Fallen Crest Public
Page 15
“And speaking of …”
I stopped as Tate came around the corner. She didn’t give us a glance as she went straight to Logan and draped herself over him. One arm went around his neck and the other hand rested on his chest. He’d been listening to Ethan, but stopped. As she moved closer to him, his head lowered so it looked as if the two were whispering to each other. A small grin was teasing the corner of his mouth when she started talking.
“Okay.” Heather bobbed her head up and down. “I now see what you and Mason are worried about.”
My eyes grew wide when he lifted a hand to the side of her hip. That was how Mason touched me. It was intimate and it was his precursor move before he pulled me even closer. Logan didn’t pull her closer, but his hand lingered there before moving to the small in her back. Oh yes. He was enjoying every bit of her attention, but then he looked up and caught us staring. Correction. He caught me.
My face got hot. I knew I was probably red, but what was he doing? I narrowed my eyes and tried to ask him that question without saying it.
The other side of his lips curved up and the grin was no longer a tease. He was full-on smiling at me. Another correction. He was smirking at me.
“What?” I bristled next to Heather. Both knew who that question was for.
He lifted one shoulder. It dropped lightly. He said back, “What?”
Tate turned around, a Cheshire Cat grin on her lips as Logan’s hand didn’t fall away. Instead of being on her back, as she turned to us, it slid around her hip to her stomach and stayed there. She was now almost in his arms.
Heather was frowning at them, but I couldn’t hold it in. “Did I miss the announcement? Are you a happy couple now?” There was an edge in my voice, but I couldn’t hide it. Tate was bad news. She was slimy. She was sneaky. She hurt Logan. She’d do it again.
“You can’t be jealous, Samantha,” she taunted me. “You’re happy with Mason, aren’t you? You can’t have both Kades.”
I growled, “And you can’t hurt him again.”
“Uh, guys …” Heather started.
Logan shook his head. “Sam, relax.”
“No—” I stopped him.
Tate turned her gaze to Heather and a bitter look came over her. “What’s your problem, Heather? I didn’t know we were enemies. You don’t have to have her back all of the time.”
That had me seething, but I glanced around and saw the crowd that was forming. The drill team snobs were mingling with the cheerleaders. Ethan and Strauss had front row seats, leaning against Logan’s locker, were grinning from ear to ear. I skimmed the edge of the crowd and saw Kate. She was expressionless, but her eyes narrowed when they met mine. A slight chill went through me. Whatever she was thinking, it wasn’t good. I caught Logan’s eye and gestured to her. The amusement on his face faded then, and he stepped towards me.
Tate stopped in mid-sentence. “What are you doing?”
Ignoring her, he took Heather’s arm and mine, pulling us through the crowd.
“Logan!”
“Your girlfriend is calling,” Heather told him.
He grimaced. “Okay, that was a joke. I can’t believe you guys got so riled up.” He led us into the senior hallway and quieted his voice, leaning in closer to me, “I don’t have those feelings for Tate anymore. You don’t need to worry. I’d have to care about her to get hurt by her. Those feelings are long gone.”
Heather put on the brakes. She went pale as a group broke away from the hall. “Oh, crap.”
I recognized two of the girls. “Those are your friends, right?”
“Let’s hope.” An apology flashed in her eyes as she started for them. “I gotta go. I’m sorry, Sam. Come to Manny’s tonight if I don’t see you at lunch?”
I nodded as she hurried to catch up with them. When she did, the girl who was dressed all in black refused to look at her. The tiny one gave her a half-grin. It was more like a half-hearted attempt at a grin. It only came out as being sad. As the other one snapped at Heather before stalking away, the tiny one got up and followed. She didn’t say a word to Heather either. There were a few guys in their group, and the one with dark hair and a tattoo circling over his jaw slung his arm around Heather’s shoulders. He looked to be reassuring her, but she pushed him away and hurried after the two girls. He called after her, “Don’t sweat it, Jax.”
“Who’s that?”
“Uh,” Logan tilted his head to the side. “Max Monroe. I don’t know him that well. I think Mason might. He’s friendly with the Roussou peeps here so don’t get close to him.”
“There are Roussou peeps here?”
“A few.” Logan started to lead me further down the hallway towards Mason’s locker. “I think they’re cousins or have relatives over there. No worries, Little Kade. They’re not going to rise up and mutiny. There’s not enough of them here, and they’re not really liked by everyone else. Your throne is safe.”
“Do you try to be annoying, Logan? Or is this post-coital bliss from whoever you went to see this morning?”
He chuckled, throwing his arm around my shoulder again. “I’m not being annoying. I’m being charming and since when do you want to know who my post-coital bliss is from?”
“I don’t. As long as it’s not Tate, I don’t care.”
He squeezed me tight, laughing as we pushed through another crowd. Mason’s locker was in the back corner. It was broken off from the main wall with four others besides his. Spotting Nate and some of their guy friends, the other locker owners weren’t a big leap. When Mason saw us coming, he straightened up from the wall. Nate glanced over, but he wasn’t as welcoming. Shutting his locker, he took off.
“Unlike you, I’m guessing he’s not interested in my post-coital bliss either.”
“Logan.”
“What?” He flashed me a grin, rubbing where I’d hit him. Then he said to Mason, “Nate’s still not over our family meeting?”
“Would you if we kicked you out of your own basement?” Mason grimaced as he eyed Logan’s arm that was still around my shoulder. “Do you always have to touch my girlfriend?”
“What?” Logan laughed and pulled me tighter against him. He rubbed his hand up and down my arm. “I thought you’d be happy that it’s not Tate I’m touching. Sam just saved me from her clutches, you know.”
I stopped as Tate came around the corner. She didn’t give us a glance as she went straight to Logan and draped herself over him. One arm went around his neck and the other hand rested on his chest. He’d been listening to Ethan, but stopped. As she moved closer to him, his head lowered so it looked as if the two were whispering to each other. A small grin was teasing the corner of his mouth when she started talking.
“Okay.” Heather bobbed her head up and down. “I now see what you and Mason are worried about.”
My eyes grew wide when he lifted a hand to the side of her hip. That was how Mason touched me. It was intimate and it was his precursor move before he pulled me even closer. Logan didn’t pull her closer, but his hand lingered there before moving to the small in her back. Oh yes. He was enjoying every bit of her attention, but then he looked up and caught us staring. Correction. He caught me.
My face got hot. I knew I was probably red, but what was he doing? I narrowed my eyes and tried to ask him that question without saying it.
The other side of his lips curved up and the grin was no longer a tease. He was full-on smiling at me. Another correction. He was smirking at me.
“What?” I bristled next to Heather. Both knew who that question was for.
He lifted one shoulder. It dropped lightly. He said back, “What?”
Tate turned around, a Cheshire Cat grin on her lips as Logan’s hand didn’t fall away. Instead of being on her back, as she turned to us, it slid around her hip to her stomach and stayed there. She was now almost in his arms.
Heather was frowning at them, but I couldn’t hold it in. “Did I miss the announcement? Are you a happy couple now?” There was an edge in my voice, but I couldn’t hide it. Tate was bad news. She was slimy. She was sneaky. She hurt Logan. She’d do it again.
“You can’t be jealous, Samantha,” she taunted me. “You’re happy with Mason, aren’t you? You can’t have both Kades.”
I growled, “And you can’t hurt him again.”
“Uh, guys …” Heather started.
Logan shook his head. “Sam, relax.”
“No—” I stopped him.
Tate turned her gaze to Heather and a bitter look came over her. “What’s your problem, Heather? I didn’t know we were enemies. You don’t have to have her back all of the time.”
That had me seething, but I glanced around and saw the crowd that was forming. The drill team snobs were mingling with the cheerleaders. Ethan and Strauss had front row seats, leaning against Logan’s locker, were grinning from ear to ear. I skimmed the edge of the crowd and saw Kate. She was expressionless, but her eyes narrowed when they met mine. A slight chill went through me. Whatever she was thinking, it wasn’t good. I caught Logan’s eye and gestured to her. The amusement on his face faded then, and he stepped towards me.
Tate stopped in mid-sentence. “What are you doing?”
Ignoring her, he took Heather’s arm and mine, pulling us through the crowd.
“Logan!”
“Your girlfriend is calling,” Heather told him.
He grimaced. “Okay, that was a joke. I can’t believe you guys got so riled up.” He led us into the senior hallway and quieted his voice, leaning in closer to me, “I don’t have those feelings for Tate anymore. You don’t need to worry. I’d have to care about her to get hurt by her. Those feelings are long gone.”
Heather put on the brakes. She went pale as a group broke away from the hall. “Oh, crap.”
I recognized two of the girls. “Those are your friends, right?”
“Let’s hope.” An apology flashed in her eyes as she started for them. “I gotta go. I’m sorry, Sam. Come to Manny’s tonight if I don’t see you at lunch?”
I nodded as she hurried to catch up with them. When she did, the girl who was dressed all in black refused to look at her. The tiny one gave her a half-grin. It was more like a half-hearted attempt at a grin. It only came out as being sad. As the other one snapped at Heather before stalking away, the tiny one got up and followed. She didn’t say a word to Heather either. There were a few guys in their group, and the one with dark hair and a tattoo circling over his jaw slung his arm around Heather’s shoulders. He looked to be reassuring her, but she pushed him away and hurried after the two girls. He called after her, “Don’t sweat it, Jax.”
“Who’s that?”
“Uh,” Logan tilted his head to the side. “Max Monroe. I don’t know him that well. I think Mason might. He’s friendly with the Roussou peeps here so don’t get close to him.”
“There are Roussou peeps here?”
“A few.” Logan started to lead me further down the hallway towards Mason’s locker. “I think they’re cousins or have relatives over there. No worries, Little Kade. They’re not going to rise up and mutiny. There’s not enough of them here, and they’re not really liked by everyone else. Your throne is safe.”
“Do you try to be annoying, Logan? Or is this post-coital bliss from whoever you went to see this morning?”
He chuckled, throwing his arm around my shoulder again. “I’m not being annoying. I’m being charming and since when do you want to know who my post-coital bliss is from?”
“I don’t. As long as it’s not Tate, I don’t care.”
He squeezed me tight, laughing as we pushed through another crowd. Mason’s locker was in the back corner. It was broken off from the main wall with four others besides his. Spotting Nate and some of their guy friends, the other locker owners weren’t a big leap. When Mason saw us coming, he straightened up from the wall. Nate glanced over, but he wasn’t as welcoming. Shutting his locker, he took off.
“Unlike you, I’m guessing he’s not interested in my post-coital bliss either.”
“Logan.”
“What?” He flashed me a grin, rubbing where I’d hit him. Then he said to Mason, “Nate’s still not over our family meeting?”
“Would you if we kicked you out of your own basement?” Mason grimaced as he eyed Logan’s arm that was still around my shoulder. “Do you always have to touch my girlfriend?”
“What?” Logan laughed and pulled me tighter against him. He rubbed his hand up and down my arm. “I thought you’d be happy that it’s not Tate I’m touching. Sam just saved me from her clutches, you know.”
