Chapter 9 #2
I don’t dare ask. I’ve told her nothing about Zander and me, no matter how often she asks. I wouldn't know what to tell her anyway if I’m being honest. All of this is new to me, and with the ring still active, it all has to end, so does it even matter what it is?
“Hey,” Hazel’s hand on my knee startles me out of my thoughts, and I realize at some point, I must have spaced out.
“Sorry,” I tell her and force a smile, hoping she’ll go back to her story.
She doesn’t; instead, she tilts her head and looks at me with so much intensity I feel like she's looking through me.
It takes all my effort not to squirm under her gaze, but I manage, and eventually, she pulls her hand away.
“Did you want to go see the horses?” she asks, and I let out a small sigh of relief that she didn’t ask me what’s wrong. I don’t want to lie to her, but I would’ve if I had to.
She looks excited, and while I would love to see the horses, I already told Charlotte about them, and she’s really excited to see them together. I don’t want to disappoint her.
“Um, I would,” I say with a bit of hesitation because I don’t want to disappoint Hazel either.
Shit.
“Why do I feel like there’s a but coming?” she says, and I can’t help but chuckle at the sass in her tone. That’s the Hazel I like.
“Zander mentioned that you guys had horses last week, and I may have all but begged your brother to let me bring Charlotte to see them. So now she’s excited for us to see them together,” I explain in a rush, hoping she’ll understand.
Shrugging as if it’s no big deal, but even as I try for nonchalant, I feel my cheeks warm as her brows rise toward her hairline.
“You begged Trent?” she asks in a deadpan voice that has me worried I fucked up somehow. I nod anyway because, no matter her reaction, that’s the truth.
She surprises me when she barks out a laugh before falling into a full-on fit of giggles, clutching her stomach as she bends forward.
“Oh my god, Jade!” Hazel wheezes as she tries to catch her breath.
“I promise you, you never have to beg Trent for anything. He would’ve brought you here to show you the horses, no matter what.
You probably could’ve got him to do it right that very moment.
” She tells me when she’s finally able to gasp in enough air to say more than just a few words.
“Huh?” I ask because I don’t know what else to say.
“My brother has a huge crush on you, Jade. It’s super obvious. How have you not noticed?” she asks me, and if my blush wasn’t noticeable before, I know it sure as shit is now.
What is with everyone thinking people like me?
Okay, Zander, I can understand, maybe even see it sometimes now. But Trent?
No.
He’s a cop, and I literally run the largest gang in the city. Not that I can tell her that.
I stumble over my words, opening and closing my mouth a few times as I try to find some way to prove that she’s lost her mind, but the more I think about it, the more I realize I can’t.
“No.” I finally manage to say, shaking my head as if that one word is enough to make it true. Judging by the look on her face, it’s not enough, not even close.
“Oh man, Jade, you're freaking adorable!” She says as she claps her hands together, bringing them under her chin and giving me a smile that feels almost judging.
“How is it you're prepared to go toe to toe with Amanda, but I tell you my brother has a crush on you and you turn into a stuttering, blushing ball of denial?” she coos at me, which only makes my cheeks heat further.
“I’m not blushing,” I say, pressing my palms to my cheeks in a useless attempt to hide it, but it’s no use. I can feel the warmth on my palms, for fuck's sake.
I groan, dropping back onto the bed, throwing my arms wide in defeat as Hazel once again breaks into a fit of laughter. As I stare up at the sheer fabric draped over the top of her bed, a laugh escapes me.
Hazel falls back next to me, staring up the same way I am, as we continue to laugh at my expense. I should probably be angry, or at the very least embarrassed, but I can’t find it in myself to care. It feels so good to just have someone to laugh about stupid things like boys with.
“Thanks, Hazel,” I say, my voice quieter than I intended, but she still hears me.
Rolling onto her side to face me, she props herself up on her elbow, her head in her hand and smiles at me.
“Of course, if you ever need someone to laugh, I’m your girl,” she teases, but I know she means more than that. I know that no matter what, I could call on her and she would be there. That’s the kind of person Hazel is.
She’s just good.
Too good for me.
The thought is sobering, but I push it aside quickly, hoping she won’t notice my mood shift this time around. Just to be safe, I push myself up and scoot to the edge of the bed.
“How about we go do something?” I suggest.
“Sure, what did you have in mind?” Scooting down the bed to sit next to me. I know she probably won’t like it, but I also doubt she would say no, and really I think it might be good for her, too.
“Let’s go to Hopper’s.”
Hazel was so much easier to convince than I thought she would be. Honestly, I wouldn’t even say I had to convince her, just reassure her. Her primary concern was that it’s Vengeance territory, and while the guys being at the school is one thing, it appears her going to them is not the same.
“You know it’s their club, right? Like they own it?” she asks as we go through her clothes in search of something suitable for her to wear.
I wonder briefly how she would feel if she were to find out that it’s actually my club. Of course, I don’t tell her that, but imagining her reaction if I did almost makes me laugh out loud.
“Yes, I know, Haze,” I assure her for what has to be the hundredth time in the last twenty minutes as I continue to look through her jeans. Most of them are plain, and I’m just about to call it quits and give her regular blue jeans when I find the perfect pair in the very back of her closet.
I pull them free and head back out of her closet to where she sits on her bed with the shirt we already decided on.
It’s just a basic black V-cut T-shirt, but it’s tighter than she usually wears and shows off just a bit of cleavage.
Nothing super crazy, but enough to make us look like regulars at the club, which is what I’m going for.
Usually, I wouldn't care what we showed up in, but if we want to blend in and just have fun, we need to look the part. I’d never been to an actual club to hang out, but I’d seen enough through the windows last weekend to know our usual school clothes wouldn’t cut it.
“Oh no, I’m not wearing those,” Hazel exclaims the moment she sees the pair of jeans in my hand.
They aren’t anything crazy, just a distressed pair of light-wash skinny jeans.
The cuts run right and left, down from just below the pocket to just under the knee, showing off some skin while still letting you be in the comfort of jeans.
They are almost identical to the ones I’m wearing, except mine are black.
“What’s wrong with these?” I ask, making a show of looking down at my own jeans. Her eyes go to my jeans, and I watch as they widen just a fraction.
“Nothing!” she says, her voice an octave higher than usual.
“They just aren’t me, is all. They look great on you, but it’s just not something that I could pull off.
Ya know?” she says quickly, taking a breath after rushing her words out as if she’s worried she might have offended me.
She didn’t, but I appreciate the concern.
“Who says they aren’t you?” I ask as I toss them on the bed with her shirt, ignoring her protest.
“Well, nobody. It’s just a figure of speech, Jade, but I never wear anything like this.” She picks up the pants, messing with one of the cuts. “I’ll look ridiculous,” she says so quietly I don’t think that she meant for me to hear her.
“No,” I tell sternly. She looks up at me from where she sits on her bed, messing with her jeans, and I cross my arms. “You’ll look great,” I tell her seriously because I really think she will. She just needs to see it herself.
I reach out, snagging her hand, pulling her off the bed toward her bathroom, not giving her anymore chance to protest. I stop just outside of the door before pushing her inside when I see she already has her clothes with her.
She stands there and just looks at me as I reach for the door handle.
Pausing for a moment before I pull it closed, resting against the door frame.
“And if you hate it, we can find something else. But you never know what you like if you don’t try, and only you can decide what’s you and what’s not.
Don’t let other people's opinions of you define you,” I tell her and have to swallow past the lump in my throat.
That advice is something I’ve had to live by my whole life, and sharing it was harder than I expected it to be.
Like I just gave up a highly personal piece of myself.
She gives me a nod and a small smile before I pull the door closed so she can change, letting out a huff of frustration with myself.
Get it together, Jade.
Once Hazel tried on her outfit, I could tell she was a little uncomfortable, but I could also see the excitement in her eyes. She looked damn good, too, so with a bit of gushing and a few compliments, all of which were completely true, she caved and agreed to wear the outfit I’d picked out for her.
Convincing Trent to take us was a whole other problem.
It was clear from the moment he saw what Hazel was wearing that he was going to be difficult.
They fought back and forth for a few minutes, and I let them, not wanting to get in between their sibling argument, but ultimately, Hazel drug me into it anyway.
She told Trent about how selfish he was being, explained that I deserved a chance at everyday things and that if this was what I wanted, then she was willing to give it a try.
I didn’t think I would be a factor that mattered to him, but when his eyes caught mine across the room, I was shocked to see them full of guilt.
What did Trent have to feel guilty about?
Guilt weighed on me because while I was excited to go to the club and try something new, I wasn’t just going for the sake of being normal.
Before I could open my mouth and tell them to just forget it, maybe suggest we stay in and watch a movie, Trent caved.
Hazel jumped around the hallway outside Trent's room, where she’d cornered him for a ride, before throwing her arms around me in a hug while she squealed in excitement.
Sagging under her weight, I just managed to keep us both standing as I awkwardly hugged her back. My own smile taking over my features.
Feeling Trent’s eyes on me, I peek at him over Hazel’s shoulder, where she continued to hang on me. The serious look on his face had my smile melting away. He didn’t need to say anything; his face said it all.
Keep her safe.
I gave him a nod, just the faintest movement, but enough that I knew he saw it. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her, no matter what. I wouldn’t let anything happen to any of them.