And he was.
And so started the fake relationship ruse. That night I showed Tasha and TJ that Jett and I could play their little game too. Not only did I cheer from the bleachers as Jett played like a rockstar, I raced up to him after he’d tossed the winning basket during the last two seconds of the game. (Did I mention he plays like a rockstar?)
I locked eyes with Little Ms. Benched-from-the-Squad before propping myself onto my tiptoes and planting a kiss to his cheek. Sure, he had sweat dripping down just about every inch of his skin but the only word that came to me at the sight wassexy.A word that hadneverbelonged to my vocabulary until that moment.
I kept this up on Monday by staying after school to watch Jett practice. This time was probably more convincing than me attending his game since TJ, of course, wasn’t there and Tasha wasn’t even in the gym. She was, however, on the grass beyond the window practicing cheers she wouldn’t perform until her suspension was through.
As soon as Jett and I walked outside the double doors, he tossed his arm around me and pulled me close. He kissed the top of my head, which I thought was a cute addition, but I would have much preferred the kind of kiss he’d given me behind the curtain.
Then came Tuesday. In class that morning, Jett tapped my arm and leaned dangerously close to my ear. “Want to go to the Burger Bar tonight? It’s supposed to be nice out. We can study in the back of my truck.”
I had to rub my hands over the goosebumps he’d aroused on my arms before answering. “Yeah, that’d be good.”
The problem was, I couldn’t exactly tell if we were doing this to keep up the fake relationship ruse or because we had mutual feelings for one another. I knew whereIstood, of course, but with Jett it wasn’t so easy. Even as he told me he would pick me up at 6:00 that night, I realized that Levi was right there. Levi hung out with the MG’s and was sure to get word back to Tasha.
Things like that kept me from knowing where Jett stood. Kept me from getting too excited about things between us. They also kept me wondering if I’d made a big mistake breaking things off with TJ, because who knew what his life was going to look like now? That’s when I’d remind myself about the fact that TJ had locked lips with Tasha while we were together, which fueled my need to keep things up no matter what Jett’s feelings were for me.
I couldn’t help but think I needed to somehow put things to the test.
“The sooner you ask him to the dance, the better,” Bailey said as we filed out of theater on Friday.
“I know,” I mumbled, spotting the very Sadie’s sign we made last week. “I’m thinking about it.”
“Well, don’t think too hard,” Bailey warned. “I bet you anything that Tasha’s going to ask him. And I heard that Pastor Bryant makes all his kids sayyesto the first person who asks—no exceptions.”
Thatwasa frightening thought. One she hadn’t shared with me before then. “Who told you that?” I asked.
Bailey dodged a group of guys shoving each other by the lockers. “Ava and Ivy Bryant are in my Spanish class,” she explained.
“Huh.” I pulled the theater binder to my chest, curled my fingers around the edges, and sighed.
I stared blankly toward the east hall, wondering if I’d see Jett there.
“Guess what else they told me,” Bailey said. “With Jett being the captain and all, he got Coach to agree to early morning practices on Fridays instead, so the team gets their weekend nights free. Unless they have a game, that is.”
An unwarranted thrill shot through my chest in a hot streak. “You’re kidding.”
Bailey popped her brows playfully. “Trying to free up his Fridays for you.”
I hated that a grin came to my lips as I denied it. “I’m not the reason he wants them free,” I assured. Though I wished I was.
“Oh,” Bailey suddenly blurted. “I told Summer I’d meet her in the back parking lot. Call me later?”
“Yeah, I’ll call you.” As I shuffled down the hallway, I thought back on my week with Jett. We hadn’t shared an actual kiss since that incredible one last Friday. But on Tuesday night at the Burger Bar, we’d come very close to it.
We had scored wifi access long enough to pull up yet another article about kissing. Then, as I read the article aloud, Jett scooted closer to me, bringing his delicious smell and incredible warmth. He rested his forehead against mine and toyed with a lock of my hair, sending tingles to zip throughout my body. That alone had me feeling like my heart might stop. But then he added to the deliciousness of the moment by saying that he’d been dying to kiss me again. That he hadn’t stopped thinking about that moment backstage.
I swear he was about to come in and prove that point when a startling horn blasted and jolted the two of us apart. I glared at the other side of the parking lot to find that—lo and behold—the offending honk had come from TJ’s stupid truck. Tasha and her cronies had shown up after all. Dino and Jessie were piled into the flatbed with Olivia, Stacy, and the rest of the MG crew, while TJ and Tasha cozied up to one another in the front cab.
The mere recollection made me groan; the sound was swallowed up by the chaos in the hallway, squeaking shoes, slamming lockers, and distant conversations.
As I neared the end of the east hall, I glanced up from the array of high tops and fashion pumps to an entirely new sight. One that caused pleasure and pain to push through my body all at once. Jett Bryant—tall, dark, and proving to be dangerous for my health. He shot me a grin that revealed his dimple, which had me wondering if he was more a remedy instead.
Heaven help me.
“Hey,” he said in that raspy voice.
I pulled my binder closer to my chest, dying to know if Tasha was nearby; her very presence had a way of discounting any exchange between me and Jett. “Hi.”
