Chapter 29 #2
Olivia drops back into her seat and crosses her arms over her chest, all the while frowning. “Girl, I thought you were about to confess to a secret affair with some hottie. But I don’t mind eating here. Besides”—she gestures broadly—“ shopping .”
“I love you guys,” I say with a smile.
I’m glad they aren’t pushing for more information. Yeah, they can be nosey and give me a hard time, but I appreciate them for sensing when I don’t want to talk about it.
“Did you hear about Mickey?” Nova says, shifting the conversation.
“What about him?” I say.
Olivia munches on her sandwich, her eyebrows hiking up her forehead as she curiously looks at Nova. I haven’t heard much about Mickey since graduation, and I kept it that way for a reason. He’s old news, and I’m sure he’s just as much of a jerk now as he was back then.
Nova leans a little closer as she lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Aiden told me he’s dead.”
“What?” Olivia gasps. “No way! How?”
“You can’t tell anyone, okay? Or Aiden will have my head.” Nova looks around before she turns back to us. “Jaxon killed him. Aiden said he beat him until he wasn’t recognizable.”
Olivia makes a comment, but I don’t hear what she says. My ears ring, and I lean back in my seat as I digest the news.
Holy crap. He’s dead.
Karma finally caught up with Mickey after years of tormenting me, my stepbrother, and his friends. I’m not even the slightest bit unhappy about this news. The only thing upsetting me right now is my reaction, because I’m relieved . It means there’s one less asshole in the world.
“Is that Dahlia?” Nova’s outburst brings me back to reality.
Olivia and I follow the direction of Nova’s stare.
Dahlia sits at a table away from the crowd.
Jaxon sits next to her, with his arm slung over the back of her chair.
He plucks a french fry from his plate and holds it in front of Dahlia’s mouth.
Her black-painted lips part with a smile, and she nibbles the fry from his fingers.
Jaxon’s pleased smile is the gentlest expression I’ve seen on him—besides the pictures on Dahlia’s Instagram.
His eyes light up with adoration and love as he feeds her another french fry.
Warmth fills my chest as I watch them together. They’re clearly in love, oblivious to the stares they’re receiving. They don’t care about the judgement, and I truly envy them for it.
Yeah, I was shocked when I first learned about their relationship, but I don’t find it disgusting. Watching them together, I realize they’re perfect for each other.
Jaxon waits for Dahlia to swallow before he grabs her jaw, turns her head toward him, and smashes his lips against hers. She smiles and kisses him once before leaning away from him and playfully shoving his shoulder. She says something to him, but I can’t make out the words over this distance.
Olivia gasps. “Oh my god.”
“Did he . . . Did he just kiss his sister?” Nova says.
I rip my attention away from the couple in question and turn to my friends. They share the same shocked expression. I wonder if it’s the same one I had when I learned about Jaxon and Dahlia.
I shift in my seat and swallow hard.
If they find Dahlia and Jaxon’s relationship gross, what will they think if they ever find out about Ryder and me?
They’d shun me.
They’d make fun of me.
My heart hammers wildly, and racing thoughts fill my head. I’m terrified of their judgements and cruel words. Not just toward myself, but toward Dahlia and Jaxon.
“Let’s go say hi to them.” Olivia stands and grabs her tray.
My eyes round like saucers as my friends dump their trays and leave them on top of the trash can before prancing toward Dahlia.
“Guys, wait!” I scramble out of my seat and follow them.
“Don’t let Jaxon hear what you think about his marriage with Dahlia.” Ryder’s warning echoes in my mind, with flashing red lights and noisy alarm bells.
Olivia and Nova walk faster, and by the time I catch up with them, they’re already at Dahlia and Jaxon’s table.
Sensing our approach, Dahlia turns to us. Her warm expression fades, leaving behind a look of trepidation. I don’t blame her for being worried. Ever since she transferred to our school, she’s been singled out and bullied.
Jaxon sits straighter and scowls at Olivia and Nova, then settles his death glare on me.
I shiver and almost trip on my own feet.
Jaxon has always scared me. He’s had this personal vendetta against me, and I know it has to be because of the people I hung out with in school.
I would hate me too if I were in his position.
“Hey, Jax.” Olivia awkwardly waves. “Been a while since I’ve seen you.”
Jaxon keeps his glare on me, not acknowledging Olivia, and I swear I’m about to catch fire. I avert my gaze and shift my weight on one leg.
“We should go,” I mutter.
Jaxon doesn’t want us—specifically me—here, and I don’t want to cause any trouble.
I slump when Jaxon finally tears his attention away from me and turns to Olivia. “Do you need something?”
Olivia shrugs. “Just wanted to say hi.”
Jaxon tilts his head, his flower earring dangling from his ear. I don’t blame him for being suspicious.
“Can we sit with you guys?” Nova grabs the chair opposite them.
“No,” Jaxon growls.
“Sure,” Dahlia says at the same time.
He swings his head toward her, eyes still narrowed and shoulders tense. Dahlia ignores him and smiles at the three of us. She seems genuinely excited about us being here.
“It would be nice to have some interaction with girls,” she says softly.
Jaxon doesn’t look away from her, but he watches our reactions from the corner of his eye.
Taking a calming breath, I sit in the seat directly across from her and smile. “Girl time is always the best.”
“Agreed.” Nova sits beside me.
“I like what you did with your hair,” Olivia says as she sits on my other side.
Dahlia touches a green-dyed lock, her smile growing. “Thanks.”
Jaxon watches Dahlia like a hawk, but I don’t miss the subtle upturn of his lips, as though he’s happy to see her have a good time.
“So,” Nova drawls with a smirk.
My stomach drops, and I give her a pleading look. I already know what she’s planning on saying because of her tone, and I want to yell at her to not say it.
She ignores me.
Dahlia raises both eyebrows. “So?”
Nova huffs and leans forward to rest her elbows on the table while cupping her cheeks with a goofy smile. “When did you and Jax tie the knot?”
Dahlia’s face falls, and the scared look returns in full force. Jaxon whips his head toward Nova and scowls at her, probably imagining ways to kill her if she so much as says something negative. It’s a miracle he’s giving her a chance to clarify her intentions.
“Last week,” Dahlia says hesitantly.
Not noticing her life being on the line, or maybe she does and doesn’t care, Nova claps and does a small dance in her chair. “Aw, you’re still in the honeymoon phase. Are you guys planning on going somewhere nice?”
“Oh! What about the Halloween party?” Olivia asks. “Are you both doing something fun? I can totally see you guys pulling off Morticia and Gomez.”
Jaxon’s dark eyebrows bunch together as he looks between Olivia and Nova.
Yeah, I’m just as shocked as he is. I was so worried about them being awful toward Dahlia and Jaxon, which leaves me feeling awful I even assumed that of them.
They were on the same page about Mickey and his friends being jerks.
We were just too scared to walk away because of the backlash we would have gotten.
“Right, Maddy?” Nova says, drawing me out of my thoughts.
I blink and turn to her. “Hm?”
Everyone at the table stares at me, expecting an answer.
Nova smiles. “I was telling Dahlia how we don’t mind if she wants to join us shopping.”
“Oh.” I look at Dahlia, then Jaxon, who’s staring at me with less hate, but it’s clear he’s still guarded. “Yeah, I don’t mind at all. It’ll be fun.”
“See!” Nova claps her hands. “We can get stuff for our Halloween costumes.”
Yeah. It’ll be fun. I only hope I can keep my mouth shut about her relationship. That will be hard when I hoped to get advice about dating my brother.