Jaded (Jaded #1)(15)

I grabbed his finger and pushed it down. “Stop waving your finger in my face.

And you go to jail plenty enough on your own, you don’t need me to get you there.” It was true.

“Stop giving me that look.” Corrigan sighed when the look intensified.

I stopped at the school’s hangout, The Café Diner. Dumbly named, but everything else wasn’t. It had the best burgers, salads, shakes, and some of the employees would slip us alcohol. Corrigan gave me a twenty when I went inside and marched past the back counter. He stayed inside and moved to one of the tables to chat.

After I struck a deal with the head cook, I walked through the main area and I couldn’t find Corrigan, but Chet pointed him out.

As I moved around the back corner, near the phone booth, I saw Corrigan had his tongue shoved down some girl’s throat.

I took pity and turned to leave.

I didn’t get far when Chad stepped into my path.

“What do you want, Yerling?” I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest.

His eyes trailed down and then back up, but not after it lingered on my br**sts.

“Eyes up front, Yerling. Now,” I snapped. “And I’m waiting.”

He grinned ruefully. It was the same grin that I’d seen him use on more than a few drunken girls.

I just sighed on the inside. It wouldn’t be my eyelashes that I’d bat at him.

“You don’t like me much, do you?”

“What makes you say that?” I asked sweetly.

He didn’t answer that, but said instead, “Are you and Scout exclusive? Because I’ve seen him with a lot of other girls, you know.”

Nothing new here.

“If Bryce and I are exclusive, then it’s Bryce and me who should know that.”

“He slept with Lew on Friday at his party.” He shifted when I tried to move around him.

I sighed and regarded him.

“What?” Chad sent another of his grins that he’d perfected to get into so many pants. Corrigan had a look. Bryce had a look. And Chad had a look.

“Are you telling me this because you’re hoping you have a chance with me?” I asked bluntly.

His eyes widened a bit, but he recovered instantly. “Why? Would you be interested?”

I leaned closer and whispered, silkily, “I get approached by a lot of guys. I don’t know why you think that you’d have a chance.”

The grin was wiped clean when I leaned back and commented, “Now move before I move you.”

I heard a slight hush fall over the diner. Everyone had been watching. Chad knew it. I knew it. I hadn’t cared, but now Chad was all the more humiliated for it. We were at a stand off now…what would Chad do to protect the little dignity he had as a piece of scum?

We stared each other down.

“What?” I asked and crossed my arms again. Still, Chad didn’t move. He just stayed there, angry and fighting for control.

I noticed that Chet stood up, along with a bunch of other guys in the room.

Chet was good friends with Bryce and Corrigan, but he was also on the football team with Chad. In fact, a lot of the guys that stood up were football players. I wasn’t sure if it mattered because the male dominance placed Bryce and Corrigan at the top, but Chad was just below him.

This might’ve been a showdown to change the social status and Chad might’ve chosen me to be that symbol.

“You don’t want to do this,” I said smoothly, calm.

In the back we could hear a moan. Corrigan chuckled and hushed her.

“Do what?” Chad asked, feigning innocence.

“What I think you’re doing,” I said firmly.

Chet stepped closer and said quietly, “Leave her alone, Yerling.”

Chad narrowed his eyes at him and asked, softly, eerily, “From what? I’m not doing anything. I’m just standing here.”

Chet came to stand behind me.

He grabbed my elbow and moved in front. He warned, softly, “Step back, Yerling.”

“What? You’re going to escort her out? All safe-like and be her knight in shining armor?” Chad taunted. I saw the malice in his eyes and instead of a shiver, I stood at my tallest height.

Two more guys moved around behind Chad, Tatum and Holster. They were both football players, but they were loyal to Chet first. A part of me was relieved.

That pissed me off. I shouldn’t need to be relieved at the sight of these guys, not here, not in my territory.

Chet prompted me forward and out the door.

Once outside, he asked tightly, “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I bit out, my jaw tense.

Tatum had followed us outside, but we all looked and saw that Holster remained inside, right beside Chad.

“What the hell was that?” I clipped out.

“I don’t know,” Chet murmured, tiredly, as he continued to hold Chad’s stare through the diner’s windows.

“I’m thinking you do.” I raked my eyes over his face and saw I was correct.

Chet glanced at me, studied me, and then relented, “Chad’s been…a loose cannon lately.”

“He hit on me and I turned him down.”

Chet bit back a grin and guessed, “You humiliated him.”

“No.” I had, but he’d chosen the when and where. That wasn’t on me.