“Chop… really?” she calls out from behind me.
“You all of a sudden getting fuckin’ picky?” I spin around and snap at her.
“I just thought, well you’ve only been using me lately, so I figured that maybe...” She twists one of her synthetic hair strands around her finger in a failing attempt to be seductive.
“You figured what?” I choke out a laugh. “That this was some kinda exclusive arrangement, that I’d wanna make an old lady out of ya?” Mel pouts her botched, collagen-filled lips together
“Go find Chop,” I tell her again, shaking my head.
I walk across to Grimm who’s sat at the firepit, at least I can guarantee he won’t try and talk to me. Sitting beside him, I take the half empty bottle of Jack he offers and knock back a good mouthful.
Maddy Summers, I shouldn’t be surprised that her name is every bit as pretty as she is.
Hayley’s plan is impressive. I’ll give her that much. Maybe she did have some of her father’s traits after all. Before, I’d been pissed at myself for wanting to know everything about the girl, there was fuck all I could do with the information anyway. Hayley’s plan gave me options.
So why ain’t I keen on letting her go through with this whole fake friendship thing? I push away the thought that when it comes to her, the timid little creature may have rooted something inside me that resembled a conscience. I take another mouthful of Jack before handing the bottle back to Grimm. Standing up I pull my sorry ass together, leaving to find Prez and hoping Haven has done a decent job of putting him in a good fucking mood. Because I needed to convince him to let Hayley go to that god damned party.
Hearing Jessie pull up, I rush out the door, smiling wide when I see him sat waiting for me in his truck. His head shakes with disapproval as I walk towards him, but he’s still grinning, so I take it as a good sign.
I’ve spent the whole afternoon getting ready, balancing myself somewhere in the middle of Maddy sickly sweet, and the club slut look, and I wonder if Jessie will notice.
The purple, halter-neck dress I wear is short, so short that it sits just under my ass cheeks, but my hair is loose over my shoulders, and my makeup understated so I have that whole Maddy-au-natural vibe about me.
“Your daddy see you leave lookin’ like that?” Jessie scrolls his eyes over me, half smirking.
“Sure,” I lie. As if there was any chance of me leaving the lodge if Daddy had seen me.
“And he’s cool about you heading out dressed like it?” His head cocks to the side doubtfully.
“Says I’m in safe hands.” I shrug hopping in and buckling up before he can argue. I try hard not to focus on how gorgeous he looks with his shoulder-length hair pulled back into a ponytail and his facial hair a little longer than usual. Rough, just how I like him. He wears his cut over a plain white T-shirt and those jeans that I love that hang slightly too low off his waist.
“So are we picking up your ‘friend’?” he asks sarcastically as he pulls off.
“No, she’s gonna meet us there.”
“Correction, she’s meeting you there, I will be parked outside,” he reminds me of his terms and conditions. Killjoy.
“You could just come in you know. Enjoy the party. Who knows we may be able to find you your very own club slut replica,” I tease, with just a hint of malice.
“Hayley, you shouldn’t have come down to the club the other night, Prez made it clear it ain’t the place for you to be hanging around.” His tone is serious now, and he must pick up on the awkward atmosphere it creates because he quickly picks the mood back up.
“Besides I hardly think I’d fit in with your preppy friends.” He smiles, his eyes falling to the leather cut that fits against his body.
“Nothing's stopping you leaving that in the truck. Tonight you could just be Jessie Donavon. Regular twenty-two-year-old guy who attends regular parties.” I may sound like I’m joking, but I’m really not. Nothing would make me happier than him losing his cut and forgetting about club rules, even if it was just for one night. To pretend along with me that the chance of us was even remotely possible, that we could go to a party, drink, and dance, maybe even make out like normal kids our age.
“Darlin’, you know you’d only get this cut off my back if you pried it from my cold, hell-bound body. Ain’t gonna be taking it off for no one. I am who I am, and those who don’t like that ain’t worth my fucks.” Jessie shrugs his shoulders and winks irresistibly before turning his attention back to the road that leads into town.
The closer we get, the more nervous I feel. I have no reason to be, I’m a popular student, most probably because everyone knows who my daddy is. They all assume I live a super cool life at the club, when in reality they couldn’t be more wrong. The whole party and drinking thing’s new to me.
Jessie pulls up outside the house, and the music from the party thumps out onto the street. The lawn is already scattered with kids drinking from red plastic cups. There are a lot more people here than I expected to see. Taking a deep breath, I try to hide my unease from Jessie.
“Guess I’ll be seeing you later, come find me if you change your mind.” I fake confidence as I slide out of the truck and start to cross the street to join the party.
“Oi,” Jessie calls after me. I turn, and he strikes me senseless, his elbow resting on the window and a cocky grin seated on his handsome face.
“Don’t get into any trouble, ‘kay, pretty girl,” he warns, still smiling. I roll my eyes before carrying on, sashaying through the people on the lawn towards the house. I wonder if Maddy will already be here, I doubt she’d have thought to show up fashionably late. The girl has already text me twice. Once asking what to wear and then again asking what time I would be getting here.
Jesus she’s needy.
