“James Hunter . . . where to start? It’s over if he doesn’t like you. He’ll make your life unbearable. But at the same time, he knows how to be really seductive. He’s convincing. He’d convince you to dig your own grave just for a kiss while he’d already moved onto his next victim.” In a nutshell: He was a grade A asshole.
Tiffany’s way of expressing herself was colorful, sure, but it was also very clear. I saw her look at William.
“But William Cooper . . . under that sweet angelic look hides a psycho nature. I saw him in action, he’s crazy. He knows how to be cold and unscrupulous, but he always keeps his kind ways. He’s never had many girlfriends, they all ran away. I’m wondering how you can put up with all that.”
I thought that was a joke in poor taste, but Tiffany was staring at me seriously and waiting for my reaction. I waited for her to finish.
“To be honest, June, I still don’t understand which of the two of them is more dangerous.” Yeah. Who should I be afraid of?
“Meaning?”
“I’ll put it this way, I wouldn’t trust one of them,” she said, pointing at Will. “And I wouldn’t fall in love with the other,” she finished, pointing at James.
I was frozen, pressed against my teddy bear, while the brunet shifted her attention to Jackson.
“The other one is big and strong on the outside—” She brought her shiny lips to my ear. “And not just appearance wise. He tries to act like the tough guy, but compared to the others he’s like the teddy bear you’re holding in your arms. But I’m convinced that he changes his tune in bed.”
Tiffany imitated a whip cracking.
“You’re, um, very clear with your opinions. I’d say pretty graphic.” She didn’t answer, but took another hit from the vape pen without taking her eyes off me.
“Anyway, June, they won’t be saints, but if you’re with them, nobody will touch you. Not at school or anywhere else.”
I thought about Brian again and the scene in the hallway that morning.
“Being their friend has its advantages. Even though in your case, maybe it’s a little different because you’re with Will. Putting up with James, Will, and their weirdness, well, good luck.”
Tiffany turned around to smile at a girl with long straight hair and a tan. I’d seen her with Sammy before; her name might’ve been Becky. They pecked each other on the lips, and seemed intimate.
“What are you doing here with—?”
The girl glanced at me up and down, almost irritated by my presence.
“It’s June White. We were talking about those three. What do you say?”
“What the fuck do I know? I only slept with James.”
“But not like that,” chortled Tiffany.
They started talking among themselves while I watched the group in the distance.
Who was William? The sweet, thoughtful guy or the cold, possessive one? Who was James? The guy with no scruples who teased me for sport or the one who made me feel protected and defended me every time I was in danger? Not to mention the fact that sometimes he seemed almost attracted to me when we were alone, and other times I seemed to disgust him. But then James behaved like that toward all girls.
“You’re with Cooper, right?” Becky asked suddenly.
“I already congratulated her,” Tiffany said sarcastically.
“Why? Deep down he’s not bad,” explained Becky. “You have to be much more careful of James. He only likes challenges. He can have all the girls he wants but he gets bored with them after a bit.”
But then why did he seem so different with me?
What had gotten into me? What was different about him? I gave myself a mental slap.
Becky and Tiffany said goodbye, and if I was glad for a moment that a giant teddy bear wouldn’t attract attention, I would soon realize that I was wrong. I walked with my eyes glued to my phone trying to text Blaze, when I bumped into someone. Someone really unpleasant.
“Well, look who’s here. We meet again.”
20
