Chapter 19 #2
“You wouldn’t know her.” Shayla rips open a hot sauce packet and drizzles it over her taco. “But you’ll meet her next week. She goes to Twisted Pine. Major snob. Worth millions, maybe more.”
“Are you talking about Kristen?”
Her brows draw together. “You know Kristen?”
“She was at Jackson’s house. I’ve seen her there more than once. Sometimes she stays there.”
“Seriously?” Shayla whispers, leaning toward me. “So the rumors are true? He’s dating Kristen?”
“I don’t know. He keeps telling me he’s not but . . .” I stop, not sure I should tell her this.
“But what? What do you know?”
Do I tell her? What if I can’t trust her? What if she’s spying on me for Braden? Or Trystan? It’s kind of strange that she was so eager to be friends with me. Then again, I was eager to be friends with her, too.
“Rumor, what did you see?”
I decide to tell her. If she tells Braden, what difference would it make? He already assumes Jackson and Kristen are dating.
“I saw them together.”
“What does that mean?” She takes a bite of her taco. “You saw them on a date?”
“No. Like together, in his house.” I look around, paranoid someone’s listening in, but the only people around us are construction workers talking on their phones. I don’t know why I’m worried about someone hearing me. Is this really a secret?
“You actually saw them . . .” Shayla raises her brows, waiting for me to say it.
“They weren’t having sex. But they looked like they were about to.”
“How did you see this?”
“I was walking on the beach behind his house. It was at night, so it was dark, but the blinds were open. I couldn’t really see them. Just their outline. But they were definitely making out.”
“Maybe it wasn’t her. Maybe it was someone else.” She finishes her taco and grabs a napkin from the stack on the table.
“Could be, but he said she stays over there sometimes. Doesn’t that sound like a girlfriend?”
“Or a friend with benefits.”
“Why would she agree to that? She’s gorgeous. She’d have no problem getting a boyfriend.”
“Maybe that’s not what she wants. I really don’t know that much about her other than that she’s loaded, or her family is.”
“Whose her family? Are they famous?”
“Not like Hollywood famous. Her grandfather started a company years ago and it took off. Her mother didn’t want it, so she sold it. Got like a billion dollars for it.”
“A billion? Are you serious?”
“Maybe not a billion but hundreds of millions. Kristen’s an only child so she’ll inherit it when her mom dies.”
“What about her dad?”
“Killed in a helicopter crash when she was really young. She probably doesn’t even remember him.”
“So it’s just her and her mom?”
“And her stepdad.”
“If they’re that rich, why are they living here? They could live anywhere.”
Shayla’s phone rings and she answers. “Hey, Mom, what’s up?” She listens, then gets up. “Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.” She ends the call. “I have to go.”
“Now? Why?”
“Emergency at the Dreisen house. I have to get over there.” She wraps her remaining taco in a napkin.
“What kind of emergency?”
“Their kid had a party last night and destroyed the place. There’s no way my mom can clean it all by herself before the parents get home.”
“Was this a high school party?”
“Yeah. The kid’s a freshman at Twisted Pine.” She picks up her soda. “I’m really sorry. Can we do the beach some other day?”
“Yeah. How about tomorrow?”
“I can’t. I work all day. Maybe next weekend.”
“Axl will be here.”
“Okay, well, we’ll figure something out.” She hurries off.
This sucks. Now I’m alone for the day. And bored.
As I’m finishing lunch, I realize I don’t have a ride. Shayla was in such a hurry to leave that she forgot to take me home.
I call up Brock but get his voicemail. I call up Trystan. He doesn’t pick up. Reluctantly, I call Braden, my only option since Jackson is at football practice.
“What do you want?” Braden answers.
“I need a ride home.”
“Why? Where are you?”
“At that taco place in the green metal building.” I look around for the name of the place, but don’t see a sign. “You know what I’m talking about?”
“Yeah. How’d you get there?”
“Shayla and I were having lunch, but she had to leave. Can you get me or not?”
He sighs. “Yeah. Whatever. Be there in a few.”
As I end the call, a text from Shayla pops up.
I’m so sorry! I forgot to take you home! I’m coming back!
I text back.
Don’t worry about it. Already got a ride.
Braden arrives fifteen minutes later in his shiny silver Porsche. I’m waiting at the door and go out to his car.
“Thanks,” I tell him as I get in.
“Wouldn’t have to do this if you’d get your damn license.” He speeds out of the gravel lot, kicking dust up everywhere.
“I’m working on it,” I mutter.
“You signed up for Driver’s Ed?” he asks.
“Not yet, but I might.”
“You’ve never driven? Like not at all?”
“I’ve driven. I’m actually not that bad. But to get a license you have to take Driver’s Ed.”
“You told me you’ve never driven before,” he says in a suspicious tone. “Now you’re saying you have?”
How did he remember that? Is he keeping track of what I say to see if I’m lying? I thought Trystan was the only one keeping watch on me, but Braden must be too.
“I’ve driven a few times,” I say.
He pulls off to the side of the road.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re driving.” He gets out and comes around to my side, opening my door. “Hurry up. Get out.”
“I’m not driving,” I say, like he’s crazy.
“It’s the only way you’re getting home. Now hurry up.”
I get out of the car and face him. “You’re seriously letting me drive your Porsche? Why? So if I get in an accident I’ll get in trouble with your dad? Or is this about getting a new car?”
“Neither.” He smiles. “Although I’d be happy if either of those things happened.” He gets in the car, and I move aside as he shuts the door.
“Shit,” I mutter, going around to get in the driver’s seat. I was nervous driving Jackson’s Range Rover, but this Porsche is worth twice as much. And it’s new. Still has the new car smell.
“We going or what?” Braden asks, swiping through his phone.
“Why are we doing this? What’s the real reason?”
“So I’m not stuck driving your sorry ass all over town.” He points to the road. “Turn right at the light and then left to go home.”
I slowly pull onto the road. “You wouldn’t have to drive me places. I could get rides from someone else.”
“Like who? You don’t know anyone.”
“Shayla would give me a ride.”
“Yeah, she’s real reliable,” he says as he texts someone.
“She had an emergency. Otherwise she would’ve taken me home.”
“What kind of emergency?”
“A cleaning emergency. She went to go help her mom.”
He smiles. “Let me guess. Chandler’s house?”
“Who’s Chandler?”
“Freshman kid from LA. Starts at Twisted Pine next week. He threw a party last night hoping it’d help him make friends. I didn’t go but I heard they destroyed the place.”
“Where were his parents?”
“Gone for the night.” He laughs. “I saw the photos. It’s gonna take days to clean that place up.”
“You think that’s funny?” I ask as I turn right at the intersection. “That party ruined my day with Shayla. And ruined her weekend.”
“It’s her job. If she doesn’t like it, she shouldn’t be a maid.” He looks up from his phone as we wait at a red light. “You really shouldn’t be hanging out with her.”
“Shayla? Why not?”
“Because she’s not one of us. If people at Twisted Pine find out you’re hanging out with the maid, you can forget about making friends there.”
“If the people there are that snobby and shallow, then I don’t want to be their friend.”
I shouldn’t have said that. It goes against the plan. I’m supposed to fit in. Make friends with Braden’s inner circle.
“You won’t survive there if you don’t have friends. They don’t have to be real. You can hate the person and still be friends.”
“I can hate my friends? That doesn’t make sense.”
“By friends, I mean connections. People who can do shit for you. Make things happen. You need to find those people as soon as possible.”
“How do I find them?” I ask. “Could you help me?”
“Hell, no. You have to do this on your own.”
“But since you’re my cousin, it should be easier, right? Easier than someone who doesn’t have any connections?”
“Nothing’s easy there. You have to earn your place.
Us being related isn’t going to help. You’re starting from nothing.
You have to do what it takes to get ahead.
And if you keep being friends with Shayla it won’t matter what you do.
Nobody at Twisted Pine will want to be associated with you or seen with you. ”
I slow down as the car in front of me turns. “Anything else I should know?”
“Never date a guy from Legion. Don’t kiss him. Don’t fuck him. Don’t hold his hand. Don’t even talk to him. Just stay the fuck away.”
“Why? Because you play against them in football?”
“That’s one reason.”
“What’s the other? Because they don’t have money?”
“Yeah, and because they go to a shitty school. We don’t associate with those people.”
“What if the guy’s rich? Does it matter?”
“There’s only one rich person there,” he says through gritted teeth. “And if you go near him, I might just have to kill you.”
A chill goes down my spine, and I shudder, swerving the car a little.
“Watch it!” Braden says. “What the hell?”
“I got it,” I say, tightening my hold on the wheel. “So who’s the guy?”
“What guy?”
“The one worth killing me for?”
He smiles. “Kill might’ve been a strong word. Maybe strangle, but I’d let you live.”
I can’t tell if he’s kidding or being serious. He’s staring straight ahead with this weird, faraway look on his face.
“So who is it?” I ask. “Who’s the guy?”
“The person I hate more than anyone else. The person I actually would kill if I could.” He pauses. “Jackson Novak.”