does.”
“What is this? Like Fight Club?” I mumbled.
“Yes,” Corrigan answered while Bryce replied, “No.”
They glanced at each other and shared a meaningful look.
Corrigan corrected himself, “I mean, it’s not anything like Fight Club.”
“Right,” I scoffed in disbelief.
“The first rule: no one can talk about it. The second rule is: no one can talk about it. And the third rule is: if they do, they’re out. Did I get it right?”
“It’s not like that.” Bryce met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Yerling’s pulled some other stunts lately. He just needed to be put back in his place. That’s all.”
“Let’s grab some food. I’m starving.” Corrigan pointed at the closest fast food and we trudged inside.
One of the girls whispered to her friend behind the counter and soon two
additional employees were at the counter.
Tijan
Jaded
76
I groaned when Corrigan literally licked it up.
I sat at a nearby booth and waited as the two morons got their food. Bryce
grabbed a soda for me, but neither moved for a moment when their food had been placed on their tray.
I marched up and grabbed the tray. As I moved past, I bumped shoulders with
both of them on purpose.
“Hey,” Corrigan protested when he spilled his drink.
“Oops,”
I
deadpanned.
Bryce came to sit beside me on my side of the booth. Corrigan sat, inhaled his food, and grabbed the rest of his burger. He stood at the counter while he finished it and his drink.
Bryce relaxed against the booth and slid an arm on the back. He purposely
stretched and slid his leg beside mine.
“Stop,”
I
murmured.
Bryce chuckled and leaned closer to me. He whispered in my ear, “It’ll be fine.”
I shrugged him off.
Bryce frowned and asked, “What’s wrong with you? You’re usually up for this
stuff.”
I was, but I acted like a ‘girl.’ That pissed me off more.
“Nothing,”
I
mumbled.
“What? Is it Yerling?”
Nothing.
“Is it what Steele said to you?”
Tijan
Jaded
77
Nothing.
“Oh.” He got it. “It’s the counselor thing.”
I tensed beside him.
He leaned closer and pressed a kiss underneath my ear.
I relaxed slightly and closed my eyes when his hand slid onto my leg. He
massaged just inside my thigh before he continued his exploration around my neck. I hung my head down, helpless and turned so he could capture my lips with his. I felt his fingers dip inside my pants and murmured, huskily, “If you wanted to take my mind off that, it’s working.”
Bryce chuckled and his breath teased my skin.
“Let’s go. Now,” I breathed.
Bryce shot up and called out, “Corrigan, we’re leaving.”
Corrigan finished talking with one of the girls and jogged over to us with a suggestive smirk on his face.
“You two go on. I’m going to grab a ride home with this girl.”
Bryce and I looked over and saw that she was giggling with another friend. They both blushed when they realized they were the center of our attention.
In the car, Bryce kept a hand on my leg. It stayed in place.
When we pulled into my driveway, I hit the garage opener on my keychain and
Bryce pulled his car beside my mom’s Chrysler. Mine was still parked outside.
“Sheldon.”
We were startled when a figure spoke up from the driveway’s darkened edge, but she stepped forward and the light shone over Mena’s strained face.
Tijan
Jaded
78
Bryce swore.
I let out a breath I’d been holding when I murmured, “Mena. What are you doing here?”
It was almost midnight.
“My brother came and talked to you, didn’t he?” she asked, anxious.
“Uh…yeah.” We moved inside and into the kitchen. Mena followed and perched
on the stool she’d earlier occupied. She hugged herself.
“I knew he would.” She shook her head. “He’s just being an overprotective
brother, but he doesn’t understand anything.”
Bryce frowned at me. He nodded towards the kitchen table, but I shook my head.
He went to the fridge and
“What is this? Like Fight Club?” I mumbled.
“Yes,” Corrigan answered while Bryce replied, “No.”
They glanced at each other and shared a meaningful look.
Corrigan corrected himself, “I mean, it’s not anything like Fight Club.”
“Right,” I scoffed in disbelief.
“The first rule: no one can talk about it. The second rule is: no one can talk about it. And the third rule is: if they do, they’re out. Did I get it right?”
“It’s not like that.” Bryce met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Yerling’s pulled some other stunts lately. He just needed to be put back in his place. That’s all.”
“Let’s grab some food. I’m starving.” Corrigan pointed at the closest fast food and we trudged inside.
One of the girls whispered to her friend behind the counter and soon two
additional employees were at the counter.
Tijan
Jaded
76
I groaned when Corrigan literally licked it up.
I sat at a nearby booth and waited as the two morons got their food. Bryce
grabbed a soda for me, but neither moved for a moment when their food had been placed on their tray.
I marched up and grabbed the tray. As I moved past, I bumped shoulders with
both of them on purpose.
“Hey,” Corrigan protested when he spilled his drink.
“Oops,”
I
deadpanned.
Bryce came to sit beside me on my side of the booth. Corrigan sat, inhaled his food, and grabbed the rest of his burger. He stood at the counter while he finished it and his drink.
Bryce relaxed against the booth and slid an arm on the back. He purposely
stretched and slid his leg beside mine.
“Stop,”
I
murmured.
Bryce chuckled and leaned closer to me. He whispered in my ear, “It’ll be fine.”
I shrugged him off.
Bryce frowned and asked, “What’s wrong with you? You’re usually up for this
stuff.”
I was, but I acted like a ‘girl.’ That pissed me off more.
“Nothing,”
I
mumbled.
“What? Is it Yerling?”
Nothing.
“Is it what Steele said to you?”
Tijan
Jaded
77
Nothing.
“Oh.” He got it. “It’s the counselor thing.”
I tensed beside him.
He leaned closer and pressed a kiss underneath my ear.
I relaxed slightly and closed my eyes when his hand slid onto my leg. He
massaged just inside my thigh before he continued his exploration around my neck. I hung my head down, helpless and turned so he could capture my lips with his. I felt his fingers dip inside my pants and murmured, huskily, “If you wanted to take my mind off that, it’s working.”
Bryce chuckled and his breath teased my skin.
“Let’s go. Now,” I breathed.
Bryce shot up and called out, “Corrigan, we’re leaving.”
Corrigan finished talking with one of the girls and jogged over to us with a suggestive smirk on his face.
“You two go on. I’m going to grab a ride home with this girl.”
Bryce and I looked over and saw that she was giggling with another friend. They both blushed when they realized they were the center of our attention.
In the car, Bryce kept a hand on my leg. It stayed in place.
When we pulled into my driveway, I hit the garage opener on my keychain and
Bryce pulled his car beside my mom’s Chrysler. Mine was still parked outside.
“Sheldon.”
We were startled when a figure spoke up from the driveway’s darkened edge, but she stepped forward and the light shone over Mena’s strained face.
Tijan
Jaded
78
Bryce swore.
I let out a breath I’d been holding when I murmured, “Mena. What are you doing here?”
It was almost midnight.
“My brother came and talked to you, didn’t he?” she asked, anxious.
“Uh…yeah.” We moved inside and into the kitchen. Mena followed and perched
on the stool she’d earlier occupied. She hugged herself.
“I knew he would.” She shook her head. “He’s just being an overprotective
brother, but he doesn’t understand anything.”
Bryce frowned at me. He nodded towards the kitchen table, but I shook my head.
He went to the fridge and
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