Marissa become friends?”
The statement felt odd on my tongue.
Laura shrugged. “Who knows? Everyone was confused by it too, Logan the most of all. He hated Marissa, but Mason never knew that. Logan was the reason Tate went after Marissa so much.”
“Really? I thought you said Kate bullied her?”
“They did. Tate was their leader at that time. She really hated Marissa. It was bad. Everyday something happened, but after a while Logan backed off. Tate didn’t, though. By that time, she and Logan had broken up and she seemed to blame Marissa for it.”
“Was she the reason?” I waited to hear her theory.
“I don’t think so. None of it made sense. No one really knows what happened, why Logan and Tate broke up, but Mason went after Tate instead. People left Marissa alone after a while and joined him against Tate. She blamed everything on Marissa and took it out on her. She was cruel to her and the school didn’t do anything to stop it. I always wondered if the school kicked Tate out for what she did to Marissa. They both left school, but Marissa was the first to go. I know Mason felt bad about it.”
“Why do you hate him so much?”
“I don’t hate him. I don’t like them, either of them.” She regarded me for a moment. “I’m just one of the middle people who aren’t sold on the Kades.”
“Middle people?”
“The people in between. We’re not at the bottom, but we’re not at the top.”
Someone shouted down the hall and we both turned. Then the shouting multiplied and everyone raised the volume another notch.
Laura sighed. “The teams out. Your boy’s gonna be looking for you.”
I looked around. “Where’d Kelly go?”
“She’s hiding.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s always had a crush on Logan. She pretends to hate him because I do, but I know she doesn’t really. The thought of both of them coming over here, I’m sure she’s worried she’ll wet her pants.” She grimaced as she looked over my shoulder.
Mason was headed our way.
“Anyways.” She gave me a formal smile. “It was nice meeting you, Sam. You can sit with us at any game.”
“Wait.” I grabbed her arm as she was about to slip away.
She gave me a sad smile, but pulled my hand from her arm. “I’ll see you later, Sam.”
“Hold on.” I blocked her and then turned to Mason. “What’s the plan after this?”
He frowned. His eyes lingered on Laura, but he replied, “We’re going to have people over to the house. Basement only.”
I nodded and smiled at Laura. “You’re invited. Do you know how to get there?”
She paled. “Are you sure about this?”
I shrugged. “Why not? You can meet my friend Becky. She’s like a hyper bunny on Ritalin.”
She seemed to pale even more. “I don’t know, Sam.”
“You’re coming.” Then I spotted Kelly and shouted, “Both you and Laura are invited over. Make sure she comes.”
Her eyes were wide, but she nodded. Her legs were trembling. After I made sure to get their phone numbers, I let Mason pull me away. His hand found mine and when we walked through the crowd in the parking lot, he tugged me close. As he maneuvered us through the few who hadn’t parted for him, he nibbled on my ear. Then he breathed on it. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
His hand slid to my stomach and he pressed against me.
I grinned and pressed back.
As he sucked in his breath, I turned and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I’m making different friends. That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?”
As we got to the Escalade, he trapped me against it. We weren’t hidden from everyone, but his car and Logan’s provided a small semblance of privacy. He pushed against me and held my hands above me. His hips ground into me and I held my breath when he moved between my legs.
He whispered as he pressed kisses up my jaw, “I wanted you to have someone to sit with at my games. I liked having you there.”
I pulled my hands from his and wound my arms around his neck. His hands slid to my thighs and he picked me up. My legs went around his waist and he was firmly between them. I closed my eyes as I felt his bulge. If our jeans had been unzipped, he would’ve slid right in.
I laughed and tried to shake off the lust. It made me blind to reality and as I looked around, I saw a small crowd had formed. “Inside. Please.”
Mason grinned. He moved away, but not before he pressed a quick kiss to my lips. Then we were inside the Escalade and he peeled out of there.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Mason stopped for food so when we got back to the mansion, the lights were on, cars filled the street, and we could hear bass as we bypassed everyone. A line of people had formed from the street, down the gate of their yard, and around to the back pool area. That was the door that they allowed everyone inside. When Mason opened the gate and pulled through, I was relieved to see that no one followed suit. It seemed like everyone knew the rules. No one was allowed upstairs, only the basement and pool area.
I sent Becky a text and a few others to the Elite members, so when I got one back from Mark, I wasn’t surprised. I chuckled.
“What?”
“He said everyone’s coming and they’re all up for a slumber party at his house.”
Mason frowned but hopped out and rounded the car. He threw my door open and waited as I got out before he threw an arm around my shoulder. Everyone could see from the gate, but I didn’t care. As we headed inside, Mason hit the button and the garage’s door slid down. When we went into the kitchen with the food, the bass from downstairs was loud enough to rattle the dishes. Glasses vibrated in their placeholders, and dishes rattled in the cupboards.
I glanced at the door to the basement. “Are you sure no one will come up here?”
Mason tossed a fry in his mouth and filled a glass of water. “The door locks from this side. We’re good. We’ve had these bashes before.”
“And your dad? My mom?”
He shrugged. “I told dad we were having people over. He usually leaves for the city. I’m sure your mom was all for that.”
I looked down at my hands. Yeah, I’m sure she was. I tried to calm the rush of nerves in my stomach at that moment.
“You okay?”
When I looked back up, Mason’s eyes were on me and they weren’t blinking. I held my breath and nodded. I was fine. I wanted him to know that, but he waited another moment. I nodded again and cleared all emotion from my face. His eyes narrowed, but he turned back to the refrigerator. I heard ice clinking in glasses and knew he was making drinks for us. When he pushed one in front, I looked up. I let my emotion show and watched as he halted in mid-sip.
His glass was suspended in the air. “What’s wrong?”
“What are we going to do about my birthday dinner?”
Mason’s grin turned into something else. His eyes darkened, and there was a predatory look to him as he advanced towards me. A rush swept through when I felt his arms on either side of me, and he turned me around from the counter. He pressed down and I closed my eyes as his body came in contact with me. I enjoyed every inch that he aligned with me as I held my breath. I wanted more.
He kissed under my ear, lips nibbling as he stroked the earlobe and murmured, “Don’t worry about your birthday dinner. Everything will work out. I promise.”
I caught the back of his head and held him against me. His lips suckled their way around my jaw and up to my lips. As he paused above them, his hand caught the side of my face and held me in place. He moved back and peered down into my eyes. “You okay?”
My eyes clung to his. It was such a simple statement and I held my breath. Then I nodded and gave everything to him in that moment. His lips touched mine and it felt like we cemented something more than a reassurance between us. I felt more. I needed more. It wasn’t long before he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me in the air. He set me on t
he counter. I opened my legs and he went between them.
“Good gracious,” Logan groaned. He shut the door behind him. “Do you two do anything besides that shit?”
Mason grinned against my cheek before moving back and turning towards his brother. His back rested against my chest, and I wrapped my arms over his shoulders. He caught them in his hand and pressed a kiss to them. “Like you don’t already have a girl in mind for the night.”
Logan smirked as he went to the pantry. He came back out with his arms full of plastic cups. “Whatever. I’ll do my own thing. I don’t mind. I’m the single guy in this household. I’ll represent.”
I felt Mason’s tension. “Shut up.”
Then Logan dropped his façade. The smirk vanished, and he gave us a somber look. “Seriously, is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Why?”
He shrugged and tossed all the cups down the stairs. Then he shut the door once again and moved into the kitchen. He used the same vodka that Mason left on the counter and made himself a drink. “Because a bunch of Sam’s friends are downstairs and they look pissed as hell.”
“What?”
He shrugged, but I hurried out of Mason’s arms and down the stairs. Their basement was crowded, overly crowded, and I had to shove my way through until I found Becky. She was dressed in her hockey cheerleading outfit, and she stood in a corner. Her arms were crossed over her chest and a glower on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
Relief flickered over her face, but then the glower returned. “I thought you were coming to Adam’s game.”
My heart sank. Oh crap.
“Oh, come on, Becky.” Adam pushed through the crowd and threw an arm around her shoulder. He had a red plastic cup in one hand, and I saw the glaze in his eyes. He was already tipsy. “She’s got bigger and better friends than us now. Yeah, her boyfriend’s not playing, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t support him over her friends. I mean, he’s her boyfriend and the rest of us are just her loser friends. Right, Sam?”
Becky’s glower doubled. Adam’s cocky smirk turned into a sneer. He pointed his cup at me. “You might want to remember who your friends were before the Kades came into your life.”
My mouth fell open. Where had this come from? “Are you kidding me? You’re mad because I didn’t come to your hockey game?”
He rolled his eyes and turned to scan the crowd. Then he rolled his shoulders back, and he looked ready to continue partying. Becky seemed to shrink beside him as she watched him also. She bit her lip and her hands were twisted around each other. I sighed on the inside. She still had feelings for him.
He jerked a shoulder up. “Whatever, Sam. You’re busy. I got it. You’ve got your life.” He flashed me a smile, and I took two steps back from it. The uneasiness inside of me doubled. He was pissed, but there was something more. Then he shook his head, and a disgusted sound came from his throat before he strolled away. Becky and I watched as he already had a girl in his snares. She’d been watching him the whole time, and as he sauntered over to her, her whole face lit up. Adam didn’t even have to try. He touched her waist, and the girl melted for him. It wasn’t long before he tugged her further into the crowd. The lust on his face couldn’t have been missed, but it was mixed with arrogance.
Adam was dangerous. I saw it in that moment. Chills went down my spine because he was angry with me, but I wondered who he was going to take it out on. I looked at Becky. The blood had drained from her face, and she had both of her hands pressed to her lips. Her eyes were fearful as she turned to me. “Sam.”
I wrapped both arms around and hugged her.
She clung to me. Her head pressed into my shoulder. “I love him. I know it’s stupid. I don’t know why I still do, but I do.”
I smoothed her hair down and swept a hand down her back. There were no words I could give her. If Mason turned his back on me, I wasn’t sure how I would handle it either. I made soothing sounds as I continued to hug her. “It’ll be okay, Becky. One day at a time. Think of Rex. You like him, right?”
She pulled back, but tears streaked down her face. It messed up her make-up, and she tried to smooth it away as she hiccupped. “I know. I do. I do really like him, but…” Then she drew in a ragged breath and dropped her voice down. “He’s not Adam. No one’s Adam. Ugh. I can’t get over him. Every time I think I can, he’s so sweet to me and I’m back where I was. I’m in love with him, Sam. Can someone fall out of love?”
I looked up at that moment at the stairway. Mason was coming down. He had two rolls of plastic cups in his hands. Logan carried the rest behind them and both held their own drinks. I sighed. I didn’t know if I could ever fall out of love with Mason.
“I have no idea, Becky.”
Her face fell at my words.
“But you can try.” My words were more insistent now. “You’ll have to try. Adam doesn’t love you back. You have to try.”
She sniffled and hiccupped again. Then she groaned. “There’s Rex.”
The stoner was bobbing his head in rhythm with the bass. His baggy jeans were low on his hips, and he had both hands pushed into his pockets, which made them slip another inch lower. Everyone had on tee shirts or tight tops for the girls, but Rex wore a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. There were holes and rips all over the sweatshirt, but it made the pretty boy stoner look rough.
Becky sighed beside me. “He’s so hot.”
Something told me Becky was going to be fine. Whether or not Adam cared, he was going to lose her heart. My own swelled up in pride. It was about time Becky got her own happiness so I patted her shoulder and pushed her towards Rex. “Go on. Have fun with your beau.”
Her nose wrinkled. “I thought you didn’t like him. He’s a pothead?”
“Mason was right. I think Rex is what you need right now.”
Her eyes lit up. “Mason said that? About me?”
Rex stopped beside us now. His head never stopped bobbing, and his eyes never left Becky. His lips were curved up in a soft smile. It was the same smile that he always had whenever Becky was with him, which were the only times I saw him.
I leaned closer and yelled over the crowd, “If you hurt her, I will set your car on fire.”
The soft smile transformed into a full one. It blasted me. “I wouldn’t expect anything else. Kudos to you, Dudette Sam!” He winked before he curved an arm around Becky’s shoulders and pulled her away with him.
She glanced over her shoulder and waved at me.
There went my friend, with her first boyfriend. If Rex could pull Becky away from Adam’s hold, even if he did break her heart, I wasn’t sure if I could set his car on fire. I was starting to realize that I didn’t have that old anger in me anymore.
“Hi, Sam.”
I readied myself and squared my shoulders back. I turned and saw Cass. She wore a slinky white dress that showed off her cleavage. The rest of the Elite stood with her. Mark and Peter were to the side. While Mark had a smile plastered on his face as he scanned the crowd before him, Peter wore a sullen frown. His arms were crossed over his chest. When Miranda passed in front of him, the frown sunk lower. He now looked like he was pouting, but his ex-girlfriend sailed towards us with a gracious smile on her face. She wore a white dress as well. It clung to her shape in a sophisticated manner. It made Cass look slutty, which was probably Miranda’s intent.
Cass glowered at her but moved aside for her.
Emily gave me a friendly wave and Amelia was eyeing Mark like he was candy. She licked her lips when his eyes met hers, but he stiffened and turned away.
I sighed. “Hi, Cass.”
She linked her elbow with mine and drew me closer. “Thanks so much for asking Bella to cater Peter’s birthday tomorrow night.”
I stiffened. “It was the least I could do.”
Miranda never stepped closer to hear, but her eyes were alert.
“And thanks for charging me triple the rate.”
My smile froze. Oops.
Cass’s eyes grew heated in anger. “I’m not a dumbass, Sam. I know the rate. I thought you were a friend.”
“Since when are we friends?”
“You’re in the group. You’re a part of the Elite.”
“I don’t want to be. I never have.” Not to mention, I didn’t want to foot the bill for whatever lunch was going to be my turn. These people ate like queens and kings. I couldn’t afford that, even if I got a job.