Chapter 24

English is finally over and I feel like I'm going to pass out with exhaustion and from the weight of Noah's worried gazes at me, and the stares and whispers in the hallway. Because, oh that's right, my virginity just got publicly announced to the whole school along with some sort of ranking system including comments. Lovely. Wonderful.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hear a voice ask from no more than 15 feet away as I'm about to turn the corner. Jase's voice. Ducking back to my side of the hallway, I stand still and listen.

"-Thought we'd make it a little more public," another voice says and I risk a glance over to see Corey Westbook and Tyler Canton, two of the richest guys in school- and Jase's lackeys. Er, sorry- friends. My view is somewhat obscured by the water fountain around the bend, but I can see Tyler and Cory holding what looks like... cans of spray paint?

And then I see it. On the wall, still dripping in wet paint, are the pictures, the names underneath.

Amy Towne

Bridgette McCormick

Shonda Johnson

Maria Cruz

Lizzie Pembroke

Claire Davis

Sloane Patterson

Sienna Brown.

"What the hell were you thinking?' Jase asks, his tone sharper than I've ever heard. "Do you really think that you're able to get away with this? Someone's going to find out, and do you really want the principal to get involved? She needs someone to blame for the whole locker incident earlier, and this-" he points to the wall- "is going to make you two the perfect scapegoats for her. Is that really what you want? For her to tell colleges about this? To kick you off your sports teams?" Tyler and Cody shake their heads. "Good," Jase finishes. "Now find a way to get rid of this- and fast."

"We thought you'd be happy," Tyler mutters, looking at the ground like a chastized puppy. "It's a new list of girls for you to hit and quit. We just wanted to-"

"Well, I guess you thought wrong," Jase says coldly, turning around and walking to the gym.

What the hell just happened?

I don't have work today- thank gosh- but Jase has practice until 4, Noah has a doctor's appointment, and there's a storm on the horizon so the buses aren't running, so here I am in the school parking lot, waiting for Jase to get here.

I really need to learn how to drive. Then I can stop being so reliant on other people to get me places.

Though I also don't have a car.

Also I hate driving.

Honestly, it's a miracle I even passed my driver's ed class. I think my teacher felt bad for me, to be completely truthful. He didn't even try to make me parallel park or do a 3-point turn or literally do anything at all. I think I almost crashed in that class like six times...

I didn't even bother to try for my license after that.

So maybe being self-reliant isn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Hey, Red," Jase says from behind me, making me jump as I turn around. He's wearing a t-shirt and athletic pants (in the middle of January, mind you!), but he doesn't seem to be cold, his muscular arms gleaming with a slight sheen of sweat. He must've had indoor training today.

"You coming?" he asks, an eyebrow raised as he looks at me, walking around the car to the driver's seat.

"Y-yeah, right," I say, snapping myself out of whatever weird daze I'm in today. Or at least trying to. The dizziness, the exhaustion, the way everything around me seems blurry and out of focus, lingers with me like a curse. I manage to slide the seat belt over myself, looking out the window at the gray drizzle outside- perfect. At least it matches my mood.

Coming to school today was a horrible idea, wasn't it?

The car pulls out of the parking lot without a word from either of us, and I make it clear I'm not in a talking mood, staring out the window and letting the raindrops hit the window of the car- the tears I'm trying my hardest not to shed.

Because this would maybe be the worst place for that.

But it's all just too much. Just way too much all at once- like everything's piling on top of each other until I'm suffocating, the air in my lungs crushed under the weight of all the moments replaying in my mind. I've spent so long trying to be invisible, to not draw attention to myself, and today that all came crashing down in so many horrible ways.

My mind is in such a thick fog that I don't even notice as the car swerves off the road back to Turner Manor, slowing down and coming to a stop.

"Are you coming, Red?" Jase asks, his voice snapping me back to reality.

"What?" I ask, blinking as I look at him. His door is ajar, his legs half out of the car already, but he's waiting for me.

"Where the hell are we?" I ask, looking around at my surroundings, though it's hard to see anything through the rain pouring down. It's strange to see rain this early in the year, but there's that good old January thaw for you...

"Luna's Bakery," he grins. "C'mon, Little Red, before I have to drag you out of there myself."

"Jase- it's literally pouring rain," I say, resisting an eye roll. "And besides. You're only doing this because you feel bad for me. I'm not in the mood to be pitied."

"Who said anything about pity?" Jase asks, his head swiveling back into the car. "I'm just in the mood for some hot chocolate- and I have an important matter to discuss with you," he smirks, the dimple in his cheek deepening before his eyes travel to my not-exactly-rainproof hunter green sweatshirt, and he throws a balled-up blue rain jacket at me. "Now can we go? Because I wasn't kidding about dragging you out of the car, you know. I mean, I'd prefer not to look like I was trying to kidnap you, but-"

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" I say, not being able to resist a grin as I drape the jacket over my head and shoulders like a blanket, stepping out of the car and slamming the door shut before the rain droplets can get in there, too.

"This is a terrible idea," I say to Jase, laughing. "It's literally pouring rain- we're going to get soaked."

He grabs my hand, pulling me forward as sparks shoot up the tips of my fingers, through my shoulders, sending shivers through my entire body. "Hurry up, then!" he says, running across the parking lot with me in tow.

By the time we get to the door of the bakery, we're both soaked and I'm so out of breath, I could've just run a marathon, not sure if the pounding in my heart is from the running or the fact that Jase's hand is still clasped around mine or from the fact that as he opens the door, shoving me through and closing it behind him, we both practically fall against the wall, his body pressed against mine- warm and solid. It takes almost everything in me not to melt into him, the attraction between us stronger than the bond between lithium and fluorine. It's like all of those romance novels I've always loved to read, that moment when you realize just how soft the other person's lips look, the way they're staring at you exactly how you're staring at them. It's the way sodium chloride forms, two atoms practically pulled together by their opposition, each side forced to come together as one.

But atoms don't have free will. I do.

"We... should probably go order," I say softly, breaking us both out of whatever trance we seem to be in.

"Right," Jase says, practically jumping back. He puts a hand on his head, running his fingers through his hair sheepishly. "Ordering. Sounds good."

"So- what did you want to talk about?" I ask once Jase sits down at our booth holding two giant mugs of hot chocolate, both with extra whipped cream and marshmallows- the only right way to drink it. I'm surprised he even knew. In the other hand, he's holding two cookies, one molasses and one chocolate chip. As he sits down, I'm surprised nothing falls over- but apparently everyone skipped the clumsiness gene except for me.

"Multiple things," he shrugs, slowly stirring his hot chocolate with his spoon before taking a sip. "Mostly I was just in the mood for hot chocolate. And as your friend-" he pauses, looking up at me- "I could tell you were too. Hot chocolate fixes everything."

Why on earth did I agree to be friends with Jase Turner? He's an idiot, and an asshole, and...

and I want so much more than just his friendship.

"You know, I hate this whole 'friend' thing with a serious passion," I say, only half joking. "I already told you I don't want to be pitied. I'm fine."

"I'm not trying to pity you. Go find your little boyfriend for that," Jase says, and I almost detect a note of bitterness in his voice as he snaps his chocolate chip cookie in half.

"He's not my-" I start automatically, then stop talking when I realize that Noah is, in fact, my boyfriend as of today. "That's not important right now," I say quickly instead. "What's interesting is that you decided to take me here because I was upset. Huh. It almost sounds like you... feel bad for me. But no, that would imply that you actually had a heart."

"Oh, you wound me!" Jase says, pretending to clutch his stomach like I shot him, then grinning back up at me, the sarcasm dissipating from his voice not even a drop. "Be a little quieter, would you? I have a reputation to uphold."

"Jase, I'm serious!" I say, glaring at him in a completely non-serious way.

"Okay, fine, fine," he says, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. "I admit, maybe I had another agenda in coming here..."

"Which is?"

He smirks. "To remind you that you did lose our bet."

"What? What bet?" Now I'm confused. What on earth is he talking about?

"You threw up in ten minutes, remember?" he asks, a wicked smile on his face.

Why is he bringing this up, exactly? To embarrass me even more?

"Yes..." I say, somewhat confused. "What do you want, then? 200 dollars? My firstborn child? Allegiance to your cult, written in blood?"

"Well, that all sounds nice, but actually, I had something else in mind." He leans in closer to me, the smile fading from his face and being replaced with a smolderingly intense gaze, and for a second, all the air leaves my lungs, before I realize it's just so he can talk without being overheard.

"And?" I ask softly, after a couple seconds of silence. It's like all of the space in between us is charged, the heat in his blue eyes as they look at me making everything come undone.

"On second thought, I think I'll save it for later," he says, leaning back and resuming his usual charming grin. "It's more fun to be able to hold over your head."

"Jase!" I say, laughing. "You can't just not tell me!"

"Oh, but I can," he says, relaxedly taking a sip of his hot chocolate. I mirror him, taking a sip of mine, but the whipped cream sticks to my upper lip, giving me a white mustache that makes Jase laugh, reaching his thumb over to wipe it off my face... but it lingers there far longer than necessary, and all of a sudden, it's that romance novel all over again, his eyes and my eyes connecting, the chemistry between us lightning-hot and undeniable. The dimple creasing his face makes me want to smile, makes me want to lean in and kiss it, but it's like we're trapped, frozen in this one moment in time.

And before I can think about it, I'm moving slightly towards him and he's moving slightly towards me, two asteroids on a collision course, destined to run into each other but not yet that close-

The door chimes abruptly and I bolt up, scarlet coloring my face as I look away from him as he lets his hand drop.

Holy shit. Holy shit holy shit holy shit- did that really just happen? Did I just try to kiss Jase Turner?

And was it just my imagination, or did Jase Turner just try to kiss me back?

No. There's no way. It had to have been an illusion, a fantasy, a product of concussion and an overactive imagination. That's all it could've been.

"So," I say, looking away from him and clearing my throat, not sure what else to say. "I-uh... I'm still mad at you, by the way. No amount of hot chocolate is going to erase the fact that you're dating a girl who thinks it's okay to light someone's stuff on fire- and you didn't even say anything to stop it."

"Duly noted," Jase says, his voice all deep and husky. When I look up, he's still looking straight at me, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "but I have a question for you, Sienna."

"Sienna?" I ask, my brow knitting together.

"Red- whatever. I still have a question."

"Ye-es?" I say, the word coming out more unsure than I intended.

"How much do you like Noah?"

"W-what?" I ask, the question knocking the wind out of me. Out of all the things for him to ask, I certainly wasn't expecting that.

"Just answer the question, Red."

"I don't know," I say, looking down at my hands, then back up at Jase. Why am I talking to him about this? "I guess... I like him. He's nice, and he's funny, and.." I almost say attractive, but think better than it. This is so weird. "But I just... don't know if I want to rush into things with him. And I think I might like... someone else better."

Did I just say that? Did I really just say that? I've never even thought that! Noah's great and amazing and everything I've ever thought about wanting... the perfect guy for me. I've never thought I liked Jase better.

Oh my gosh. What if Jase thinks I'm talking about him?

What if I am talking about him?

Why on earth did I open my stupid mouth?

I look over at Jase for a reaction, but all he says is "hmm," looking out at the rain-spattered window like it's going to give him the answers he doesn't have.

"Just hmm?" I ask.

"Just hmm."

A/N: Hey guys! I hope everyone appreciated a bonus chapter, and some extra Sienna and Jase to (hopefully) improve this Monday for you guys! Why do you guys think Jase is bringing up the bet now? And who do you ship more with Sienna- Jase or Noah?

On another note, I've actually really been wanting to read some more good stories lately, and I'm sure some of y'all feel the same way, so I was thinking that people could maybe drop their current WIP, or a story they really like written by someone else, in the comments below- just the title and maybe a short description if you want to! And then we can all go around reading each other's stories and maybe find something new to obsess over! Also, speaking of obsessing, next week get ready for some iNterEstiNg nEws that will rock things a little bit... but in a good way I think. (Oh god, I really need to shut up, I'm on the verge of literally spoiling my own book!)

Love you all and see you next week!

-Selene