Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High 1)

I find them sitting at the bottom of the drawer and grab them before heading into the bathroom for a glass of water. I send them straight down the hatch and work on blowing my nose before deciding I may as well take a nice hot shower.

I stand under the welcome stream of hot water, letting it wash away all my troubles… well, not really, the second I step out of the shower they’re all going to be right where I left them, but at least in this box of steam, I can pretend.

I wash and condition my hair before shaving my legs. I mean, if I’m destined to feel like crap today then I might as well look good doing it.

I turn off the taps and reach for my towel before stepping out and looking at myself in the mirror. I get myself all dried up and wrap the towel around me. I pull open the door and go to cross my room when I pull myself to an alarming stop at the person lying in my bed.

My mouth drops open as Jesse Ryder lays with his head squished into my pillow, watching me gawking back at him in my towel. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I shriek as I pull my towel tighter around me, pleased I decided not to strut out here in my birthday suit like I usually do.

“I’ve come to get you,” he tells me. “The order has been given and I will be delivering.”

My face scrunches up as I study him. “What are you talking about?”

“Nate wants you back at our place,” he explains.

“Ugh,” I groan before crossing the room towards my closet and searching through my clothes. “I’m sorry you got your ass out of bed and came over here, but it’s not going to happen. Nate is an asshole and if he wants me to play along with his twisted games, then he owes me an apology first.”

“Ha,” Jesse barks out. “That’s never going to happen.”

“Then you might as well get going,” I say, pulling out a pair of jeans and some underwear.

“Yeah… not going to happen,” he says, repeating himself.

As I slide my underwear up under my towel, something occurs to me. “Hey,” I say, sticking my head out around the corner to peer at him. “Why haven’t you made any sexual comments about me in a towel yet?”

He smirks as he watches me. “Would you like me to?”

I narrow my eyes on him. “Answer the question, dipshit.”

He rolls his eyes. “Well,” he starts. “There are a few reasons. Number one. You had the balls to put me in my place yesterday. Not many of you girls do that, so from now on, you’ve got my respect. Number two. Seeing a chick walk around in a towel is not exactly a new thing to me.”

“Ugh,” I groan, cutting off whatever ridiculous thing he was about to follow that up with. “How are you such a whore already? You’re only sixteen.”

“Hey,” he defends. “I’ll be seventeen in two months.”

I shake my head in exasperation as I pull myself back into the safety of my closet and work on pulling up my jeans. “You’re an idiot.”

“Besides,” Jesse continues. “Nate would kick my ass if I kept up with the comments.”

“Huh?” I grunt. “How do you mean?”

“You didn’t notice my black eye?” he questions, making me shove my head back around the doorframe. “He wasn’t too pleased that I offered you my bed.”

My eyebrows pull down in confusion as I take in the slight bruising around Jesse’s left eye. “That doesn’t make any sense,” I tell him.

“It does,” he grunts with a knowing smirk that confuses me so much more. Jesse ignores the questioning look I send his way and reaches for my phone. “Could you hurry up?” he says. “I want to get home and go to bed.”

“You haven’t gone to bed yet?” I gasp.

“Nope. Maxen’s party is still going this morning. I only left when Nate demanded I pick your ass up.”

“Oh,” I grunt, taking in my phone that sits happily between his scrolling fingers. I clench my teeth together but decide to let it go. “So, you’re telling me you’re going to act like a decent human being towards me now?”

“Yep,” he says, popping the ‘p’.

“So, I guess I should probably do the same for you, huh?”

“Sure,” he says with a shrug, probably not giving a shit how I treat him.

I chuckle to myself as I start searching for a shirt. “In that case, you should probably know that I’m sick and your face is currently squished into the pillow I’ve been breathing on all night.”

“Ugh,” he says, throwing himself off the bed.

I ignore his grunting and groaning as I finish getting myself dressed. “I’m assuming you cavemen aren’t going to let me leave?” I ask.