“Maybe. Reed’s a hard guy to decode. He’s always so damn stoic.”
“He’s definitely that.” I laugh. “So he no longer cares about your brother’s opinion?”
“I plan on finding out tonight at dinner, one way or the other. He may not want to see me with other guys, but I’m not going to wait around for someone who will never claim me. If Reed can’t grow a pair and tell my brother to fuck off with his, ‘My sister is off-limits,’ bullshit, then fuck him. I’m not going to pine for him while he’s out screwing Imogen or whoever else. It’s not fair.” She releases a heavy sigh. “Enough about my boy problems. What’s going on with you and my brother? And don’t you dare try telling me nothing again. I’ve never seen him act like he does around you. I still can’t believe he took you to see your sister.”
I groan. “I don’t know, Ains. I think he’s a jerk more often than not and I don’t trust him, but then he does something so unexpectantly sweet like taking me to see Belle, not to mention how great he was with her. And today—he looked like he was going to murder Peyton on the spot when he burst into that bathroom. When he got to me, when he hovered over me protectively, with a gentleness I would’ve never thought he was capable of, it confused me. He confuses me.”
Ainsley scrunches her face. “Boys are stupid.”
I clink my soda cup against hers. “I’ll drink to that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
KINGSTON
“What’s the plan?” Reed takes a drag from his joint.
We’re standing in the Windsor parking lot, right outside of the gym, waiting for Peyton to get out of cheerleading practice.
I look at him out of the corner of my eye. “I’m just going to have a few words with her.”
“Why’d you need us for that?”
“Because we need to present a united front. These people need to know that if anyone fucks with Jazz, they’re going to have to deal with all three of us.”
“Man, I’ve never wanted to hit a girl before, but that girl tempts me,” Bentley adds. “I can’t believe she ganged up on Jasmine like that. I mean, I’m all for chick fights because they’re totally hot, but locking her in a room and expecting her to fight off ten bitches at once is just bullshit. Even I’m not that fucking shady.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You two know you need to cut off Whitney and Imogen as well, right? They’re just as guilty.”
“Already did,” Reed says.
“On the same page, brother,” Bentley adds.
Speaking of shady bitches... a group of cheerleaders just walked out of the gym. Peyton freezes when she spots us, causing the others to slam into her back. I can tell she’s scared but she’s so concerned about appearances, she pastes a fake ass smile on her face and walks over here, swaying her hips dramatically.
“Hey, guys,” she says. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to have a word, Peyton.”
Whitney joins us and curls her arm around Be
ntley’s. “Hey, baby.”
He shoves her off of him. “Get the fuck off me, whore. I don’t need whatever STD you’re carrying this week.”
A collective gasp rings throughout the crowd. Seven of the girls in that bathroom today were cheerleaders, which is exactly why I chose this moment to have this conversation. I wanted them to witness their supposed queens’ humiliation.
Whitney’s jaw drops. “What the hell, Bentley?”
Bentley’s eyes run the length of her body with disinterest. “I’m done slumming it with you, Whit. I can no longer pretend that your loose-as-fuck pussy turns me on. You should probably get that shit checked out by a doctor. I hear vaginal reconstruction surgery is all the rage these days.”
Bentley may be easy-going for the most part, but the guy is a mean fuck when he wants to be. Dude’s got his own demons just waiting to burst out.
Whitney’s face flushes and her eyes fill with tears when the laughter begins. The entire football team has now joined the audience. The fact that Imogen is trying to blend in with the masses does not go unnoticed.
“What do you want, Kingston?” Peyton shouts. “Why are you guys being such assholes?”
I smirk, but there’s no mirth behind it. “Oh, Peyton, I think you know exactly why we’re here.”