Chapter Twenty-Nine – CJ #2
He could check out as many as he wanted.
Some of the rules regular students had didn’t apply to him, his siblings, and his cousins.
It didn’t matter that they weren’t him, whatever Billson meant by that.
Besides, CJ always respected the boundaries so he didn’t make anyone feel bad.
“I’m not sure, but I wasn’t talking about the school library. I meant my family’s home library.”
Disbelief crossed her lovely face and she rolled her eyes. “I’m almost disappointed that you’re resorting to lies to impress me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“A home library?” She rolled her pretty blue eyes. “Please.”
“Anyone can have a library at their house,” he pointed out. “You just need bookshelves.” That wasn’t their library, but she didn’t know what the fuck he meant.
Aunt Kendall and Uncle Johnnie’s library had a lot of classics and one-of-a-kind dusty tomes that she’d paid thousands for. Mom filled the Caldwell library with all types of books and stuff that people actually read and enjoyed.
“My family doesn’t have bookcases,” she said. “And I don’t think you meant that. It sounded like you were talking about a book room. Said to impress me.”
“I don’t need lies to impress you or any other girl, Skye,” he said flatly.
She leaned in closer and the scent of her perfume wafted to him. “Mattie already told me that the majority of students are here on scholarships and financial aid. I’m one of them. You don’t have to be embarrassed about it. I know you’re one too. The rich boys aren’t friendly at all.”
Had he been living on another planet? He’d never noticed that.
“The rich girls aren’t nice at all. They have their own cliques. But everyone knows you and speaks highly of you. So, you see, new friend, just be yourself. You don’t have to pretend to have money.”
CJ was so fucking happy that the bell rang. What was it about the girls he encountered that took him for a fool? Was he really that nice?
On the other hand, Skye’s explanation enlightened CJ. No wonder Jaleena had also thought his family wasn’t in a certain tax bracket.
He snatched his backpack and hightailed it out of the classroom before Billson stopped him.
He needed a fucking cigarette and something for his headache.
But hunger won out. Dad had been going to the club in the evenings and CJ still couldn’t bring himself to eat anything from Fia, Tauriel, or Tennysee.
Mom hadn’t even gone grocery shopping before she walked away and Aunt Bunny took Gunner with her, so she could nurse Uncle Digger back to health. Dad hadn’t even noticed his youngest son missing.
He elected to have soup and a sandwich over chicken and French fries, then took his tray to where the Triplets sat with Rory, Ryan, Devon, and the rest of their boy cousins, since Mattie wasn’t there. Harley was probably in the auditorium rehearsing for her play that was ten days away.
Once he greeted everyone and sat, he grabbed a half of the ham and Swiss cheese to take a bite, but Skye dropped into the spot where Mattie normally sat.
“I thought we could eat together,” Skye said, ignoring the greetings—and the ogling—thrown her way. “Discuss our project.”
“If I was interested in eating with you, I would’ve walked with you here.”
“I get lunch vouchers,” she said. “I thought the offerings would be the same old-same old. But the food is actually pretty decent and there are vending machines. I’m a junk food aficionado.” She tossed her hair. “Not that it shows.”
“Can I eat in peace? Please?”
“Nope,” she said cheerfully. “Not until you admit you were just trying to impress me.”
“About?” Ryan asked, finally giving into his curiosity.
CJ was surprised it took so long.
“I know you,” Skye said. “You were on the bridge with CJ the other day.”
“I was,” Ryan confirmed, and lifted his brow.
It was enough for Skye to blurt their exchange in science class.
“Why do you think he’s lying, though?” Rory asked, frowning.
“Because what else does a rich boy do?” Jaleena sneered, gliding up to the table and catching the tail end of the conversation.
Huffing, CJ covered his face with his hands and shook his head.
“Who are you?” Skye asked.
Jaleena patted CJ’s back, harder than necessary. “This one’s ex.”
“What do you want, Jaleena?” CJ asked in frustration, dropping his hands to glare at her.
“I want to call a truce.”
“Fine. I accept.”
Jaleena stepped into his space and slid her fingers along the base of his neck. A shiver snaked along his spine. She was still gorgeous with the softest hands. He’d enjoyed kissing her.
“Can you take me out to dinner again to make up for the way you so rudely ruined our last one?”
“I remember our date going a little differently,” he grumbled.
“Two sides, CJ,” Jaleena said.
“I’m not available right now.” He would be a shitty date at the moment, even if he were inclined to give her another chance, which he wasn’t. He just didn’t want to get into that with her in the middle of the fucking school cafeteria. “Call me this weekend.”
Jaleena glared at Skye. In turn, Skye narrowed her eyes.
“Excuse me?” Axel called.
“Don’t fucking start, Axel,” CJ warned.
“Then handle your girls, C.”
“Oh, so I’m not doing that right either, you little asshole?”
“Nope, and fuck you.”
CJ was ready to shake the fuck out of Axel.
“Who’s that?” Skye asked, the demand in her voice shocking CJ.
Why? He didn’t fucking know.
Jaleena threw Skye a smug look. “That’s one of your brothers, isn’t it?”
“Is everything all right over here, Mr. Caldwell?” Ember LeBan asked, because again why the fuck not?
Ryan snickered, and CJ elbowed the asshole, which only made him laugh harder.
“Told you, CJ,” Axel said.
CJ slammed his fist on the table. Jaleena, Skye, and Ember jumped. “What the fuck did you tell me, Axel?”
“Nothing, stupid. I’ll just show you.” Axel marched to CJ, waved at Jaleena, smiled at Ember, and glared at Skye. “Mattie, Harley, Winnie, and the Blonde Viper aren’t here. No other girls are allowed, so get to stepping before I open my jar of bugs and throw on you.”
“You wouldn’t,” Jaleena gasped.
Ember lifted a brow at him, still an authority figure to Axel that he surprisingly respected.
“Diesel said I got to listen to you, Ms. LeBan,” he said, smiling at her and batting his eyelashes. “He says you’re really nice and he likes you.”
She blushed, even though CJ was almost certain Axel lied.
“But I don’t got to listen to you and you.” Axel jabbed a finger at Skye and Jaleena to reference who he meant. “And this is meringuing. You go to jail for that.”
“Don’t you mean harassing, Ax?” Devon asked.
“There’s another word for it, though. Diesel used it.”
“Harangue?” Ember supplied.
“He told it to you, too?”
“No, Mr. Caldwell,” she said. “He didn’t.”
“You do know those words aren’t interchangeable, big head,” CJ said. As annoyed and hurt as he was toward Axel, he couldn’t stay angry with him no matter how hard he tried. His feelings constantly swung from one direction to the next toward his little brother.
“They don’t?”
“Nope,” CJ said, picking up the other half of his sandwich and biting into it.
“Do I got to fire Diesel? He’s leading a man in the wrong direction with his words.”
“Did he say them to you or did you overhear him?” CJ asked.
“I was spying,” Axel admitted.
CJ didn’t want to know. That was between Axel and Diesel. “You don’t have to fire him. He didn’t intentionally mislead you. You mistook what you heard.”
“Can you pay him for me every month? I don’t get enough allowance to keep him on retainer.”
“How about I pay him for the year?”
Axel shook his head. “I should accept but that was just too fucking easy.”
CJ squinted.
“Never mind. Don’t worry about it.” Axel shifted from foot-to-foot, thought for a moment, then said, “Can you call a meeting? I wrote a biker’s creed for when you become Prez. I want to read it to see what you think.”
“I thought you wanted to be Prez?” CJ grouched, at loose ends.
Axel scowled. “Don’t make me take away my peace branch.”
“Fine, Ax.” There was no winning with his little brother. “I’ll call a fucking meeting.”
“It’s olive branch,” Skye said.
Axel swung his attention to her. “Listen up, I don’t know you and I don’t want to know you. You don’t get to come here and correct my fucking speech. You’re not part of my family and you’re not my friend.”
“I’m your brother’s friend.”
“Not. CJ’s just too nice to tell you to get to fucking stepping. If you don’t know about context clues, then do you at least know about body language?”
“If you don’t like me, you can just go to another table,” she said.
CJ frowned at her. “No, he can’t. This is our fucking table.”
“If he don’t like you, he can do whatever the fuck he wants,” Axel said. “If I don’t like you, all I got to do is call my mom and she’ll have you kicked the fuck out.”
“On whose authority?” Skye asked with a smirk.
“On hers,” Axel declared, “since our parents own the fucking school.”
Too late, CJ realized he should’ve seen that coming, but he didn’t and the damage was fucking done.
Most of the student body believed CJ and his family had special privileges because of their fathers.
Very few knew Mom and Dad bought Ridge Moore last summer.
Luckily, Axel hadn’t shouted that shit at the top of his lungs as he liked to do, though it really didn’t matter.
He said it to Skye Ratcliffe and her eyes flared in surprise before she gasped and stared at CJ.
Suddenly, Skye wasn’t looking at him however she had been before. She had the exact look in her eyes that Jaleena did when she realized CJ was indeed a rich boy.