“Yeah…” He changes his backpack to his good shoulder. “That, too. What did Ashton tell you when you left his room yesterday?”
“That’s what kept you up all night?”
“No.” He chuckles softly. “Maybe?”
“You’re nuts. He only wanted to tell me he had a gift for me.”
“What sort of gift?”
“A pepper spray.”
He lifts a brow at me. “No shit. That’s a good one. And then what happened?”
“Nothing. I left.”
He laughs. “You didn’t.”
“I was tired.”
“I bet.” Silence follows as we stop at a tree stump that’s big like a table. “Why are you here? Why did you follow me?”
“I think the question is why you’re hanging out with me?” I glance sideways at him. “I’m not popular. You have your gang and your cheerleaders. You know, the girls who want to jump your bones?”
“Like Zoey?”
“Not all of them are like Zoey.”
“They are, because I don’t give a fuck about them, either,” he says, his voice hardening.
I don’t know what to say to that. I sit down on a tree stump and to my surprise, he sits down beside me.
“You do look tired,” I say, taking in the dark circles under his eyes. “Maybe you should see the paramedic.”
“I have sleeping pills. Nothing more she can do for me.”
“Sleeping pills. Okay. I hadn’t realized it was that bad.”
“It’s…” He runs a hand through his hair, making it stand up in sexy spikes. “Never mind.”
It’s quiet here among the trees. Jason’s scent surrounds me and warmth seeps into me where his arm almost touches mine. It’s tempting to leave it at that and just sit for a while.
But I don’t have that luxury. “You get bad dreams?”
“Huh?” He glances at me, his green eyes unguarded. “I… Yeah.”
“What are they about?”
He looks away. “Memories.”
“Are they the reason you wanted the stake?”
This time the look he shoots me is sharp. “Leave it, Mia.”
“I can’t. I gave you that stake. I feel responsible.”
“You’re not.”
“Why did you want that stake?” I demand. “What are you going to do with it?”