Broken Hill Halo (Broken Hill High 2)

“Ahhh….” one of the girls cut in.

I ignore her as I continue tearing Jackson a new asshole. “Maybe you’d like to hear about how this douchebag won’t back off when I tell him I’m not interested even though I know it’s all a game to get under Nate’s skin. I mean, are you that threatened by him? You could have killed him.”

“Ummm,” another girl says, making my eyes tear away from Jackson with a huff.

“What?” I demand.

She twists her hands together, looking like she could be sick under my glare. “We just wanted to know if he’s ok? You know, any injuries?”

“Oh,” I say. “He’s fine. He got away with a gash on his head. His car wasn’t so lucky.”

They all gasp. “The Camaro?”

“Yeah,” I grunt before turning and walking away.

“Whoa,” Jackson says as he hurries after me. He grabs my elbow and spins me around. “Where are you going?”

“Away from you,” I say, pulling my arm free.

“Hold on a minute,” he says, walking with me when he realizes there’s no way I’m going to stop for him.

“You’re kidding, right? Why the hell should I give you the time of day? You nearly killed my boyfriend three nights ago.”

“Do you seriously think I’m that bad?” he questions with a scoff.

I scoff right back at him. “Yeah.”

“Let me clear some things up,” he starts. “First, did it occur to you that I hit on you because I’m actually interested in dating you? You’re fucking gorgeous. You’re nuts if you think it’s only to get under Nate’s skin. That’s just an added bonus. Second,” he continues, “I didn’t almost kill him. I tapped the back of his car a little, and yeah, I agree, I probably shouldn’t have done that, but how was I to know he would spin out and flip his car?”

I scoff again.

“I’m not the bad guy you think I am, and certainly not the prick I’m sure your boyfriend keeps making me out to be.”

I keep walking and he grabs my elbow again. I stop and spin to face him. “You’re right, Jackson,” I snap. “You do that perfectly well on your own. You’re a liar. I saw the whole thing. You sped up with the intention to cause damage. I don’t care how big or small you were intending the damage to be, either way, it was a malicious thought and that tells me more than enough. And for the record, I’m not falling for the rest of your bullshit, so quit trying to convince me that your someone you’re not.”

With that, I turn and storm away, leaving Jackson behind. “I’m going to change your mind,” he promises me as he calls out for the whole hallway to hear. “You’ll see. You and me would be great together.”

I shake my head to myself. Does he think I’m stupid? Clearly, he’s looking for a way to get at Nate as us getting together would be the easiest and most painful way to do that. It would be like stabbing him the back and watching as the knife pierces straight through his ribs and tears his heart to shreds. He’s nuts if he thinks he has even the slightest chance. I mean, even if I wasn’t with Nate, I wouldn’t touch a guy like Jackson with a ten foot pole.

A bad mood settles over me and I walk into the cafeteria with a huff. My eyes lock on Nate and he gives me one of those half smiles that don’t reach his eyes, letting me know he’s ok, but still not great.

It’s been a shitty weekend at the Ryder household. Trish and Caden haven’t stopped digging into Nate after the crash. Though they don’t know exactly how it happened, they’re not stupid. They’re perfectly aware of the role Nate plays in our community. They know he’s the perfect bad boy, always up to fuck around. They know he didn’t destroy his car by falling asleep at the wheel like Jesse’s unthought through excuse suggested. They know he was up to no good.

Not to mention, Nate’s been in a foul mood with his parents because of the whole ‘secret’ thing. He doesn’t trust them right now. They’ve kept him locked out for the past year and that kills him. It was worse for Jesse though, wondering all weekend what the hell was going on with everyone.

I haven’t been able to be a great girlfriend over the past few days either. Nate’s needed me more than anything and I’m really trying to be there for him, but I have a mother who’s suffering a broken heart while I’m trying to nurse my own rejection.

Now, on top of all that shit, we have to deal with all this crap about the accident here. I mean, haven’t we dealt with this shit enough already? But no, everyone and their dog had to get the gossip on their favorite Ryder brother. I swear, there’s even footage going around, though, it works in our favor as you can clearly see Jackson ramming into the back of Nate’s car, what sucks is watching the way his Camaro flipped three times before finally coming to a stop. I’ve seen that three different times by three different people, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Nate’s seen it too.