Living With The Bad Boy [COMPLETE][VERSION ONE]

Chapter 24

English is finally over and I feel like I'm going to pass out with exhaustion and from the weight of Noah's worried gazes at me, and the stares and whispers in the hallway. Because, oh that's right, my virginity just got publicly announced to the whole school along with some sort of ranking system including comments. Lovely. Wonderful.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hear a voice ask from no more than 15 feet away as I'm about to turn the corner. Jase's voice. Ducking back to my side of the hallway, I stand still and listen.

"-Thought we'd make it a little more public," another voice says and I risk a glance over to see Corey Westbook and Tyler Canton, two of the richest guys in school- and Jase's lackeys. Er, sorry- friends. My view is somewhat obscured by the water fountain around the bend, but I can see Tyler and Cory holding what looks like... cans of spray paint?

And then I see it. On the wall, still dripping in wet paint, are the pictures, the names underneath.

Amy Towne

Bridgette McCormick

Shonda Johnson

Maria Cruz

Lizzie Pembroke

Claire Davis

Sloane Patterson

Sienna Brown.

"What the hell were you thinking?' Jase asks, his tone sharper than I've ever heard. "Do you really think that you're able to get away with this? Someone's going to find out, and do you really want the principal to get involved? She needs someone to blame for the whole locker incident earlier, and this-" he points to the wall- "is going to make you two the perfect scapegoats for her. Is that really what you want? For her to tell colleges about this? To kick you off your sports teams?" Tyler and Cody shake their heads. "Good," Jase finishes. "Now find a way to get rid of this- and fast."

"We thought you'd be happy," Tyler mutters, looking at the ground like a chastized puppy. "It's a new list of girls for you to hit and quit. We just wanted to-"

"Well, I guess you thought wrong," Jase says coldly, turning around and walking to the gym.

What the hell just happened?

I don't have work today- thank gosh- but Jase has practice until 4, Noah has a doctor's appointment, and there's a storm on the horizon so the buses aren't running, so here I am in the school parking lot, waiting for Jase to get here.

I really need to learn how to drive. Then I can stop being so reliant on other people to get me places.

Though I also don't have a car.

Also I hate driving.

Honestly, it's a miracle I even passed my driver's ed class. I think my teacher felt bad for me, to be completely truthful. He didn't even try to make me parallel park or do a 3-point turn or literally do anything at all. I think I almost crashed in that class like six times...

I didn't even bother to try for my license after that.

So maybe being self-reliant isn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Hey, Red," Jase says from behind me, making me jump as I turn around. He's wearing a t-shirt and athletic pants (in the middle of January, mind you!), but he doesn't seem to be cold, his muscular arms gleaming with a slight sheen of sweat. He must've had indoor training today.
"You coming?" he asks, an eyebrow raised as he looks at me, walking around the car to the driver's seat.

"Y-yeah, right," I say, snapping myself out of whatever weird daze I'm in today. Or at least trying to. The dizziness, the exhaustion, the way everything around me seems blurry and out of focus, lingers with me like a curse. I manage to slide the seat belt over myself, looking out the window at the gray drizzle outside- perfect. At least it matches my mood.