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“You can’t fix him, Hadley.” She lets out an exasperated breath. “Cole is... even I don’t know what’s going on with him, and I live with him.”
I scoff at that. Remi and her mom have only lived with the Jaggers for a few days, she’s hardly in a position to consider herself an expert. But she is with Ace, and he is Cole’s brother. Surely, he of all people would understand Cole?
Yet, I can’t help but think no one does.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say, breaking the awkward silence. “Cole doesn’t like me like that.” My eyes dart to the ground.
“Hey.” Remi lays her hand on my arm. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just worried.”
Lifting my gaze to hers, I force a smile. “You don’t need to worry about me, I’ll be fine.” Just like I always am.
She exhales a little sigh, as if she knows I’m lying, but doesn’t push me about it. “Come on,” she says. “We should get to class.”
There’s always a buzz in the air on game day, and today is no different. Excitement and anticipation crackle as we move from class to class. It’s a big deal for the Seahawks tonight against the Beaumont Bulls. Aaron Garrick is filling Bexley Danforth’s spot as QB and captain. I like Aaron, he isn’t as conceited and entitled as some of the other players. He’s a team player and cares more about his teammates and friends than his own reputation, which for the most of the trust fund kids of Sterling Prep is a rarity.
I’m sitting in AP English when I hear a couple of girls whispering about Cole.
“I heard Coach pulled him into his office and threatened to throw him off the team if he doesn’t get it together.”
“Well he did show up hungover and high, what did he expect? Just because he’s a Jagger, he thinks he can get away with murder.”
My spine goes rigid. She doesn’t know, she can’t, but the words rattle around my skull like bricks.
Cole hasn’t admitted anything, but he also hasn’t denied it. Their uncle Charlie wasn’t a good guy, I know that much from Remi. Not to mention the fact that he tried to hurt Remi to get back at James and Ace.
Something tells me Charlie Jagger had whatever Cole did coming to him... but it doesn’t change the fact that I think Cole killed him.
It should terrify me. It should make me run far, far away from Cole Jagger and never look back.
It doesn’t.
If anything, it makes me more curious about the boy with a chip on his shoulder and darkness in his soul. He pretends he doesn’t care, that no one can thaw the ice around his heart, but if I’m right and he did kill Charlie, he did it for a reason.
He did it for his family.
Cole can put up a wall and hide behind his barbed words and cruel taunts, but it doesn’t change the fact that I see him. I see past the tattoos and attitude and bad boy image.
And it only makes me want him more.
“Sloppy, girls,” Miss Jones yells across the gym. “Let’s go again.” The clap of her hands jolts us into action as we move into formation.
“Coach is right. Your counts are off, your smiles are lacking, and a couple of you need to lose at least five pounds by tonight.” Lylah Donovan glares at us, lingering on me for a second longer than the others.
“I almost wish M was still here,” one of the girls whispers behind me.
I smother a chuckle. Lylah is no Michaela Fulton, but she’s still a vapid bitch who demands nothing less than perfection and doesn’t care who she treads on to get it. It’s been the same all week, her exerting her newfound power over the rest of us.
I used to love cheer, the friendship and sense of belonging—not to mention, the physical skill and dedication. But now, it’s just another thing I tolerate.
“On three,” she barks, pacing back and forth. “One, two, three.”
We move through the routine with ease this time. I perform a perfect back walkover round-off into a double back handspring before moving into my base position ready for the flyers to do their thing.
“Better,” Coach says, approaching our formation. “Hadley, nice handspring. Remember to keep those landings tight. Marissa, you looked a little shaky up there,” she says to one of the flyers.
“Stomach cramps,” she admits.
“Get some Advil and see how you go. I want us game-ready by tonight, you got it?”
