Page 14 of Pretty Lies (Watch Me Burn #1)

“Trust me, we’re done here. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” He bailed off the bike to snatch his bag, leaving the gym without bothering to get changed. I stared after him with confusion, but Caden gave me a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry about him. He’s just mad about you and Jense locking tonsils.” My entire body tensed up, and he chuckled as he grabbed his sweat towel off the floor. “Did you think Jense would keep it to himself? He’s one of my best friends, Rory. We don’t keep secrets.”

Tension rolled off all of them at those words, but I pretended like I didn’t notice.

“No, I just wanted to tell you myself,” I said lightly, earning a dismissive wave of his hand.

“We aren’t together so you can do what you want. Expect drama from the other students if you publicly jump between dicks though. It’s probably best if you keep it behind closed doors.”

Jensen finally climbed off his machine and snatched his towel off the bench before stalking right past me with his jaw clenched. If he thought he could shut me out, he had another thing coming.

His body went completely rigid as I reached out and snagged his arm, not hiding the annoyance in my voice. “Why are you mad at me?”

He swung his gaze to mine, his expression softening. “I’m not, babe. I just can’t do this shit with you. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, okay. That’s cool,” I replied, watching in confusion as he gave me a sad smile and left without another word. Tyler followed silently without sparing me a glance, leaving Caden and I to walk out to his Challenger alone.

Once we were buckled in and ready to go, he sighed. “Give Jense some time. He’ll come around.”

I turned in my seat to face him, raising an eyebrow. “You want him to come around? Do you guys normally mess around with the same girl?”

He shrugged, starting the car and causing the engine to roar to life. “ Pull Up” by L.A Leakers blasted instantly and almost deafened me, and he reached over to turn it down so we could continue talking as he drove out of the parking lot and towards home.

“There’s nothing wrong with it. Ty would climb you like a tree too if you let him. You’re hot.”

“Really?” I had no intention of fucking Jensen, let alone Tyler, but I was glad Caden was opening up to me a little.

He was quiet for a moment before speaking gently, changing the subject. “What happened between you and Lukas?”

I looked out the window and clammed up instantly. I wasn’t ready to talk about that. It was still too raw, and it had nothing to do with him. “Nothing that matters.”

“Well it matters to me because it’s causing a rift between the guys. You and Lukas can’t be in the same house together without starting a fight, and the guys are starting to think the worst. Do us all a favor and start talking, Aurora.”

I glared at him, becoming defensive at the tone he was using on me. “Excuse me? It’s none of your goddamn business , Holloway.”

A nasty smirk hit his face as he turned a corner, not looking over at me. “ Everything is my business, babe, so tell me what happened. Did you two date and he cheated on you? He dumped you and broke your heart? He?—”

“Stop the car,” I forced out at a whisper, making him snort.

“No.”

“Stop the fucking car, Caden!” I shouted as panic and rage overtook me. I didn’t want to be trapped in the car with him anymore, being interrogated as if I’d been the one to do something wrong.

His friend was the poison in our drama, not me.

He slammed his foot on the brake, and I unbuckled my seat belt, throwing myself out of the car and slamming the door behind me. He followed, grabbing my bicep and yanking me back sharply. “You want a repeat of the other night? Get back in the car and talk, for fuck’s sake.”

“Let me go, asshole!” I shouted, but his hand clamped over my mouth and he shoved me against the side of his car.

“No. You listen to me. No one gets between me and my guys. The fact that you’re making everyone turn on each other is starting to piss me off. Just do as you’re fucking told, and everything will be peachy. So?—”

I bit his hand hard as a last resort in my panic, an angry curse ripping from him. When he pulled his fist back, I closed my eyes and waited for the impact, but it never came.

I finally braved a peek at him to find him watching me, his hand by his side again as if it had never happened. Maybe it hadn’t and I was finally losing it.

“Are you going to get back in the car and talk like an adult, or do I leave you here?” he asked in a scarily calm manner, frustration flickering in his intense gaze.

“I’m not getting back in that car with you.”

“Suit yourself. Enjoy your walk,” he shrugged to my relief, climbing back into the driver’s seat and tossing my bag out at me before revving the engine, taking off with a screech of tires like the asshole that he was.

I flipped him off as I grabbed my bag from the ground, sliding my phone from my pocket and texting Jensen to pick me up, hoping he was over his tantrum.

Rory: Hey, can you pick me up from the old tree at the bend, just down from the school? Had a fight with Caden.

I only had to wait a second before he replied, my worry slipping away instantly.

Jensen: Be there in a few.

I leaned against the tree and scrolled through Facebook until the crunch of tires on gravel made me look up to see the Camaro pull over on the side of the road.

Jensen rolled the window down and jerked his head towards the passenger seat, and I walked around the car and climbed in, waiting for him to speak first.

He drove for a few minutes before glancing over at me. “What did you fight about this time, and where is he?”

I laced my fingers together on my lap with a sigh. “Lukas, and other things. He manhandled me and went to hit me, so I wasn’t about to get back in his car. He tossed my bag out and took off towards home.”

He looked sad for a moment as his voice turned gentle, soothing me slightly. “Babe, trust me when I say he’d never physically hurt you. He just likes to scare people into doing as they’re told.”

“I don’t care if he hurts me or not. The point is that I’m not some lapdog that sits when I’m told. He doesn’t own me, and the sooner he figures that out, the better off he’ll be,” I bit out without looking at him, my hands balling into fists.

“Is the shit with Luke really that bad? Why can’t you just talk about it to shut him up?” he asked lightly, my narrowed eyes sliding over to him.

“It’s personal. So, no. I won’t tell him anything just to shut him up.” He was quiet for a while, making me sigh. This conversation was going nowhere. “Can I stay with you tonight?”

“Like, on my couch?” he asked slowly, his eyes flicking towards me with uncertainty.

I shrugged. “I don’t care where, I just don’t want to be near Caden. He’s been so nice since I moved in, but ever since he got back from his dad’s, he’s been a moody asshole.”

“Yeah, alright, but on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You talk to me. Doesn’t have to be everything, but I need something from you.

I can see everything is still raw for you, and I think opening up a little might ease your mind slightly,” he said softly.

My chest tightened with anxiety, telling me I was probably going to have a panic attack by the time we arrived at his house.

His hand slid into mine, giving me an understanding smile.

“Not right now. Later. First, I think we need a beer.”

“Caden’s pissed that you’re staying here,” Jensen stated later that night without glancing up from his phone, making me snort from my spot on the couch beside him.

“Good. I hope his shitty mood keeps him awake all fucking night too.”

He chuckled, stretching out and putting his phone back in his pocket. He glanced over at me and caught me checking out his abs where his shirt had ridden up, smirking as he spoke. “See something you like?”

I gave him the middle finger and leaned back to sip my beer, hoping my face wasn’t too red. I wasn’t used to guys paying me attention, and I sure as hell never got caught perving on someone. I’d never been interested until now.

What kind of rich boy crack had I consumed to lose my damn mind like this?

When his gaze remained on me, I looked back at him with irritation. “What?”

“We’ve had a few beers now, so it’s time you start talking, don’t you think?” he murmured, and I hesitated before sitting up to place my beer on the coffee table, wrapping my arms around my legs to rest my chin on my knees.

I pushed the panic down, convincing myself that I could trust him, despite not wanting to.

Doubt nagged at me, but Jensen wouldn’t hurt me. I felt it deep in my bones that he had my back, even if the others didn’t. Caden wanted to know because he wanted control, while Jensen just seemed to want to help me.

That was why Jensen would get answers and Caden wouldn’t.

“Where do I start then? I don’t think I can talk about all of it.”

“Just start wherever you want. I won’t force you to talk about things you really don’t want to discuss, I just need you to open up a little bit.” His expression was gentle, and it gave me the courage to nod, deciding to confide in him.