8. Ditching + Douchebaggery

Part 3/3 for this update! Go back to chapter 6 + 7 if you haven't read them yet!

I feel myself wake up from my deep, long-ass sleep. Rolling over in bed, I check my phone to see that it's 6am on Monday morning. It's been a week since Aimee's birthday party, a week since Alexei Solis had glared at me like he wished I'd never been born.

Thankfully, it had been an uneventful and relatively normal week. Jayce hadn't so much as looked in my direction since I had basically told him to leave me alone, followed by his dad being an ass to me.

The normalcy, lack of distraction and attention had been a welcomed, even celebrated, change. Even Presley hadn't brought Jayce up.

I was still unsettled that Alexei seemed to hate me for literally no reason, but I wasn't going to let that give me an excuse to break the heavenly silence between Jayce and I. The less we talked, the more focused I was able to stay on important things.

I'd been able to have a quiet weekend and other than going on a long run and working at 12 year old's slumber party as Cinderella, I'd pretty much stayed curled up in my room, studying, reading and watching Netflix.

Slightly annoyed that I woke up this early, but knowing I won't be able to fall back asleep, I roll out of bed and head to my bathroom.

I quickly wash my face and brush my teeth before heading downstairs to make some coffee and sit on the front porch with my steaming mug to watch the night turn into a periwinkle dawn.

My mind drifts as it wakes up with help from the coffee. My mind settles on the events of that night at Jayce's. What the hell had all that been about? Jayce's dad was, as far as I was concerned, a class A prick. I'd never even met the guy before and he had treated me like I'd done something terrible to him.

And then there was Jayce, who had just stood in the kitchen, staring down at his shoes almost the entire time. I had hoped he would've stood up for me in some way, but I quickly let it go, considering that I'm no longer wasting time thinking about that boy. And besides, if I really had wanted someone to stand up for me, I should've done it myself.

Celeste, on the other hand, was something else. She was like a damn angel. She was stunning, graceful, kind, generous... It honestly had made me feel like a million bucks when she said she liked me. I'm usually not one to care about the approval of others, but when that gorgeous woman had complimented me, I wanted to fall over and curl into a ball of happiness.

I may have a slight girl crush on Jayce's mom. Anyway.

Just then, I see a shirtless Haven running up the sidewalk, drenched in sweat. He sprints into the driveway and slows down, bending over at the waist as his diaphragm expands and contacts with his rapid, heavy panting. He stretches downward for a few moments before standing up and wiping his forehead. He sees me and yanks his headphones out of his ears as he walks up the porch steps.

"Morning, sis," he's still panting as he makes his way over to me, his muscular build bulging. "You're never up this early?"

"Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out why I'm awake right now," I chuckle and offer him a sip of my coffee, to which he shakes his head no. "So tell me, do you endure this self-inflicted torture every morning?"

He laughs as his breathing starts to return to normal. "Just about. That call from Brixton last week made me realize I need to make sure my shit's together. I can't slack at all this season if I want to  be considered for their team."

I nod vacantly, not really hearing much he's saying. He can tell I'd been thinking deeply before he jogged up.

"What's going on, Fallon?" His tone is suddenly much more serious as he studies me intently.

I take a deep breath, feeling embarrassed for some reason. "I got to meet Mr. and Mrs. Solis last Sunday," I readjust my grip on my mug.

"J's parents?" Haven's face contorts into a simultaneously confused and amazed expression. "How'd you meet them?"

"His mom hired me to be Tinkerbell at their niece's birthday," I take a sip of my coffee. "I have no idea how she even heard about Party Princess."

"I've been friends with Jayce for nearly 3 years and I have never once met his parents," Haven scoffs in disbelief. "Hardly anyone at school has, actually."

"Why? There seemed to be plenty of people they knew at the party."

"C'mon, Fal?" He rolls his eyes at my ignorance. "They own Duende. They're pretty private."

"Oh," I breathe, wondering why I hadn't quite put two and two together just yet.

The big, metal 'D' on the front of the gate, Jayce knowing so much about wine, their house literally being in the middle of grape vine fields... Why didn't I realize sooner?

Duende wine is the staple of Goldcrest. It's the most prestigious vineyard in California, maybe the whole country. Their wines are served and recommended in every restaurant, they have billboards and ads all over town and sponsor most of Goldcrest High School's events, clubs and sports teams. Every year there are even town-wide celebrations marking the beginning and end of the grape harvest season. There are parades, food trucks, bounce houses, carnival rides, you name it. I've never actually attended one of these celebrations however, Presley and I have definitely taken advantage of the fact that on those days, wine is sold to practically anyone who can swipe a card.

Our town might like our wine, and sure, we're all curious about who the family behind the bottle is, but Haven is right - they're really private. I've never paid much attention to all that, hence the fact that I literally didn't even realize where I was when Jayce took me to a vineyard with a huge ass D on the front gate. He must've gotten one hell of a kick from me being so damn dense. It makes sense now why Jayce has such an arrogant, highbrow, rich-boy air to him. Because he is actually all those things.

I feel like I'm sinking lower and lower into my seat on the porch swing as I'm still suffering from a pretty extreme case of humiliation. Seriously, how the fuck had I not realized?

"Just don't tell mom," Haven warns. "She can't stand Duende, or the Solis family, for some reason. That's part of why we never went to the Harvest celebrations or anything Duende did. And apparently, the Solises are responsible for why dad stepped down from his place on the Founder's Council."

Goosebumps rise on my exposed thighs and I shiver involuntarily, remembering Alexei's glare and wondering if it had anything to do with this supposed bad blood between our families. "When Jayce gave me a ride home Friday night, mom invited him inside - do you think she realized who he was?"

Haven lets out an empty laugh, "I think we're lucky that she still knows who we are, let alone a guy she's never met before. It'll be okay, Fal. Just don't bring Duende or the Solises up around her, I don't want it to cause a fit or anything."

I nod, staring out at the quiet street as Haven passes me, heading inside.

I take another sip of my coffee, feeling its warmth run through me, which juxtaposes the chill in my blood. I hadn't realize that my family was so connected to Jayce's. Meeting his parents had been fucking bizarre and a half. His dad was super brash and unsettling, and then there was the epitome of beauty, hospitality and grace that was Jayce's mother. It was a strange dynamic.

I never even knew that my family was dramatic enough to have beef with another family in town. I knew my dad had stepped down from his position on the Founder's Council a couple months before he died. But I also knew that after he stepped down, I got to see my dad more, so back then, as a 5 year old, it had been a welcomed relief. I don't remember much from back then, mainly only flashes of soccer and lots of joy, but if dad and mom had been trying to shield Haven and I from drama with the Solises, they had succeed. Especially seeing as I'm just now finding out about it 11 years later.

I wonder how the hell Haven knows about this bullshit. I make a mental note that I need to ask him at some point soon.

Carrying my mug back up to my room, I open up my notebook and begin writing.

When I need to get my thoughts in order, writing is what I turn to. It forces me to stop the thoughts from swirling in my head just long enough to string them together into something that makes a bit of sense on paper.

I tune out the world as my pen races across the unlined page, spilling my guts about the past couple weeks with Jayce and all this newly unearthed craziness with our families. I really don't want to have another thing that pulls me closer to him, especially when I'm trying so hard to stay away.

After a while, my writing slows and I feel lighter, like I've just taken a huge weight off my shoulders. It's absolutely wild how therapeutic writing is. I swear, I could survive completely alone, holed up in my room with my laptop, notebooks and cozy blankets and be totally content for weeks on end. What can I say, I'm a homebody like that.

As I flip my notebook closed, I catch a glimpse of a line I had written in a large, swirling font on another page.

"When things stand in your way, don't make a big deal out of them. Just smile, flip them off and keep moving forward."

Damn, self. Solid life advice.

I close my notebook and hop off the bed. Looking at myself in my vanity mirror, I give myself a big, cheesy smile and hold up my middle finger, because I am 100% standing in my own damn way right now. I shouldn't be focused on this drama with Jayce and his family, I should be living my best life, working hard and playing hard with Presley.

I get a crazy idea.

Filled with excitement, I quickly get ready for the day by shimmying into some comfy skinny jeans, putting on a striped shirt and my Adidas. I run a brush through my naturally straight hair and quickly apply a simple makeup look.

Grabbing my bags, I head out the door with a pep in my step. Deciding some more fresh air and a bit of exercise would do me good, I grab my vintage yellow bicycle, shove my headphones into my ears and pedal my way to Presley's.

Goldcrest is a smaller town, and luckily for me, I only live about 3 miles from my best friend, so it's a short 10 minute ride. The morning is crisp and cool and as the autumnal breeze whisks my hair over my shoulders, I can't help but smile. The feeling of freedom floods my entire being, and it's thrilling.

As the final notes of Lauv's "I Like Me Better" plays in my ears, I pull into Presley's driveway. Presley's parents are very well off - her dad is a doctor and her mom has a popular blog - and thier house showcases that. It's an inviting creme and stone home with square pillars on the large front porch and a cheery door that always had a seasonal wreath. This one was sunflowers and white hydrangeas with burlap, twigs and bright blue ribbons - the perfect embodiment of the transition from summer to fall.

Inside, the house smells of brown sugar and coffee - a combination that causes my mouth to water excessively as I dash up the steps to the second floor. Bursting through the doors of Presley's room, I shout, "PRES!" And cause her to drop onto the floor in a shocked ball, trying to cover her naked body from whoever could possibly be barging into her room at seven-thirty in the morning.

I burst into laughter and shut the door behind me, cracking up at my best friend's state of pure fright.

"FALLON RHODES!" She shouts at me angrily once she recovers from the initial shock. She pops up and begins whipping me repeatedly with the shirt she had been holding.

I can't seem to get a grip on my laughter as she topples me to the ground, still buck naked.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" She slaps me again with her shirt.

"Damn, Pres," I say through uncontrollable giggles. "You got this dom thing going on right now and it's fuckin' hot!"

"Shut the fuck up," she grumbles, slapping me once more for good measure before throwing on her clothes. She dons a black off the shoulder shirt that she tucks into a distressed denim skirt and pairs with studded strappy sandals. She piles her hair on top of her head and looks like a fucking model, totally naturally.

"You look amazing," I say as she curtsies and smiles with thanks.

"So, not that I'm mad that you came bursting into my room as I was changing," Presley throws her head back and laughs as she ties off her sandals. "But what are you doing here? I don't think you've ever just shown up like this."

My heart leaps in my chest as I remember what I'm here to suggest. I have no idea what she's going to say, but I take a deep breath in. I've never done anything like this before, and the idea alone has adrenaline coursing through my veins.

"Let's skip school today," I say in an excited, hushed voice. It's a bit sad that this is all it takes to get me feeling rebellious, but at the same time, maybe it's a good thing.

Presley's eyebrows shoot upward. Clearly she's shocked that I am currently suggesting breaking the rules.

"I know, I know," I can't keep from giggling due to the giddiness currently sprinting through my veins.

"Why?" Her nose scrunches as if she's smelling rotten eggs.

"I need to get my mind off some stuff. I wanna have some fun, and do it with you, so why not?" I say determinedly, straightening up.

A huge smile spreads across Presley's face. "Well, you came to the right girl!" She throws her arms around me.

"How are we going to do this without getting caught?" I ask Presley, who, between the two of us, is definitely more of the expert at this sort of thing.

"Let's go to the beach!" She squeals, immediately turning around and sifting through her dresser. Seconds later, she stuffs two bikinis and two towels into her large tote bag, slings the bag over her shoulder and grabs my hand, pulling me me down the stairs and shouting, "Let's gooooo!"

We race to Presley's Fiat, slamming the doors as our hearts pound.

I've only have enough time to internally freak out about our hooky day for about 3 seconds before she's twisting the key in the ignition and we're pulling out of her driveway.

The beach is only about an hour away from Goldcrest, and between the adrenaline and Presley and I shouting pop music at the top of our lungs with the windows down, it's a fast drive.

We end up deciding to get some breakfast at a cafe overlooking the sparkling blue water. Presley orders coffee for the table and French toast for herself, while I opt for an omelette and a short stack of pancakes.

"So," Presley folds her hands together. "I have an evil plan."

"Oh yeah?" I sip my coffee cautiously, not wanting to burn my tongue.

"Yes. I'm calling it 'Operation: Don't-Let-Layla-Win-Homecoming-Queen.'"

I almost choke on my coffee. "How creative, Pres," I chuckle after successfully managing to not douse her with a spew of liquid.

Layla Wright is the captain of the cheerleading squad, apple of every teacher's eye and the meanest girl I'd ever met. Not to mention she's the niece of the school principal and the granddaughter of Goldcrest's mayor.

Layla is a junior, just like Presley and I, and I think she genuinely enjoys destroying people's lives. I swear, she has it out for every girl who threatens to be smarter than her, prettier than her, more notable than her. She's in every one of my AP classes and wants to get into Princeton. Don't get me wrong, I admire her ambition. What I don't agree with is how she uses crooked methods and her trust fund to squash other juniors - particularly other junior girls - when they try for any achievement she has her eye on.

Freshman year, she'd printed and posted nearly-nude photos of the 9th grade valedictorian, Kate, all over the school. Everyone knew the two had a rivalry, but we were absolutely freaked when the photos got out. At least, the girls were anyway. The guys probably loved it.

Anyway, we still have no idea how she got the photos, avoided arrest for distributing child porn and managed to convince her uncle, the school principal, that Kate was the one who spread the photos around in the first place.

Afterward, the bullying got so bad that Kate and her entire family packed up and moved to Arizona. A few months later, I'd overheard Layla bragging to her minions about her victory over Kate. Ever since then, girls have been careful to not mess with Layla, or get in her way.

Layla is a real life Regina George. She's a Blair Waldorf, but with absolutely zero of Blair's good, lovable qualities. She thinks she's special because her mom is a famous Parisian model or something. And there's the fact that she's the niece of our school principal, and the granddaughter of Goldcrest's mayor. I swear though, that girl is made of lies and slander. And somehow, guys still worship the ground she walks on. It's literally mind blowing to watch.

"Her evil reign must come to an end!" Presley lifts her knife in the air and slams her fist back on the table, causing a couple heads to turn in our direction.

I just laugh at my friend's dramatics. "I didn't realize you spend so much time thinking about Layla."

Presley scowls, like she's remembering something negative. "Usually I don't," she murmurs. "But she's been especially annoyingly perfect lately. She literally made a post on Instagram this morning about how she spent the weekend in New York, shopping on 5th avenue with her fucking rich bitch friends and going to photoshoots with her mom. And last week, she even managed to find some freshman to scare into doing everything she says."

"I don't think we should intentionally sabotage her. Then we'd be just like her," I point out.

"God, you're no fun," Presley whines, flicking a crumb off the table.

"I don't want to get in trouble because we're trying to bring justice to a girl who has enough money and influence to escape it," I shrug, wishing the circumstances could be different because I would absolutely love to see her pay the price for her actions, but I've come to terms with the fact that money and connections is what actually runs this world, and she has a lot of both of those.

"No one is untouchable, Fal."

"True, but she's literally the goddaughter of the mayor and the niece of our school principal. As far as immunity gets, she's pretty damn close. She may be evil, but she's not worth risking our futures to bring down."

"Fine then," Presley huffs. "If you won't help me, I'll write to you from prison," she cackles as a cute waiter brings us our food. "Thank you so much," Presley purrs, her voice so sensual that it causes both the waiter and myself to both turn red.

I shake my head, stifling a laugh as he practically runs back to the kitchen. "Jesus, Pres, you didn't have to scare the poor thing!"

She giggles and douses her French toast with syrup. "So, next order of business," she cuts into her meal, stabs a bite with her fork and jabs it in my direction. "Jayce."

I let out an exhausted sigh, already completely over this topic. "I am literally so over everything about him."

"What do you mean?" Presley asks, leaning forward and jamming the bite in her mouth like I'm about to divulge some huge, juicy secret.

I eye her cautiously, trying to decide if I should dive into the bizarre events of last Sunday's birthday party. "The party I worked last weekend was for his niece's birthday... And it was at his house," I say as she widens her eyes. "He ignored me most of the time since I told him I didn't want to hang out anymore, but I also met his mom and dad, which was weird. Did you know they own Duende?"

Her jaw is hanging open, her mouth full of food. She slaps my arm. "Areyoufuckingkiddingme?" She asks so fast and so furiously it comes out like one word. "You met the Solises?"

I nod my head, "Mhmm."

Her shocked expression is still in full effect. "Damn, Fal. There's only a small handful of people in the entire town that have actually met them. Wait a sec, do you seriously mean to tell me that you didn't know that Jayce is the heir of a fucking massive wine empire?!"

I smile innocently, slightly embarrassed that I didn't connect that bit of information until this morning.

"Ohmygod you are so dense," she raises her finger tips and presses them into her temples. "He literally took you to a vineyard that he knew everything about, and you didn't even stop to think about it?"

"I've never been very involved in all the wine things that go on in this town," I shrug. "Most of the time, I forget it's so important here. But I think there's a reason for that..." I trail off, remembering my conversation with Haven from a few hours ago.

"What does that mean?"

I lean forward and drop my voice to a whisper. I can feel my heart rate increase just with the thought of what I'm about to tell her. "Haven said that apparently, our parents and Jayce's parents don't like each other. I'm not sure why, but I know for a fact that there's some pretty fucking negative feelings. When I left the Solis's house last Sunday, Jayce's dad was looking at me like I had killed his dog or something. His mom was an angel, but I seriously think his dad hates me. Haven even said not to bring up anything about the Solises or Duende to mom - apparently it really upsets her."

Presley is absolutely eating this up. "You two are full-on Romeo and Juliet!" She squeals, her eyes gazing at me in awe.

"I fucking hope not."

"We need to figure this out," Presley says seriously. "We're talking about a potentially centuries old blood feud. Ooh! Maybe there's a prophecy involved, or a curse! You must be the Chosen One!"

I roll my eyes. "You're ridiculous. And besides, this isn't our business. I don't care what happened between our parents, because I don't care to be in Jayce's life. Just let it go."

Presley looks at me like I'm insane. "Are you crazy?!" She smiles a huge, Cheshire cat smile that's slightly unnerving. "There's no way in hell I'm letting this go. This is too damn good."

Sometimes it annoys me that Presley seems to think everything is just like a movie or TV show. I love her, but every once in a while I find myself wishing she'd be a bit more realistic and not treat everything like there's a story to unravel. Sometimes, life is just plain ol' shitty and sometimes, there isn't righteousness that gets served to the bad guys or light that gets shed on past rivalries.

"Whatever," I say, taking another bite of my pancakes, which are fucking amazing. "We have a ball coming up this weekend," I remind her, attempting to change the subject. It seems to work.

"And you still don't have anything to wear!" She gasps.

"I'll find something," I say dismissively. "What are we going to do about Cole?"

"What're you talking about?"

"I meeeean," I say, choosing to take on the role of supportive best friend instead of cautious mothering friend. "Cole is going to this thing with a date, right? How are we going to make him wish he was with you?"

"I mean, hopefully my dress alone will do that." Presley flushes and giggles at her plate, which is almost empty seeing as she had gobbled up most of her food while I was talking, as if she was eating popcorn during a riveting movie. "It's a fundraiser for a charity, so it'll probably be pretty boring most of the time, but my plan is to drive him crazy the whole time with how much fun we're having and how good I look." She smiles and raises her eyebrows suggestively.

I smile back, even though I have sirens going off in my head that this whole make-Cole-jealous thing is a bad idea. "I'm excited."

"He, uh..." She stammers, pushing a syrup-soaked piece of French toast around her plate with her fork. "He asked me to go away with him over Christmas break. To Aruba."

I almost choke on the coffee in my throat, again. "Excuse me?" I cough, sure I must've heard her incorrectly. "Pres. Going to a foreign country with a man twice your age, who you barely know? Not exactly smart," I regard her with a disapproving look, unable to hide my concern. "I don't think you should say yes."

She continues looking down at her plate.

"You... you already said you'd go, didn't you?" I exhale, feeling anxiety gathering in my stomach and chest. "I'm not sure that I like this guy."

She glares at me impatiently. "I know you think I'm being an idiot, and I probably am. But I really like Cole, and he really likes me, and I've never thought that I would actually be able to say that. Could you please at least act like you're excited for me?"

"I'm sorry, Pres," I say honestly, wishing I could be happy for her without feeling like something bad is going to happen. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Don't worry about me, I can handle my own consequences," she signals for the waiter to bring our checks. "I just want some support, not another mom."

I sigh, not wanting to step back and let this guy have his way with my best friend. At the same time, I also want to respect her wishes her, so I smile. "I'm happy for you. You're going to have a fucking blast!"

She return my smile and the waiter comes to our table to clear our plates.

"What about that check, um," she reaches up and grabs his name tag to read it. "Tyler?"

"No charge," he smiles back at her, his cheeks flushing. Gross.

"Oh my gosh, you're amazing! Thank you so much!" Presley hops out of her chair and hugs him, which causes him to turn even redder.

"You two have a great day, okay?" He smiles at us.

"We will!" Presley says happily, waving to him. The second Tyler's back in the kitchen, Presley grabs my hand and leads me out of the restaurant before he can change his mind.

We're giggling the whole way and by the time we get to the car, we're cracking up and can't seem to stop.

"I can't believe I'm skipping school with you right now!" Presley roars. "This is like, a dream come true!"

"I'm enjoying it, actually," I admit as she pulls our swimsuits out of her tote for us to change in the backseat of her baby blue Fiat.

Once we've put on our bikinis, we make our way down to the beach. Laying out our towels, we slather sun tan oil on each other.

"I don't know what's gotten into you since the start of this year, but I am loving this fun and free Fallon," Presley chortles as we lay on our towels to get some sun. "Coming to parties with me, captivating the heart of our school's bad boy just to turn him down, skipping class... I think I'm finally rubbing off on you!"

I giggle at her excitement over my recent social-ness. It's true, in the past, I literally was either at school, soccer practice, working or in my room. It feels good to have some fun and get out of the house, while still getting my shit done.

"We have to take pictures to commemorate this!" Presley jumps up and starts taking pictures of the beach, and we take turns snapping photos of each other, laughing while pop music plays from my phone. With the sun kissing my skin, the sea salt wind in my hair and my best friend by my side, I feel unstoppable. For the rest of the day, I completely forget about Jayce and the family drama and decide to let the happiness of the current moment rule my consciousness for as long as I can.

~

I'm obsessed with his touch. I'm needy under his fingertips. My insides are so alight, the only thing I can think of is getting closer to him.

Jayce's soft lips trail up my neck as his strong hands pull my hips against his.

I want to kiss him, run my hands all over him, I want to feel his lips on every part of my body.

A small moan escapes my mouth as he intertwines his fingers in the hair at the nape of my neck. I'm finally about to run my hands over his huge, rock hard arms and back when suddenly, Presley's voice comes out of his mouth.

"Fallon? Wake up! We fell asleep!"

What the hell? I just want Jayce to kiss me and let me feel what it's like to be pressed against his hot, golden skin.

"Fallon!"

I'm ripped out of my dream and open my eyes to Presley shaking me by the shoulders.

"What?" I reply groggily, wiping my eyes.

"We fell asleep!" She giggles. "It's almost 5pm."

"Oh shit," I sit up and laugh, surprised that my skin isn't burnt to a crisp.

"What were you dreaming about?"

"What?" I ask quickly, feeling heat rising to my cheeks. "What do you mean?"

"You were moaning," she observes, eyeing me suspiciously.

I clear my throat, not wanting to tell her that I was dreaming about having my body on Jayce's. Damn it.

"I don't remember," I lie, shaking sand out of her beach towel.

"Uh huh," she eyes me, clearly unconvinced. "Lying is a sin, Fallon Rhodes."

"Well, anyway," I try to change the subject. "We should probably get going, huh?"

Presley smiles like she's about to tell me that I won the lottery. "You were dreaming about Jayce, weren't you?" She's starting to bounce up and down a little. "You put on a good act, Fal, but I know you secretly want him!"

I turn my back and walk back toward the car as my cheeks heat up and Presley bursts into laughter from behind me.

"He thinks you're hot, by the way!" She shouts.

"Excuse me?" I ask once she catches up to me. I ask that a lot.

She's still in a fit of laughter at my cluelessness as she hands me her phone... She's posted a very flattering photo of my behind, in her bikini, on her Instagram with the caption, "Bueller?"

It has a ton of comments and likes, but there's one comment from Jayce that reads, "Wouldn't mind having that little body on me."

My pulse skyrockets as I feel my nether regions tighten as I'm reminded of the dream I woke up from just a few minutes ago. I wouldn't mind being on him, either...

Ugh, fuck. Snap out of it.

We drive home as Presley talks on and on about Cole, finally making it back into town a little after 6:30pm. I insist that I want to ride my bike home - I need to break a damn sweat and get some of this pent up energy out, shit.

I don't listen to music this time as I pedal my way through town, the sun slowly dipping behind the sleepy skyline. I pull into my driveway at dusk, but the drive is blocked by an idling, shiny car - a dark blue Ford Mustang. Leaning against the car is a large, leather-coat wearing figure that I recognize immediately.

Jayce.

I feel my stomach turn into a knot as blood pumps through my veins faster than usual. He's leaning against the car, looking down at his phone. His untamed hair is falling in front of his eyes and he looks as good as ever. He hasn't seen me, or at least, if he has, he hasn't acknowledged me.

What is he doing here?

I quietly hop off my bike and roll it up the driveway, keeping to the side of the drive that his back is turned toward. I slowly place one foot in front of the other, willing him to not hear me as I move as silently as possible behind him, rolling my bike along with me.

"You're not doing a very good job at being quiet," Jayce says without turning to face me.

Fuck.

"You're not doing a very good job of pretending to ignore me," I retort, continuing to walk past him, my heart pounding inside my ribcage.

Suddenly he's in front of me, cutting off my path to the garage. He looks significantly more confident than he had last week. Presley's words about Jayce getting right back into the game once he's licked his wounds comes rushing to the front of my brain.

The arrogance in his smirk is back at 100% and that mischievous glint in his eyes has been returned to its former glory.

"I can't just ignore a girl with an ass like yours," his eyes trail up my body, leaving heat on my skin in their wake. "It's against my nature," he looks at me playfully with a devilish smile on his lips.

I'm absolutely floored. He's a totally different guy than the person I had encountered last week in his parent's kitchen.

The bounce-back is so fucking real right now.

I feel my cheeks threatening to turn red, and I also notice a familiar feeling bubbling up inside me - it's the feeling I get when I know I have Jayce's attention. It makes me want to do whatever I can to keep it.

I stand my ground and stare into his eyes. "Cut the shit, Jayce. Why are you here?" I demand.

Jayce just chuckles, his eyes shining every time he looks at me. I've always heard blue eyes talked about in songs and poems, but I want to re-write them every time I look into his brown eyes.

In the fading light of the vanishing day, they're as dark, intense and mysterious as a starless night - two alluring orbs the same color as the smeared ink of a desire-filled love letter. Yet, when they're in the sun, they're a molten fusion of brown, gold and copper; chocolate mixed with the perfect amount of honey and nectar.

I can pick up on the faint scent of clove and perique every time the light evening breeze tousles his wild brown hair... and it smells like exhilaration.

"Why are you here, Jayce?" I order again when he doesn't answer.

"I don't know why my dad acted like such an asshole last week. He was wrong and I'm really sorry he did that to you," he looks into my eyes with complete sincerity, something genuine overpowering his unrelenting confidence for a moment.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" I repeat, honestly surprised. I figured that if anyone knew details about the family drama, it would be Jayce, son of the prime asshole.

"I mean, he's always been really hard to impress but–"

"–What the fuck?" I interrupt as soon as I realize what Jayce is implying.

He seems to think that Alexei was being a jerk because he thinks I'm not good enough for Jayce?

That's some fucked up shit right there.

I've never been one to care about parental approval, but for some reason, the idea of Jayce's dad thinking I'm not good enough for his son really gets under my skin.

"Listen here, asshole," I growl, pointing my finger threateningly in Jayce's face. "I was never trying to impress your dad, and I don't give a shit what anyone in your family thinks about me! But let it be known that if I had been trying to get his approval, he would've fucking loved me."

Jayce looks amused, which is even more infuriating. "Damn, Tink," he laughs, rubbing the back of his neck and shaking his head. "You should call one of your fuck buddy friends and let off some steam."

Seriously?

I'm raging at this point. How dare he. I shove past him and put my bike back in the garage before I say something that I would majorly regret.

When I emerge from the garage again, Haven is giving Jayce a bro hug.

Oh. Right.

I guess that's actually why Jayce is here. I feel like an idiot. Of course he wouldn't come all the way here just to apologize to me.

"We're going to Pepper's," Haven says when he sees me walking out of the garage. "You're welcome to join."

"I'm good, thanks," I say dryly. Pepper's is the best diner in town and as much as I could go for a huge burger, I'm too fed up from Jayce's attitude to spend dinner with him.

Haven shrugs and climbs into the gleaming car, leaving Jayce and I staring at each other in the driveway.

I'm about to head in the house when Jayce grabs my wrist and pulls me toward him, bending his neck down so his lips are brushing against my ear.

"For the record, you don't have to call one of your buddies ever again. I'll take care of you anytime you want, Fallon," he whispers slowly and seductively, causing my eyelids to flutter right along with my heart.

Fuck. Just like that, I want him with everything in me.

He drops my wrist and pulls back. When my eyes fly open I see a smug smile on his face.

"Consider that payback. I'd never actually sleep with you," he says. "I just wanted to see what you'd do." He walks backwards and holds up his hands in the surrender fashion. "I don't make your fuck-it list, and you don't make mine. Save yourself any further humiliation and just stop attempting to play hard to get, okay? It just makes you seem desperate, and easy." He salutes me before climbing into his car with the biggest, most prideful and superior smirk I've ever seen. "Goodnight, Tink!"

Realization washes over me.

He's the cat and I'm his mouse - he's just going to keep fucking with me over and over again. I'm so mad, annoyed and weirdly enough, slightly turned on, and I don't know what to do with myself as I stand in the middle of the driveway, needing a cold ass shower.

They back out, Haven completely clueless in the passenger's seat, and Jayce, who just beat his high score in douchebaggery, looking absolutely arrogant and gorgeous in the driver's seat.

Do I hate his guts? Completely.

Do I want to jump his bones? Absolutely.

Will I give him the satisfaction of having me? Not until hell freezes over.

Twice.

Presley had said she thinks Jayce is going to make his mission to get me begging for him... Standing alone in the breezy September air, I promise myself that I'm going to get him to beg for me first.

Game on, Jayce Solis.

~~~

Omg that boy. WE LUFF HIM. WE HATE HIM. What will we feel next about him?! 🙃

That was part 3/3 of this update, thanks so much for reading! If you've made it this far with me, I literally love you so fucking mucho.

Tap the ⭐️star⭐️ if you appreciate triple updates lol! Then leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this story so farrr. I really am curious about your feedback!

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Until next time !