The Recruit(41)

‘What…is it that bad you can’t share with the rest of us?’

Bloody Minka, Jaz thought she’d left her arse behind in class. Jaz took larger steps.

Jaz walked towards the front of the school grounds but could still feel Minka and Angelica behind her, no doubt gesturing rudely behind her back. No one could miss their overpowering perfume. You couldn’t smell the rubbish for the tip.

Jaz heard a girl beside her draw a breath. ‘Oh, look at him, he’s gorgeous.’ She looked up, and no more than twenty metres in front of her stood Ryan. Tall, brooding, imposing and dressed in loose jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. He smiled when he caught her eyes as she kept her steady path towards him. But inside she was flying.

‘So my creepy stalker is back,’ she said coolly.

‘Hey, Jaz.’ Ryan watched as Minka and Angelica sashayed past, putting on their hottest smiles.

When he glanced back to Jaz she had her hand on her hip, shaking her head.

‘What? I trying to spot their devil horns.’ He gave her a wink.

‘Were you now?’ Ryan just accumulated a few extra points for being able to sniff out bullshit, in the form of Minka. ‘So what are you doing here?’

Ryan folded his arms in front of him. ‘Just wanted to see how you’re going, thought you might like a ride to The Ring.’ He nodded to his car parked down the road.

‘Hey, Ryan!’ said Anna as she practically came running up to them.

‘Hi, Anna. What you up to? Do you want a ride to The Ring too?’

‘Oh, yes please, that’d be great.’

Ryan turned around and headed to his car. Jaz threw Anna a look and said, ‘I didn’t know you were coming to The Ring today?’

Anna waved her hands around trying to ‘shh’ her. ‘I have nothing else on.’ Anna leant in to Jaz’s ear. ‘Come on, he invited me. As if I’d say no!’

Grabbing Jaz’s hand, Anna took off after Ryan.

Just before jumping into Ryan’s car, Jaz caught Taylor’s stare as he stood by his Mustang up ahead. The breeze ruffled his long fringe as his eyes threw caution at her. Now, Taylor worries about her! A part of her hoped he was jealous.

She gave Taylor a reassuring smile and a wave before sliding into Ryan’s back seat. Anna had silently called dibs on the front seat but Jaz didn’t mind. She didn’t want to think about the last time she was in that seat, bleeding.

‘So you saved Jaz last night, I hear.’

OMG! Should I just die now, thought Jaz as her face burned hot. The quiet computer type Anna was not! She was also on the debate team. Go figure she’d jump Ryan with questions the moment she could.

‘And were there really five guys?’

Jaz leant forward, threaded her hand around the side of the seat till she found Anna’s arm, and pinched it.

‘Oww…I see you’re not really the talkative type,’ said Anna.

‘Well there’s probably not much to tell, I’m sure Jaz has mentioned it all,’ said Ryan. He glanced in the rear-vision mirror, his eyes watching Jaz for a second and she felt herself blush even more.

‘Jaz isn’t good with spilling the beans. If it weren’t for the obvious split lip she probably wouldn’t have said anything.’

Ryan raised an eyebrow. ‘Really?’

‘One time it took her a whole day to tell me that one of the guys had asked her out, and even then I found out about it on the grapevine first!

Could we just get to The Ring now, Jaz begged.

‘Hello, I’m still in the car, Anna!’ said Jaz. ‘And I didn’t tell you about Brad asking me out because it was just a prank. I knew it was crap when I saw Minka watching nearby with that sadistic grin she gets on her face.’ Jaz flicked her hair over her shoulder crossly.

‘Soooo, Ryan,’ said Anna, changing the subject. ‘Where do you hail from?’

‘North of the city. I grew up in Carine, went to school at Guilford Grammar and now live not far from here.’

Jaz’s ears perked up. Anna had just got some major details that she’d never thought to ask. Why is that, she wondered?

‘How come we’ve only just seen you around The Ring now?’

Jaz saw his hands tighten around the steering wheel, it wasn’t really noticeable but she could just feel his body tense. This was one of those questions he liked to avoid.

‘I’ve been busy with work, and I’m now on holidays and I’m not handling the whole “doing nothing” scenario so I joined up at The Ring. Don’t worry, in a few weeks I’ll be gone again.’

That last part was depressing and came with no warning. Jaz even felt Anna’s disappointment. The car fell silent for the last few minutes of the trip.