4. Penelope
FOUR
I wasn’tnervous about seeing Jameson again.
He’d left for the entire summer, along with half the club. Miles was gone, so was Luke and his evil, disgusting father, Tuck. It was peaceful with just the Sweetbutts hanging around, Gene and the random prospects who were kept behind to watch over the club. Aside from going to visit Gene from time to time, Mom and I hadn’t even gone back over.
Mom and I had Mile’s house to ourselves, and for the first time in our lives, we felt like we could relax. We laid out on the back porch on towels and bathed in the sun while our favorite songs played. We stayed up too late watching movies and snuggling in the same bed.
Mom wasn’t allowed to get a job as per her deal with patching with Miles, so that part was a little frustrating as he hadn’t left any money behind for us. But Mom was too clever to let that stop us. She found a way to work, getting paid under the table for a woman in Richland who wanted her house cleaned. The same woman also had two kids who needed watched all summer, so I made money babysitting.
It was a great summer.
One of the best I’d ever had.
The free time gave me the opportunity to reflect on my feelings and slightly unhinged obsession with Jameson. He’d more than proven he wasn’t interested in me, and I was a fool for constantly trying to catch his attention. Mentally, I moved him to the back of my mind, conjuring up other ideas for my sophomore year, the first time I would spend two years in a row in the same school.
I had made a few friends, and with our money, Mom and I bought an actual cell phone plan, instead of just using prepaid phones. It was nice because it allowed me to stay in touch with a few friends from school. I had even gone out to the movies a few times and had a few sleepovers. It was how I met Drake.
He attended our school but was in a grade above me.
We hadn’t started dating or anything, but we’d been texting and gone to see a movie a few times together. While Drake was flirtatious, we hadn’t kissed or done anything else. And without Jameson here, I was free and clear of any distractions or doubts regarding my previous crush on him. It was long gone.
I was walking to the bus stop two weeks after school had started, curious where Luke and Jamie were. I’d heard nothing of when the Chaos Kings were supposed to come back but because it meant Mom and I got the house to ourselves, I wasn’t going to jinx it by asking any questions.
The grass from summer was dry after the heat had soaked through the earth and with it only being September, it was still hot. I wore a dress with spaghetti straps and white high-top shoes. For once they were brand name and something I paid for with my own money, which felt good. I was smiling at the ground when suddenly someone tugged my backpack until I was nearly tripping.
“What the hell—” I spun around angrily only to see Luke and Jameson walking behind me with easy smiles. Luke stopped and placed his hand over his heart.
“Holy fuck, Penny. You grew tits and an ass.”
My face flushed as I looked self-consciously down at my chest. My dress was flattering and didn’t even show any cleavage, but Luke’s words had me pulling at the neckline and then smoothing my palms over my butt to ensure my dress wasn’t too low.
Jameson’s glare cut into the side of Luke’s face as we continued walking.
I turned and continued in step beside them. I tried not to notice how different Jameson looked. Luke had just objectified me, but I was doing the same thing to Jamie. He’d gained muscle over the summer and was taller. His hair was cut nicely, his light-colored hair even more sun kissed from the summer. His jaw was more defined, as if every part of him had been sharpened over the months he was away.
“Been busy, Penny?” Luke interrupted my blatant staring as we neared the bus stop.
I was about to open my mouth when a familiar car pulled up to the curb and Drake rolled down the passenger window.
“Hey beautiful, you wanna ride?” He leaned over the console as he gave me that flirtatious smile. I mirrored it as I started toward his car without hesitation. Drake wore his letterman’s jacket; he’d made varsity last year apparently and liked to mention it a lot. His blond hair was over-styled and a little too long, but he was handsome.
My hand made it to the door but a firm grip on my wrist stopped me.
I peered over my shoulder expecting Luke, but it was Jameson who had his hand on me. His glare was on the car behind me, the junior sitting inside.
“You’re not riding with him.”
It felt like a boulder had shifted in my chest, making room for the sun I had worked so hard to block out. He wasn’t supposed to make butterflies swarm in my stomach, or my face heat. This crush was supposed to die over the summer. That deadly concern swirling in his caramel eyes was new and it left me breathless. It wasn’t just worry…it was like someone attempted to touch something that belonged to him.
I knew after this moment that look had ruined me for anyone else for the rest of my life.
Drake’s brows knit together. “Dude, what the fuck is your problem?”
“She’s fifteen,” Jamie replied, pulling me closer.
I countered, irritated that it was only my age that seemed to bother him. “I’m sixteen in two months.”
“We’ve been dating the whole summer, so you can remove your hand and let her get inside.”
I wasn’t dating Drake, we were flirting and hanging out but not official. I also hated how a thread of worry slid through my chest that Jameson might remove his hand, or worse, himself if he assumed I was with someone.
I was about to argue and explain we were just friends when Drake shook his head and leaned farther to open the door.
“Well, she sure as shit isn’t staying here with you two. Aren’t you part of that fucked-up motorcycle gang? The Kings or some shit? Don’t you rape your women and steal everything you own? Every one of you should be in prison.”
Jameson dropped my wrist, but I didn’t step forward.
I had lived among clubs my entire life, some were bad, some were decent. But I knew how the rest of society judged them, and how cruel kids had been to me simply for being associated with them. The parents were critical assholes that were always rude to my mom and treated her less than merely for wearing patches and colors of the various clubs we were in.
I lifted my foot and kicked his door shut. “Lose my number, Drake.”
His expression twisted. “What the fuck, Penelope?”
“Fuck off,” I yelled, gripping the straps of my backpack.
“You actually know these losers?”
Luke stepped forward, but I put my arm up. “These losers are my family.”
I felt Jameson and Luke go still next to me. I had never really claimed them, nor had they claimed me, but Jamie was worried about me getting in the car and that had to stem from somewhere that thought of me as more than just an extra body in the club.
Drake drove off angrily, and there were only a few seconds of quiet before the bus pulled up. Luke got on first, I was next, and then I felt Jamie touch one of the curls at my back just barely before he climbed on after me.
It wasn’t until later that day in school when Jamie walked into fourth period English with me that I finally talked to him about what had happened. The spot next to me had been open, so he slid into the seat and settled his singular notebook and pencil in front of him.
Spinning toward him, I glared while the rest of the class filled in around us.
“You don’t have to worry about me, you know.”
The interaction with Drake had been bugging me and I wasn’t sure why. Jamie had ignored me for so long, and then suddenly just showed up and wanted to play protector?
Jamie lifted his warm gaze, his brows knitting as if he wasn’t sure what I was talking about.
“You barely speak to me. You were gone for three months without a word. Now, you’re back and you’re suddenly worried who I spend my time with?” I lifted my brow right back, silently encouraging him to explain.
The teacher hadn’t arrived yet, but there were a few girls turning to look at Jamie. I wanted to snap at them to leave him alone.
The feeling of his hand touching my hair was like a phantom touch that I couldn’t get out of my head.
Jamie tapped his pencil a few times before leaning closer to me.
“We rode to California, spent some time at a really big rally with a larger club over there. The West Coast has a lot of prominent clubs that sort of set the standard for those of us who aren’t exactly law abiding.”
“You rode your own bike the whole time?” He was only sixteen, and that seemed like such a long trip.
Jameson’s eyes lingered on my face, trailing over every detail, freezing on my lips.
With a nod, he leaned even closer. “What happened to Penny from last year who picked wildflowers, wore ripped jeans and always had that hair back in a braid?”
“You mean the one who tripped over herself to get your attention?”
His lips quirked, but his gaze remained fixed on mine. The teacher walked in and started discussing the reading from over the weekend. Jameson’s gaze didn’t move and mine didn’t either.
Then within a single breath, he whispered, “yeah…what happened to her?”
His eyes seemed to sparkle with laughter as we both ignored the teacher and continued staring. Who was this kid, where was shy Jameson? Or was this some plot to create chaos. Was I a tool of some kind to him?
When I had ignored his question for at least fifteen minutes and started on the lesson, I finally replied, “She got tired of being ignored.”
I stared ahead, ignoring how Jameson’s gaze lingered on my face and how his pencil drifted over to my shoulder, lifting that damn curl again.