Chapter 10 #2
He pulls into a strip mall and parks. “Stay or go?”
Looking up, I see a cellphone store in the strip mall. I really need a phone, and I don’t know when I’ll be getting the debit card.
“Stay,” I say, opening my door.
We go into the store, and I walk up to the counter and tell the guy what kind of phone I need.
“That’ll be seven hundred eighty-four with tax,” the guy says.
Jackson pulls a wad of cash from his pocket. He counts out eight hundred-dollar bills and hands them to the guy.
Who the hell carries that much cash? Is that normal around here? Do people just carry thousands of dollars with them like it’s nothing?
“Your change,” the guy says, holding it out to Jackson.
“It’s hers,” he says, nodding in my direction.
The guy hands me the change, along with my phone. ”You need help setting it up?”
“No, I’ve done it before.” I turn to Jackson and see him watching two guys coming into the store. “Ready?” I say, getting his attention.
“Yeah,” he says, keeping his eyes on those guys. They look like Braden. About the same age. Athletic. Dark hair.
“You know them?” I ask Jackson.
He doesn’t answer. This seems to be his thing. Not answering questions he doesn’t want to answer.
One of the guys sees Jackson and starts walking toward him.
“Wait here,” Jackson says, taking off to meet up with the guy.
“We know you did it,” the guy says, his hand clenched like he’s about to throw a punch.
“Like I give a shit about your stupid field,” Jackson says.
“I’m not talking about the field,” the guy says.
“I don’t have fucking time for this.” Jackson goes around him.
The guy grabs his shirt. Jackson whips around, and just as the guy goes to punch him, Jackson grabs the guy’s arm and twists it back.
“Fuck!” the guy yells, cringing in pain. “Let go or I swear I’ll—”
“What?” Jackson leans down to his face. “What are you gonna do? Cry to your dad? Run to the principal? You don’t have power over me, asshole. You never did, and you never will.”
“Korben!” the other guy yells at his friend. “Get the fuck over here.” The guy walks up to him. “We’re not doing this shit again.”
Jackson laughs. “Hear that, Korben? Listen to your friend. Don’t make the same mistake twice.”
The guy grits his teeth, anger practically seething from his pores.
Jackson slowly lets him go and stands up straight, towering over the guy. He smirks at him before going past him out the door.
“Asshole,” the guy mutters, rubbing his arm.
The two guys go back to shopping for phones while I hurry out the door to Jackson’s Range Rover. He’s already in there with the engine running.
“What just happened?” I ask as he drives off.
“Your classmates like accusing people of shit they didn’t do.”
“Classmates? Those guys go to my school?”
“Friends of your cousins.” He turns down a street. “You’re new so they’ll ask you out. Buy you flowers. Expensive gifts. Whatever it takes for you to say yes.” He glances at me. “It’s a competition to see who gets you first.”
“I’m not going out with them. I have a boyfriend. Even if I didn’t, I don’t go out with guys like that.”
“You say that now but just wait.”
“For what?”
“Guys like that have a way of convincing you to do stuff you said you’d never do.”
“Because they have money? My boyfriend doesn’t have money. You really think I’d go out with a guy for his money?”
“It’s not just that. At Twisted Pine, you are who you date. Go out with the right person and life is easy. You’re at the top. You own the school and everyone in it. Or at least that’s what they believe.”
“Is this one of those rules Trystan was talking about?”
Jackson glances at me. “Did he tell you the others?”
“No. What are they?”
“You’ll find out when you get there.”
“I want to know now.”
“Ask Trystan. Or Braden. They know that shit better than anyone.”
“Why? Are they the ones making the rules?”
“Not even close,” he says with a smug smile. “Braden thinks he makes the rules, but nobody listens.”
“But you said if they date the right person—”
“That only applies to girls. If a girl dates the right person, she’ll raise her social standing. She’ll be at the top.”
“So the right person only refers to guys?”
“The guys have the power. They makes the rules.”
“That’s totally sexist!” I say, getting angry. “Are you saying a girl never has power?”
“Sometimes, but it’s rare. There’s one girl who could have all the power she wants if she took it.”
“Who is it?”
“Doesn’t matter. You don’t know her.”
“If she could take power from the guys, why doesn’t she?”
“She doesn’t want it. Even if she did, she wouldn’t do what it takes to get it.”
“Why not?”
He doesn’t answer, which means he won’t tell me.
“How do you know all this stuff about Twisted Pine?”
“Like I said, it’s a small town. People talk.”
“Is it like that at your school?”
“Hell no. Everyone there just does their own thing. They have the usual cliques but it’s nothing like Twisted Pine.”
He turns down our street, then into Brock’s driveway. “You need help getting out?”
“No, I can do it.” I open my door. “Thanks for breakfast. And the phone. As soon as I get the money I’ll pay you back.”
“No rush. Good luck with everything.”
It sounds like he doesn’t plan to see me again.
I was kind of hoping we could be friends.
But maybe that’s not possible. I’m sure his girlfriend wouldn’t like him hanging out with some other girl.
Jackson said that the girl I saw him with was just a friend, but I don’t believe him.
A girl you kiss and let stay at your house is more than a friend.
As Jackson drives off, I go into the house and am greeted by silence.
“Anyone home?” I call out. I run up the stairs and down to Trystan’s room. “Trystan?”
He doesn’t answer. His door is closed, and there’s no sound coming from his room.
He must’ve left. I try Braden’s room next.
Same thing. Nothing but silence. I go back downstairs and check the patio.
Brock, his agent, and manager are also gone.
I go to Brock’s office and find the door open, but he’s not there.
Assuming he just stepped out for a minute, I go into his office to wait for him.
I need to ask him for my debit card so I can pay Jackson back.
I take a seat on the dark gray velvet couch.
It looks nice, but it isn’t very comfortable.
On the wall across from me are photos of Brock with various women, probably his co-stars in the shows he’s been in.
I bet he’s slept with half of them. Maybe even in this office.
I suddenly realize what might have happened on this couch and jump up, walking over to the chair next to his desk.
I sit down and look out at the ocean that’s just behind his chair.
What’s taking him so long? Maybe he’s in his bedroom or working out in the gym.
I get up to leave but stop when I notice a pile of cash on his desk.
It’s behind a stack of papers. I pick it up and see it’s all hundred-dollar bills.
I could take what I need to pay back Jackson and have Brock deduct it from my spending allowance.
I take eight of the bills and put the rest back. Like Jackson said, Brock is so rich he probably won’t even notice it’s missing.