Page 32 of The Rebel (Covington Prep: The Girls We Love #7)

VALENCIA

I’d already peeked out the window and seen Jade’s truck on the driveway and by the time he banged on the front door, I was only moments away from opening it.

At first I thought someone must have stolen his truck and randomly driven it into my driveway, because the driving was so reckless and thundered so loudly that I almost thought it was going to come through the living room.

To see him on the verge of tears shocked me.

And when he said, “Come for a ride,” I didn’t hesitate.

Grabbing my bag and phone, I imagined every worse case scenario: Ollie had choked on a pretzel and was in the ER, his mother had fallen and couldn’t walk, Paris’s plane had crashed in Germany and I was now an orphan.

But as Jade sat in the drivers seat and pulled his seatbelt across his lap, I knew my parents were still alive. Very much alive.

Jade’s eyes were a window to his inner turmoil, pools of green swimming in heartache, one only hinted at by the way his fingers had glided over the photo of his Dad as I’d replaced it on the mantelpiece.

I detected a loss, and today while watching the soccer game, there was the sense that something was missing, that this had been Mr. Sinclair’s thing, Sunday mornings watching the game with his family, the pillow tradition that they clung to.

My heart shuddered, wondering whether Jade wasn’t over his Dad’s death.

But I didn’t know anything about dying and grief, and the loss of Gabby’s friendship now seemed insignificant.

In fact, the more I had thought about Gabby and Scott saying those mean things about Paris, the less I mourned the loss of our friendship.

You see, if anyone laughed at my brother’s failures, then they were dead to me.

I’d made that decision in a heartbeat. You couldn’t hate on my brother and be my friend, simple as that. Gabby and Scott could have each other.

I reached out and put my hand on Jade’s leg, well his pants, his black Man City training pants, and I smiled. Or tried to. My lips twitched and my voice was barely a whisper, the same thing he’d said to me when he’d saved me for the millionth time, “I got you.”

He huffed out a laugh, and his eyes brightened and came alive. He turned away for a second, wiping at them before putting one hand on top of mine. He squeezed it and said, “Thanks.”

The warmth sent a swirl of butterflies racing through me, but unfortunately, he needed his hands to steer the truck. As he turned to exit the driveway, he asked, “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”

“The worst thing I’ve ever done?” I repeated in surprised.

“Yeah, like, the baddest thing you’ve ever done.”

I laughed, not sure if he was being serious. “Baddest? Like in breaking the rules?”

“Yeah.”

I shrugged. “I dunno. Sneaking out with Oliver to go sledding?” I said, wondering if he was testing me and wanting a confession.

“Is that the worst thing?”

“Well, you seemed to think it was,” I said with a grin.

“Nothing bad happened, though?”

“You covered for me, so no,” I said, still uncertain where his line of inquiry was headed.

Jade’s focus appeared to be on the road ahead, but as he slowed at the corner, he turned to me and asked, “Would you come to Rosemont with me?”

“Rosemont?” My pitch rose, as it would when it’s suggested you take a 100 mile road trip on a whim, double that to get back home.

The only thing I knew about Rosemont was that their country club had green clay courts, and the museum had a big display of butterflies that we went to visit on a field trip in fifth grade.

I doubted Jade wanted to play tennis or was studying butterflies.

“Yeah, it’s stupid, I shouldn’t—”

I interrupted. “What’s in Rosemont?”

“My grandparents—” I heard the hitch in this voice, the hesitation. “I...I haven’t seen them since Dad’s funeral.”

“And they live in Rosemont?” A hundred miles wasn’t that far to travel.

Jade nodded, eyes dull with despair.

“So, why haven’t you seen them?” I asked.

Jade cleared his throat, like he was preparing to speak.

And his words flowed, freeing himself from what I guessed had been troubling him for a long time.

“Mom and my grandparents had a fight right before the funeral. I don’t know what it was about.

She won’t tell me, she says it’s none of my business.

But since then, we haven’t seen them, and when I bring it up, she shuts down.

I don’t know what to do. I wanna see them. I miss them.”

“Oh, that’s rough.” It wasn’t much of a response, and it definitely wasn’t helpful, but I was genuinely stunned. Dani Sinclair didn’t seem like the kind of person who would hold a grudge. “She doesn’t want you to see them at all?”

Jade shook his head, his conflict plain to see. He was torn between his loyalty to his mother and his love for his grandparents. It was not an enviable situation.

“But you wanna go?”

Jade nodded, and bringing the truck to a full stop at the next corner, he turned to me and said, “You’d do it, wouldn’t you?” At first I thought he was demeaning me, shaming me for my past indiscretions, but then he declared, “You stand up for yourself, you don’t let anyone push you around.”

Indeed, I was about to defend myself right now. “Well, yeah, I think...”

“That’s my problem,” he continued on, seemingly not hearing me, “I think too much, I overthink. I’m too worried about doing the wrong thing. You just do it.”

I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or he was disgusted with me and replied with a timid, “I do?”

“Yeah, you stood up for yourself with Mrs. Fox and Mrs. Hayman.”

“I got a detention for that.”

“And you stood up to Gabby.”

“Yeah, but that hasn’t ended so well for me,” I said sheepishly.

“But you’re not afraid.” Crazily, he sounded like he was in awe of me. “You took Ollie sledding when you knew you shouldn’t.”

“You know we just wanted to sled.”

“You defied me. Total disregard for Mom’s rules.”

“It wasn’t like that,” I said. “I mean, Ollie and I really just wanted to sled.”

“You’re brave. I like that.”

“Brave? You don’t mean stupid?”

“No. What’s the worst thing that can happen if I defy Mom and visit my grandparents?” I was about to respond, but Jade answered himself. “Mom will be upset, she’ll be mad at me, she might ground me, but it won’t be the end of the world, will it?”

“And you’ll get to see your grandparents, which will totally be worth it, right?” I sensed he needed some reassurance. After all, we were in his truck, headed toward the bridge—he wanted to go to Rosemont, he just needed someone to confirm it was the right decision.

Once we were on the freeway, there had been no turning back.

Paris became the main topic of conversation, followed by the soccer game and his upcoming speech in tomorrow’s assembly.

It had been heartening to hear he’d been collaborating with Hannah, the German exchange student, which is why I’d seen them together so much.

Only as we neared the outskirts of town did Jade become notably nervous, talking less, constantly clearing his throat and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

He slowed the truck considerably as he turned into a tree-lined street with houses that could only be described as mansions. His tongue peeped out of mouth, and he chewed on his lower lip. There was a marked increase in the rise and fall of his chest.

Jade grimaced as he idled the truck outside a large, modern house, all geometric shapes and floor-to-ceiling windows. I gaped in surprise. For some reason, I imagined Jade’s grandparents living in a small white cottage with rocking chairs on the front porch. Nothing could be further from reality.

“Hey, you’re gonna be okay,” I said, sensing a hesitancy.

I gently reached across to squeeze his upper arm, but was met with a rock hard muscle, which kind of sent me into a dizzying spin.

Yeah, I’d seen Jade’s upper body in all its splendid glory, but now I was holding his bicep and not really wanting to let go.

“Will you come in with me?” he asked, seemingly oblivious to me clinging to him like a barnacle.

“Do you want me to?” I whispered, resisting the urge to rest my head against his shoulder. Right now I was wrapped in his scent, in the bubble of his warmth and there was no place I’d rather be.

“Yep.” Jade nodded, only now noticing me clutching his arm.

I released my hold hastily and sat tall in my own seat. “Sure.”

Jade gave me a lingering gaze before he shakily pressed the doorbell. It seemed like an age that we were standing there and I worried that no one was home. That we’d driven a hundred miles for no reason.

He was about to push it again when we could see shadows and hear movement behind the glass panels. He took a wavering breath and looked down at his shoes. I tapped my foot against his and briefly brushed against his arm, hoping to calm his palpable nerves.

Jade’s grandparents stood in the open doorway. His grandma was dressed in blue jeans and a soft cashmere sweater and his grandfather was wearing a Manchester City tracksuit. The look on their faces was that of surprise and amazement.

“I wasn’t sure I was seeing right on the monitor,” his grandma said, her tears already in full force.

“Oh my, oh my,” she said, her arms welcoming Jade into a bruising embrace.

His grandfather stepped in, encircling them both.

I shuffled aside, my heart warming at their reunion.

But I was swept up into it too, as if I was a long lost relative.

Jade began to introduce me, but his grandfather already knew who I was.

“You’re Paris’s sister. Heck, that boy’s doing well!”

Gramma led us into the living room and sat us down on a pristine leather couch, dashing off to get refreshments.

“I can give you some privacy,” I whispered to Jade, not wanting to intrude on a family matter. “I have my art folder in the truck.”

A flicker of fear flashed across his face and his grip on my sleeve was marginally manic.