Chapter Twenty-One
Lola
Yesterday changed everything.
I told Jace I loved him. He said it back.
And we had the kind of sex that rewrites your entire understanding of what your body is capable of feeling.
Afterward, he held me in his arms and kissed me until I couldn’t breathe.
I told him the good news. That my dad and I want him to live with us.
That he doesn’t have to live in this awful trailer or return to a life like this, ever again.
He kissed me before we started packing up the few things he needed to take to his new life. There wasn’t much—a life squeezed into what could fit in a couple of trash bags. It hurt to see how little he had, how little he’d been given.
He showed me a photo of his mother. It was old, creased at the edges, and the color had faded. He held it carefully, as if it were fragile, and might disintegrate if squeezed too hard.
I stared at that photo, at the woman who gave him away as if he were nothing, and it took everything in me not to rip it in two. How could you hand him off to someone else and walk away?
But I didn’t say any of that. Instead, I squeezed his hand and helped him pack.
He never told his aunt he was leaving. Not that she’d have cared anyway. We loaded those trash bags filled with his whole world into my car and drove away, leaving that chapter of his life behind as if it had never existed.
Now, we’re sitting in my car in the school parking lot, and I’m realizing that yesterday was the easy part. Today is the day everyone else finds out.
My hands are gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles have gone white. I’m staring at the front entrance of the school, watching students filter in, laughing and talking, living their normal lives, completely unaware that mine has been turned upside down.
Jace is in the passenger seat, looking infuriatingly calm. He’s scrolling through his phone, one ankle crossed over his knee, completely relaxed. Meanwhile, I think I’m about to have a full-blown panic attack.
The moment Aubrey and Sam see me walk in with Jace, it’s over. They’re going to freak out. They’re going to judge me. They’ll ask a thousand questions I don’t have the answers to, or worse, answers I’m not ready to give.
Because Jace has made it very clear that he’s not hiding.
That I’m his, and he’s mine, and he doesn’t care who knows about it.
He wants to walk into that school with his arm around me, wants everyone to see that we’re together, and wants to stake his claim in that possessive, protective, alpha way that should probably annoy me but instead makes my stomach flip.
I, on the other hand, would much rather sneak in through a side entrance and act like this isn’t happening.
Jace glances at me, and I sense his eyes on my face. He puts his phone down.
“You good?”
“Totally fine,” I lie. “Why do you ask?”
“Bells,” he says, his voice flat and unimpressed. “You’ve been sitting here for the past five minutes staring at the building.”
I take a deep breath and finally loosen my tight grip on the steering wheel.
“I’m just thinking about what happens when we walk in there.” I turn to face him. “Aubrey and Sam are going to lose their shit. People are going to talk.”
“Let them talk.”
“Easy for you to say. You don’t care what people think.”
“You’re right. I don’t.” He reaches over and takes my hand, threading his fingers through mine. His palm is warm and grounding. “But I care what you think. And if you’re not ready for this, for us to be public, then we’ll wait.”
I blink at him. “Really?”
“No,” he smirks. “I’m lying. I’m definitely not waiting. I just wanted to see if you’d fall for it.”
“Jace.”
“Bells, listen to me.” He squeezes my hand, his expression turning serious.
“If they have a problem with us, fuck ‘em. We know what we have. We know how we feel about each other. And if your friends can’t be happy for you, if they’re going to judge you for being with me, then what does that say about them? ”
“They’re my best friends.”
“They should want you to be happy.” His thumb strokes over my knuckles. “And I make you happy, don’t I?”
“You know you do.”
“That’s all that matters. I love you. You love me. Everything else is just noise.”
He lifts my hand to his mouth and presses a kiss to my knuckles, his lips warm against my skin. He’s more affectionate now, more sure of himself since I confessed what I was feeling. More willing to show me these softer parts of himself that he keeps hidden from everyone else.
God, when did Jace Cooper become the reasonable one in this relationship?
I take a deep breath and nod. “Okay. You’re right.”
“I know I am,” he says, giving me that cocky smirk, the one that’s equal parts infuriating and irresistible.
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late.” He grins and opens his door. “Come on. Let’s go show these assholes what they’re missing.”
I grab my oversized tote bag from the backseat, the one that’s packed with textbooks, notebooks, and about seventeen pens I’ll never use, and climb out of the car. Jace is already waiting for me, leaning against the hood with his arms crossed, looking every bit the bad boy everyone thinks he is.
We start walking toward the entrance, and I’m hyper-aware of everyone we pass. Jace puts his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side, and the stares grow more intense.
Oh God. This is happening. This is really happening.
A group of junior girls standing near the entrance openly gawks at us. One of them whispers something to her friend.
Jace halts and turns to face them, his expression cold. “What the fuck are you looking at?”
They scatter instantly, nearly tripping over each other to escape.
I can’t help it. I smirk.
“One day you’re gonna have to be nice to people.”
He looks down at me. “Why the hell would I do that when being an asshole works so much better? Besides, I’m plenty nice. To you. Everyone else can go fuck themselves.”
“How romantic.”
“You love it.” He dips his head and kisses my temple. “Admit it, Bells. You get off on the fact that I’m a possessive a-hole who doesn’t let anyone disrespect what’s mine.”
“I’m not admitting anything.”
“You don’t have to. Your pussy already told me everything this morning that I need to know.”
“Oh, my God.” I shove at his chest, but he laughs. “You can’t say things like that in public.”
“Watch me.”
We push open the doors to the hallway, and everything shifts at once. The noise doesn’t stop exactly but changes. Conversations pause mid-sentence, heads turn, eyes lock onto us. Or more specifically, onto Jace’s arm draped possessively around my shoulders.
This isn’t new for him. People have always stared at Jace Cooper.
He’s hot in that dangerous, untouchable way that makes girls stare and guys either want to be him or fight him.
But they’ve never seen him walk through these halls with a girl tucked against his side.
Never seen him stake a claim like this before.
We walk down the hallway, and the weight of every stare bears down on us. I can almost hear their thoughts racing, the questions forming, and the gossip already starting to spread through the school. By lunch, this will be all anyone is talking about.
Up ahead, I see Sam and Aubrey standing at Sam’s locker. They’re laughing about something until Aubrey glances up and spots us. Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open in shock. She smacks Sam’s arm, and Sam’s head spins around so quickly I’m surprised she doesn’t give herself whiplash.
They both stand there, frozen, as we approach.
My steps stumble for a second, my confidence flickers, and Jace senses it immediately. His arm tightens around me, pulling me closer.
“Don’t,” he murmurs, his voice low enough that only I can hear. “Don’t you dare slow down now, Bells. Keep walking.”
I swallow hard and force myself to keep moving.
As we approach, I notice Noah and Reece are there also. Noah has his arms crossed over his chest and Reece looks just as equally unimpressed. They’re both glaring at Jace with identical expressions.
Oh God, this is about to get ugly.
We stop in front of the four of them and the hallway around us seems to slow down. People are pretending to go to their lockers, pretending to check their phones, but really they’re all just waiting to see what happens.
Aubrey opens her mouth, likely to demand an explanation or yell at me, or both, but Jace cuts her off before she can say a word.
“I know what you’re all thinking,” he says. “That I’m going to hurt her. So let’s get that shit out of the way right now.”
“You’re damn right that’s what we’re thinking,” Noah snaps, taking a step forward. Reece puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
“Good. We’re on the same page.” Jace’s mouth curves into something that’s not quite a smile. “Yeah, I’ve got a reputation. And no, I don’t give a single fuck what any of you think about it.”
“Oh, that’s convenient,” Sam says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You suddenly decide to be a saint the second you get with Lola? Forgive us if we don’t buy it.”
“I’m not asking you to buy anything,” Jace says flatly. “I’m telling you how it is. I’m not hiding that I’m with Bells, and I’m not apologizing for it, and I sure as shit don’t need your fucking permission.”
“Lola is our best friend.” Aubrey’s voice rises, causing several people in the hallway to turn and stare. “We have every right to be concerned when she shows up with someone who has a different girl every week.”
“Okay, stop,” I say, my voice cutting through the tension. All eyes turn to me. “Can we not do this here in front of the whole school?”
“Then, when, Lola?” Aubrey asks, her eyes searching mine. “You walk in here with his arm around you, practically telling everyone before you tell us?”
“I’m telling you now,” I say, lifting my chin. “Jace and I are together. That’s what I’m telling you.”