Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High #1)(26)

“Good choice,” he grins.

Forty minutes later, we walk out of the diner after having Jesse scoff down his breakfast and wait patiently until I finished my whole plate. Though, he did threaten that if I didn’t eat it he was going to jam it down my throat. Apparently, he’s worked out my little secret, otherwise, Nate has spilled the beans.

We get back in his car and he drives us back to his place. Before we know it, we’re there and Jesse is walking my bag of things all the way up to my room, he even manages to place it down nicely on my bed. I thank him and he excuses himself to sleep the day away.

Nate’s bedroom door is closed and I have absolutely no idea if he’s in there or not, and quite frankly, I don’t think I want to know.

I’m way too confused by him right now.

So, with Jesse out of the picture for the rest of the day and Nate hopefully, somewhere else, I grab my Kindle and my phone and head down into the den. I make myself comfortable on the couch, making sure to stay away from the one that Nate was entertaining on the other night, and I prop my feet up.

Actually, come to think of it; there could be all sorts of DNA covering this couch. A shudder rushes through me and I run back up to my room, grab the blanket off my bed, and lay it down on the couch before climbing in for the afternoon.

I grab my Kindle and finally give myself a chance to finish my book.





Chapter 9


It’s well past three in the afternoon and I have had at least a hundred text message from the people at school, each and every one of them asking if the rumors are true.

One. Am I living with the famous Ryder brothers?

Two. Was I the girl who was at Nate’s race?

Three. Was I or was I not on a date with Jesse this morning?

Four. Did I actually sleep with Josh at Maxen’s party?

Five. Did I declare war against Ashley because I’m trying to steal her boyfriend?

I address them all and set the story straight. Yes, I’m staying with Nate and Jesse against my will. No, I’m not dating either of them. Yes, I was at Nate’s race. No, I’m not dating or sleeping with Josh. And hell no, I’m not trying to steal Ashley’s boyfriend.

I’ve been lucky that I still haven’t laid eyes on him since the race… or maybe he’s the lucky one as I have a few choice words to say to him regarding that whole situation.

I’ve hardly seen Jesse either, except for when he barged into the den with a plate of lunch and sat there until it was completely gone. The second it was, he picked up the plate and disappeared.

It’s been just me since then, and to be honest, I kind of like it that way.

A text message draws my attention away from my shopping cart on my laptop and down to my phone where I find a text from Brooke.

Brooke – Hey skank. I just heard you slept with Josh, Nate, and Jesse all in the same night. How the hell did you get so lucky?

My blood boils.

Tora – Are you serious?

Brooke – Yep. What are you doing? Can I come over?

I go to hash out a reply when I remember that this is not my home. I bring up Trish’s number that she demanded I store in my phone for just in case and hit call.

I bring the phone to my ear and wait patiently for her to answer. “Tora, honey. Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, hi,” I say. “I just wanted to quickly ask if it was ok for me to have a friend over?”

“Oh, of course, sweetheart,” she says with a proud smile in her voice. “Do you have any idea how nice it is to have somebody ask me that? My boys haven’t asked me permission to do anything in the last ten years.”

“I can imagine,” I laugh.

“Now, listen, Tori. Did the boys tell you that Cade and I are out for the night?”

“Um, no,” I say slowly.

“We have a benefit dinner out of town for Cade’s work so we won’t be home until tomorrow afternoon, but I’ve left money on the counter so you guys can order a pizza.”

“Ok,” I smile.

“I have to run, but make sure those boys get to bed at a decent hour, alright.”

“Alright,” I laugh. “I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises.”

“Ok, sweetie,” she says. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, she hangs up the phone and I get straight back to messaging Brooke

Tora – Sure. I’ve been kidnapped again though, so unless you’re brave enough to walk through these doors, then I’ll see you in a bit.

Naturally, Brooke’s curiosity is far too great and has her buzzing at the gate within the space of five minutes. I run around the house, trying to figure out how the hell to open the stupid thing. It takes me a few minutes and I giggle to myself as I watch Brooke through the monitor looking ever so impatient.

Once I work it out, I meet her at the door and she barges her way in. I mean, Nate and Jesse have had plenty of parties here before, but this is different. When no one is here, it’s private. This isn’t the open home of a party, this is the privacy of the Ryder household. The one which holds all their secrets, not that I’ve really discovered any yet, only that Jesse isn’t as much of an ass as I thought. The jury is still out on Nate.

This is the place girls all over Broken Hill are dying to get a look at. They all want to be a part of these boys’ lives and if just getting a little look inside is all their going to get, then you better believe they’ll take the opportunity with both hands and hold on tight.