Shattered Ties(10)

“I do. Rick and his guys are great, and I’ve learned a lot from being there.”

“That’s great. I’m glad that you found something you love.” The seconds ticked by slowly as we both stayed silent.

“I hurt you, didn’t I?” he asked suddenly, destroying the silence.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied, hoping that he would believe me.

The truth was that he had hurt me. I wasn’t sure why, but the fact that he had labeled me a stuck-up bitch bothered me. Sure, I could be one if I wanted to, but that wasn’t usually the case.

“Don’t lie to me,” he said as he stared at me.

“I’m not lying to you,” I said stubbornly

“Yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes.”

I had no idea how he could be in my head like this. There was just something about him that made me care about what he thought of me. I’d lived my entire life not caring what others thought, yet here he was, pushing his way into my life without even trying. I couldn’t deal with this.

“What gives you the right to ask that?”

“I don’t have that right, but I want to know. I didn’t mean to hurt you, and if I did, I really am sorry. I grouped you in when I shouldn’t have. You’ve been nothing but nice since I got here this morning.”

I glanced back and forth between him and the road, unsure of what to say. “Yeah, it did hurt a little.”

He turned away from me. “I knew it did, and I’m sorry. Sometimes, I speak before I think. Listen, I don’t want to start out like this. Can we start over?”

“Does it really matter that much to you?” I asked.

“Yeah, I guess it does. I’m just not sure why,” he said as he turned to face me.

“Well, I’m willing to ignore this afternoon if you are. You could use a friend since you’re so antisocial, and I’m willing to be that friend if you let me.”

He grinned. It was the first one I’d seen since he’d gotten in the car.

“I am not antisocial.”

“Yes, you are. You completely ignored Todd in class today.”

“I did not ignore him. I nodded when he said hi.”

“That doesn’t count. You’re supposed to be sociable, you know, as in, like, talking to someone,” I said as I grinned back at him. “Whatever. Maybe I prefer not to be around people.” “Why would you say that?” I asked, confused.

“Because people are *s. I learned long ago that the only person I can trust is myself.”

For someone so young, he was definitely jaded. I had no idea what had happened to him previously, but it was obvious that he didn’t care about others or what they thought of him. Someone had hurt him, and for some reason, I cared.

“Not everyone is an *. Some of us still care.”

“If there’s anyone out there that cares, I’ve yet to meet them, besides my mom. It’s just her and me against the world. Fuck everybody else.”

He had just given me a bit of information about himself without even realizing it. I smiled as I glanced over at him.

“You’re close to your mom, I take it?”

He nodded. “Yeah, my mom is the only one I have left. It’s been me and her for years, and I like it that way.” “Where’s your dad?” I asked.

“No clue. I can barely remember him. The bastard left us when I was little.”

“That sucks. My dad travels a lot, but at least I still get to see him. If not, I might go crazy without him.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

“My mom and I don’t get along. She’s too busy planning committee events to be a mom.”

“You said before your parents are divorced. Where is your dad?”

“He’s in a band, so he travels a lot. It’s been like this my entire life, so I’m used to it. I just wish he was home more to help me deal with her.” “Make a left here,” he said, effectively ending our discussion.

I gave my signal and turned left at the light. We were in the slums of the city, and I was glad that my car had automatic locks. I had no idea how Jesse could stand to work here. I would be afraid of getting mugged. Although, since he was a pretty big guy, that probably wasn’t a problem for him.

A few buildings down from the turn off, there was an old brick building with a sign out front that said Rick’s Tattoos. It was weathered and broken down on the outside, but the inside looked brightly lit. I pulled into the parking lot and shut the car off.

“Well, this is me. Thanks for the ride,” Jesse said as he opened the door to get out.

“Wait!” I yelled.

He turned back to me. “What?”

“So, we’re starting over tomorrow? Clean slate?”

He smiled, and my stomach flipped as I saw the dimple in his cheek.

“Yeah, we can start over. Maybe next time, I won’t be such an ass.”

I laughed. “Something tells me you’re good at being an ass.”

“That, I am. Have a nice night, Emma.” “You, too!” I called as he walked away.

I waited until he went inside the building before I finally pulled out. There was just something about this boy that kept me intrigued, and I was determined to find out what it was, mother be damned.