Ocean - Fine.
I wait an agonizing three minutes before his text finally comes through and when it does, I realize that he had to really scrounge up the balls to actually hit send on this one.
Milo - I may have let my gay flag fly yesterday and fucked a guy under the bleachers while the rest of the school did a fire drill.
My eyes bug out of my head and I throw myself to my feet. “THE FUCK?” I screech before snapping my head up and coming face to face with my teacher then instantly regret it as the pain shoots through the back of my neck. “Oh, umm … sorry,” I say with a cringe, trying my hardest not to grab hold of my bandage to try and relieve the pain. “I just realized that I left my English essay on my desk at home.”
Her glare somehow becomes sharper before she lets out a heavy sigh and it’s clear as day that she doesn’t believe a word I say, but she’s not prepared to put up a fight. “Go to the student office and request to put in a call to have it delivered.”
I nod and grab my things before darting out of the classroom, knowing damn well that my English essay isn’t due until next week but she doesn’t need to know that. I take off down the hall before slipping into an empty classroom.
I perch myself against one of the desks and pull my phone back out, wishing I could call him and demand answers but knowing that I can’t because he’s in school.
Ocean - UMMMM…. WHAT??????? That’s not spilling the fucking tea. That’s giving me a goddamn drop. SPILL THE FUCKING TEA, MILO!!!! WHO’D YOU FUCK????
Milo - …..
Ocean - No. Don’t you dare do this to me.
Milo - I’m sorry. I can’t say. He’s not … I don’t know. Saying will cause problems and it’s still new. I gave him my word and I really don’t want to fuck this up. I kinda like this guy but I promise, as soon as I can tell you, I will.
A loud, frustrated groan tears from deep within me, and I sound like a toddler throwing a tantrum. I wonder if I could hold him down and force it out of him, but that fucker would just overpower me and with my neck hurting so bad, I’d get absolutely nowhere.
Damn it!
Ocean - I hate you.
Milo - Fucking love you too, bitch.
Realizing that for Milo to not even budge on the topic means that he truly must like this guy, I let it go. He’ll tell me when he’s ready and until then, I just have to be patient. I don’t want to be the reason to screw up something good. Who knows, maybe Milo just found the love of his life, or maybe he just found the guy who’s going to break his heart for the first time. Either way, it’s not my business to be getting involved.
Though I guess that means that the Jess and Milo show is well and truly over now. She came to terms with it after Milo finally came out to our small group but she still hurts. She was really falling for him and I kinda hate myself for allowing it to happen.
The bell rings, indicating the start of the first period, so I slip my phone away and trudge out of the empty classroom, not wanting to be caught in here.
I hurry out into the hall and have to really think about my schedule. I’ve been going here for a few weeks now but remembering my class schedule really hasn’t been a strong trait of mine.
I start wandering the halls and glance around at the students busily making their way past. I find Drix coming toward me with her brows furrowed. “Where the hell are you going?” she questions, giving me a strange look. “We have Biology.”
Oh. Whoops.
Her arm loops through mine and her momentum has me spinning on the spot. She pulls me along and I have to skip a step to catch up with her long strides. “Where have you been all morning?” she questions. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Recognizing the excited tone in her voice, I raise a brow. “Why? What’s happened?”
“Nothing yet,” she grumbles. “But my dad was asking about your mom again.”
“Really?” I say as a sly grin stretches across my face.
“Uh-huh.”
Her eyes sparkle and as a similar grin stretches across her pretty face, all my plans begin coming together. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I fucking hope so,” she laughs.
“Good,” I say, knowing all too well that it’s about time my mom finds her own kind of happiness. After all, she’s just spent twenty years with a man who lied to her. She may have loved him, and despite him being my father, she deserves better. “Let’s set them up.”
Chapter 22
I sit on the kitchen counter with Casey across from me and Colton’s hands gently at the back of my neck. He insisted on checking my burn despite Mom only checking it an hour ago. He’s so over-protective and I kinda love it. The second Milo delivered me home from school, Colton was there, asking me how it went today and checking that I hadn’t accidentally hurt myself or run into any trouble.
He was only seconds from asking to check the burn when Mom came tearing in with a new bandage and cream, insisting that I sit my ass down and redress it. I have a feeling this is going to be my life for the next few days. I’d hate to see what it’s like if I was to seriously injure myself. Colton would probably hire a full-time nurse just to follow me around. I mean, they know I’m more than capable of taking care of myself, right?
Colton gently presses a new bandage on after declaring that it looked much better today, something he’d heard my mother say only a short hour ago, but I guess nothing is really true until you’ve seen it with your own eyes.
Colton presses a kiss to my lips before stepping away and heading toward his private bar. “Do you want anything to drink?” he questions, pausing at the door.
I scrunch up my face, thinking over my options but instantly get distracted by the way his loose tank gapes at the front and every inch of his fine, strong, and chiseled chest is put on display. He had no meetings today so he didn’t bother putting a suit on and damnnn, it looks good on him.
A knowing grin tears across his too handsome face. “Jade,” he says, his voice low and warning. “Concentrate.”
“Oh, umm, right … I’ll have—”
“I’ll take a vodka sunrise, thanks,” Casey says from her position across the kitchen, lowering the book that she’s had her face glued in since she got home from school this afternoon.
Colton gapes at her. “No fucking way. You’re sixteen.”
Casey groans as I bite my tongue about the fact that he happily stood by over the weekend as she poured cocktail after cocktail down her throat. “For the millionth time, I’m seventeen and what does it matter? Ocean is only seventeen, and it’s not as though you’re any better. You’re only eighteen yourself.”
“I—” His face falls as he cuts himself off, realizing that she has a very good point. “Fine,” he finally says as though he’s her parent giving her permission to make bad decisions. “But only one drink. I don’t want Mom riding my ass for letting you have a drink. She’ll probably try to sue me.”
Casey scoffs out a laugh, all of us knowing that while his comment was a small jab, it wasn’t far from the truth. I wouldn’t put that kind of shit past her. She’s a bitch like that, and I don’t doubt that she’d do some pretty stupid things to get her hands on someone else’s cash.