Chapter 14

The sun began to set, and Zane was still downstairs, slouched on my couch and watching TV. My mouth felt like sandpaper, so I did my awkward get-out-of-bed move and took my glass to the bathroom.

When I saw my reflection in the mirror, I wrinkled my nose. My hair was straggly, and my skin was shiny with oil. I also knew my teeth hadn't been brushed in two days. My personality had done a complete one-eighty since that day in the canal, and I wished more than ever that I hadn't tried to fit in so much. If I hadn't tried to hang out with the popular girls, then none of that would've happened. But they weren't responsible for the bullet in my chest.

I picked up my toothbrush, put some toothpaste on it, then scrubbed the layers of fur off my teeth. Next, I tried to give myself a sponge bath, but I only got as far as my face and arms before the pain became too much. At least I no longer felt the layer of oil covering my skin. There wasn't much I could do about my hair until I was good enough for a shower, so I grabbed a hair tie and pulled my hair back into a ponytail, cursing the whole time at how much that simple task hurt.

Back in bed, I checked the TV. Zane was gone. Panic spiked as I flipped through the channels, trying to find him on one of the other cameras.

Someone knocked on the door, so I stabbed the button to change the channel back to regular programming. I thought about pretending to be asleep then dismissed the idea out of fear of what Zane might do to me if he thought I was unconscious. I didn't have time to come up with any other ideas because the door opened and I was greeted with Jett's easy smile. No matter how much I told myself that he was no good, my stomach continued to do somersaults when I saw him, especially when he wasn't wearing a shirt!

"Miss me?" he asked with a grin.

When I realised I was staring at his body with my mouth hanging open, I quickly turned back to the TV. "You know, you can go home to put some clothes on."

He laughed. "But then I'd miss seeing you squirm when I catch you checking me out."

I shook my head. "You enjoy this way too much."

He shrugged. "Well, if you weren't so uptight, I wouldn't be so entertained."

I glared at him. "I am not uptight."

He raised his eyebrows. "You get embarrassed when someone sees you in your panties."

From his smile, I was sure my face had turned red again. "Getting embarrassed when you wake up with someone you don't know in your bedroom and finding out you're only in your panties and tank top with only a sheet covering you isn't being uptight. It's called having morals, which from what I've seen is not something you're used to."

He crossed his arms, making his pecs pop out even more. "Not something I'm used to? Care to elaborate?"

I rolled my eyes. "I may be new around here, but your reputation precedes you."

The muscle in his jaw clenched. "Maybe you shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"You're going to have to be more specific, because I've heard a lot."

The angry look on his face deflated as he dropped his arms to his sides. "Things aren't always what they seem." He turned around and walked out, leaving me feeling like an ass and wondering what the hell he had meant by that.

I switched channels again until I found Jett on camera. He didn't look happy at all. Maybe he was right. People made up some horribly ugly things about celebrities, and perhaps that was what had happened with Jett. He hadn't once treated me badly or tried to add another notch to his belt.

I picked up my phone and texted him: I'm sorry.

A moment later, he grabbed his phone off the coffee table. His face remained expressionless as he stared at the screen, then he tossed his phone on the couch beside him.

I hadn't thought he was the type to hold a grudge. Maybe I was wrong about other things when it came to him, too.