Bad Influence (Bad Love 3)

“Something you want to tell me, Allie girl?” Jess asks, his voice accusatory.

“I don’t know what he’s doing,” I say, turning around to look him in the eye.

Jesse doesn’t look convinced, his eyes set hard on the stage behind me. I tug his wrist, pulling him away from the crowd into the hall near the bathrooms.

“Just friends, huh?” he asks bitterly.

“We are,” I insist. “He’s just trying to get under your skin.” And I have no idea why.

“Did you fuck him?”

I jerk back as if he slapped me. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I bark. “Yes, I turned around and had sex with someone else during the three seconds you were gone.” Sarcasm drips from every word.

“A guy doesn’t act like that,” he says, pointing a finger toward the stage, “unless he’s fucked you or he wants to. Which is it?”

“Neither. But you’re one to talk. You’ve slept with half the town, and besides that,” I say, my voice growing in volume, “we said we were just having fun.”

He brings his palms to the wall on either side of my head, caging me in. “You want to know what the difference is, Allie? I’m honest about it—thanks for throwing it in my face, by the way—and we also said no lying. Those were the rules.”

I open my mouth to argue, but he cuts me off.

“And we both know this isn’t just fun anymore.”

My mouth snaps shut, not expecting that. But he’s right. This thing between us somehow became more, whether we like it or not.

“It was one kiss,” I say, and Jess tries to take a step back, but I curl my fist into his T-shirt, holding him in place. “It was before I met you. We were both drunk after my dad’s funeral and neither of us was thinking straight.”

“Do you want him?”

“Not like that. Not like I want you.”

“You make me fucking crazy.”

“Feeling’s mutual.”

“Brat.”

“Asshole.”

Still fisting his shirt, I press up onto my toes and bring my lips to his. Jess groans, kissing me hard, but I cut it short, pulling back abruptly. “Now tell me you’re sorry.”

“Excuse me?”

“Tell me you’re sorry for acting like I’ve ever been with anyone but you.”

His eyes soften at my words. “This shit is new to me.”

Internally, I scoff, a witty retort on the tip of my tongue. But his unexpected sincerity gives me pause. On one hand, I love the fact that he’s giving me something real. On the other hand, I can’t lie down and be his doormat whenever he pulls the bad-guy-sad-eyes routine.

“It’s a pretty foreign concept for me, too, but you don’t see me going all caveman on your ass.”

Jesse smirks, leaning down to squeeze my ass through the thin material of my dress. “I wouldn’t hate it if you did.”

I laugh, rolling my eyes. “Come on.” I tug on his hand, pulling him back toward the crowd. The Liars are playing their last song, and I don’t want to miss it.

When we find Halston and Sully, Halston’s laser-focused on the stage, dancing to the beat, ignoring Sully’s presence while he broods behind her, arms folded across his chest.

I laugh, shaking my head. Seems the theme of the night is dysfunctional.