Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
KINSLEY
Inever realized how scary a cheerleader beef could be. I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be on the top of a pyramid with the person who shouted I was a cunt down the hallway of school at the bottom supporting me. That’s a gamble I wouldn’t take.
“How did he talk you into that?” Blair asks, coming to stand next to me. The game hasn’t started yet, and I’m at the bottom of the bleachers, taking a few notes on my phone and pictures before I go and find my seat. Normally, I slip out or linger in the back and watch the games.
Okay, maybe I have always lingered in the back for the games to watch Jax play. He is rather impressive.
"I had no clue this would ever be me," I admit out loud, making Blair laugh.
I don't know what happened this morning. One second, I'm standing in the kitchen having breakfast with the Marino family, and the next, Cosima is putting ribbons in my braided hair, and Nix is painting my nails.
Jax had already talked me into wearing one of his football shirts that has his name across the back.
On game day, you're allowed to not wear the school uniform if you dress in what they call spirit gear. The shirt was too large for me, but Cosima fixed that by tying it to the side with a ribbon. Although I’m in school spirit gear, this may be the most stylish and girly I’ve ever looked in my life.
I have to admit that I don’t hate it. I actually kind of like it, but that’s our little secret.
"Things can change on a dime."
"Like those two." I nod toward the cheerleaders pumping up the crowd before the game starts.
"I thought it was over some dick, but I'm not sure anymore."
"What if they're lovers?" I joke.
"That would make them interesting for once." I don't miss the small snarl that Blair has.
"You have beef with them?"
"You're still new."
"Still new?" I laugh. "Does that mean I'll be new forever because this is the last year?" I got to Golden Prep sophomore year.
"They were raging bitches in middle school."
"This is shocking news," I deadpan.
"Right, I wish I could make fun of how cliché they are, but I'm Golden Prep’s goth girl."
"Well, shit." I shake my head. "I was calling you emo in my head," I tease.
Blair might favor black, but she wears it well.
I think she has this whole mysterious sexy thing going on.
Some might think she's cliché, but I'm finding her rather interesting lately.
There are a lot more layers to her than she lets on.
"Don't go putting me in a box."
"What if it's a coffin?" Blair throws back her head and laughs at my lame joke.
"I would love that. My mother would lose her mind if she came home and I had a coffin in my bedroom."
"Hey!" Nix pops up between us. "You're sitting with us, right?" she asks me. "You're welcome too." Nix gives Blair a bright smile.
If I've learned anything about Nix, it's that she might be girly and shouty (mostly at her brothers), but she is a girls' girl.
Jax hadn't been lying when he said the girls of the Marino family stick together; they also pull you right in, too.
The more time I spend with them, the more I see how wrong I was about all of them.
“Normally, I hang in the back,” I tell her.
“Nah, we’re coming to sit with you guys.” Blair slips her arm into mine. “Come on. This will be so interesting. More so than the game.”
“She’s right.” Nix nods in agreement. “All the aunts and uncles are here tonight.” My head swings in the direction I know the family always sits.
Everyone is here, including War and Ronan.
I recognize them all, but now that I know more about them, they’re less scary.
“Come on.” Nix isn’t letting me out of this, and honestly, it’s sweet how they are trying to include me.
Plus, I’m sure it would be taken as an insult if I didn’t go and introduce myself.
The absolute last thing I want to do is disrespect the Marino family.
Not because of who they are, but because I would never want to do that to Jax.
“I saved you a seat,” Cosima tells me when we get close. I don’t miss everyone glancing our way. I’ve been catching glances all day and doing my best to ignore them. “Oh, and who are you?” Cosima’s eyes sweep up and down Blair.
“I’m Blair. Golden Prep’s resident emo—”
“Goth,” I correct her as I nudge her playfully with my hip.
“Goth girl. Rawr.”
“Oh.” Cosima’s brows rise. “Rawr. I dig that.” I may not have known Cosima for long, but I can see the wheels spinning in her head about Blair. I’m sure if I left the two of them alone, it wouldn’t be long before Blair was wearing some sort of color besides black.
“This her?” a short, pretty brunette with wild curls asks from where she’s perched on War’s lap. I know she must be Tova. The sweet Marino, if I’m recalling correctly.
“This is her,” Nix chimes in. Everyone starts to introduce themselves, and Cosima starts chatting up Blair, and I’m wondering if she is now having second thoughts about this being interesting. Things can be less interesting when everyone turns their interest on to you.
“She’s intense,” Blair says when we finally take our seats and the players run out onto the field. Thankfully, we managed to get a seat on the edge of the Marino clan.
Jax’s eyes come straight to me, and he winks.
The game starts, and I find myself on my feet more than I thought I would be.
I also didn’t know what a shouter I could be, but I’m going to blame the spirit gear that was pressed upon me.
It’s soaked in or something. Hopefully, it’ll leave when I change.
“Let's get snacks,” Blair says at halftime. “These seats are hard on your ass.”
“I’ll be hard on your ass.” Blair and I both turn to see Brandon, who’s a senior on the varsity basketball team.
“I bet you couldn't be hard on anything,” Blair tells him as she flips him the bird before tugging me along with her. “I hate the boys at this school.”
“You get that shit a lot?”
Blair shrugs. “It's my look.”
“That doesn’t give them any kind of pass.” She only gives me another one of her shrugs.
I get it. What can you really do except snap back at them? Beyond that, you kind of have no choice but to put up with it. Unless you’re Jax. He’d deal with that shit in a second.
We get in line together. I can’t help but overhear a few girls from another school talking about Jax and how insanely hot he is. Blair flicks a look toward me. There are a couple of people behind us.
“Wait, her shirt.” I hear one of them say it, and I know they are talking about me. Jax’s name is across my back, and it’s not as though you buy players’ jerseys for high school players.
“Excuse me,” one of the girls calls. “Marino.” I slowly turn, knowing they aren’t going to stop.
“Me?” I’m not a Marino, so I’m not sure why she’s calling me that, even if it is on my back.
“Yeah, is your brother going to the after-party?” The girl is blond and almost as tall as I am. Though she is in heels. I find it strange to come to a football game in heels, but to each their own. If it were me, I’d break my neck.
“I’m an only child.”
“Oh.” Her perfect nose scrunches.
“Cousin?” the girl beside her asks. She, too, is blond and a touch shorter but has striking green eyes. They are both dolled up like they are going out; I suppose they are, to the after-party. I have only gone to a couple of them, and that was to get information.
I always felt out of place with them. I didn’t drink or play the party games.
Sure, I can chat with anyone, but it never goes past that.
I’m actually pretty good at getting people to admit shit.
It’s not as hard as you think. You only have to pretend you’re not supposed to be interested. Then people will overshare.
"I'm not related to him."
"They have a thing." Blair fills them in. Both their eyes widen in surprise. Ouch, way to take a shot at my ego.
"Like a situationship?" the green-eyed girl asks.
"Well, don't you have to be fucking to have a situationship?" I ask right back. I don't know what to label Jax and me. We haven't had a conversation about it, but he's also making it clear to everyone that I'm his.
I know he’s been into me for a few years, but he’s only recently said anything. Also, I think part of the over-the-top kissing me around everyone is to offer me protection from whoever was in the warehouse that night.
If they think we’re really together, then they might leave me alone, not wanting to poke the Marino beast, but who knows? They did, after all, show up to a Marino warehouse.
Why choose that place to do whatever you were doing? All of this isn’t adding up, and it’s making me bonkers. The more I think about it, the more my thoughts get twisted. One being, maybe I’m being na?ve still about Jax and why he led me there that night.
“You aren’t fucking?” the other blonde gasps, too loudly. I inwardly cringe because we’re surrounded by people who I’m sure are listening. I would be, but I’m nosy as shit.
“No.” I shake my head.
“Does he go to the after-parties?” Green Eyes asks. How do I get out of this whole conversation?
I hate the jealousy I’m starting to feel bubble up inside of me. Both of them are beyond gross. I know I’m not ugly, but I’m plain. Forgettable, really, which suits me normally. Now, not so much at this moment.
“Annie.” The taller one elbows her in the side. I’m sure she sees that it’s a fucked-up question. That Jax and I have something going on, even if it hasn’t progressed to fucking.
“What?” Annie hisses back at her friend.
“Drop it.” She says it under her breath, but I catch it.
“Next,” the boy behind the counter calls to take our order. My stomach isn’t feeling so great anymore. My appetite is completely gone and replaced with a green-eyed monster.
Blair steps up and orders enough for everyone. “What? The only fun part of these games is the food and people watching.” I can’t argue with that.
I try to forget the two girls and how they are both hoping Jax will be at the party tonight, but it’s not easy.
It doesn’t help that they aren’t the only girls I hear talking about him.
This is a reminder of what I’ll have to deal with if I were to date Jax.
The unwanted attention would be constant.
I’d have to get used to the stares and whispers.
“Ignore them.” Blair must catch my mood shift. Thankfully, she’s the only one; everyone else's attention is on the field. “He’s not going to the after-party. Not his scene.” I nod. Your own mind can often be your own worst enemy.
The rest of the game is pretty anticlimactic.
They’re up by thirty points, and the coach has pulled Jax off the field.
I learned that happens when the team is up by so much that it’s not worth the risk of the quarterback getting hurt.
I don’t think he would. Damon makes sure no one comes close to Jax, protecting him at the line.
“You want to ride with us, honey?” Cosima asks me when the game is over and everyone is packing up.
“I think I’m riding with Jax.”
“Oh, he texted me asking if we could give you a lift back to the house.” Cosima pulls her phone out. I grab mine too. Sure enough, I do have a text from him. He must have sent it right when he got back to the locker room. He hasn’t been off the field that long.
Jax: Can you meet me back at the house? I need to talk to the coach and see about a few things.
“I got a text from him, too,” I tell Cosima, wondering what things he needs to see about. It must be football-related, and he doesn’t want me to have to linger and wait. Blair’s nosy ass steals a glance at my phone. I can’t say I wouldn't have done the same.
“This is bullshit, Mom.” Nix hops over. “Dad said Jax is going to a party, but I can’t.”
Wait, what the hell? Out of the corner of my eye, I see Blair's lips press into a firm line. I’m sure she’s thinking the same thing I am. I can’t help the hundreds of scenarios that seem to simultaneously run through my mind. Why would he not tell me he was going?
“You’re a freshman,” Cosima tells her. “And you need to mind yourself.” There is a firmness in Cosima’s tone I’ve never heard before.
This must be the other side Jax says there is to his mom. That she’s as sweet as can be unless she has reason not to be. Then you’ll get a whole other person. This has Nix backing down, only nodding.
I’m not nodding at shit. I grit my back teeth. Jax didn’t lie to me, but he also hopped right over what he was up to.
“Kins is coming with me, actually. We have plans,” Blair says out of nowhere.
“Really?” Cosima’s brows pull together, her eyes bouncing between us. “You sure you don’t want to come with us?” I get the sense Cosima might want to order me to do so, but it’s not her place.
I mean, I’m sure they could toss me into the trunk of a car, but I don’t see this warranting that.
“Yep, I need some—” I almost say girl time, but I know Cosima would sink her nails into that and try to get us to go with her. “Some Blair time.”
“Well, okay then.” Cosima gives me a hug. “I guess I’ll see you back at the house later?”
“I’m not sure,” I tell her honestly.
“Let’s roll.” Blair has slid her arm into mine and is tugging me away before Cosima or any more of the Marinos might try to lure me back with them. They have been closing in around us. I saw how intently Z was watching me. “The fuck?” Blair asks when we’re out of earshot.
“No clue.” I hate the ache that has formed in my chest. I can’t help but think that this is what I get for letting my guard down when it comes to Jax.
“You want to go to that party?” Blair asks. I feel my phone vibrate. I pull it out of my back pocket to see another text from Jax.
Jax: Bunny?
Jax: Ride with my mom.
Jax: Are you going to Blair’s house?!
“Fuck that.” Blair plucks my phone out of my hand. I think she’s going to send him a scathing text back, but instead she powers it off. “We’re going to the party.”
“Not sure I want to see him. Especially if he ends up at the party.” While the curious part of me wants to know what he’s up to, my heart is begging me not to subject it to seeing Jax in any sort of compromising situation.
“But don’t you want to know why he’s not telling you that he’s going? What is he up to?” We stop when we get to her Jeep in the back school parking lot.
“If I see him with one of those girls—”
“Then you’ll know.”
“Then I’ll know.” I nod in agreement. You know what they say about curiosity killing the cat. I can’t help myself. I suppose this is one way of finding out the truth of not only what Jax is up to but also his intentions with me.