Chapter 25

Georgina

I am still giving Jake the silent treatment after the way he and AJ spoke about that girl yesterday.

I mean, sure, she was ~kinda~ skanky to hook up with a high school senior on a campus tour, but she still deserved a little more respect than they showed her.

Jake, so far, has not apologized, which is making me madder. He doesn’t even seem to care that I am ignoring him! I was sure I would have at least managed to get a free ice cream from him over this.

I hear the doorbell chime and Jake’s heavy feet bounding down the stairs, followed by the deep timbre of AJ’s stupid voice floating up from the hallway.

They make their way back up to Jake’s room, and soon the usual stream of shooting noises and insults fill the air.

I quietly push my door open, so I can hear their conversation better.

“I still can’t believe what you said to the chick yesterday, dude.” Jake chuckles. “‘~I’m already a fucking legend~’…Ha!”

“Goddamn straight, you’re a fucking legend. Who else would have the balls to turn down a fucking ~naked~ college girl? No-one, that’s who!”

“It’s all about quality, my young padawan, not quantity.”

“Yeah, right.” Jake scoffs. “All I hear at school is how many chicks you’ve hooked up with. I mean, who else would have their own party sex lair!”

I hear AJ’s voice get closer to the door and hold my breath, hoping he doesn’t open it to find me crouching on the landing like some creep.

“I’ll let you in on a little-known secret, Jakey. The majority of the girls I take in there don’t even get to first base, let alone all the way.”

~What the actual fuck?~

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~

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“So what is your actual body count then?”

“Like five? I think. Probably like eight if you count fooling around.”

“So I’ve slept with nearly as many girls as the great AJ McGabe!” Jake sounds a little smug. He is very proud of his four sexual conquests.

“Dude. You do know people think your body count is up in the fifties.”

AJ snorts with laughter.

“Smoke and mirrors.”

“What?”

“Smoke and mirrors. People see me at one or two parties a month, but because my friends are at all of them, people just assume I’m there somewhere too.

“The ones I do go to, people see me have one beer, then walk around with a red solo cup the rest of the evening, so assume I’m always drinking beer. I’m not. It’s just water after the first one.

“Then people see me lead a sexy piece into my room where we stay for a period of time, and everyone assumes I’ve fucked them.”

There’s a pause while he takes a drink, the sound of the liquid sloshing in the can.

“I found out early on that girls don’t like to admit they’ve been turned down for sex any more than guys do, so they’ll happily lie about it too.”

“Damn. Dude, you are like the fucking king.”

I quietly sneak back to my room, my head reeling from what I just heard.

~AJ fucking McGabe wasn’t actually a man whore, just a great pretender~.

***

It had been a long eight weeks, but the doctor had finally given the go-ahead for my plaster cast to be removed. I was beyond happy.

No more lifts to school with AJ. Being wedged in the back of his car, listening to that awful rap music was pure hell.

Although I had been surprised to discover it was mostly all PJ’s CDs that were played. After hearing that conversation in Jake's room, I started to look at AJ a little differently.

We are still basically ignoring each other, even though we are always together, especially with PJ and Katy still going strong as a couple.

But I am definitely making more of an effort not to be so catty toward him, although it is hard, and I get the impression he is trying not to be such a dick toward me too.

Jake is once again spinning himself around on the wheelie stool while we wait for the technician to come back in with my final X-ray now the cast is gone.

My newly exposed leg is disgustingly hairy, and I am currently wishing I brought a pair of jeans to put on rather than just my shorts.

His dad dropped us at the hospital but left for an appointment at his solicitors to finalize the divorce. Jake’s phone beeps, and he pulls it out of his pocket, managing to drop it on the floor in the process.

“Shit. George, my dad won’t be done for like another couple hours, so he can’t pick us up.”

“Well, my dad can’t come. He’s out of town all day!” I whine.

Jake chews the inside of his cheek while he texts.

“Andy said he’s free!” A smile spreads on his face until he sees my thunderous look.

“What?”

“I’m not letting AJ fucking McGabe come and pick me up when I look like this.” I gesture widely at my unshaved leg.

“~Pshush~! I don’t see the big fucking deal. Your leg hair is so light you can barely even see it.” He moves closer to me and runs his hand over the offending hair. “Some guys find it sexy.”

“Yeah, weirdos.” I push his hand off.

“Well, Andy will be here in like ten minutes, so tough. Deal with it, Smidge.”

The technician chooses that moment to come back in.

It’s all good news, and he gives me a strap for my ankle to wear through the day for a week or two and tells me to come back if I have any problems.

We slowly make our way out to the pick-up bay, my leg feeling really weird in the fresh air, and find AJ’s Jeep already sitting waiting for us.

Jake climbs in the back seat, meaning I have to pull myself up into the passenger side next to AJ. I notice him glance down at my hairy leg, and I try to hide it behind my other one.

“Don’t mind the Sasquatch here. She’ll be okay again once we get her to a razor,” Jake squeals as my bag narrowly misses his head.

AJ chuckles next to me.

“It doesn’t look that bad, don’t worry about it,” I look at him in surprise.

~Prime teasing fodder, and he doesn’t rise to it?!~

Maybe AJ really is trying to change.