The realization of who Jesse was on the campus and how many knew him was settling in. Mortification and horror was starting to take root and I felt like smacking myself in the forehead. Going to his house before had been a horrible idea. I wanted to demand answers about Ethan’s death, but if someone else had been there and not just Chandra, I gulped. It could’ve been bad. Really bad. I was starting to think the best way to start life as a student at Grant West was for no one to know about our relationship.
Goodness.
Our relationship.
What was our relationship?
Images of him above me flashed in my head and lust sparked again. My throat went dry and I knew he was in my room still, waiting for me. What the hell was I doing?
“You okay?” Beth frowned at me. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything. I was just playing with you. Sucks to be on the receiving end, huh?”
I nodded. It did. It really did. I shook away the desire and any remaining terror. “You won’t say anything?”
“No, but I think it’s cool you know Jesse Hunt. It’ll be nice to see Tiffany knocked down a peg. Finally.” She started back towards our rooms and I fell in step beside her.
“What do you mean?” Different dread formed now.
She stopped again, before glancing in the direction of my room. “Is he still in there?”
I jerked my head in a nod. My limbs felt like lead.
She touched my arm and tugged me back closer to the bathroom. Lowering her voice, she said, “Tiffany’s dating Jamie Striker. Do you know who that is?”
I frowned. “Just that Cord laughed at me when I asked about him. I have no idea why.”
“Well,” she searched for her words. “Let’s just say that Jamie’s not the brightest bulb in the group, or the nicest, or the one with morals. Okay. Jamie doesn’t really have any morals.”
“What does this have to do with Tiffany and Jesse?”
“I don’t know. Hannah’s sick of her attitude, but I think Tiffany mothers Jamie and so that goes to the rest of the guys too. She’d try with Derek and Cord if they didn’t have girlfriends.”
“Cord doesn’t have a girlfriend.” Or he hadn’t said he did, but as I remembered, there was more between them. I picked up on that immediately.
“Trust me. He is taken. Chandra’s been working him for three years, since they were freshman.”
A dull headache was forming in the back of my head. I felt it growing bigger and bigger. The pounding would start in a moment. “How old are they all?”
“Tiffany’s a junior, so’s Jamie. I think the rest are too except for Hunt. He’s a sophomore.”
I nodded. He had wanted to get out a year early and go with Ethan, but it hadn’t happened. The paperwork never was turned in because of...because my brother died.
The headache was raging and I pressed my hands against my temples. I’d be throwing up soon, but I croaked out, “How do you know all this?”
She stepped back and scowled, but then it was gone. She schooled her features in the next second and an impassive mask stared back at me.
My eyes widened. What had that been about?
Her voice held a chill in it, “I grew up with them.”
“Oh.” Why so damn cold then?
She grimaced then and rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry. When I say that I grew up with them, I mean in their house. My mom left me with them when I was eleven and I’ve been living with them ever since.”
“Oh.” I could relate.
The scowl flared back. “Don’t feel sorry for me. Hannah’s mom is wonderful. Trust me, I got the better end of the deal.”
I scowled back. “Relax. You were dumped by a parent. I understand.” My hands went up in surrender. “That’s all I meant. You’re a bit touchy, you know.”
The scowl lessened, but didn’t completely vanish. “So, yeah. I know all about that select group.”
I frowned.
She explained, “That’s what Tiffany calls them, The Select, since they’re all on the—”
“It made sense. I just think it’s stupid.”
“Me too.” A grin lifted the corners of her mouth and her eyes warmed. “And she thinks she’s Grant West royalty.”
“Why does she think that? Because she’s dating this Striker guy?”
“It’s because they have Homecoming Court here and she gets nominated every year.”
“Are you serious? Colleges do that?”
“Yep, we’re like a rich high school that’s bigger.”
“That sucks.” I was starting to think Ethan had horrible taste with his college choices. I should’ve thought this through more, but then I remembered this was the only school where I had an academic scholarship. At the time, I hadn’t thought I had money so the decision had been set in stone. Now I had money, but I was locked in place.
Like you were going anywhere that Jesse wasn’t? Be real.
I frowned at the nagging voice, but it was right. I sighed as I was starting to get a better picture on my new life. Jesse was still at the top and there were a bunch of prissy bitches surrounding him. The only problem was that they didn’t know about me and I didn’t know if I wanted them to know. Keeping it a secret had its benefits, but they already knew I was ‘family’ to Cord. I wanted to growl from frustration.
There’d been a brief hope of starting over again and living a life as a nobody. That was gone now.
We went back and parted at our doors. When I went inside, Jesse was gone. In his place was a note beside my cell. ‘Cord arrested, snuck out. Call later.’
It was like Homecoming all over again.
I got to my political science class early on the first day of classes. Sunday was spent moving in, Monday was the day for making sure everything was ready to go, and it was now Tuesday. My first class was at eight thirty, but I showed up at eight. It wasn’t that I was nervous. I think it was that I was bored. I hadn’t slept well and was up early so I got dressed and headed out. After grabbing a bagel and coffee, I found the classroom and took the seat farthest in the back. As others started to trickle in, I put my bag in the chair beside me. I wasn’t feeling social.
No one minded.
They trailed in and sat by themselves. A few girls came together and took the row in front of me. At eight twenty-nine, I slumped down in my chair and rested my head against the wall behind me. Closing my eyes, I could’ve fallen asleep. I was hidden in my back corner, but then I heard something that had my eyes wide open again.
One of the girls whispered in her friend’s ear in front of me, “That’s Cord Tatum and Jamie Striker. I heard they might take this class, so glad we took it now.”
The friend giggled, whispering back, “Super HOT!”
“Jenna was with Jamie at the Kappa party last Friday night.”
“Really? Isn’t he dating…”
The first one nodded, her excitement was barely contained. “Tiffany Chatsworth. Sucks to be her, huh? He’s the biggest manwhore on the team.”
“Bad for her. Good for us.”
The two shared a knowing grin. Then the first one leaned closer, “I heard they’re having a party next Friday. I’m going to try to talk to Jamie after class; maybe we can get an invite.”
“We need an invite? We can’t just go?”
She rolled her eyes, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “It’s at Jesse Hunt’s house; you have to have an invite to even know where it is. No one knows where it is unless you’re in their circle. I heard his daddy bought him a new mansion.”
The friend groaned, giggling at the same time. “Jesse Hunt. Oh my gawd! Is he going to be there?”