Page 33 of A Little Jaded
He isn’t. It took two minutes of being in his presence to figure out he’s nothing like Drake or half the guys I’ve met in my life, most of them being Drake’s friends, but I digress.
“Let’s say we do it,” I murmur. “Even if our entire relationship is fake, if we’re going to make it look real, you can’t be seen with other girls. Drake will see right through it.”
“No girls. Got it.”
“I’m serious. It was the one line Drake knew not to cross.”
Everett scoffs. “Hitting you is one thing, but touching another girl is off limits?”
“Apparently,” I reply dryly.
His mouth twitches, and he scratches his jaw. “Fine. No girls.”
No girls. He says it so nonchalantly. Like I’m asking him to pick up some milk on his way home or something, when we both know asking a hockey star to be celibate for the foreseeable future isn’t exactly an easy task, considering the puck bunnies who I have no doubt follow him around like little puppies during the season. Yet here he is, accepting it.
“It’s not a problem for you?” I push. “Putting your life on hold to help me?”
His eyes darken a shade, making them appear more navy than sky blue as he studies me while keeping his thoughts to himself. Is he already second-guessing this ridiculous plan the same way I am? And that’s coming from the girl who actually gets something out of this. Everett? He gets nothing. Nothing but a month or two of abstinence and likely a couple of right hooks as a consolation prize.
Yeah, this is a great idea.
“Why don’t you want to tell your parents?” he finally asks.
I’d laugh at the ludicrousness of his question if I hadn’t considered it a thousand times. It’s so simple yet complicated that most days, the possibility of my family finding out makes me want to cry and curl up in a ball of shame when, if I just told them, it would eradicate most of my problems. It would also potentially create even more.
“Answer me,” Everett pushes. “I won’t do this unless you tell me the truth.”
“You really want the truth?” I bite the edge of my black lacquered thumbnail and avoid his gaze. “It’s because I feel stupid.”
“Stupid?” He frowns and gives me a look making me feel like I’ve grown a second head or something.
“My parents taught me better than to spend time withsomeone like Drake. Someone who’s manipulative and controlling and possessive. The idea of giving my parents front-row seats to something like that makes me feel…stupid,” I repeat. “And with how low my confidence already is considering the circumstances, I think keeping them in the dark is probably the one good decision I’ve made since I started dating Drake. Oh,” I snap my fingers, “and let’s not forget I’ve been treated with kid gloves ever since the moment I was conceived, remember?”
“What does that have to do with you keeping your family in the dark?”
“You’re kidding, right?” I laugh. “After my mom’s miscarriage and years of infertility until she finally wound up pregnant with me, I was basically deemed a miracle before I even had a heartbeat. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy to be alive and love my family more than you’ll ever understand. But do you know how messed up it feels to simultaneously be put on a pedestal for existing and also treated like a frail princess in need of protection from…everything? And it's not only coming from my parents, either. If my older brother—who thinks he’s untouchable, by the way—found out about what Drake’s been doing to me, he would literally kill him, Everett. And no, I’m not just saying it. That is if my dad didn’t pull the trigger first.”
“Raine—”
“Do you really think I want my dad or my brother to wind up in jail all because I screwed up by falling in love with the wrong guy?” I scoff. “I can’t let that happen. I can’t.”
“We won’t let it happen,” Everett interjects.
I fold my arms and lean back in my chair. “You’re right. We won’t. Because we all agreed I’m not going to the cops.”
He’s annoyed. I can see it. Feel it. The tension in his jaw. The vein in his forehead. If he’s expecting me to cave, he’s going to be sorely disappointed.
I hold his stare and ignore the swell of butterflies in my stomach.
“Not. Going. To. Happen,” I push.
His eyes thin even more, and a grumbled sigh escapes him. “The cabin’s up in the mountains. All it takes is one storm without four-wheel drive, and you're stuck for a week. That’s why I’m gonna drive you everywhere until this shit is taken care of, especially since Drake knows your car, too. When you get a second, send me your schedule. I’ll work it around my classes, practice, and games. We can figure it out as we go.”
“Ev…”
“Do you go to school?”
I shake my head. “Just work at Eternal.”