I would’ve paid good money to be in Taylor’s, Becky’s, or Sammy’s shoes, or any of the other girls he had one-night stands with. There was no shortage of times that I’d caught James hooking up with guys, but it was probably just for fun. I didn’t know if he actually slept with them.
“I asked you a question. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
James jolted me back to reality. I looked down at his hands, which were holding two bottles of soda. He handed me one and pulled out a water bottle with vodka.
Why?
With a jolt of courage, I feigned as much disinterest as I could.
On the other hand, he wasn’t afraid of looking at me in a way that could make anyone doubt their moral compass and make them believe they’d die of desire.
Okay, maybe I was exaggerating. I shouldn’t have been drinking in the first place.
“Thanks.” I swallowed to wash away the vodka that was still burning my throat, then chased it with the soda.
This time he was the one to brush against my trembling fingers.
I had called Jackson pathetic, but I became the biggest simp when James came down from his pedestal to talk to me.
“So . . .”
His deep, husky voice tempted my ears.
“How’s your dad?” he asked, spreading out on the bench.
He stretched his legs out, forcing me to shrink so I wouldn’t brush against his knee. The physical contact didn’t seem to bother him.
“Good.”
I only gave monosyllabic answers because I had two spotlights on me. They were coming from the pool. Jackson’s fiery glare burned my face.
“I haven’t seen him at school lately.”
“They beat him up.”
“And tell me, Blaze, did they really fuck him up?”
I felt out of sorts. I didn’t trust his intentions. James always had an ulterior motive.
“Just a little bruise.” I downplayed his injuries.
“It’s weird that they jumped him in broad daylight,” said James, sipping his drink.
I was starting to get suspicious. “The weirdest thing is that they didn’t even take his wallet,” I added.
James drank the last drop and then sat back and looked at Jackson, who was glaring at us from the edge of the pool.
“Can I give you a piece of advice, Blaze?” James’s tone became darker. “Tell him to watch his back.”
He got up, putting his warm, heavy hand on my back as he leaned closer to my ear. “And behave, Blaze.”
The roller coaster ride ended right when I saw James walk away with a vape pen in his mouth and his hand in his pocket.
Was that a threat?
I decided not to overthink it and go back to Poppy’s and give her a hand with the sandwiches. I took two steps, and then a moist grip trapped my arm.
Jackson.
