Maggie is an introvert; she holds things in a lot, so if I wanted to know anything I’d have to pry.
Where I might’ve been a bit reticent to stick my foot in where my own situation was concerned, I wouldn’t be too accepting if I found that my little sister was at the receiving end of that crap.
Jared, when it was his turn, went on and on about the new team and what he hoped for this year. I turned my nose up a couple times but I was secretly proud of him. He really excelled at that stupid game.
He was all-atwitter about the hotshot quarterback who he deemed as cool. He went on and on about this person and from the way my body reacted, I had a sneaky suspicion that he was talking about my new bane of existence.
“Jace” I rolled the name off my tongue quietly and felt a stirring, oh crap.
JACE
Hmm, so she’s the new girl that everyone was going on and on about. The guys had already started staking their claim by the time I made it to the locker room that evening.
I knew she was my new wide receiver’s sister and that she was hot, but that’s all I’d gotten since I’d been missing from school that day.
Jared took the ribbing about his hot little sister good naturedly as we got ready to hit the practice field.
I kept my thoughts to myself not really having an interest one way or the other.
From what I’d heard so far she seemed no different from all the rest that were already here; just another blonde cheerleader who would probably just fall in with the in crowd.
Imagine my surprise when I’d overheard that little conversation while making my way out to the field.
The others had beaten me out of the locker room and I was taking my sweet time. I’d figured out who she was from a distance since she’d been the only new face I’d seen.
I couldn’t tell much from afar, only that she was blonde and very tiny. My heart gave that little blip it does when he sees something he likes but I wasn’t about to jump on the bandwagon.
Her brother was cool, I liked him, but there was no guarantee that she had the same down to earth personality.
I was more than pleasantly surprised when I came up behind her and overheard what she was saying to the girl. I could assess the situation with a glance.
Glasses, braces, slumped shoulders, cheerleader try-outs. I knew the younger girl must’ve been cut. I’d been about to step in if she’d been hassling the other girl but she wasn’t doing that.
In fact she was doing something that I would’ve done myself in the same situation. When she’d turned and looked at me I thought I’d swallow my tongue.
The guys had been a bit off, she wasn’t hot she was fucking scorching. One look and I knew. My year was looking up already.
I wasn’t too bothered by her about face at the car when I’d walked up with her brother and the others. They were all there to ogle her one last time for the day, though she didn’t seem to notice.
I’d been watching her from the field while their coach was putting them through their paces and I’d seen her again coming out of the girl’s locker room, so I hadn’t missed the little exchange between her and Mandy.
It didn’t take a scientist to figure out what that was about, but I wasn’t worried. Once I set my sights on something, pretty much nothing could stand in my way.
Chapter 8
SIAN
That night I tossed and turned as the memory of his face intruded on my every thought. I felt a burning in my stomach followed by nausea.
I knew that I was fighting my own resolve here. That ingrained sense of decency dictated that I not give into the new feelings that plagued me.
He belonged to someone else. But my heart didn’t seem to care. It was almost pitiful the way I felt.
My girlfriends, some of whom had been allowed to date long before I was, because their parents lived in the new millennium and not the stone ages like mine did, were always full of stories of the ups and downs of their relationships. Not once do I recall any of them having this issue.
They’d all just seemed to pair off with their chosen beaux, though sometimes they might have been another interested party off to the sidelines, but nothing like this.
I had no experience quite frankly with not getting something I wanted. Not in the mean girl ‘I’d run over you and take what’s yours’ sort of way, but just that life had always been so kind to me. Until now!
I beat my pillow into submission and groaned out loud, ‘go to sleep Sian he’s just a stupid boy.’
I must’ve dropped off somewhere around midnight, because the next thing I was aware of was dad tickling my ear with my hair to get me up.
“Wake up princess it’s time to rise and shine.” I rolled over and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. My daddy was so handsome and funny and smart. Until yesterday, he was the coolest guy I knew. Bleh, don’t start that shit again Sian you’d make yourself daft.
“I’m up dad.” I smiled at him but I didn’t feel it.
“Are you sure you’re okay baby? you seemed a bit quiet at dinner last night and you came up to bed rather early.”
“I’m fine dad, just getting settled. You know, new school, new people. It’s going to take some time to get my groove back.”
“If you’re sure. You know you can talk to me about anything right?”
“Yes dad I know thanks.” He got up from the side of the bed and left the room bellowing for my brother to get his carcass up.
***
I saw Belle as soon as I pulled into the parking lot. I’d driven myself today and was feeling a lot better about things than I had the day before.
At breakfast this morning I’d given myself a stern talking to and decided that I was not going to let thoughts of Jace intrude. I’m sure it won’t be long before I met someone equally suitable.
‘Yeah but he won’t make your heart race and your pulse pound.’ Shut up; my inner slut bunny can be a nuisance sometimes.
At least I had a better handle on myself and I felt my old confidence as I hopped out of my car and made my way over to Belle and who I assumed was her friend Tammy.
“Hey I see you found her.” I smiled as I hitched my bag higher up on my shoulder. They were both looking at me strange and I raised my brow at them.
“Problem?”
“Oh I was just waiting to see if you had morphed into one of the reptilian people since yesterday.”
“Huh?” I’m beginning to think my new pal Belle was a little touched in the head.
“Oh you know; I hadn’t seen you since try-outs yesterday I was afraid they might work their magic and I’d be persona non grata today.”
I slapped her arm playfully and we turned to head in. “This is Tammy by the way, Tammy this is Sian.”
Tammy was a pretty blonde who seemed a little quiet next to the more vociferous Belle. She smiled and nodded hello before ducking her head.
“Hey Sian wait up, I’ll walk in with you.” Jared jogged to catch up and I gave him the gimlet eye. Since when does he walk me to class? I must’ve been a pitiful mess yesterday.
I started to tell him it wasn’t necessary but then I saw the way he was pretending not to look at Belle and I bit back a smile. Well, well, well, looks like I’m not the only one who’d been bitten by the bug.
I was going to say something teasing but then I saw that damn car pulling in. My heart went through its little routine and I missed a step before Jared took my arm and straightened me out.
“You okay sis?” he was talking to me but his eyes were glued to Belle who was pretending that she wasn’t here. I just shook my head and wondered what drama was about to unfold between these two.
Jared is a dog of the highest order. Back home he practically dated a new girl every weekend. My girlfriends were always giggly and stupid when we had sleepovers and he was around, always wanting to be near him whenever they came over to study.
I was pretty sure that Belle was not the giggling type and neither did she strike me as the sort to be just one of the pack.
If what I suspected was true, Jared was barking up the wrong tree. Looked like we had that in common too. I couldn’t resist one last look back though and wasn’t surprised to see Mandy making her way over to him.
I was surprised by their body language though. He seemed to be disinterested in whatever it was she had to say while she seemed hell bent on hanging onto the arm he was trying to pull away from her grasp.
Hmm, trouble in paradise. That should not give you the warm and fuzzies young lady. But it did.
Chapter 9
JACE
“What the hell are you doing?” I pulled my arm away and tried walking around her. I knew she was going to pull this shit and had prepared myself. This last time wasn’t the first time we’d broken up.
Always before I’d taken her back because fuck, I had nothing better to do and the sex was good. But now I was really and truly over her shallow ass, and after yesterday I had no doubt that this time it was for good.
“Oh come on Jace don’t be like that. You know you can’t let me go that easily.” She ran her finger down my chest. I brushed her hand away and didn’t even look at her.
My eyes were glued to the ass of the new girl as she walked with her brother and her friends.
My smile grew when I saw who it was she was walking with. Better and better. I maybe should’ve been more careful, because Mandy’s eyes followed mine and the look that came over her face did not bode well.