Read Online Aced (Blocked #2) by Jennifer Lane - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jennifer Lane
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February—the semester’s still young. Are you going to tell me what’s been going on?”
“Stop pretending you don’t already know. I’m sure Braxton talked to you.”
He paused. “Well, we both know that boy can’t keep a secret.”
I shook my head, remembering when I was thirteen and got my period. Braxton had overheard me on the phone telling a track teammate about it, and to my horror, he’d ratted me out to Dad. I’d about died. Fortunately, Dad had enlisted Nana’s help. My grandmother had been discreet in her delivery of both the feminine products and the lesson on how to use them.
My dad let the line go silent, and I looked around to make sure the hallway was still empty. I backed up against the wall. “So you know Jaylon broke up with me.”
“Yeah, uh…sorry about that.” Dad’s voice hitched, like he was nervous. “You’ll be, um, you’ll be better off without him.”
Would I? It sure didn’t feel that way.
“You meet any new men yet?”
“Dad.” I exhaled. “You’re not helping. I’m nowhere near ready to date another guy.” Though I had to admit I’d been thinking about Alejandro, or Jandro, as I’d been referring to him in my head. “You can’t make this all go away with the snap of your fingers, you know.”
“Sorry. This…this is probably something your mother would handle better.”
My face flushed. Why’d he have to bring her up? This was precisely the reason I hadn’t called him.
“Sorry,” he said again. “I know you don’t like me talking about her.”
Make it stop . I tried to think of something to distract him. “What did Nana say?”
Dad snorted, and then sounded less anxious. “She said, ‘’Bout time Maddie dumped that dumbass boy.’”
The image of my feisty grandmother made me grin. She’d never thought Jaylon was my intellectual equal, and she’d been right that school wasn’t really his thing. But she’d been wrong about the rest: I hadn’t been the dumper. I’d been the dumpee.
“Jaylon’s not dumb—he just doesn’t care about school. At least he’s managed to keep his GPA above two point oh.” I pictured his muscular body sprawled out on the bed as he frowned at a textbook. But what he lacked academically, he made up for physically. He was one of the best athletes I’d ever known. He was going places. I frowned as I realized again he wouldn’t be taking me with him to said places.
Dad asked another question, but the chime of an incoming text distracted me. I held my phone out from my ear, expecting to see a text alert, but there wasn’t one. Huh? The ding had sounded so close. Was someone nearby?
“Maddie?” Dad asked.
When I crept around the corner, I froze. Jaylon was backing away, his phone in his hand, staring at me with big eyes. Busted .
“You’re eavesdropping?” I hissed.
He squinted. “You’re raggin’ on my GPA?”
My mouth popped open. He had been listening!
Dad spoke again. “Maddie, everything all right?”
I realized I still held my phone to my ear. “Gotta go, Dad—I’ll call you later.” Once I ended the call, I glared at Jaylon. “What’re you doing here?”
His eyes widened even more as he backed away.
“I told you I never wanted to talk to you again! Didn’t you get the message?”
“Got it.” He swallowed, drawing my attention to his Adam’s apple and smooth, solid neck. He wore the braided gold chain I hated—the one that made him look like a thug. “I’ll leave.”
Blood rushed in my ears at the thought of him walking out of my life yet again. “No, don’t.” A line creased his forehead. “How…” I took a shaky breath. “How could you think I didn’t love you?”
“Mads.” His gentle voice made me want to run to him and curl up in his arms. “Don’t put this on me. You didn’t let me in.” He pushed his lips out as he shook his head. “You don’t let anyone in.”
As I tried to make sense of his words, a flash of blond streaked past me.
“Jay
“Stop pretending you don’t already know. I’m sure Braxton talked to you.”
He paused. “Well, we both know that boy can’t keep a secret.”
I shook my head, remembering when I was thirteen and got my period. Braxton had overheard me on the phone telling a track teammate about it, and to my horror, he’d ratted me out to Dad. I’d about died. Fortunately, Dad had enlisted Nana’s help. My grandmother had been discreet in her delivery of both the feminine products and the lesson on how to use them.
My dad let the line go silent, and I looked around to make sure the hallway was still empty. I backed up against the wall. “So you know Jaylon broke up with me.”
“Yeah, uh…sorry about that.” Dad’s voice hitched, like he was nervous. “You’ll be, um, you’ll be better off without him.”
Would I? It sure didn’t feel that way.
“You meet any new men yet?”
“Dad.” I exhaled. “You’re not helping. I’m nowhere near ready to date another guy.” Though I had to admit I’d been thinking about Alejandro, or Jandro, as I’d been referring to him in my head. “You can’t make this all go away with the snap of your fingers, you know.”
“Sorry. This…this is probably something your mother would handle better.”
My face flushed. Why’d he have to bring her up? This was precisely the reason I hadn’t called him.
“Sorry,” he said again. “I know you don’t like me talking about her.”
Make it stop . I tried to think of something to distract him. “What did Nana say?”
Dad snorted, and then sounded less anxious. “She said, ‘’Bout time Maddie dumped that dumbass boy.’”
The image of my feisty grandmother made me grin. She’d never thought Jaylon was my intellectual equal, and she’d been right that school wasn’t really his thing. But she’d been wrong about the rest: I hadn’t been the dumper. I’d been the dumpee.
“Jaylon’s not dumb—he just doesn’t care about school. At least he’s managed to keep his GPA above two point oh.” I pictured his muscular body sprawled out on the bed as he frowned at a textbook. But what he lacked academically, he made up for physically. He was one of the best athletes I’d ever known. He was going places. I frowned as I realized again he wouldn’t be taking me with him to said places.
Dad asked another question, but the chime of an incoming text distracted me. I held my phone out from my ear, expecting to see a text alert, but there wasn’t one. Huh? The ding had sounded so close. Was someone nearby?
“Maddie?” Dad asked.
When I crept around the corner, I froze. Jaylon was backing away, his phone in his hand, staring at me with big eyes. Busted .
“You’re eavesdropping?” I hissed.
He squinted. “You’re raggin’ on my GPA?”
My mouth popped open. He had been listening!
Dad spoke again. “Maddie, everything all right?”
I realized I still held my phone to my ear. “Gotta go, Dad—I’ll call you later.” Once I ended the call, I glared at Jaylon. “What’re you doing here?”
His eyes widened even more as he backed away.
“I told you I never wanted to talk to you again! Didn’t you get the message?”
“Got it.” He swallowed, drawing my attention to his Adam’s apple and smooth, solid neck. He wore the braided gold chain I hated—the one that made him look like a thug. “I’ll leave.”
Blood rushed in my ears at the thought of him walking out of my life yet again. “No, don’t.” A line creased his forehead. “How…” I took a shaky breath. “How could you think I didn’t love you?”
“Mads.” His gentle voice made me want to run to him and curl up in his arms. “Don’t put this on me. You didn’t let me in.” He pushed his lips out as he shook his head. “You don’t let anyone in.”
As I tried to make sense of his words, a flash of blond streaked past me.
“Jay
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