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“Yeah! He always throws a back-to-school blowout rager. The three jerk-skateers will all be there, but if you want to tag along, you can hang with me. I’m a pro at avoiding them.” She smiled.
“Oh, you had me at rager,’” I told her, smiling back with a touch of menace behind it. Leah let out another chuckle.
“Oh, I like you, Jade. You’re cool, and funny to boot.”
That took me by surprise for a second. When was the last time someone had complimented me on my sense of humor? Hell, when was the last time I’d been complimented on my personalityat all? Owen certainly never did it, and neitherdid my so-called-friends back at Worthington. Instantly, I liked Leah even more than I already did. Even from knowing her for just this short time, I could tell she was kind, non-judgmental,real.
But before I could tell Leah that I liked her, too, a bit of a scene broke out in the cafeteria, grabbing my attention.
“Mr. Schwartz.” A stiff man in a stiffer suit—the assistant principal, I thought—called out loud enough that I could tell it wasn’t the first time he’d done it. My eyes snapped to Dane, who was honest-to-Godsmokingin the cafeteria. I watched the tendril of smoke slither out of his nostrils like some kind of dragon, and I never thought I had a thing for the bad boys before, butGodwas that sexy. I swore he met my gaze for a second, too. His dark eyes slid across the cafeteria, snagging on me for a second, before he finally looked the pissed-off authority figure in the eye.
“We got a problem, Hanson?” Dane drawled. Mr. Hanson’s face purpled.
“You know very well that there isnosmoking in this building, young man. Put that cigarette out this instant. You’re too young to be ruining your health with such a disgusting habit, anyway.”
Dane plucked the cigarette out of his lips, but he just held it aloft, not moving to snuff it out. I could see the deliciously masculine sinews in his forearms, the hint of dark ink on the back of one wrist.Of coursehe had a tattoo.
While Mr. Hanson sputtered in rage, ramping up to some truly undignified yelling, Dane turned on his heavy boot’s heel and sidled away, smoke trailing after him. I watched as he exited from a side door, and I could see through the cafeteria windows that he’d gone outside to a green space with a bench and some wilting flowers. There was even a tiny sign that deemed it the smoking section. My old school never had such a thing, but that didn’t mean kids didn’t smoke anyway.
I realized, seeing Dane out there alone, that this was a good opportunity for me to put my plan into motion. I’d already acquainted myself with Bryce and Xander, but here was their elusive third musketeer, practically asking for me to approach him. I made an excuse to Leah, telling her I’d see her in class later before I dumped the last of my lunch tray and ducked outside.
I’d never attempted a seduction before, but that was the energy I was hoping to exude when I approached Dane in the garden. I swung my hips more than I normally would, walking slowly, crunching the early fall leaves under my shoes to announce my presence to him.
The look on his face when his eyes found their way to me again told me my devious plot was working, at least a little. Those brown irises, deep and mysterious, twinkled with interest as they scanned me from head to toe. His posture changed—not relaxing, exactly, as he already wore a devil-may-care attitude like a long beloved coat, but settling into the idea of my presence. He raised one thick, dark eyebrow at me, his expression begging the question,You sure you’re in the right place?The hard plane of his jaw set off his full lips as they smirked, and I sort of wanted to lick it, if I were honest with myself.
Of course, I had no intention ofactuallyseducing Dane, much less Bryce or Xander. My evil plan was about making itlooklike I’d seduced all of Owen’s longest and closest friends. It was about humiliation, retaliation for the hell Owen had given me, which didn’t require me lowering myself to sleeping with guys I didn’t even know, much less like.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t have fun with the fantasy of Dane. I’d never been drawn to bad boys before, but there was a first time for everything.
“You got one of those to spare?” I asked him without thinking, nodding toward his dwindling cigarette. His lips twitched in the precursor to a laugh.
“You smoke?” he asked skeptically, and I enjoyed the rush of adrenaline that flooded through me as I stepped closer to him and turned my flirtation meter up to ten.
“No,” I admitted, my voice low and sultry. “But you make it look so good, I figure I might as well try.”
Dane snorted in derision, but I got a feeling that he appreciated my boldness. That is, until he opened his mouth.
“Nice try, new girl, but… pass.” He stubbed out his cigarette and stomped the butt under his boot. “You’ve got a sweet body, to be honest, but I usually like someone who’s a bit more of a challenge.”
When his gaze swept over my body again, appraising me, there was an air of disinterest in it. I felt utterly dismissed, and when his words sank in, it turned to full on fury. Was he saying I waseasy?
“Wow, a bad boy with a worse attitude. How predictable,” I snapped.
“Not as bad as the obvious good girl trying and failing to go bad. Oh, please. Don’t give me that look,” he sneered. “I can see right through you. Let me guess. Some kind of prep school princess trying to slum it with the regulars to piss off Daddy? Or are you just having an identity crisis?”
What the hell was his problem? The rage that surged through me was powerful enough to knock me over. Either that or I was going to explode. But that wasn’t a good look for the first day of school, and I was desperate to keep control of the situation. Dane couldn’t win. That would be like lettingOwenwin, and that wasn’t an option.
Instead of losing complete control, I simply tossed my red hair over my shoulder and spat, “You’re not as smart as you think you are. And I have a name, by the way. It’s Jade.”
“Dane,” he responded, his tone bored. I blinked, surprised he even gave me his name after all of that. Mercurial was an understatement. He started to stride away from me, turning his back to the school entirely and heading toward the copse of trees at the edge of campus.
“Nice to meet you, too,” I barked out, adding a quiet “asshole” just for my ears.
Great. We’re three for three on the “total dick” count.All of my targets, the reasons I enrolled in this stupid school in the first place, were going to be absolutely insufferable to grow close to, even just enough to get my revenge against their friend. But it only took a second of remembering that first day when I found out about Owen’s lies, the sting of that memory, to make my motivation stronger than ever.
There was no way in hell three high school bullies would be enough to stop me. I would get my revenge if it killed me, and for my first mission, I had my sights set on the biggest party of the year.
3
