Gifted Connections 1

I found myself in the hot tub between Troy and Remy, with Noah, Stacey, Jemmy, Rick (or was it Ben), Drake, and Rose, sharing it with us. I noticed Jax flitting from group to group with Tamara and some of her friends trailing behind him. From the looks she kept throwing me, I recognized she was just trying to keep us separated.

Finally, Jax made his way over to us and he bent down to scoop me out of the hot tub. He hugged me close and twirled me around. “Did you see my last play?!”

I smiled, putting my arms around his neck. “How could I miss it? You were great!”

He burrowed his head into my neck. “I want to kiss you again,” he muttered in my ear. “Without an audience.”

I sighed and whispered back, “I’m sure that can be arranged.”

He leaned back and grinned at me in surprise. He knew me well enough to know I normally wasn’t so bold or outspoken. “Have you been drinking?”

“Maybe just a little,” I giggled.

He set me down gently, smiled, and shook his head. “My little Blake has a wild side. A carefree side. A rebellious side.”

I rose an eyebrow at him and smirked. “Who would have known?”

“Jax!” Tamara said angrily. “We need to talk. I know you are a flirt, but you’ve gone far enough tonight.”

Jax placed a kiss on my forehead and shrugged. “Duty calls. It’s time I get rid of all the other distractions.”

“Blake! Get back in here, you’re going to get cold,” Troy said laughingly, obviously hearing Jax.

It looked like I wasn’t that popular with the other girls in the hot tub, except Jemmy, as I slipped back in.

“Blake, dear,” Rose said gently, feigning interest suddenly. “Have you ever cut yourself?”

I looked at her quizzically. “Um, no, why?”

“Well, I couldn’t help but notice the scars on your body. Typically, adolescents and teenagers begin to inflict self-injury on themselves to cope with pain and anger. Along with your overly friendly overtures towards the guys, I was wondering if you would like to talk. I would love to pick your brain, you know, for my major.” She explained.

I stared at her in shock.

“Rose,” Drake said angrily. “That’s uncalled for!”

Noah snorted, feigning his normal laid-back attitude, but I could see the anger in his eyes. “She has scars. Who doesn’t? And she’s our friend. She’s a little tipsy. Who hasn’t been overly affectionate when they’ve been drinking?”

“She’s been practically dry humping everyone ton

ight. I think Rose is on the right line of thinking. It’s clear she’s damaged.” Stacey said indignantly.

I stood up, refusing to hear the ugliness. I was damaged, but there was no way in hell I deserved their judgment. I longed to lash out at them. Smugly let them know I should be “overly friendly” with my connections. They were my guys!

The words were on the tip of my tongue when I felt the tightness in my chest. I looked over, panicked, at Drake. He was upset again. He was torn between wanting to lash out at his first girlfriend, his first love, the girl he lost his virginity to, and me. The girl he was connected to and felt this overwhelming urge to cherish and protect.

Stop, Drake, I gasped in my head.

I gripped Remy’s shoulder, hard.

He sensed my distress.

“Drake,” he barked. “Go talk to your girl,” he gave him a pointed look and Drake’s eyes widened with understanding.

“You girls need to realize Blake is family now,” Troy said coldly as he stood on my other side. “She’s not going anywhere, so deal with it. Or walk. No one’s stopping you.”

I felt the tension leave my chest, and I took a deep breath in as I walked towards the fire pit with Troy, Remy, and the other guys.

I stopped and looked over my shoulder, determined to show them a little fire. I wasn’t going to allow them to continue to pick on me and think I would just take it laying down. “You know what sucks about cheap plastic surgeons? Sometimes, they leave ugly scars. I just wanted a rounder ass and bigger boobs,” I grabbed my boobs and walked off.