself, but there was no anger in his voice. After I searched his face, I didn't see any in his eyes either and relaxed again. "I guess."
He grinned. "You guess? You either know them or you don't. Man, Jessica crapped her pants tonight."
"Really?"
He nodded and twisted his fingers in his hair to pull it up. It was full of gel and stood straight up. It gave him a Mohawk look. Then he messed it up and flattened it again. "Jill's going crazy too. She doesn't know if she should kiss your rear or be a bigger bitch to you."
I glanced around. No one cared about our conversation. It was refreshing. "What do you think?"
He shrugged. "Whatever. Good for you."
I sighed. "Jeff, what are you doing?"
"What do you mean?" He stood straighter.
"Why are you talking to me now?"
He shrugged again and slid his hands into his back pockets. "I don't know. Guess it feels okay now, you know? I mean, I felt bad about what happened with us and then I was with Jill so quick. I didn't feel like I could apologize to you and then the other day…in the hallway…" He took a deep breath. "I know it's over."
I remembered and nodded. For some reason my throat felt closed off.
He gave me a bright smile. "And if you're going to be with Quinn, he's a nice guy usually, but you should know that he's not always."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
He jerked an arm towards the docks and boats. "He's down there being an ass. I guess he's pissed about you and the Kades knowing each other."
Great. If Jeff was the one who warned me then it was bad, really bad. And as I got closer to a pontoon attached to the dock, I heard Adam's voice. He was drunk and when I stepped onto it and peered under the canopy I saw a girl in his lap and one of his hands between her legs. The other was stroking her knee.
I took a breath. Something told me to be prepared.
He murmured something in the girl's ear and she let out a throaty giggle. It grated against my ears, but when I heard another squeal, I looked closer. Becky was huddled in the seat behind them. Her knees were drawn against her chest and she was hugging them to her. When her eyes met mine for a second, she squealed again and ducked her head down.
"Well hey there, Sam!" Adam heralded. He threw an arm out. "Welcome to our lowly depths."
I rolled my eyes and sat stiff in a chair towards the front. I turned towards them. "I see you've been enjoying the party."
"Why shouldn't I?"
The girl in his lap squeaked and shifted under his hold.
He grinned and nipped at her shoulder.
I eyed the happy couple before I met Becky's gaze. The sadness in her was evident and when she wiped a tear away, I stood. "Can I talk to you, Becky?"
"Why talk to only her?" Adam stopped us. "You've been lying to me too. Or were you laughing at us behind our backs?"
"I wasn't laughing at anyone."
Becky stood, but hesitated behind him.
"Becky, please. I'd like to explain."
Her hands were clasped together and she looked down at them.
Adam deposited the girl to another chair and stood between us. He stepped closer to me and asked in a harsh tone, "You want to lie to her again? Hurt her some more?"
