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“You guys are friends with him, and I know that. When I was dating Owen, I think I was almost jealous of what you guys had with him.” She let out a humorless laugh, ran her hand nervously through her hair. “Owen was my first real boyfriend, alright? He’s so handsome, and charming, and herunsWorthington Academy. You guys probably know that even though you never went to school there. He’s got this… confidence, I guess it is. Or at least that’s what I thought it was before I realized it was just privilege and arrogance and a complete disregard for other people’s feelings all mixed together in a terrible fucking smoothie of garbage.”
I barked a laugh, and though Dane kept his pissed-off mask in place, even Xander surprised us all by letting out a tiny hiss of a laugh through his nose.
“Eloquently put,” he teased her, and Jade cracked a weak smile before she went on.
“I was always… I don’t know. I felt a little like I never quite fit in, even with all of my friends. Dumb teenage girl shit, I guess—like, I wasn’t as interested in shopping and handbags and expensive skincare as them, and my parents were always so strict about my doing well in school, so I couldn't skate by like the usual rich, pretty girls. It’s probably at least a little bit because I’m not a size two like all the other perfect girls at my old school, too.” She shrugged, and I resisted the urge to refute her self-deprecating comment, tell her that the luscious curves she teased us with daily were perfect, cellulite and stretch marks and all. The way her ass could fill out a pair of tight jeans, the succulent plumpness of her thighs, the way her full breasts bounced when she rode my dick… Christ, it could drive me todistraction even as I was trying to hear her out. I forced my dick to calm down so I could learn more about the mysterious Hannah-Jade. There was something novel about the idea of uncovering her secrets the same way I’d uncovered her body already.
“Owen is like thekingof Worthington. So when he noticed me, plain old nothing-special Hannah… it was hard to resist, I guess. I never saw any red flags when he started being nice to me and offering me gifts andwooingme like some kind of fairytale prince. It just felt so perfect.
“For a while, we were happy. I… I gave Owen my virginity,” she admitted with red cheeks, “and I think I maybe thought we’d get married someday. I know that’s stupid to think in high school, but I did. Until everything fell apart, anyway.”
Jade stayed strong as she told us about the slow deterioration of their relationship. From being around Owen for years, seeing the way he treated girls even when we were kids, I could sense the truth in every word she spoke. How he'd started to reveal his critical, unkind nature, at first in small comments about her body or her personality, and eventually by disinviting her to things his girlfriend definitely should have been allowed to attend.
“I was so stupid,” Jade said shakily, tears actually welling up in her eyes now. “I should have known he was cheating on me way sooner, but I think I ignored all the signs because… well, honestly, because I didn't want to believe that of my former friends, either. All the girls who had let me into their inner circle, invited me to their sleepovers and to get ready with them for school dances… they’d only started to like me when Owen noticed me, anyway. He gave me all of my friends, and then he took them away.” A glittering tear rolled down her cheek and fell onto the smooth carpet.
Jesus, I couldn’t imagine what that felt like. I’d never been as alone as Jade Wells was before she came to Coldwater, having grown up with great parents, all of my siblings, and three close friends to boot. All of those bonds had been rock-solid, formed at such an early age that they were built into who I was, the sturdy foundation of Bryce Fisher. I resisted the urge to go to Jade, wrap her up in my arms, and take the pain away because I knew I should still be upset with her despite her sad story. Dane was the one with the real temper, though, and I’d never been very good at holding a grudge. My resolve was crumbling with every passing second, and she hadn’t even gotten to the real explanation yet.
“So when we finally broke up, I couldn’t stand to face him again. I moved schools, and when I decided on Coldwater, it wasn’t just because my aunt lives in the district. I knew you guys went there, and I… I guess I thought the best way to give Owen a taste of his own medicine, to make him feel some fraction of the hurt he inflicted on me, was to go through his friends, too.
“But Jesus, I never,everintended to… to actually be attracted to you guys. I promise I wasn’t faking any of that, and I think you all know it. I wouldn’t even know how to convincingly fake an orgasm, anyway, since Owen never cared whether I came or not. My vibrator was practically worn out by the end of our relationship. ”
That was the comment that finally broke Dane’s near-impenetrable walls, too. He let out a cruel laugh—at Owen’s expense, I knew, since he and Owen had never been as close to begin with.
“I just wanted to flirt with you guys,” Jade admitted carefully. She played with her hair, twirling an end around her finger in a nervous habit. “I… honestly, I didn’t think it all through as well as I could have, but my plan was basically just to get close to you, flirt a little, take some photos I could share online to make himsee what it was like. I know Owen still keeps track of that kind of shit, not because he cared about me or anything but because he’s still pissed I had the nerve to break up with him. Asshole,” she scoffed, and Dane laughed a little again, adding something like “tell me about it” under his breath.
“I don’t know when or how I got so distracted by… by my feelings for you guys,” Jade went on. Her cheeks were bright pink, and she avoided our eyes. “Sexual feelings, obviously. I still don’t really know if I like any of you as people all that much. You guys are… well, you’re total bullies. People at school areafraidof you. You walk around like you own the damn place, and you were dicks to me the second we met even though youdidn’tknow who I was. Honestly, I kind of hate myself for being so attracted to the three of you and for acting on it. It’s like I haven’t learned my lesson at all after stupid fucking Owen Prescott.”
Dane bristled at the comparison, and somehow, my reaction was the opposite. I felt myself deflate like a sad balloon, realizing how right she was. Sure, I knew I wasn’t always the nicest guy in school, but before Jade, I’d never taken a second to consider how my actions could really hurt people. How projecting my own issues with my older brothers, my secret insecurities, onto the weaker kids around me wasn’t harmless or fair. Xander, Dane, and I all had rough edges, and of the three of us, I had less excuse to be such a jerk. Sure, I had problems like anyone, but Dane came from a hellish childhood and Xander’s family treated each other like reluctant business colleagues instead of loving relatives. My mom and dad had raised me right, at least.
“I’m nothing like that prick,” Dane spat at Jade, and she stood her ground.
“You are, though. You guys belittle me just as much as he did, at least in public. But the difference is that you all made me feel sexy, and wanted, and I guess cared for in some way, even if that was only in the context of sex. That’s important to me, and nomatter how little I like you guys as people in public, I love the way you make me feel when we’re alone.”
I swallowed hard, taking the silence to mean she was finished with her explanation. The words that came out of my mouth were involuntary, but they felt right. “I’m… so sorry, Jade. For the bullying shit, I mean.”
I took a few slow steps toward Jade, not stopping until I was looking down into her face, cupping her cheek in my palm. Her bright green irises were suspicious, but there was a sweet hope in them, too. I stroked her cheek with my thumb, carrying away one of her residual tears.
“There’s no excuse for being such an asshole to you, or to anyone, really. So, I won’t try to make you feel bad for me with some sob story about why I need therapy or whatever.” I cracked a smile when she let out a breathy little laugh. “But really, Jade. I wanna be a better dude. I never, ever want to be like Owen. We’ve… noticed the change in him over the years, too. And from what you’ve said… I don’t blame you for wanting to get revenge.”
She blinked at me, and her eyes grew wide. Xander and Dane were quiet as she looked between them, then back at me. “What… what are you saying?”
“I’m saying,” I started slowly, measuring my words with more care than I ever used in anything else. This mattered to me. I was making a choice I knew I’d never regret. “That I don’t care if you were trying to use me at first. It sounds like your ex deserves everything he’s got coming to him, and I don’t regret what happened in the locker room. Now, you’ve got me on your hook, Jade Wells. And if you want to fuck over Owen… hell, I’m ready to follow you into battle.”
19
JADE
”Just like that?” I asked Bryce, disbelief coloring my tone. “You’d… jump ship from this friendship you’ve had so long just to help me?”
“Well, to help you,andto make sure I get to fuck you again,” he clarified with a cheeky grin. “Assuming that’s still on the table. Somehow, I doubt you got enough of Bryce from just the one time.”
I laughed hard, slapping him on the chest in playful consternation as he grinned back at me and bobbed his eyebrows like a freak. He wasn’t wrong, though. Even being in close proximity to his large, delicious body while I was so skimpily dressed was tempting me to touch him again. But my mind was still struggling to grasp this sudden change in allegiance.
“I’ve already apologized to you,” Xander then chimed in, strolling toward me with his arms still crossed over his bare chest. He stopped when he and Bryce were shoulder-to-shoulder, looking down at me with those coolly beautiful eyes. “But now, knowing what all went into your dumping Owen and moving to Coldwater, I’m inclined to take your side, too.”
“You are?” I parroted back.
“Sure. He and I have been growing apart regardless.” He shrugged, flipped a strand of his hair off his forehead. “I’d much rather be on the side of the scorned woman than some asshole with no sense of loyalty.”
