-Violet-

I used my lunch break at school Friday to call Claire again.

Jenny lingered near her locker while I stood close. She picked books out and placed some back inside while I spoke on her phone. She never minded. I swear I need to get a phone. Tragically the last one I had broke a few months ago and I haven't had money to replace it.

But now I do, and that's the first thing I'm doing tomorrow.

The talk with Claire was brief. She said she'd talk with me more tonight at the dinner I already forgot about. Once I hung up with Claire, I handed Jenny her phone back. "You look freaked," She noted and closed her locker.

I leaned back against the lockers and shook my head. "I forgot about this dinner tonight. It's like an intern farewell, I guess." I turned my head and looked at her. "I have nothing to wear. I only own one dress."

She smiled at me, her teeth showing. "You're in luck because I have plenty of dresses. Want to come over after school?"

"You'd help me?"

"Of course." She laughed. "Lyssa's taste in clothes is the total opposite of mine. So it'll be nice to have a sister to actually dress up."

I smiled at her. "Thank you."

She gestured towards the hallway filling with students coming from lunch. "I guess we should probably get to class."

The next class we had together, so we didn't have to split different ways. She stayed close, dodging on coming students as I was. "So," She started, walking around a couple hugging in the hallway. "I did a very bad thing last night."

I laughed. "How bad could it be?"

She glanced at me. "I eavesdropped on our parents' phone call last night. Believe me, I regret it immensely."

I snorted. "It was that bad?"

"It was pretty bad," She murmured. "They have cute nicknames for each other that I probably shouldn't repeat. Anyway, I overheard what happened at dinner last week." She nudged me playfully with her elbow. "You and James huh?"

Now my cheeks were turning a darker shade of pink. "Uh, yeah. It's not like it's a big surprise though."

"No, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy for you." She threw me a smile. "Your mom said he's good for you. She really likes him."

That made me smile. "I know. Sometimes I think she loves him more than me," I joked.

Jenny laughed. "That's good she likes him. I know after you-know-who, it's probably nice to have James."

"Did you hear he's back?"

We started to climb the stairs to the second floor. "No," She gasped. "Reese is back? Have you seen him?"

"Yep," I said flatly. "He actually had the nerve to come to my house last Friday while James was there. But I slapped his face and slammed the door."

Jenny busted out laughing. "Oh, gosh. Are you serious? I would've loved to see that. He deserved it." She wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "I'm so proud of you." She squeezed me and we stopped beside the classroom. "Are you okay though? You know...with your dad and now Reese coming back?"

I hesitated, but nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming to grips with things slowly. It all just happened so fast and I didn't know what to do."

She smiled sadly and pulled me into a hug. "Still, I know it can't be easy and I'm here if you need anything. My dad too, of course. But I think he's too busy comforting your mom."

"Jenny!" I laughed and stepped back. "Not a visual I needed."

"Not it that way, doofus." She smacked the side of my head. "You know what I mean."

"Sadly I do."

She pointed a warning finger at me while fighting a smile of her own. "Stop it! It's not a visual I need either!"

"You started it!" I retorted.

"Ah, look at us. Already fighting like sisters."

After a few seconds, we both started laughing and walked into class.

* * *

Jenny stood in front of her closet while I sat on the edge of her bed.

She plucked out a few dresses and threw them on the bed next to me. There were a lot of different colors. The first one she picked up was pink. And not like a pastel, soft pink, but a bright pink.

I shook my head.

She threw it behind me and picked up another one. It was red, like a dark crimson than bright. It had a skirt that puffed out and it was strapless.

Again, I shook my head. It was a pretty dress, but didn't feel appropriate for tonight's dinner party.

The next dress was perfect. It was a navy blue skater dress, with lacey sleeves down to the elbow, and it would probably come just a few inches above my knees. "That one is perfect."

"Yay!"

I stood and she handed it to me. "And you're sure you don't mind if I borrow it?"

"Of course not. I know where you live," She teased. "What about shoes?"

"I can probably steal a pair of my mom's flats."

Jenny held up a finger and walked back to her closet. She bent at the waist and rummaged through her shoes until she pulled out a pair of black boots with a chunky heel. "I know how clumsy you are, but these are easy to walk in."

I timidly took them. "Really?"

"Very." She smiled. "Do you want to get ready here? Then I could just drive you there since you said James is bringing you home."

"If it wouldn't be a problem, that would be great." I pulled on a strand of lifeless hair. "Then you can help me decide what to do with this mess."

She walked up to me and tilted her head to the side. "I have an idea."

Two hours later and still one to spare, we were all done. I was dressed, my shoes were on, my hair was done, and she did my makeup too. With my hair, she just curled it and pinned it back out of my face. And she was right about the shoes. I walked around her room in them and only tripped once because I like to trip over invisible things. Other than that, I'm good and I felt pretty.

After another hour passed of just gossiping about boys and TV shows, she drove me to Mr. Roedan's house. It was bigger than I remembered. The last time I was here I made a bet with James about his dad's obnoxious laugh. It was the first bet James won. Our relationship grew from there and I couldn't be happier.

I looked around for his car now and spotted it in the driveway, closer to the front than the rest. I thanked Jenny and got out of the car. She backed out, sent me a wave, and drove in the direction she came.

This was going to be fun. I'm probably going to get a lot of weird looks from people, I can feel it.

I stepped up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A few short seconds later, it opened and I was lead into the living room just like the last time. My eyes swept the room, looking for James first off. His dad was with a group of his friends, talking and laughing too loudly.

I spotted Claire near the fireplace that blazed, talking to Sara of all the people. But she was smiling. I knew that couldn't be easy for her.

Then I spotted James near the drinks. He tipped back a glass filled with amber liquid and sat the glass down. I weaved through the crowd and stepped close enough to touch the back of his arm.

James turned around, his lips curving into a brilliant smile. He scanned my body once and grabbed my elbow. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." I smiled and blush crept on my cheeks. I smoothed a hand down the front of his suit jacket and he pulled me in closer.

"Is it safe to kiss you?" He asked, his smile turning into a smirk.

"I don't know." I grinned. "Is your dad watching?"

James looked over my head for a moment and back to my eyes. "No one cares what we do."

"Then kiss me already," I whispered.

He obliged quickly, caressing my jaw and pressing his lips to mine.

"How cute," A female voice stated behind us.

James peeled his lips from mine and turned his head over his shoulder. I looked too, seeing Cristin standing there with her hands on her hips. A mischievous smile broke onto her lips as she glanced between us. "Can I help you?"

She looked to James. "No one likes PDA, James."

"I'm saying hello to my girlfriend. And the fact that you were watching is really creepy." James made a face like he just tasted something sour.

Her smile didn't falter. "Anyone in a ten foot radius is watching."

James shrugged. "Your point?"

"Your dad won't like it."

"Does it look like I give a shit what my dad thinks right now?" James was losing what little patience he had left.

Cristin's smile fell. "You're not allowed to date employees." Then she gestured towards me. "Especially ones that don't belong in your world."

"Excuse me?" I pushed James aside. "Want to say that again?"

James put a hand on my shoulder and held me back.

Cristin's smirk was back. "What? You don't deserve him. You're probably only dating him for his money."

I clenched my jaw hard.

"Cristin," James warned, moving me behind him. "You need to leave before I pick you up and carry you out myself."

She looked to James. "I live here."

"I don't care. Leave us alone. Our relationship is none of my dad's business and it sure is hell isn't yours."

James turned to me, taking my hand into his, and he led me out of the room. He pulled me through the crowd, passing his mom, and through the long hall until we reached the stairs. He let go of my hand long enough to ascend the stairs two at a time, while I took a little longer so I didn't fall on the stairs, considering I'm wearing three inch heels.

He waited for me at the top and took my hand again, bringing me down the hall and into his old room. He closed the door behind me and let out a long, annoyed breath.

As he faced the door, I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind. "Don't let her get to you," I murmured.

"It's not that," He mumbled. "I just...nothing. It's not important." He placed a hand over mine. "Don't listen to her either. She's set out to make my life a living hell and I haven't figured out why yet."

"Everything you have to say is important to me." I slid a hand up his chest and over the space above his heart. I felt the faint beat against my palm.

He placed his hand over mine and curled his fingers around my own. "Don't believe a word she says. She's only trying to get a rise out of you."

"I know better." I lowered my forehead against his back. "Does your dad even know we're together?"

"I'm sure he does now if he didn't." He wrapped his fingers around my wrist and pulled me around him so he could bring me close to his chest. One of his hands caressed my jaw, the other lay gently on my waist. "Enough about me though. How are you doing?" His thumb brushed my cheek and his lips tugged into a small smile.

"Better now." I snaked my arms around his torso. "I'm going to talk to your mom tonight before we leave about the job."

He moved his hand down my jaw and gripped my chin delicately between his pointer and thumb. "Good. And what about...Reese?"

I shook my head. "I haven't seen him again. I guess that's a good thing."

"Do you want to talk to him?"

"I don't know." Truth. "I'm not ready to talk to him now, but I may be soon. Only time will tell."

The pad of his thumb touched the curve of my bottom lip. "Do you still love him?"

The question shouldn't be a surprise, but it chilled me to hear it come from James. "Not like I used to."

"Even seeing him after two years?" His thumb continued tracing my bottom lip lightly.

I caught his hand in both of mine and pressed a feather light kiss into his palm before curling my fingers around his. "You're all I want."

James's blue eyes lit up and his smile widened.

"Has that been bothering you?" I asked in a small voice.

He shrugged a shoulder and gathered me in his arms. "Not as much as you think." He swiftly moved a finger down the length of my face until he reached my chin. He tilted my head up more with the bend of his finger. "I'm yours if you'd let me be."

I stood on my toes and closed the space between our lips. Even wearing heels, I still had to stand on my toes to meet his kiss. My mouth opened under his, responding to the fiery burn of his lips. The taste of rum lingered on his tongue. He kissed me tenderly several times and I slowly leveled my feet back on the ground.

His lips touched my forehead and I closed my eyes.

"We should probably go back down," James murmured against my skin. "But we're leaving after dinner."

I leaned my head back to catch his gaze. "And what about dessert?"

The corner of his mouth tipped into a smirk. "I have another idea for dessert."

"If it doesn't involve chocolate, I don't want it."

"We're going to have a problem apparently," He teased and kissed the tip of my nose.

"No problems if you give me chocolate." I grinned.

James's chuckle rumbled his chest. "I'm better than chocolate, actually."

I let out a laugh and kissed him quick. "Keep dreaming, James." I stepped out of his embrace and started backing towards the door. "I just realized something."

He advanced a step with each one I took back. "What's that?"

"You called me your girlfriend."

James kept walking until I was braced against the bedroom door. "I'm pretty sure we clarified that when you told Nic we were together." He let a laugh slip. "Also what I told my mom."

I couldn't help my smile. "I think I can get used to it."

"Yeah?" He took another step forward until I was stuck between him and the door.

"Only if you can used to me calling you," I dropped my voice down to a whisper. "The B word."

James erupted into a fit of laugher. "And what's that? Beautiful?"

I slid a hand to the nape of his neck and smiled to match his. "That's one of them." I brought him in closer. "Boyfriend."

He started laughing again and kissed me. I couldn't hold in my laugh and it tumbled out against his lips. "I'm glad we clarified that too. I mean I didn't want anyone to get confused."

"Oh yeah, definitely."

He smiled and gave me one more kiss. "Glad we could clear that up then."

James moved back and I turned around to open the bedroom door. We slipped back out and ventured downstairs to join the party. It was just in time to be seated for dinner.

Again, I was seated on the opposite end of James and this time Cristin was sitting next to him. I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't bother me, because it does. It bothers me big time.

When dinner was served, it was hard not to look at them. She kept touching his arm, leaning against his shoulder, and touching his hair. But each time he politely knocked her hand off.

Another thing that was too awkward for words was that Sara was on one of David's sides and Claire was on the other, sitting next to James. It was honestly more awkward than when I spilled ice cream all over James's best friend. Now that was awkward, but this...it was a train wreck waiting to happen.

Claire's more civil than that though.

Not sure Sara is. If she's anything like Cristin, she's definitely vindictive.

During dessert, something surprising happened.

James stood up and walked to the end of the table where an empty seat beside me remained unused until he sat down. I glanced at him and back to the end of the table where his dad was staring daggers at me. He didn't like what James just did and I'm not sure how I feel about the way he stared at us.

I turned my head to face James and his eyes caught mine. "What are you doing?" I whispered. "Your dad looks like he's going to kill me."

James smirked and leaned towards me. "That side of the table is boring."

"This side isn't exactly lively."

"But you're over here." He tilted his head forward until his lips touched my neck.

"James." I leaned back away from him. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but I suggest you stop before you piss your dad off."

His eyes were cold when I looked into them. "Maybe that's the point."

"You're an idiot," I grounded in a whisper. "I'll find a different ride home tonight."

I don't know what's gotten into him in the span for half an hour, but I didn't like it. He basically just said he was using me at the moment to piss his dad off and if that didn't make me feel horrible, I don't know what could. When he said that, it was worse than anything Cristin could've said to me because I knew she was lying. But with James...he admitted it.

My heart was lodged in my throat and I felt stupid.

He didn't say anything after I said that. Not an apology or insistence.

I picked at my dessert absentmindedly and James was talking to one of the interns sitting across from him. When everyone started to disperse from the table, I got up too and went to find Claire.

She was standing by the fireplace against with a glass of white wine. "Violet." She sat her glass on the mantle and pulled me into a hug. "James told me about your dad and I'm so sorry for your loss. My condolences go to your family."

I smiled and hugged her back. "Thank you."

Claire dropped her arms from around me and picked her glass back up. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay," I said softly. "I'm sorry about this past week. It's been a mess."

She nodded. "I understand, Honey. And I do have a job for you, if you want it. It's a small assistant job and you'd basically be doing what you've always done. Help me take notes, scheduling, and phone calls."

"That sounds great actually."

"Great." Her lips curved into another smile. "I'll only need you a few days a week, a couple hours after school if that's not too much. Some mornings during the weekend. And if something happens, don't hesitate to call me."

"This is really amazing of you, so thank you. It seriously means a lot to me."

"Of course." She lightly touched the side of my arm and dropped her hand. "Now onto another subject. I'd like to have you and your mom over for dinner sometime this coming week. I'd love to finally meet her."

"That sounds good. I'll talk with her and see when's a good time."

"Just let me know Monday."

"I will."

I felt James come up behind me before he pressed a hand to my back. "You ready to go?"

"Thank you again, Ms. Roedan. I'll see you Monday after school."

James led me out of the room and outside where everyone was leaving. When we were in the dark, I shook his hands off of me and stepped away from him on the porch. I didn't bother looking at him and crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm mad at you."

"I can tell." His tone was laced with annoyance.

I whipped my head in his direction. "I have every right to be mad at you."

"I know." He scratched his brow. "It was a dick move."

My laugh was bitter and held no humor. "You were using me back there to piss your dad off. It's humiliating, you asshat. The least you could do is apologize."

"You already know I'm sorry," He nearly whispered. "I shouldn't have done that. Let me take you home—"

"Did you know Cristin was watching when you kissed me earlier?"

He was quiet.

"You're an asshole. I'll find my own ride home."

I walked down the porch steps and caught up with one of the interns to ask them for a ride. She said she didn't have a problem taking me home and I hopped in the passenger seat. James stood at the top of the stairs, leaning against one of the pillars with no look of remorse on his face.

Something changed and I didn't like it.

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Sorry about the slow updates, it's just been hectic with nanowrimo and school. This story is coming to an end soon and I don't have any others planned except a short story for Christmas. So I'll probably be taking a break after this until then.

Hope you liked this chapter and if you did, pleaaaaasee vote and comment? :) Let me know what you thought about what James did omg.