AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shook my head. “Nothing’s ever happened.”
“It’s going to. Just a matter of time. Close your other eye now.”
She lined the other eye, giving up on the subject.
I didn’t want to admit that she was right.
“Gorgeous!”
I looked in the mirror and admired the perfect wing she’d managed to draw.
“Fake.”
“Stop it. Even the girls who think they’re nerdy deserve to have fun. It’s experiencing life.” Bella tilted her head. “I have something to show you.”
She pulled her tank top to the side as she glanced out the door, revealing an impressive tattoo of a stack of books. I looked at it closely — Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, Bleak House, The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby.
“You’re a nerd!?” I gasped.
She giggled and nodded. Bella replaced the strap and headed out to the living room, calling out that she was getting water. I looked into the mirror and pressed my lips together before I stood up and followed her.
I took the water bottle that she handed me and sat on the couch with her.
“I was in all the English classes in high school. I was a drama nerd. All of that. I came here and decided to switch it up a little bit, like you did. I tried out for the team and got in. I discovered that it’s perfect for while I’m in school. We’re not that much different than the bad girls, Emma. We still have fun but we’re selective and have less pregnancy scares and STDs.”
I burst out laughing as Jackson walked in, overhearing the end of her comment and snorted.
“Judgy much, Bella?” There was sarcasm in his voice and she rolled her eyes.
“You’re one to talk, Jackson. We all know your reputation,” Bella chuckled and sipped her water as she winked at me. I wondered what more she knew than the assumptions that I kept making, all of which came out to my not being experienced and not the type of girl who would be Jackson’s type.
“I’m not that bad. You listening to gossip too much or what?” Jackson asked.
She shrugged with a smile.
Bella stayed for a little while before she said that she was meeting a friend for dinner, giving me another long wink before she grabbed her purse to leave.
I took another sip of my water, giving Jackson a curious look.
“Is your reputation that bad?”
“I dated a lot when I got drafted. Of course, I was exposed to models and actresses, girls like that. They were all over us as players. You know how I was in high school and even that wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be. That was exaggerated a lot, just like this part of my life. It wasn’t that they were mindless bimbos, not all of them. Some were smart and had a lot of potential for something serious. My schedule is crazy, though, and I didn’t think that I had the time for anything serious.” Jackson chuckled. “People are more complex than some seem to think.”
I wasn’t. I was inexperienced, and I knew it. Taking this job was a big step for me and I thought about that as I took another sip of water. “I guess.”
“They are. We’re always growing.”
He looked at me again. “I’ve seen the changes in you since you moved here alone. They’re good, but scary. Emma, I keep wanting to protect you and shelter you.” He shook his head.
“I wasn’t Rapunzel locked in my tower at home. I went out and lived. I had Willow and my other friends, along with Tommy. You act like I am made of china.” I shook my head.
“Who the fuck is Tommy?” Jackson asked.
“Tommy Dayton. We were together for a while when you and Greg were going to college. I had an adult relationship, Jackson.”
He sat up, leaning forward as he looked harder at me.
“Did you…” he trailed off. “None of my business.”
I was angry. “Yes. None of your business. We were dating.” I saw a dark look pass over Jackson’s face. “Do you seriously think that I’m this fragile, innocent lamb? Good grief.”
I stood up and walked to my bedroom. I heard Jackson follow me and he grabbed my hand.
“I want to show you something,” Jackson said.
A hundred thoughts went through my head as he gently pulled me into his bedroom.
He dropped my hand and gestured to a bookshelf that was behind the door. It was full of hardbacks and paperbacks. I guess I’d never noticed it before as the one time I was in his bedroom all I’d noticed was his incredible body. I stepped back, both for distance and to satisfy my curiosity as I read the titles. There were some classics in here as well as a variety of genres. I was impressed.
“Em, I got the highest grades in my class at school. I worked my ass off to get to college and this team. I didn’t just wing it like everyone thinks jocks do.”
