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I folded my arms. “I barely know you, Mike, why would I go upstairs with you?”
Mike stepped toward me, bracketing his arms on the counter behind me, standing far too close for my comfort. I put my hand up on his chest to stop him from getting any closer.
“Ava, come on, you knew where this was going,” he cajoled.
I shook my head. “I never had any intention of hooking up with you. I thought you needed help.”
Mike scowled. “What’s the problem? Is it fucking Becker?” he spit out. Clearly, he was unable to accept I might be rejecting him, but even more, he was infuriated that it might be because I found someone else more appealing. Was this just some sort of pissing contest for him?
Fuck Mike Crenshaw.
I pushed my hand against him, to push him back again. “Look, Mike–”
The back door crashed open and Jack stood there looking like an avenging angel, nostrils flaring, fists clenching, his green eyes tiny slits of rage. “Crenshaw, get your motherfucking hands off of her,” he demanded, striding over to us and pushing Mike away in order to stand in front of me.
I stood staring at Jack’s heaving back as he confronted Mike, stunned at Jack’s behavior. I thought he might get a little jealous, but I had to admit, this felt like an overreaction.
I reached up to push him out of the way. “Jack, what are you doing?”
“Yeah, Jack, what the fuck are doing?” Mike taunted, stepping toward Jack. “I was trying to have a conversation with Ava."
Jack barked out a laugh. “Oh, is that right? You still talking to her about fucking equations, Crenshaw?”
“Actually, Jack, I was just telling Ava we should find somewhere more private to hang out,” Mike sneered. Did this guy have a death wish? He was waving a red flag at an already enraged bull.
“The fuck you will!” Jack grabbed the front of Mike’s shirt, pulling him slightly off his feet. “You tell her about the bet, you motherfucker?”
Mike visibly blanched, darting a look to where I was standing.
“What bet?” I asked sharply.
Jack roughly let go of Mike causing him to slam up against the opposite counter.
Jack swung his gaze to mine, still scowling. “He bet the entire fucking basketball team that he was going to fuck you.”
My eyes bugged out as I swung my head around to stare at Mike in disbelief. “What? Mike, that’s what this was all about? Coming on to me? Trying to get me upstairs alone?”
Mike rubbed his face with his hands. “Look, Ava, there may be some truth to what Jack is saying, but I really like you. Seriously, I forgot all about the bet.”
Jack stepped toward Mike again, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.
I turned to Mike and scoffed. “Forgot about it? You had your jock buddies freaking winking at you while we were talking! I can’t believe I wasted my time trying to help you when you’re such a creepy asshole.”
Jack put his arm around me, pulling me tightly to his side, still glaring at Mike. “Just stay the fuck away from her.”
Mike’s gaze darted between me and Jack, a look of disbelief on his face. “What the hell?” Crenshaw snorted and shook his head. “You know, I heard you were hanging out with Becker at Cassidy’s party, but I didn’t think there was any way you’d become one of his casualties. Don’t you realize that he’s just going to fuck you then drop you, Ava? How can you be mad at me, but cool with Jack Becker?”
I felt Jack tense next to me, and my face flushed with embarrassment and distress as my heart crumbled in my chest. I knew Mike wasn’t necessarily wrong, but it was painful and humiliating to have it pointed out so publicly. So, I deflected.
I pointed my finger toward Mike’s face. “First of all, we aren’t talking about Jack, we’re talking about you and the disgusting way you and the basketball team apparently view women as conquests and prizes.” This was a trigger for me. It was exactly how my ex and all his friends viewed women. We didn’t have identities, we just served as accessories for them. “How could I possibly take anything you say seriously considering you’ve been lying every time we’ve hung out. Come on, Jack,” I said, taking his hand and pulling him toward the door.
Mike’s jaw swung open and he shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re going with Becker. You know he’s slept with half the fucking school, right? I thought you were smarter than to end up some notch on his bedpost,” Mike remarked bitterly, causing a rumble of responses to roll through the small crowd that had gathered since Jack had stormed in.
Once again, I felt heat climbing up my cheeks. Even though I had agreed to sleep with Jack knowing his view on relationships, the reminder of my status sickened me. I could hardly respond that I already was a notch on his bedpost, so I gulped and tried to think of a way to exit this conversation.
“She’s not some fucking notch on a bedpost, you asshole,” Jack gritted out. “She’s my girlfriend, so keep your fucking hands off of her.”
If I thought Mike’s previous comment had caused a reaction in the crowd, it was nothing compared to Jack’s comment. I stared at him in shock, but he simply pressed a hard kiss to my gaping mouth and led us out of the kitchen.
