Broken Hill Hearts (Broken Hill High 4)

“Holy shit, Jess,” I laugh. “That is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s not funny,” he groans.

“It is,” I tell him. “It’s a simple fix. Move on and find some other girl to make scream.”

“No, I want that one,” he demands. “Three words. ‘Five second rule’.”

I roll my eyes. “Then stop being a little pussy, man the hell up, and ask the girl out.”

He groans. “Let’s discuss your shitty relationship instead.”

“No way,” I shriek. “You’re the one on trial here, not me. Besides, I have no issue telling Nate’s what’s up. You’re the chickenshit around here.”

He gasps in outrage. “Fine, I’ll do it and when it all comes crashing down, you’ll be the one to blame.”

“It won’t come crashing down because you’re going to treat her like a fucking queen, and if it does, it’s because you would have screwed it up in some other way. See, nothing to do with me.”

“All to do with you,” he defends. “You’re the idiot convincing me it’s a good idea.”

“Because it is a good idea,” I fire back.

He lets out a big huff before looking over at me. “Ok, I lied,” he says, making my eyes narrow on him. “It’s more than just chickening out like a little bitch. I nearly shit my pants. My hands were sweaty. I couldn’t breathe. I swear, Tora, I don’t have these problems when it comes to girls.”

I press my lips together, forcing myself not to laugh at him again as he pulls into the student parking lot of Broken Hill High. My poor little guy. He’s like a lost puppy that you can’t help but love. “Ok, this is what you’re going to do,” I tell him as he drives straight to the top of the lot to where everyone always leaves a space for him and Nate. “You’re going to march your ass right in there and show her that Jesse Ryder is the man. You’re going to lock eyes with her and let her know exactly what you want. Then you grab her by the waist and slam her up against the wall, without giving her a concussion, of course,” I laugh. “You hold both her wrists in one hand above your head and slide your knee between her legs, and when you have her complete, undivided attention, you kiss her like she’s never been kissed in her life. It’s going to be so good that all the girls are going to be jealous and all the guys are going to come in their pants. Then you tell her, not ask, you tell her she’s your girl and she’ll be putty in your hands.”

“You’re shitting me, right?” he grunts. “She’s going to fucking slap me.”

“Trust me. It’s in all the romance books.”

Jesse shakes his head as he brings his car to a stop in his unofficial designated parking space. “Oh, get fucked,” he grumbles under his breath. I look up out the windscreen to find Phoenix Reilly waiting for us.

“What the hell does she want now?” I groan.

I grab my bag and my still scalding coffee and nearly stumble right out of the car. I right myself, pleased that Phoenix’s attention is solely on Jess. Though that’s a good thing for me, it’s certainly not for him.

Jess and I walk forward around the front of the car and Phoenix naturally steps right in our way. “What do you want?” Jesse grunts, looking down at her in distaste.

“I think it’s time we bury the hatchet and move on,” she says, way too perky for this time of the morning. “You’re my brother and I’d like to get to know you and Nate better. After all, we are family.”

Jesse scoffs and steps around her. “Never going to happen,” he says, walking away. I hear his laughter following behind him as he walks towards the junior hallway and I can’t help but laugh too. I mean, is she kidding? No way in hell are either Nate or Jesse going to give her even the slightest chance in hell at getting to know them. She drowned her chances long ago.

“Don’t forget,” I call after him, ignoring Phoenix who is fuming at his back and turning an awful shade of red. I step around the psycho bitch and head up to the front of the school. “You’re the man, Jesse Ryder. Be the man.”

Jesse looks back over his shoulder, grins, and winks. A second later, he’s tackled by his friends and lost to the world for the rest of the day. I make my way up to the senior hallway with Phoenix storming past me in her pissed off haste and can’t help but notice a certain bad boy, leaning up against the side of the building with a cigarette between his fingers.

Damn, I hate those stupid cigarettes, but match them with the leather jacket and the bad boy demeanour, and I melt. He’s so ridiculously hot. It’s as though he was put on this earth for the sole purpose of torturing me.