Hooked on the Game (The Sterling Shore Series #1) (4 page)

"Go ahead.  Say whatever you want.  I've heard it all," I mumble while turning away.

She jogs up beside me, and I chance glancing at her to see a frown instead of her earlier smirk.

"I wasn't going to say anything.  Believe me, I know what it's like to be the brunt of a joke."

That stops me.  I give her my full attention, while trying to keep from dropping my gaping backpack.

"Then what do you want?" I ask, unable to keep the disbelieving suspicion out of my tone.

She fidgets awkwardly and twirls one of her pigtails for a second.

"I was going to see if I could maybe come to the party tomorrow?  I don't usually get invited, and I know you don't have a lot of friends, so... I don't know.  I thought we could possibly help each other out."

I study her, waiting for this pretty girl with perfect hair and crisp blue eyes to lead me into a trap.

"Why don't you usually get invited?"

"Because I'm not a rich brat with big connections.  That's all Kade invites."

Of course he does.  He's a snob.

"It's not my party.  I don't exactly have the right to invite anyone."

I turn to walk away, but she jogs up beside me again.  "No, but since you're dating Kade now, I thought-"

"Whoa.  Wait.  What?" I interrupt, feeling my shock fall out with the words.

She tilts her head, suddenly seeming uncertain about whether or not she should continue.

"You're dating Kade, right?  Not his father?  It's all over campus.  The rumor is that you and Kade got together before the bulldozer incident and that's why his father moved you in with Kade.  Then Kade bought you a bunch of clothes because all of yours were ruined in the wreckage and he felt responsible.  You didn't want to accept them, but he forced you to.  I thought... You're not dating?"

A harsh breath falls out in the form of laughter.  I don't know why I'm laughing.  I suppose it's because it's so ridiculous.

"Kade Colton?  You seriously think I'm dating Kade?  He hates me most of the time, and he barely speaks to me the rest.  Why on earth would you think I'm dating him?"

She looks over her shoulder before tugging me at my elbow and leading me away from any prying ears.

"You need to let people believe it.  It's the only reason they've backed off.  If you go around proclaiming the truth, then they'll start back up.  It's not as scandalous for a rich guy to be taking care of his girlfriend after a bunch of jerks wrecked her house.  It is scandalous to be the mistress of his father.  And you're nothing more than a punch-line if they think Kade and his father simply feel sorry for the poor girl without another option."

I swallow hard.  Shit.  That's why today has been less brutal.  For some reason, these idiots think I'm dating Kade.

"I'm not a damn mistress," I hiss.

I don't bother denying the charity case accusation, because in all actuality, that's basically what I am.  My pride can't compete with reality.  I'd have to leave school and return to
Utah if I moved out.

"Well, I'm sure Kade will quickly refute that rumor soon enough.  As in the second he hears it," I add, groaning inwardly.

I grip my head.  My day was nice, and now I learn it was a mere misunderstanding.  Damn it!

"Surely he's already heard it by now," she says in a low whisper.

I start to walk off, but I stop myself.  This party tomorrow will surely tip everyone off to the truth when they see how very much we're not in a relationship.  It might not be a bad idea to have at least one ally.

"Come tomorrow night," I say to the only person who's been nice to me since I've been here.

She squeals in delight before grabbing my phone from my back pocket.  I jerk a little from the unexpected touch as she starts pounding away on my keys.  One thing I've learned... my small town respected personal space, but this place has no boundaries.

I've had my ass grabbed, groped, and mauled numerous times by men and women.  Most of it has been innocent, but for Christ's sake, couldn't someone simply warn me before they touch me?

"My name is Ember, and now you have my number," she says while handing me back my phone.  My hands are full, so she simply slides it back into my back pocket.  At least I had warning this time.

She runs off before asking my name.  Who am I kidding?  Everyone here apparently knows my name.

A warm arm wraps around my shoulders as a body sidles up close to me, forcing my head to snap to the right to see who's touching me this time.  Kade?

"I'm back.  Let's go grab some coffee.  I'm bored."

I look around, somewhat curious if he's mistaken me for someone else.  The only things I notice are the numerous pairs of eyes on us.

"Why would you want to get coffee?  With me?"

He chuckles at my question while steering me toward his flashy Mercedes that is parked at the curb.  Another one of his vehicles.  His four-car garage hosts his nice selection.

"It's coffee, Raya.  We live together, so we might as well get to know each other.  It'll make it less awkward.  Coffee is a start."

As we near his vehicle, I decide to capitalize on this rare moment of civility.

"I invited someone to your party.  Is that okay?"

He tenses beside me, and his steps catch small lulls, as if I just caught him off guard.

"Care if I ask who?" It's like he's trying to sound casual, but it's forced.  Have I just ruined the chance for us to try and get along by inviting someone who is poor like me?  Well screw him.

"Her name is Ember.  She's not exactly one of your socialite elites, but she was nice-"

"That's fine," he interrupts, sounding truly relaxed now.

Damn, he's moody.

He holds the door for me, and I climb in, refusing to entertain all the eyes on us with a glance.  Kade's going to flip the hell out when he finds out that my rumors have now bled onto him.  This small window of civility will be slammed shut, and he'll probably even join in on the next heckle-Raya session.

"Don't you work at the coffee place?" he asks, drawing me out of my miserable thoughts.

"I did," I mutter with a scowl.

I cross my arms over my chest and glare at the road ahead.

"O...kay.  Anything you'd like to share?"

Should I tell the rich brat I was fired when I could barely reach above my head for three days?  The bruises were so severe that it hurt when I tried to stock the cabinets.  After two days, Mr. Grady, the owner, decided he didn't have the time to wait on me to heal.  He fired me, using the excuse he needed a full-time employ instead.

"Not really," I mumble, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing I lost my job because of his stupid partiers.

"Do you need a job?  My granddad has a-"

"I don't need one right now.  I have my monthly scholarship money.  It's from my town church.  They always pick a senior every year with good grades to give a scholarship, and they pay it in installments.  I'll be fine until I can find something." 
Since I'm not paying rent.

He doesn't say anything.  I'm sure he doesn't even know how hard someone has to work to earn a scholarship.  I wrote essays, sent test scores, and filled out countless forms while submitting for all the scholarship money I could.

My mom would never have been able to afford college for me, I won't take Dad's money for fear of where he got it, and I didn't qualify for a student loan.  My only option was a scholarship.  So I spent night after night doing all the legwork while working at the local diner and saving up every penny I could.  It wasn't until I got here that I realized how much more the cost of living is.  For a smart girl, I made one hell of a stupid mistake.

We turn into the coffee shop, and I sigh in relief when I don't see the owner's car.  I'm happy to not have to deal with Mr. Grady.

"You cool?" he asks, stepping out of the car as my eyes scour the lot.

"Yeah."

I hop out, trying not to seem affected, and he waits for me to pass in front of him before he places his hand at the small of my back.  What is with people here and touching?  Is it so much to ask for everyone to keep their hands to themselves if they don't know me.

I start to comment on it, when he removes his hand and opens the door for me.  The second I see a couple sliding out of a booth, I make quick strides to snatch it up.  I hate tables.  I love the booths.

I expect Kade to slide in across from me, but instead, he slides in right next to me, forcing me to scoot over more.

"TV's up there," he says by way of explanation.

"Then I'll sit over there," I murmur, nudging him to move.

"You're already sitting down.  We came to talk, and you'll have to talk louder if you sit over there.  Just stay where you're at.  I don't bite."

Cynthia, a waitress, walks up to take our order, interrupting whatever argument I might have had.  We both order, and Cynthia offers her wink of approval when she misconstrues the situation.  Now even more people are going to think we're dating.  I try to think of how to broach the topic of our gossip issues.

"Um... Kade?"

"Yeah," he says distractedly, keeping his eyes focused on the TV and the game.  "You ready to spill?"

Spill?  Spill what?  I tense up.  Surely he doesn't think I started these rumors.  Is that what he means?

"What do you mean?"

"I mean about you.  How'd you end up here?"

I almost feel my body visibly relaxing.  He doesn't know yet.  Wait.  He's asking about me?

"I've lived beside you since the semester started, and you're just now curious?"

"You lived beside me, now you're living with me.  Yes, now I'm curious."

Fair enough.

His smartass remark is followed by a daring grin that is too charming to stare at for too long.  I refuse to dissolve like an idiot for the guy who has more money than manners.

"I grew up in
Utah, wanted a good education and a fresh start, made good grades, got great scholarships, and came here.  End of story."

His grin only grows as he turns to face me, finally peeling his eyes away from the TV sportscast.

"I doubt that.  There's no way that's the whole story.  Why did you need a fresh start?"

Because Ray Capperton was really Ray Drivel - conman extraordinaire.  I was trash that no one would take seriously all because my father went to prison for swindling millions of dollars we never knew he had.  I went from a decent home to a dilapidating trailer in less than a week after the FBI stormed our small town and caused a hellacious scene.  Yeah... Probably shouldn't tell him that.

"I just wanted to branch out... spread my wings.  How about you?"

Definitely a better answer.

"Simple," he says, shrugging.  "My family lives nearby.  I didn't want to branch out.  My Granddad doesn't have a lot of time left.  I wanted to be near to him."

Crap.  Now I'm dissolving.  He's not supposed to have any redeeming qualities.

His arm slips to be on top of the booth's back, just behind my shoulders.  I only pray he doesn't notice that movement made me shiver and tense in one breath.

Cynthia brings our coffees over to the table, smiling and winking at me once again.  Kade doesn't notice, thank God.  This is so bad.  He's going to freak out when he finds out.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?  I'd like to know when to make myself scarce.  I definitely don't want to hear crazy sounds in the middle of the night."

His teasing grin makes me blush, but I roll my eyes instead of shying away the way he most likely expects me to.  A bitter snort sneaks out unbidden, but I straighten up and try to recover, hoping he didn't notice.

"No.  No crazy sex sounds will be waking you in the middle of the night."

He smiles bigger, drawing me into a mesmerized trance when my eyes fixate on his damned perfect lips.  A sliver of silver inside his mouth catches my eye when he draws his cup up to his lips, but I don't study it for fear I look like a fool staring at his frigging mouth... again.

I start sipping my coffee when I manage to rip my eyes away from him and his dangerously perfect mouth that makes all the wrong things heat up.

"So, you're a virgin?" he asks, making me spew and sputter my coffee all over the table.

Several people stop what they're doing to turn their attention to me.  I can't believe he just asked that.

I expect him to laugh, but an amused grin plays on his lips as he studies me, watching me intently, waiting on me to answer.  I don't have to answer that.  It's far too personal.

"No," I manage to blurt out while coughing, drawing a little more unwanted attention my way.

His amusement never falters.  His gaze burns through me, as if he expects me to elaborate.  Boundaries.  These damn people need boundaries.

"So no boyfriend, but you're not a virgin?" he prods, seeming to delight in this terribly awkward conversation.

I take a calm, steadying breath.  I'm eighteen - almost nineteen.  I can have a mature conversation about this, even if it is incredibly inappropriate.  I'm not giving this jerk another excuse to look down on me.