Jase winks. Actuallywinks.
Seriously, what is his deal?
“Between the events from yesterday and the fact that you have an apparent penguin fetish—” he motions to the massive collection of stuffed animals on my dresser “—I thought ‘Bird Lady’ would’ve been more appropriate, but that just reminds me of the crazy old woman down at Seva Park who talks to all the pigeons.”
Jase chuckles, rising to his feet. Somehow, he looks even taller than he did yesterday.
It might have something to do with his outfit. The last I saw of him, he’d been wearing loose clothes and simple black Chuck Taylors. Today, however, he’s in a much more fitted blacktee, accessorized only by dark denim and scuffed-up motorcycle boots. The whole ensemble draws attention to every muscle in his body. Though he’s far from being bulky, I’d be lying if I said his size and build aren’t daunting. To be fair, when you are five-foot-nothing and lucky to weigh ninety pounds soaking wet with bricks in your pocket, it doesn’t take much to do the job, but still…
I try to stand my ground, taking up as much space as my diminutive body will allow. Let’s just say the effort is laughable at best. “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by, see how you were doing.”
“And you had to do that by going through the windowwhy? I could have been indecent.”
He has the nerve to laugh. Then, to my complete and utter horror, he flicks open the lid to my breakfast and proceeds to take a bite of the last Long John before I can so much as sputter a syllable! “I was cutting through your yard again and spotted you through the kitchen window. I tried to get your attention, but you clearly couldn’t hear me knocking. Nice song choice, by the way. I especially enjoyed the show that went with it.” He whispers that last part, dropping into my desk chair like he owns the place.
Oh my god.
No.
No, no, no, no, noooo!
Jase Rivers didnotjust witness me dancing!
Please, God, you can’t bethatcruel!
Considering the shit-eating grin plastered to Jase’s face, I’d say He can.
I can only pray that the embarrassment reddening my cheeks can be masked by my growing anger. “What do you want?”
“A few answers.” His gaze and pointer finger both flick down to my legs, of all things. “Say, for instance, do you have Mutant X healing powers?”
“Huh?”
“Word on the street is you dropped out of the class trip due to a broken leg. Some even say Sienna’s the cause.” He again whispers that last bit, like it’s a huge secret. “But given the little number you displayed downstairs and the fact that you’re not wearing a cast, I can only assume you have some kind of rapid healing abilities. Because, surely, you wouldn’tlieto get out of the Italy trip.” Oh, the sarcasm is strong with this one.
“It was my ankle,” I counter. “And it’s just a sprain.”
“Well then, you must have ankles of steel, because I’ve had more than a sprain or two in my day, and never have I been tempted to go full-on Tom Cruise and reenactRisky Business.”
I don’t hold back my glare. “It wasn’tthatbad.”
Seriously, for the record, I’m wearing more than a shirt and underwear, and there were no couch antics involved in my display downstairs.
“Oh, I thought it was rather adorable, actually.” The self-satisfied smirk on his lips as he takes another bite ofmyLong John only has me itching to hit him in the face with something much heavier than a pastry. “Did Sienna really scare you off from going on the trip?”
When all he receives is another glare, he finally has the decency to hold up his hands.
“Hey, I’m not saying I blame you. She was a nightmare the entire weekend.”
I know I shouldn’t ask, but with my anxiety, I’m frequently told I make a bigger deal out of things than they really are. “What do you think would have happened if Ihadgone on the trip?”
“Well, when she thought you were still going, Sienna was plotting to put hair remover or something into your shampoo,” Jase admits, “so I’d say you dodged a bullet.”
And say hello once again to my anxiety. “Yeah, aren’t I lucky? I avoided my hair falling out via chemicals just to have some crazy bird rip it out of my scalp instead.” I thumb the part of my head that’s still a bit sensitive. “Sienna’s not still mad, is she?”
Jase grimaces. “Count yourself lucky she doesn’t remember what you look like. Sienna couldn’t find you on social media, and I wasn’t about to point out that she could find you in the school’s directory app or a yearbook. All she knows is that you have dark hair and glasses, so the entire time at the lake party, she kept scaring the shit out of any girl she thought was you, even after she learned you weren’t going on the trip.”
