Fallen Crest Family
Page 63
Heather would have no problem making friends. I remembered Mason's words when he said Heather Jax wasn't a normal girl. I was glad she had befriended me. My gut was telling me I'd need all the friends I could get, and making friends was not a skill I had.
I turned around, and found myself face to face with someone else. I scowled. "What are you doing here?"
Jeff rolled his shoulders back and stuck his fingers in his hair. The ends were sticking up, but he spiked it higher. He flashed me a grin. "What do you think? Too high?"
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Jeff."
"Alright, alright." He stuck his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched together. He looked even smaller, and he was skinny enough. "So what's up with you and Jax?"
My eyes narrowed. "You know Heather?"
"Been to her place a few times."
There it was again, his same vague answers that I heard for three years. "Jeff," I warned. I didn't have time for his games. I needed to be making friends. No, I had to pee first.
"Okay, okay." He chuckled, "I come to you as a friend."
"You aren't anything else."
He frowned. "I know. You don't have to sound so happy about that."
"You cheated on me. For two years."
He lifted a shoulder in an easygoing shrug. "Bygones. I thought we made peace."
"I thought so too."
He studied me for a moment and then smirked, laughing some more. "Okay. I got it. No games, but seriously, how do you know Jax?"
"I work at Manny's." I frowned. "I thought you knew that."
"I didn't. Things make sense now."
I was growing tired of the conversation, but I knew something was wrong. He was stalling. "Are you going to tell me what you want or not? I just got served papers from the Tommy Princesses. Heather and I have to scramble so I don't get my ass handed to me at school."
"You?" His grin turned into a leer and he looked me up and down. "You can take 'em."
"There are four of them."
He shrugged again. "You could still take 'em. I heard about your rumble with Tate at that cabin party. You're tougher than you look. I think its cause you've got runners' legs. Might look stringy, but damn there are muscles there. If anything, you could just run in circles or run away. They won't catch you."
"Not helping," I growled before I started to move past him. He had wasted enough of my time.
"Okay, hey, hey. Stop. Please." He backtracked in front of me with his hands held in the air. I started another way, but he blocked me. "Please, Sam. I'm embarrassed about this and I don't know who else to talk to. You and me are different."
"I know. There is no 'you and me.'"
He scratched at his head. "No, I mean you're different than all the other girls. I know you and me weren't a good thing—"
My eyebrow arched.
He amended, "—and by that I mean to say that I wasn't good in a relationship. I'm still not good in a relationship."
"Wait." Wariness came over me now. "Are you still dating Jessica?"
His hand fell to his side with a thump. "Are you kidding? She's dating some wrestler from community college."
And from how he looked away, I knew there was more to it. I guessed, "And she's cheating on him with you?"
He looked down at the floor.
"Do you not learn, Jeff? My god." I wanted to wring his neck, but I needed to make myself clear. "Whatever you're going to ask of me, there will be no Jessica or Lydia attached at your hip. I mean it. You go back and forth with Jessica. I have no idea why, but I won't have her in my life again. I am done with both of them."
"I'm done with them too. I mean it. And that isn't what this is about. I promise."
I heard the insistency in his tone. I wanted to walk away from him, the guy deserved it after what he had done to me, but my feet didn't move. Then I realized what I heard, there was also desperation in him. And something that sounded close to…agony? When I looked again, I was seeing a different Jeff. He'd been a sarcastic badboy, but there was something new now. Vulnerability.
"What do you want?" I folded, but I was cursing at myself in my head.
A grin flared before he nodded, somber again. "Okay. So, we both know our history. I cheat on every girl I date. But I've met someone new."
I already knew where he was going with this. "And you don't want to do that to her?"
He nodded.
"You don't want to cheat on her?"
He nodded again, more eager.
"And you want to be the good guy she thinks you are?"
"Yeah! See you're perfect for this. It's like you know me."
I smacked him in the back of his head. "Because I do and you're not that guy. You cheat, that's what you do. Stop cheating and your problem is solved. Stop wasting my time. I have a mission."
"What mission?"
"I need friends. I have to make friends."
"I'm your friend."
"No, you're not. You're my ex boyfriend. We're not friends."
I started to leave again, but he darted in front. "Hear me out, please."
I growled at him.
"I will help you with your mission."
"You will?" Suspicion slammed against my chest. "How?"
"I know a lot of these girls. I cheated on you, a lot."
I growled at him again.
"You help me learn how to be a good boyfriend and I'll rally some girls to look out for you at your new school."
The suspicion lessened a little. "You heard about that, huh?"
"Everybody did. It's big news when Kade's girl won't be going to our school anymore. The Elite are crestfallen. They can't use you to get to them."
I frowned. "I thought they gave up on that long ago."
He shrugged. "I heard they were regrouping. Miranda's the leader again. She's preaching against any girl who sleeps with Logan Kade again."
I shook my head. "Will she never learn?"
"Who cares. Their funerals if they want to mess with the Kades again. Being burned by being a hypocritical bitch didn't teach her a lesson. Who's to stop her from getting burned again?" He winked at me with a devilish smirk.
I turned around, and found myself face to face with someone else. I scowled. "What are you doing here?"
Jeff rolled his shoulders back and stuck his fingers in his hair. The ends were sticking up, but he spiked it higher. He flashed me a grin. "What do you think? Too high?"
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Jeff."
"Alright, alright." He stuck his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched together. He looked even smaller, and he was skinny enough. "So what's up with you and Jax?"
My eyes narrowed. "You know Heather?"
"Been to her place a few times."
There it was again, his same vague answers that I heard for three years. "Jeff," I warned. I didn't have time for his games. I needed to be making friends. No, I had to pee first.
"Okay, okay." He chuckled, "I come to you as a friend."
"You aren't anything else."
He frowned. "I know. You don't have to sound so happy about that."
"You cheated on me. For two years."
He lifted a shoulder in an easygoing shrug. "Bygones. I thought we made peace."
"I thought so too."
He studied me for a moment and then smirked, laughing some more. "Okay. I got it. No games, but seriously, how do you know Jax?"
"I work at Manny's." I frowned. "I thought you knew that."
"I didn't. Things make sense now."
I was growing tired of the conversation, but I knew something was wrong. He was stalling. "Are you going to tell me what you want or not? I just got served papers from the Tommy Princesses. Heather and I have to scramble so I don't get my ass handed to me at school."
"You?" His grin turned into a leer and he looked me up and down. "You can take 'em."
"There are four of them."
He shrugged again. "You could still take 'em. I heard about your rumble with Tate at that cabin party. You're tougher than you look. I think its cause you've got runners' legs. Might look stringy, but damn there are muscles there. If anything, you could just run in circles or run away. They won't catch you."
"Not helping," I growled before I started to move past him. He had wasted enough of my time.
"Okay, hey, hey. Stop. Please." He backtracked in front of me with his hands held in the air. I started another way, but he blocked me. "Please, Sam. I'm embarrassed about this and I don't know who else to talk to. You and me are different."
"I know. There is no 'you and me.'"
He scratched at his head. "No, I mean you're different than all the other girls. I know you and me weren't a good thing—"
My eyebrow arched.
He amended, "—and by that I mean to say that I wasn't good in a relationship. I'm still not good in a relationship."
"Wait." Wariness came over me now. "Are you still dating Jessica?"
His hand fell to his side with a thump. "Are you kidding? She's dating some wrestler from community college."
And from how he looked away, I knew there was more to it. I guessed, "And she's cheating on him with you?"
He looked down at the floor.
"Do you not learn, Jeff? My god." I wanted to wring his neck, but I needed to make myself clear. "Whatever you're going to ask of me, there will be no Jessica or Lydia attached at your hip. I mean it. You go back and forth with Jessica. I have no idea why, but I won't have her in my life again. I am done with both of them."
"I'm done with them too. I mean it. And that isn't what this is about. I promise."
I heard the insistency in his tone. I wanted to walk away from him, the guy deserved it after what he had done to me, but my feet didn't move. Then I realized what I heard, there was also desperation in him. And something that sounded close to…agony? When I looked again, I was seeing a different Jeff. He'd been a sarcastic badboy, but there was something new now. Vulnerability.
"What do you want?" I folded, but I was cursing at myself in my head.
A grin flared before he nodded, somber again. "Okay. So, we both know our history. I cheat on every girl I date. But I've met someone new."
I already knew where he was going with this. "And you don't want to do that to her?"
He nodded.
"You don't want to cheat on her?"
He nodded again, more eager.
"And you want to be the good guy she thinks you are?"
"Yeah! See you're perfect for this. It's like you know me."
I smacked him in the back of his head. "Because I do and you're not that guy. You cheat, that's what you do. Stop cheating and your problem is solved. Stop wasting my time. I have a mission."
"What mission?"
"I need friends. I have to make friends."
"I'm your friend."
"No, you're not. You're my ex boyfriend. We're not friends."
I started to leave again, but he darted in front. "Hear me out, please."
I growled at him.
"I will help you with your mission."
"You will?" Suspicion slammed against my chest. "How?"
"I know a lot of these girls. I cheated on you, a lot."
I growled at him again.
"You help me learn how to be a good boyfriend and I'll rally some girls to look out for you at your new school."
The suspicion lessened a little. "You heard about that, huh?"
"Everybody did. It's big news when Kade's girl won't be going to our school anymore. The Elite are crestfallen. They can't use you to get to them."
I frowned. "I thought they gave up on that long ago."
He shrugged. "I heard they were regrouping. Miranda's the leader again. She's preaching against any girl who sleeps with Logan Kade again."
I shook my head. "Will she never learn?"
"Who cares. Their funerals if they want to mess with the Kades again. Being burned by being a hypocritical bitch didn't teach her a lesson. Who's to stop her from getting burned again?" He winked at me with a devilish smirk.
