Page 42 of Still Jaded (Jaded 2)

She looked down, but then glanced at the girls around her. "I…"

"Don't look at them for cues. They don't know what to say either. You're the one who's going to know. You know me the best. Lesson 101 on fighting: look for your enemy's weaknesses. What are my weaknesses, Grace?"

She jerked her gaze away, but then her jaw hardened and she swung back. "Your weakness is Bryce and Corrigan. You don't have any other weakness."

I grinned. "Now you're getting it. What else? How would you use those weaknesses?"

"You're crazy."

I looked behind as Carolina drew beside me, her sisters behind her. They squared off against their enemies.

I focused on Grace and repeated, "Tell me again. How would you use those weaknesses?"

Grace opened her mouth, but shut it. Her eyes darted from Carolina to me and then to her comrades. She couldn't do anything. I stepped forward. "Don't freeze, Grace. It's fight or flight time now. Don't be one of those who let it happen. Fight it. Run away. Choose. Pick what you're going to do. What are you going to do?"

I felt Carolina's gaze, but I ignored it. Instead, I zeroed in on the girl that I used to think was a friend. She was faltering. She was trying to be something better, but she was glued in place. I wanted to shove her forward, out of place. So I stalked forward and whispered, though everyone could hear, "Out of all these years, you haven't picked up anything? Why are you with these people? Why do you need their friendship? They're fake to you. They're in it for themselves. Cadence didn't want you. She wanted me. I made her take you. How's that feel—?"

"You're nothing without Bryce!" she shrieked.

Finally.

I grinned and let it soak. Then I was in her face. "How does it feel? You threw the first gauntlet. Now I get to throw one back, right? But I'm going to wait, Grace. I'm going to let you savor this moment. This is when you bested me. You won. Now you can walk away breathing easy because you'll win the next round, right?" When she paled, I grinned. I savored that too. "No, seriously, Grace. I'm not coming back at you, not yet. Find your way. Find your footing right now. I'm giving that to you." Then I saluted her with a finger. "Good luck, Grace."

No one seemed sure how to react. When one of her friends opened her mouth and readied a snooty comment, Grace clamped a hand on her arm. "Let's go." Her eyes never left mine, but they turned and left. As they went around a corner, she stopped. Her eyes were still on mine, searching, but then disappointment flared in her depths before she followed behind them.

"That was…unexpected." Carolina rotated on her heels so she stood facing me.

I shrugged. "I'm not completely heartless. I'm turning a new leaf. Someone told me how selfish I can be today."

"That was your first act of kindness? She still feels humiliated, though she doesn't understand how. You screwed with her mind."

I grinned and turned to leave. "Maybe I just didn't want to hurt her anymore. She was a friend, you know."

As I left, I felt her eyes on me. I'd just met the girl and I could tell how she smart, maybe smarter than me. But I didn't feel like she was after any of mine. Maybe we'd get along. Maybe not. It wasn't something I wanted to focus on. I had worse things to deal with, and as I headed to where Corrigan had parked, I knew his words were a few of them.

He'd been right with what he'd said. I didn't think before I acted. Sometimes I didn't want to because they would pick up the pieces. They always had. It wasn't that I put that responsibility on him and Bryce in the past.

When I spotted Corrigan's car with no Corrigan, I sat at a picnic table nearby. Then my phone rang and everything went haywire inside of me.

Bryce.

"Yeah?" My voice sounded hoarse, and I cursed at myself. There'd been a hitch in my throat.

He didn't say anything for a moment. "Officer Patterson called me. She said there was an intruder last night at your place?"

I shot to my feet. "Are you kidding me? She called you?"

"She wanted to know where I was. For some reason," he bit out, "she thought I might've been the intruder. What'd you tell her?"

Oh. I sat back down. That was almost laughable. "I didn't say a word. She's a cop. She's not stupid. You're always there and the one time you're not, both Corrigan and I clamp down on where you are. He told her you were busy. You left me, remember?"

Bryce took a deep breath. He gentled his voice. "Are you okay?"

I gripped my phone hard when I heard the concern in his tone. He cared, and for a second, I felt my heart skip a beat. The old schoolgirl crush was coming back, but I gritted my teeth. He couldn't have that power over me. "You have no right calling me and asking me that. No right, Bryce. You can call her. You can worry about her. Don't call me again."

"Sheldon—"

I'd been about to hang up, but something stopped me.

Then I heard him continue, "Please listen to me. Please."

I choked out, feeling the threat of tears, "What? Say it quick."

"I don't know what I want to say. I'm sorry. I should have it planned out. Are you okay? Did the intruder get inside? Is someone with you? Is Corrigan there?" He paused for a moment. "I have to know that you're okay and that you're safe."

I heaved a deep breath. "Corrigan's with me, yes. We're fine. He got a new security system for me, and it worked. The intruder didn't get in, but I saw him—them—whoever at the window. It looked like Marcus."

"Marcus?!"

"I know. I know. He's dead. It wasn't him. I know, but…" It looked like him so much.

Bryce sound choked up. "Who is the security system through? Your other ones sucked."

"Hoodum did it."

"Oh. Good. He'll do a good job. Corrigan will make sure of it." His voice hitched on a note.

"He will." I nodded. More tears threatened to spill out. I hated that they came so easily for him. "What do you want, Bryce? Did you call because of the intruder? I'm fine. Officer Patterson knows that. She shouldn't have called you. I'm sure she just wanted the gossip on us."

"She didn't want gossip, Sheldon. She was just doing her job. It makes sense that a recent ex-boyfriend might be the stalker. We both know that. She grilled me, and I was honest about everything I knew."

"About Guadalupe? Did you tell Officer Patterson about her?"

His voice was quiet. "I did. She needs to know everything. I told her about Guadalupe and I explained to her what happened with us. She's trying to protect you. She needs to know my frame of mind."

"Too bad she didn't ask about mine," I bit out without thinking. "And aren't you the perfect citizen."

There was silence on his end.

My heart skipped a beat. I closed my eyes. I shouldn't have said that. I could've said something else. Wait—who was I? I don't doubt my words for anyone, but this was Bryce. He wasn't just anyone. I heaved a deep breath instead.

I didn't know what to say so I said nothing.

"Are you okay?" Bryce asked. He sounded genuine.

I closed my eyes and sucked in the pain. I didn't want it, but it was there. His words, his tone felt like a knife stabbing me in the throat. He cared, and I could hear the concern in his voice. He wasn't allowed to care anymore, right? Right? Could I care about him? What were the rules now? Had they changed?

"Sheldon?"

I took too long to answer. I mumbled, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I—"

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