Gary came to his feet. He settled his hands on his narrow hips and cocked his head to one side. “Are you trying to break up?”
“I… I think we need to take a break from each other, yes. Thing
s were going too far, getting out of hand. We need to pull back.”
Gary’s arms fell to his sides. “I can’t believe this. Jade?” He moved toward her and tried to take her into his arms. She staved him off.
“I can’t take any more of this sexual pressure from you, Gary.”
“Like you haven’t been putting sexual pressure on me?” he shouted.
“Of course! I know I have. That’s my point. It’s not healthy for either of us to keep building bonfires we can’t put out.”
“Just a few weeks ago, you suggested that we start putting out the bonfires.”
“I’ve changed my mind. We should wait, give ourselves plenty of time to make the correct decision.” Hastily, she licked her lips. “But even that’s not good enough. We need to date other people. We’ve gone steady ever since we were old enough to date. I want you to… to start dating other girls.”
For several moments he stared at her speechlessly. Then his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “This has something to do with Neal Patchett, doesn’t it?”
A trapdoor seemed to open up beneath her. She felt herself falling through a black void. “No,” she denied hoarsely.
Obviously he mistook her horror for guilt. “The hell it doesn’t,” he sneered. “He’s been sucking up to me for more than a week. Ever since you got ‘sick.’ He’s been acting like a man with a delicious secret that he’s just dying to tell. Now I know what it is. He wanted to rub my nose in it. You went out with him, didn’t you?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie to me. Donna Dee looked as guilty as sin when I mentioned his name, too. Is that what you quarreled with her about?”
“Donna Dee?” she said in a negative tone.
“I chased her down after school today. She’s been avoiding me almost as diligently as you have.”
“What did she say?”
“Don’t worry. She didn’t rat on you.” He shook his head. “So, you finally fell for Neal’s irresistible charm. That ought to make your mother happy.”
Jade’s dark hair whipped around her head as she vehemently shook her head. “No. I despise him. You know that, Gary.”
“So you say.” He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, barely containing his fury. “Maybe I’ll ask him myself.” He turned toward the door, but hadn’t taken more than two steps before Jade launched herself against his back and clutched at him. “No, Gary, no. Stay away from him.”
He turned and angrily pulled her against him. “If you had to cheat on me, why’d it have to be with Patchett?”
“You’re wrong, Gary. Please don’t think—”
“Patchett, for God’s sake!” He released her so abruptly that she staggered backward. Gary yanked open the door and strode out.
“Gary!”
He didn’t look back, although Jade knew he heard her calling his name until his car was halfway down the block. Jade stumbled back inside and slumped against the door. The tears that she had been holding in erupted in a torrent. She cried until she had no more tears left, and then she was seized by dry, racking sobs.
* * *
At first Gary considered driving straight to the Patchetts’ estate and challenging Neal face to face. He could probably whip Neal in a fair fight, but he didn’t want to give the bastard the satisfaction of knowing that he had provoked him. He would let him be smug and go around wearing that shit-eating grin if he wanted to. Gary Parker wasn’t going to stoop to his level.
By the time he reached home, Gary’s anger had given way to despair. The farmhouse looked uglier than ever as he drove into the yard. He hated the old house with its peeling paint and sagging porch. He hated the chickens that pecked about in the yard and the stink of the hog pen. He resented the laughter and chatter of his younger siblings as they ran to tackle him around his legs and impeded his progress across the dirt clearing.
“Gary, Mama said you have to help me with my arithmetic tonight.”
“Gary, make Stevie stop following me.”