I blanch when I realise my fingers have fisted in his shirt, immobilizing him and pull my hand back hard until it’s curled and resting on my own chest. The flush on my cheeks must be bright red because a smug look crosses his face before he lets go of the book and steps back, creating much needed distance between us. I slide back over to Peyton who is frowning as she looks between me and her brother, but if he notices he doesn’t care.
“The guys want to do dinner in the dining hall tonight. Join us?” The kind way he approaches and speaks to his sister, like she is something beloved and dear to him, makes my stomach twist in jealousy. I’m so freaking grateful that they have that, but I ache for the same. Not from him, or even her, but from someone who just plain cares. When she nods before subtly glancing at me in the corner of her eye, Jack flicks his gaze over to me for a split second before returning it to Peyton. “The gutter princess can tag along.”
Before I can splutter out as much as awhat the fuck, he’s turned heel and is sauntering towards an awaiting Leo and Nash, with that cocky swagger that makes me want to launch one of my books at the back of his head. Arrogant bastard. Clearly this is not universal because the other girls in the hall are all sticking out their chests and batting their eyelashes to garner his attention, like if maybe he sees how big their rack is he might bend them over. It’s disgusting.
Leo is leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest and staring in our direction. His eyes are half-lidded, and he stifles a yawn as Jack finally reaches them. I can’t hear what Jack is telling him, but Leo nods his head with a sort of disinterest that screams ‘waste of my time’. Nash, on the other hand, is perch on the ledge of an opened window, a cigarette hanging between his fingertips as he stares straight at me, offering me his signature wink when my eyes clash against his.
We go to my room to hang out and study before dinner. Peyton spreads her work out on the dining table while I move around the kitchen and make our coffees. The first time Peyton saw my diabetic coma coffee, she burst into fits of laughter that only ceased when I forced a spoonful of the creamy goodness into her mouth, and now I think it’s safe to say she is happily converted, even if only occasionally when she needs the sugar rush.
We study in a peaceful silence for the next few hours, only talking to bounce ideas off one another for our world history class, but she keeps side eyeing me that I’m starting to understand she does when she wants to ask me something but doesn’t know how to go about it. I sigh heavily, placing my tablet and workbook down before turning to her. “Out with it. You’re burning a hole in my head.” I keep my tone lighthearted, so she knows I’m not pissy but firm enough to get her talking.
She continues fiddling with the edges of her workbook before finally turning to face me fully, looking me square in the eyes with a steely resolve that I haven’t seen pointed in my direction since the first day I met her. “Do you have a thing with my brother?”
I should have waited before taking that sip of my coffee because her question has me spluttering and choking all over the place, coffee running down my chin and a little out of my nose. When I finally finished dying, I’m staring at her wide-eyed. “What in the fucking world would make you think I have a thing going on with your brother?”
She continues to look at me intently, but whatever she must see on my face must satisfy her because she turns back to her tablet and shrugs like this isn’t the most left field question she’s thrown my way. But there’s a vulnerability in the way keeps her gaze down and fiddles with the stylus that stops me from snarking at her. “So, no?”
“No! Today is the first time he’s spoken to me. And he didn’t even speak directly to me, he spoke to you about me. So, yeah, definitely not.” I avert my eyes and stare at my own work. I’ve never spoken to Jack before, but I feel his eyes burning against my skin when I move down the halls. But even if he is one of the finest of Gods creations, Peyton is quickly becoming my best friend and I couldn’t do that to her. If her reaction right now is anything to go by, she would be devastated if anything happened between Jack and me. Not that it would. He’s not interested. I’m not interested.Lie.I shouldn’t be interested.
I don’t know how long I sat there contemplating the impossibilities, but I was spooked back into my body by the vibrations of Peyton’s phone on the table. She picks it up quickly before looking over at me with a weak smile. “Jack just texted. The guys are heading down in twenty. We should probably get changed out before meeting them there.”
Nodding, I grab the first items in my closet and pad over to take a quick shower. Dinner is the only meal of the day that students are allowed to be out of their uniforms and I’m desperate to strip down and let the hot water seep into my skin. Exiting the bathroom in my yoga pants and oversized hoodie, looking more than a little homeless, I see Peyton scouting through Blakley’s things. I rush over and grab her arm tightly, but making sure I don’t hurt her, and hiss under my breath. “What are you doing? She’ll think that it’s me and the girl is already on a vendetta to ruin my life.”
Peyton rolls her eyes before yanking her arm out of my grip. “Blakely’s family and my family are close. We’ve known her and Nash since middle school. I’ll just tell her I took some of her clothes. Chill out, Briar.”
I barely caught the end of that sentence, completely taken back by the little bombshell dropped in halfway through like it was common knowledge. Nash and Blakely were related? How has this not come up before now? Peyton talks about the boys all the time. She does mention Blakely being there a lot on holidays and even though I’ve never seen them interact here, I guess I just presumed they were friends.
“I’m going to need you to elaborate on Nash and Blakely, thank you. You don’t get to drop that shit and skirt past it like this isn’t vital information.” I point a finger in her direction before flopping down on to my bed, which just makes her chuckle at me as she pulls out a crop top and jeans from the drawers.
“I forget that you don’t know all of this. It’s old news. Nash was fostered into the Spencer’s household when he was like ten, or something. They never officially adopted him, something about his father refusing to give up his rights or whatever. It’s not right for me to talk about it all, if you want more details than that you’ll need to ask him.” Just like that, the happy atmosphere is sucked completely out of the room while I mull over her words.
“Anyway, he and Jack became friends in middle school, and he became another annoying brother I didn’t ask for. He still lives there, with the Spencer’s. Mr. Spencer is prepping him to start helping in some of his foundations and charities he started. It’ll be a good opportunity for him.”
That’s… a lot. Nash is a foster kid too, but from the sounds of it he knew his parents, or at the very least his father who must still be alive if he refused to give up his parental rights. How does the flirty guy who winks at me every time I see him fit into this narrative? And I wonder how hard he must have had it to be taken away from his family.
Peyton tugs on my arm until I get to my feet, while I groan about having to move again. I’m so damned tired. Studying day in, day out is just exhausting. I’m not stupid by any means, but I didn’t expect university to be thishard.I try to argue about joining them for dinner, admitting just how much I need a decent rest and that I’m not hungry anyway when my traitorous stomach decides to groan in protest, silencing any further complaints.
“Come on, Briar. It won’t be that bad.”
It was indeedthat bad. By the time I got back to my room I was one more incident away from a full-blown tantrum. When we got down there, the boys had already arrived with the addition of Blakely and Gianna. Peyton scooted in beside Jack and I sat down beside her which left me wedged in next to Nash, with Gianna on his other side doing whatever possible to gain his attention.
Directly in front of me Leo had Blakely straddling his lap, her lips pressed against his. Those iridescent grey irises were open and locked on me as she kissed him like he was sustenance, and she was dying. I flushed and looked away from him only to catch Jack’s assessing eyes. His gaze roamed over me slowly with a raised eyebrow as he took in my outfit, eliciting a shiver to rack through me when his eyes darkened. But then he had to open that big mouth.
“So pleased you decided to join us, princess. The least you could have done is not looked like you crawled directly out of bed.” Jack drawls, his arms folded across the spans of his chest. He, on the other hand looked downright lickable. The black long-sleeved henley clung to him like a second skin and did little to hide to mass of muscles he was packing under it. His hair was damp like he’d just showered and as he flicked it out of his eyes a stray drop of water slithered down from his face and dripped down his neck.
I barely stop myself from lashing out at him that I came for Peyton and that doesn’t include dressing up for spoilt little rich boys with compensating egos but opted to lightly chew the end of my thumb nail and turn away from him. A habit I developed to keep the word vomit spewing out of my mouth, which Jack unsurprisingly calls me out on.
“You really shouldn’t bite your nails. It’s a filthy habit.” I need to learn how to control my damned emotions around these guys. The embarrassment must be clear on my face because Peyton swings a savage look at Jack, a warning in her eyes to shut the fuck up. Which he, of course, promptly ignores, instead, noting my unease and he grins at me, leaning forward in his seat over Peyton until he’s barely more than a hairs breadth away from me.
“Did I make the poor princess feel bad?” His words fanning over my lips. I’m about to snap, lean across the table and level him, but before I get the chance Peyton jabs Jack in the side.
“Leave my friend alone, asshole.”
He moves back, holding his side and chuckles down at his sister before flashing another grin that has my stomach in knots and picking up his phone, intent on ignoring us until his food comes. Leo, having detached his mouth from Blakely’s and moved her into the empty space beside Gianna, is murmuring softly to Nash about their plans for the weekend.
“God, trailer trash. If your scholarship status wasn’t already known, it would be with that outfit. Can’t you afford clothing in your own size?”
I shrug nonchalantly, as my soup is placed in front of me. Taking my first bite, I try very hard to not make any happy food noise at the burst of flavors dancing on my tongue but must fail miserably as Nash startles next to me, his own fork clanging against the table. Whispered curses slip from his lips as he looks over at me, leaning in closer to my side, which if the scathing look Gianna gives me, doesn’t go unnoticed. Intent on ignoring them both, I continue to take mouthfuls of my food. There is a lot left wanting at this school, like the personalities of the populace, but the food is not one of them. I should tell Sipho.