My best friend was right. If I wasn’t careful, this game between me and Jason was going to chew me up until nothing was left. It’s what Cameron had been warning me about too. Jason wouldn’t stop. He’d keep pushing, keep coming at me, until I surrendered.
But even knowing he might hurt me, that in the end, Jason might successfully smash through my walls, I still didn’t know if I could do it.
I didn’t know if I could walk away.
Chapter Eight
Cameron
“After Thatcher talking shit on Twitter and Snapchat all week, my money's on him.” Asher took a long pull on his beer, slouching down in one of the La-Z-boy chairs in his games room.
“Well he’s got a fucking death wish, if it was.” Jason’s whole demeanor radiated anger. After he saw his car—and Hailee’s handiwork—I thought he was going to detonate. Asher acted quickly and shut down the party, sending everyone home, while we tried to clean up his car and calm him the fuck down. We’d gotten the sticker off without any damage, but the paint was going to need removing professionally.
“We can’t jump to any conclusions,” I said. “If we go after Thatcher and we’re wrong that could cost us—”
“Yeah, but come on, man,” Asher folded his hands behind his head. “Who else is dumb enough to do something like... Hailee.” His eyes lit up. “It could have been her.”
“Nah, man,” I said trying to act cool. “She’s up for a prank or two but criminal damage?”
Jason was quiet. Too fucking quiet. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, trying to figure out what was going on in that head of his.
“You checked the CCTV?” he asked Asher who nodded.
“Like I said before, my old man switched off the system before the summer when it started glitching. He still hasn’t gotten around to fixing it.”
Thank fuck.
Jase grunted, rubbing his jaw. “Nah, Hailee wouldn’t do it. She’s ballsy but she’s doesn’t have balls big enough to pull something like this. It had to be Thatcher.”
I didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, I could fess up and deliver Hailee right at his feet... or, I could withhold the truth and give him more ammunition to go after Thatcher.
Either way, it was a shit show waiting to happen.
But could I rat Hailee out knowing Jason would come after her with everything he had?
“Still,” I said making my decision. “Without evidence, you need to tread carefully. Finnigan is just itching for an excuse to come down hard on you. If he so much as gets a whiff of trouble with East he’s going to pounce.”
Jase sat back, considering my words. While Asher liked to stir trouble, I’d always been Jase’s voice of reason.
“Fuck, I want to destroy that piece of shit.”
“So, do it on the field, where it’ll hurt most.” Thatcher was much like Jason; hard-headed, arrogant, and devoted one-hundred-and-ten percent to the game. Losing to the Raiders would be almost as good as any retaliation Jase and Asher could dream up for him.
“Or we go across river and show that fucker what the Raiders are really about,” Asher said around a shit-eating grin.
I cut him with a hard look, but Jase surprised me when he said, “Nah, Chase is right. Although I’m ninety-five percent sure it was him or one of his guys, we can’t hit back. Not yet. Not with Finnigan breathing down our necks.”
Asher grumbled under his breath but didn’t argue. Jase’s word was final, it always was.
“Doesn’t mean I still don’t need to get Hailee back though.”
“Now we’re talking.” Asher rubbed his hands together, mischief dancing in his eyes. “Can we play with Felicity too?”
Jase’s expression hardened; only for a split-second, but I saw it.
Interesting.
“Nah, Hailee is right, this is between me and her.” Except he was all too happy to get us to do his dirty work now and again.
Asher shrugged. “Yeah, whatever, man.”
“I’m going to get another beer,” I said. “You guys want?”
They both nodded and I left them to it. I was right to lie to Jason. If he knew Hailee was the one behind what happened to his car... well, I didn’t want to think about what he would do. But I realized now he wasn’t ever going to give up this game of cat and mouse with her. And if he misdirected his anger at Thatcher toward her, things could still get ugly.
Unless Hailee was put in her place once and for all.
Monday rolled around and everyone was talking about the upcoming pep rally. It was always a big deal with the whole school showing up to support the Raiders and welcome this year’s Varsity team. Khloe had been blowing up Jase’s cell phone all day wanting to know when they could get together to plan our grand entrance. Eventually, she’d pinned him down during his free period, but I’d left him to face her alone, saying I needed to show up for class. He’d pointed out that I was already late, but I’d just grinned and got the hell out of there.
I hadn’t expected to walk straight into Hailee as I rounded the empty hall. “I need to talk to you.” She grabbed my arm and yanked me into the janitor’s closet.
“Hello to you too.” I glared down at her, confused about how I felt about her manhandling me. On the one hand, my dick liked it. If the hard bulge in my jeans was anything to go by, it liked it a whole lot. But my head knew it was a dangerous game she was playing.
“Why didn’t you tell Jason it was me?” Her eyes narrowed with suspicion, but I didn’t blame her. How could I when she had every right to be wary of me?
“So, you heard the rumors then?” A slow smirk tugged at my lips. “About how Rixon East snuck across the river and tagged our captain's car? Tsk, tsk.”
“Cameron...”
“Sunshine...” My smirk grew.
“God, you’re infuriating.” Hailee backed up, putting some space between us but it was the janitor’s closet so there really wasn’t much.
My brow quirked up. “Me? I’m infuriating? You might want to take a long hard look in the mirror, Suns—”
“Stop calling me that,” she snapped, before releasing an exasperated breath. “Why did you do it? Why did you protect me?”
“You think that was me protecting you?” My gaze hardened as I folded my arms over my chest. “Sorry to burst your little bubble, but that wasn’t me protecting you. That was me protecting my best friend from himself. From doing something really fucked up.”
“He’s a grown man,” she scoffed. “I’m pretty sure he’s quite capable of bearing the consequences of his actions.” It was Hailee’s turn to raise a brow.
“You don’t understand.”
How could she?
“Ha, football.” The word was wrapped in bitterness. “It all comes back to football, doesn’t it?” Hailee shook her head with incredulity.
“Jason has his whole career ahead of him. He doesn’t need to be distracted by you and your inability to know when to quit.”
“I…” Her expression slipped and a bolt of guilt went through me, but it was quickly followed by something else. The thing living inside me that had gotten used to watching Hailee battle with Jason. That enjoyed her smart mouth and reckless actions.