“Look, I get it. He’s your friend. You want to defend him. But I’m not interested. I just want to focus on school, get decent grades, and see if I can graduate without going completely fucking insane.” I looked over at Jaxson, my lips drawn into a tight line. I appreciated his loyalty to his friend, I really did, but I wasn’t going to go running back to Wes. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have class.”
I picked up my pace and left Jaxson behind. This time, he didn’t try to catch up, thank God. I mean, it was cool he was willing to go to bat for his friend and all, but I just wanted to put Wes out of my mind as best as possible and move on. I wouldn’t be able to completely ignore him, since I still had to live with him, but that didn’t mean I had to think about him at school.
“I. Am. Starving,” Adrian said, practically moaning as she stared at the cheeseburger on her lunch tray. Her eyes shimmered, and she licked her lips. I had a feeling if anyone got between her and that burger, they were liable to get a chunk bitten out of them. “My alarm didn’t go off this morning, so I missed breakfast to get here on time.”
“Did your alarm not go off, or did you forget to set it?” I teased, smirking at her.
Adrian grinned in response as she shrugged. “Does it really matter? The point is I’m so hungry I could eat this danged tray, too!”
I wasn’t aware missing one meal made someone that hungry, but I figured it was better not to comment. I didn’t need to get my head bitten off, figuratively or literally. It was probably better that Adrian had never had to truly go hungry before. That wasn’t a pain I would wish upon my worst enemy.
And, speaking of my worst enemy, Paisley walked by me right then, nose in the air, acting like she didn’t even see me. Which was fine with me. At least it meant she wasn’t being a complete bitch again. But then, after I had threatened to rearrange her face, she probably wasn’t going to risk opening her mouth any time soon.
Part of me kind of wished she would, though. With everything going on in my life, I’d have loved to hit someone a few times. It’d be a great stress reliever. Probably not the healthiest outlet, but it’d certainly be the most satisfying. The only thing that might be more satisfying than punching Paisley a few times would be punching Wes a few times.
At least her friends had stopped glaring at me and trying to trip me in the halls. Ever since I’d been assaulted at the weekly beach party they were responsible for; they’d been almost pleasant to me. I wasn’t sure how long that would last, though, but I was going to enjoy it while it did last.
I had enough shit going on. I really didn’t need drama from them, too.
“So, are you gonna tell me why you’ve been all sullen today?” Adrian asked, making me groan. First, I’d had Jaxson pestering me about it, and now Adrian was too?
But she was my best friend, and if I owed anyone an explanation, it was her. I gave her the short version as we made our way to our normal table with Sebastian and his friends. Unlike Jaxson, Adrian thankfully didn’t immediately jump in to defend Wes. She didn’t immediately crucify him either, though.
“You really think he would do that?” Adrian frowned, shaking her head. “I mean, I kinda agree with Jax. Wes can be an idiot, but he’d never really lied to any of the girls he’s been with. At least not that I’ve heard. And trust me; he’s had plenty of girls who’ve wanted more than a quickie in the janitor’s closet. He’s never led any of them on.”
I shrugged. Maybe it wasn’t something he did all the time. And if that was true, then good for him. But that didn’t change what I had overheard last night. “Well, then I guess I’m special,” I said with a teasing smirk.
“Oh, honey, we all know you’re special.” Adrian nudged me with her shoulder as she laughed. I was so lucky to have her as a friend. Without her, I was pretty sure I would have already gone insane.
Halfway through lunch, Adrian nudged me, then leaned over to whisper. She kept her voice low enough to not be overheard by anyone else at our table. “Speaking of your man-whore step-brother, it looks like he’s managed to piss off Paisley, too.”
Following Adrian’s gaze, I looked over at Wes’s normal table. Instead of sitting on his lap where she usually was, Paisley was sitting on the opposite side of the table from him, glaring daggers at him. Whatever he’d done, she certainly looked ready to murder him.
I couldn’t help but smirk. I wasn’t sure what Wes had done, but it was hard to feel sympathy for Paisley. If anyone deserved whatever it was, it was probably her.
“Guess he’s not getting any in the janitor’s closet tonight!” I whispered back.
Adrian’s eyes went wide as she burst out laughing. I laughed as well, making the rest of the table turn and look at us like we’d both grown two heads. Sebastian, in particular, watched me with a raised eyebrow, but I just winked at him.
I doubted he’d been in on Lucas’s little plan, and if that was true, I didn’t want to drag him into it. Let him enjoy the blissfulness of being in the dark. It was a perk I didn’t have anymore.
But hey, at least I had my own car now and I didn’t have to be stuck in the back of Wes’s every morning and afternoon. That was a plus, right?
And, honestly, the badass car Lucas had gotten me almost made it worth the bullshit.
Chapter 3
Glancing at my phone for the time, I let out a soft sigh. I’d basically hidden in my room since I’d gotten home. It would be time for dinner soon, and I was not looking forward to seeing Wes. But I couldn’t hide up here forever, no matter how badly I wanted to. I had a feeling if I tried to stay up here during dinner, either Lucas would come up and drag me down, or he’d send one of the boys to do it.
Not wanting to deal with that, I made my way downstairs. Halfway down the hallway leading to the kitchen, I heard raised voices. At first, it was just Lucas’s voice. Then, I heard Kathy’s voice, and I froze. My heart pounded as I remembered her threat from the other day. Had Lucas found out she was cheating on him and assumed I’d told him and spilled the beans? Or had she just decided not to wait and spilled anyway?
Then, I heard Wes’s voice arguing with them, and I didn’t know what to think. I couldn’t hear a word they were saying, just the angry tones of their voices. Part of me really wanted to just run back upstairs and lock myself in the bedroom.
But Sebastian was my friend. If they were arguing about him, I wanted to know so I could at least try to warn him. I tried to be quiet as I walked down the hall, but Wes must’ve been pacing around the kitchen. When he walked by the doorway, he spotted me and said something to Lucas and Kathy.
The arguing stopped, and I froze again. Wes stared at me, and I stared back, not sure what else to do. I hadn’t actually been doing anything wrong. I’d just been walking down the hallway to the kitchen. But, at the same time, they obviously hadn’t wanted me to overhear what they’d been talking about.
Kathy appeared in the doorway a moment later, glaring at me. Then, she stomped down the hall, walking right passed me without even saying a word. I watched her go, eyebrows raised, wondering what the hell was going on in this house all of a sudden. It was like someone had decided to spike the water supply and everyone was slowly losing their freaking minds.