“But you found out about it. And whoever did it was punished.”
“Maybe. I don’t actually know what happened to the guy who shot him.”
“The point is, they didn’t hide it. If it happened at Twisted Pine, no one would ever know.”
“Yeah, they would. The parents would report it to the cops and they’d arrest the guy who did it.”
Jackson laughs to himself. “That’s not how it works there.”
“Then how does it work?”
“I can’t get into it. You just need to trust me on this. Do we have a deal or not?”
I hesitate. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m selling my soul, pretending to be someone I’m not.”
“You can still be a smart ass. Push back on the rules. Curse. None of that shit will bother Braden or his friends. They all do the same thing. In that respect you’ll fit right in. What you can’t do is make them the enemy. Don’t talk shit about them. Don’t fight with them. Just hang out with them. That’s all you have to do. You’ll be accepted because you’re Braden’s cousin.”
“What if Braden doesn’t want me in his group?”
“Tell his dad. Brock will force him to let you in.”
“And then he’ll go to LA and Braden will do what he wants.”
“Not if he wants to keep living there. Trust me, Braden will go along with it if his dad makes him. Same with Trystan. Brock goes easy on them most of the time but if he really wants something from them, he’ll make them do it.”
I pause, staring at Jackson. “Are you lying to me?”
“About what?”
“What we’re doing here? Is this just a way for you to make sure your team wins instead of Braden’s?”
“I don’t care who ends up at State as long as it’s not them.”
“Forget the state tournament. This is about Legion beating Twisted Pine. You don’t want Braden to win.”
He stands up. “Are you doing this or not?”
Needing a moment to think, I walk over to the wall of windows. Taking Braden down does sound appealing, but I’mnot sure if it’s worth the effort. But like Jackson said, doing this will make my life easier at school. After what I’ve been through, the last thing I need is for things to get harder.
But doing this means not being myself, which is something I don’t believe in. I’ve never done stuff just to fit in. But fitting in isn’t the reason I’m doing this. I’m not trying to get people to like me. I’m just trying to survive without making things harder on myself. I could fight these people, be my usual rebellious self, but all it’ll get me is detention and lectures from Brock. When I think about it, I’m still being rebellious by doing this. I’m playing them. Making them think I’m someone I’m not, and in the process, I might discover something that could take away Braden’s God-like status at school. The guy seriously needs his ego knocked down a few notches, or he’ll end up even more obnoxious than his dad.
“Are you in or not?” Jackson says from behind me.
I turn around. “Do I get to drive the Land Rover?”
He hesitates. “You’ve never driven? Like ever?”
“No.” I smile. “But I promise I’ll try not to hit anything.”
He sighs. “I really love that Land Rover.”
“And I really hate the idea of hanging out with Braden and his friends.”
He walks up to me and extends his hand. “Deal.”
I shake his hand. “So when do the lessons start?”
“When do you want them to start?”
