Page 24 of The Rebel (Covington Prep: The Girls We Love #7)

JADE

I was chatting with Lucy, Weston and Victoria when Ollie stopped by my room and said he and Valencia had forgotten to give Volley his tablet and they were going to do it now.

My immediate vision had been of a tablet, like an iPad, which made no sense as to why the cat needed it, but Lucy was in the middle of a big rant about the prom planning committee and I couldn’t just abandon the chat.

I nodded and waved and a moment later it clicked that the cat must need an allergy pill or something like that.

It seemed like ages since I’d heard the front door close and when Victoria said she had to go, I left the chat too.

Valencia’s bedroom door was wide open, a raft of art pads and pencils and her laptop spread all over the bed.

I definitely didn’t want to get caught snooping, but I scanned the open pages, all drawings of Paris playing tennis.

It was a pretty good likeness but it looked like she’d left in a mad rush.

I hoped Volley wasn’t sick. The Wheeler’s little dog, Lottie, had seizures and took anti-seizure medication. Maybe Volley was the same.

I was on my way to the living room to peer out the window when something on the floor of the entranceway caught my eye. I went across, picking up Oliver’s glove. Why would Oliver need his gloves to run across to the Reid’s house?

Oliver’s jacket was gone from the coat rack—that was understandable, but something didn’t feel quite right. I checked his room, his homework books tidily stacked on his desk.

They were giving the cat its medication, right?

I paced in front of the living room window, anxiously waiting for their return.

Five minutes later, I was putting on my own jacket and shoving my feet into my boots.

I now envisioned both Valencia and Ollie tied up by that cyber criminal who tracked empty homes.

Taking the key from its hiding place, the quietness and lack of lighting inside made me unlock the door without knocking.

Volley’s cat bowl was half full of dried kibble though there was no sign of him.

Valencia and Ollie weren’t here, but I had no fears they’d been captured or kidnapped.

My first glance was at the fruit bowl, the tennis ball keychain missing.

I moved quickly to the garage, somehow not surprised to see that Mrs. Reid’s car wasn’t there.

Not sure if I was angry, disappointed or plain peeved, I locked up and ran back home. Instinct told me they were out sledding, that they’d defied me—or rather, Valencia had defied me. They’d both been so snarky and now she’d corrupted Ollie and taken him to Oak Brook Hill—I’d bet my life on it.

Her mother’s blue car was parked at a weird angle and I pulled in close behind it, so she wouldn’t be able to leave. It made no sense, but my brain was totally scrambled by this stage. Not a rational thought in my head. To think I’d been worried about Volley having a seizure!

Scanning the hill, I spotted Valencia before I saw my own brother, even though he was in his bright orange beanie. I stormed across in her direction, speeding up when Ollie rolled off of his sled. But seeing he was all right, my attention turned to Valencia.

“Jade, hi. What are you doing here?”

The audacity of the girl! What was I doing here? I stared so hard that my vision wavered and spots appeared before my eyes.

“Let’s go, Oliver,” I snapped. My brother had just smashed off of the sled but my mercy was non-existent. “Now!” I clicked my fingers in a bid for him to hurry, then held out my hand to help him out, his cold hand chilling me to the bone.

“You’re freezing,” I said, noticing his soaked sweatpants, “and wet.” I shook my head in disgust. “You trying to catch pneumonia?”

I glared at Valencia again, noticing that she was in leggings.

So, they’d come sledding without proper wet-weather gear, and Ollie was now shivering from the cold.

He retrieved his sled, but I snatched it from him, pulling it behind me.

“Keep your hands warm,” I ordered and he thrust them into his pockets, head down as he jigged beside me.

I hesitated a moment, but then grabbed Valencia’s sled too. “What on earth were you thinking?” I fired at her, before striding ahead.

I’d already flung the sleds into the back of the truck as they trudged up behind. In the last few minutes, the wind had whipped up and the air temperature had dropped a few more degrees and with their wet clothes, they were both visibly shaking.

I directed Oliver into the front passenger seat and he jumped in, giving Valencia a sheepish grin as she pulled her car key from her pocket. She looked at me with a kind of sneer, my haphazard parking preventing her from driving away.

“Get in,” I said, opening my driver’s door and holding it for her.

“What? I’m not driving your truck! I’ve got my own car!”

I repeated myself, this time my words slow, deliberate and full of rage. “Get. In!”

Her eyes flickered in shock before she scrambled up into the driver’s seat, and I slammed the door after her.

I jumped into the back seat, perching myself in the middle, giving my racing heart a moment to calm down.

Their stunned silence indicated they were both as shell shocked as I was with my uncharacteristic outburst. The only shouting I ever did was on a soccer field.

I leaned forward between the seats, guessing the heated seats would be kicking in around about now.

“I don’t know what you were thinking,” I said, “you could have gotten hy—,” I paused, never knowing which was the correct term, hypo or hyper, “hy—”

“ Hypo thermia,” Oliver offered meekly.

“Yeah, hypothermia,” I mumbled, annoyed that my little brother knew the word. “But what were you guys thinking?”

“Ahhh,” Valencia sighed, much like she did the first time she sat in my truck, obviously feeling the warmth beneath her. “That’s so nice.”

Oliver nodded and they smiled at each other. “It was my idea,” he suddenly spouted. “I wanted to go sledding.”

Valencia shook her head and immediately disputed it. “No, it was my idea.”

“No, it was me,” Ollie said, swiveling to face me. “You know I wanted to go sledding, Jade.”

“No, it was me,” Valencia contradicted. “I suggested it.”

I shook my head sadly, latching on to their little game. “Oh, I get it. Both of you are willing to take the blame so the other won’t get into trouble.”

“You won’t tell Mom, will you?” Ollie said, edging on a panic attack. “She might ground me and I’ve got Molly’s birthday party next weekend.”

“Well, who’s fault would that be?” I asked with smug sarcasm.

“Jade,” Valencia uttered my name in a desperate plea, swinging around so that her face was mere inches from mine.

She eyeballed me so closely that I felt like I was being examined by an eye doctor.

“It really was my fault,” she breathed. “I, I...” She paused, faltering momentarily as she swallowed and chewed on her lower lip.

“It was me who suggested it. You know Ollie wouldn’t do something like that. ”

I was falling...I’d fallen...totally trapped, captivated by her dark eyes, her remorse, her luscious lips...and her willingness to defend Oliver, to protect him.

Valencia Reid was radiant, magnificent, amazing, beauty personified...and I wanted to kiss her, wanted her soft, sweet, kissable lips against mine.

“Pleassssse, Jade.” Oliver’s whine jolted me from whatever I’d been doing—namely, staring into Valencia’s eyes, at her face, lost in her presence like she was the only person in the universe. “Pleassssse don’t tell Mom.”

I slumped back against the seat and took a breath, senses reeling, in a daze. Valencia spun back around to face the front. My heart thumped at a million miles an hour, but I needed to snap back to reality.

“Have you warmed up a little?” I asked, but didn’t wait for anyone’s response. “Let’s get home.” I reverted back to my commander-in-chief role. “Valencia, I’ll follow you to your house and then you can ride with us.”

“Yep,” she said timidly, leaping out of the car like she couldn’t get away fast enough.

“Jade, you won’t tell Mom?” Ollie asked again.

I waited for Valencia to get into her car before climbing into the driver’s seat, unable to answer Ollie’s question. I genuinely didn’t want him to get grounded, and Valencia had accepted all blame, but I also didn’t want to lie to Mom. Mom would notice Ollie’s wet clothes.

I followed Valencia’s car closely, idling in her driveway as she parked in the garage. She didn’t dawdle, running to the truck and getting in the back seat.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Okay,” I said, releasing the air from my lungs with a heavy exhale, my brain aching from the predicament. “What I’ll do is tell Mom we all went sledding at Oak Brook, okay?”

Ollie sighed in relief and clutched at my arm. “Yeah, thanks Jade. You’re the best. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“You have to promise not to pull another stunt like that. You know Mom’s rules, Ollie,” I said, exuding authority again. But I’d weakened, succumbed, was guilty of a cover up.

Ollie nodded. “I know, I won’t. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Valencia said. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to get Ollie into trouble.”

“Or for both of you to get hyperthermia,” I said.

“Hy po! ” Ollie corrected.

“That’s what I said,” I muttered.

I ordered Ollie to go straight to the shower and get ready for bed.

Valencia said goodnight to him and slipped into her room and closed the door before I could say anything to her.

Not that I knew what to say. I was kinda relieved, not knowing how to explain about looking into her eyes like some intense psycho. No wonder she’d retreated.