December 21, 2007

“Tell me again why you don’t like Christmas, Scrooge,” Chelsea asked me as she sat next to me on my bed only a few days before the dreaded holiday. “I mean… it’s Christmas.”

“For every Christmas, my family spends it with Dallas and his family,” I explained, letting out a sigh as I laid back on my bed. “And every year since Dallas was a freshman, he always shows up late because he spent most of the day with Trinity.”

“Ah, I understand now,” Chelsea nodded as she moved over to my computer now. “So you’re upset because he’s going to come to your house when the party’s almost over?”

“No,” I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. I really tried to not act jealous, but it just wasn’t working out well. “I’m angry because this year Dallas is bringing Trinity with him. So I’m going to have to sit around and watch them be all lovey-dovey and crap. I’m really not looking forward to it.”

Chelsea stuck her tongue out at me. “If you hate them being together so much, why don’t you just break them up or something?”

I rolled my eyes at her. “What am I supposed to do that will break them up? They’ve been going out ever since the two of them were freshman. I highly doubt I can just break them up after they’ve been together for almost four years.”

Chelsea shrugged. “You never know. I highly doubt that they’ll end up marrying each other. They’ll probably break up after high school.”

“And I’ll have no chance with Dallas after he graduates,” I reminded her, as if she didn’t know. “I don’t even know what college he’s going to or what he’s going to college for. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dallas doesn’t even know himself… All he thinks about is now, not the future.”

Chelsea shrugged once again. “I’m sure a lot of people think like that. Why not think about now instead of the future?”

I guess she was right, but I didn’t agree with her. I spent most of my time wondering about the future. I guess I was just different from everyone else that way.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Christmas night, my mother informed me of something that I definitely wasn’t expecting.

“A party?” I asked, my eyebrows furrowing at my mother as my father and Austin scrambled around the house, setting up for this party my mother was speaking of. “What do you mean, we’re having a party?”

“Instead of just us, your grandma, and Dallas’s family, your father and I decided to throw a party with all of our friends and their children,” my mother informed me, snapping at Austin when he set some kind of banner up wrong. “Your father and I thought that it would be very fun for Austin and you to meet our coworker’s children.”

A party sounded fun, but I wasn’t good with meeting new people. And if Dallas was going to come over with Trinity, I wouldn’t have to see them as much, but then that meant that I wasn’t going to see Dallas as much either…

I turned toward Austin, flatly asking him, “Did you invite anyone?”

Austin shrugged, not even looking away from the banner he was putting up as he said, “Just Mason, Dennis, Cathy, Hunter, Erica, Quinn, George…”

I stopped listening after that. So not only was Trinity going to be there, but a bunch of other random friends of Austin’s and Dallas’s. Now I definitely wasn’t looking forward to this Christmas party… It just made me hate Christmas even more.

Two hours later, the house was packed with my parents’ friends. Even some of Austin’s friends had shown up, and I wasn’t allowed to go up into my room because my mother didn’t want me to be rude. But there was absolutely nothing for me at this party, and Dallas and his family hadn’t shown up yet. Which meant that Trinity wasn’t there yet either… and that was definitely the only good thing out of it.

I had pretty much been opening the door the whole time, since I had absolutely nothing else to do. So when the doorbell rang once again, I let out a sigh and left my spot on the stairs to go and answer the door.

“Hi, Jordan!” Trinity greeted me happily after I had opened the door, and I forced a smile onto my face. Why did she have to be here? “Your house is so big! I’ve always loved your house so much.”

“Hey, Jordy,” Dallas grinned, walking right by me and only ruffling my hair as he did so. Both he and Trinity disappeared within seconds of their arrival. Dallas’s parents only gave me a quick hello before going off on their own as well.

There had to be a way out of this. Maybe I could fake an illness or something.

The doorbell rang again, and I immediately regretted not inviting any of my friends. I thought that I’d be able to hang out with the kids of my parents’ coworkers, but there wasn’t one kid that was older than ten-years-old.

“Jordan, honey, could you get the door?” my mother requested, and a second later she was engulfed into the large mass of our guests. She didn’t even have to ask me, because I was going to do it anyway. I let out a breath, turning back toward the door and opening it unhappily.

“Welcome,” I greeted to the brunette woman at the door, forcing myself to sound happy and chipper as I leaned up against the door. “Come right on in.”

The woman smiled at me, making her way inside of my house. Following her was a pretty blonde girl who I hadn’t ever seen before, but she looked older than me so I didn’t even say a word to her. I let out another sigh, about to close the door until I realized that there was someone else outside.

The person was staring at me, his eyes wide in surprise as he looked me up and down.

“Oh… my… gosh,” I gasped, my eyes widening at the person that stood before me. “What the… what the hell are you doing here?”

Jesse grinned, no longer looking surprised as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaning up against the doorframe. I stood there in complete and total shock, not knowing how I was supposed to react to seeing him here at my house.

“My mom was invited,” he shrugged, and I felt like slamming my head against the door. “So she decided to bring my sister and me along. Do you have a problem with that?”

I glowered at him. “Yeah, I kind of do.”

He shrugged once again, walking into my house without me even inviting him inside. Why the hell did my parents have to invite his mother? First Trinity, and now Jesse! I was going to explode from frustration!

I then felt the color drain from my face when I realized something. Dallas was here with his girlfriend, and Jesse thought that I was Dallas’s girlfriend. What was I supposed to do if he saw the two of them together? Jesse might figure out that I really liked Dallas if he found out I was lying about us dating!

“Seems like we’re the only ones around the same age,” Jesse smirked, moving closer to me after I had shut the door. I scowled, inching away from him as much as I could. “Maybe we should stick together.”

“I don’t think so,” I disagreed, taking another step away from him. I expected him to flash a smile and tease me some more, but the last thing I expected was for all the color to drain from his face after he had looked over my head at the other guests.

“What?” I asked, turning around to see who or what he was looking at. Before I could fully turn around, Jesse grabbed onto my shoulders and turned me back so I was facing him once again. His face was still pale, and all I could do was stare at him.

“Maybe you’re right,” he chuckled nervously, removing his hands from my shoulders. I didn’t bother turning back around to see what he was looking at, because I knew that there was no point. “We probably shouldn’t stick together. I’ll see you later.”

I blinked at him, not understanding what the hell he was saying now. “What?” I repeated, but Jesse didn’t even respond as he walked right past me and into the crowd of guests.

“Hey, Hunt!” was the last thing I heard from him, but I was pretty sure that it wasn’t meant for me. So I let out a sigh, turning away from the party and making my way toward the kitchen. Maybe I could drown myself in food or something…

I almost snarled when I saw Trinity standing in the kitchen, munching on some kind of small food that was around the kitchen. Seeing her made me immediately lose my appetite, and I was hoping I could exit the kitchen without having her see me.

But I was too late. Trinity’s face brightened when she saw me, and I forced another smile on my face. That girl has got to realize one day that I couldn’t stand her… “Hey, Jordan,” she smiled, waving me over to her. “Can I ask you something?”

I guess she could. It wasn’t like I had any way to get out of it.

“Yeah, sure you can,” I smiled, biting the inside of my lip. “Just ask away.”

“I was just wondering about Dallas,” she began, and I found myself internally groaning. Someone get me out of this… “Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only girl in his life, you know? I mean, you’re his best friend, so you should know if he’s ever done anything with another girl while we’ve been together, right?”

I knew she was saying this because it was the truth, not because she was trying to annoy or upset me. But I was getting more and more pissed off by being called Dallas’s best friend by his girlfriend.

“So…” she whispered, rubbing at her arm awkwardly. “Do you know if he’s been with any other girls while he’s been going out with me?”

I wanted to tell her that he had been with me, but I guess that didn’t really count since he had been drunk and he didn’t even remember the night he had kissed me. He had told me that he loved me that night, but I highly doubted that he even knew what he was talking about. I wondered if Trinity would be bothered if she found out about that night…

“Nope, he hasn’t been with any other girls,” I informed her, internally slapping myself at the missed opportunity. “It’s just been you. He really… likes you a lot.”

I wasn’t about to say that he loved her. I didn’t know if Dallas and Trinity had told each other that they loved each other yet, so I didn’t want to put any ideas in her head. And also, I didn’t want to believe that they loved each other. Because I couldn’t stand the thought of Dallas loving some other girl that wasn’t me.

I expected Trinity to look relieved, but instead she looked even worse. My eyes widened, and I didn’t know if it was because of something I said or she just didn’t believe me.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Trinity said, cupping a hand over her mouth and her other hand around her stomach. I felt myself grinning, even though I shouldn’t have. I bit my lip so Trinity wouldn’t see. “Where’s the bathroom?”

I pointed toward the downstairs bathroom, and she went running toward it. I couldn’t help but feel happy over this. If she went home, then that meant I could have spent more time with Dallas, and less time with Jesse… Even though he had said that we shouldn’t stick together. Not that that bothered me.

“Was Trinity in here?” a new voice now asked from behind me, causing me to almost jump over the kitchen island. I turned around to see my best friend staring at me strangely. “I could have sworn she told me that she was going to be in here.”

I hooked my thumb towards the bathroom. “I… think she’s puking.”

Dallas’s eyes widened, and I was hoping that he wouldn’t go straight to the bathroom to help his girlfriend. But he did, just like I knew he would. He didn’t even glance back at me, as if I didn’t even exist.

I looked down at the food on the counter, thankful to them and yet a little scared of them. Something must have been wrong with the food, and I wanted to throw out whatever was infected with whatever caused Trinity to puke.

Five minutes later, my best friend and his girlfriend emerged from the bathroom, Trinity not looking well at all. I bit my lip once again to stop myself from grinning, but Dallas didn’t even seem to notice.

“I’m going to go take Trinity home,” he informed me with a sigh as he continue to help her stand up. “I’m guessing she ate something bad. I’ll be back after I make sure she gets home safely. Tell everyone that if they ask.”

After he turned away from me, I couldn’t help but grin. They weren’t looking at me anymore, so I could act as happy as I wanted to. Trinity was going home and the party was still young! Luck was definitely on my side!

I spent the next twenty minutes chatting with the guests, suddenly happy now that Trinity wasn’t going to come back but Dallas was. I couldn’t even remember a time when I had been this happy! Especially when it came to Dallas…

I started to make my way into the kitchen once again until I felt someone’s hand on my arm. I turned toward them with a huge smile on my face, hoping that it would be Dallas, but my smile immediately dropped when I saw who it really was.

“I thought you didn’t want to hang around with me today,” I drawled flatly, removing my arm from his grasp and placing my hands on my hips. “I was actually getting through the party pretty well until just now.”

But Jesse wasn’t looking at me. He was looking up, at the ceiling. For a moment, I thought that something was going to fall on top of me, but when I saw what he was really staring at, I could only wish a piece of the ceiling would fall off and bash me on the head.

Mistletoe was hanging right over us, and I had no idea what I was supposed to do or say. I stared at Jesse with wide eyes, and he was finally looking back down at me. Was I supposed to kiss him? I didn’t want to! What was I supposed to do?

Before I could even react, Jesse clutched onto my elbow and pulled me into him. Our lips touched, and I was so shocked that I didn’t even move. We stood there for about ten seconds, and before my brain could start working again, someone else pulled me away from him.

“Hey, asshole,” Dallas snapped, moving me so I was now standing behind him. “How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from her? How many times have I already told you?”

Jesse smirked, wiping his bottom lip with his thumb. “Obviously not enough.”

Dallas glowered at him, but all I could do was stand behind him in complete shock. Jesse had kissed me. Jesse Jacobsen had actually kissed me. And in my mind, that was my first real kiss. It was the first time I had ever kissed anyone that wasn’t drunk. It was the first time I had ever kissed anyone that would remember it later.

Dallas had taken my first technical kiss, but Jesse had taken my first real kiss.

And I couldn’t hate him more for that.

“You stupid jackass,” I spat, wiping at my mouth to try to get his germs off of me. “That… that… that was my--”

Jesse started laughing before I could even finish my sentence. “Don’t tell me that that was your first kiss.”

My crimson cheeks obviously gave my answer away. Jesse just started laughing even harder, and Dallas just got even angrier. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he had also taken a technical first kiss of mine…

“You’re a lousy, rotten excuse for a human being,” I scowled, still wiping at my lips as I felt hot tears fill my eyes. Damn it; why was I even crying? It technically wasn’t even my first kiss! Even though it felt like it was… “I can’t stand you!”

I didn’t even care if he knew that it was my first kiss. I didn’t care if that proved that I wasn’t really going out with Dallas. I just didn’t care anymore. All I could feel was absolute hatred for the boy that stood before me. All I could care about was the hatred I felt toward Jesse Jacobsen.

Jesse smirked at me. “Right back at you, Emery.”

“This isn’t over,” I practically challenged, pretty much pushing Dallas out of the way so I could now be face to face, toe-to-toe to him. “I told you before that I’m not going to lose to you. I’ll get you back for this somehow. I… I’ll take one of your firsts!”

Jesse smirked, ducking down so his lips were right by my ear. I froze, his hot breath tickling me for only a moment before he said, “Maybe you could take my first time in bed, Emery. I wouldn’t mind that at all. You seem like you would be very wild.”

I pushed him away, my face a deep crimson color. I really couldn’t stand this guy! Who did he think he was?

“I’ve come to a decision,” I announced, taking a step away from him and almost running into Dallas. “Not only can I not stand you, I hate you. From this moment on, we’re rivals. Enemies. And that’s all we ever will be.”

Jesse only continued to smirk, one eyebrow rising. “Are you sure about that, Emery?”

I was getting angrier and angrier by the second. “I am on hundred percent sure! Not even if you saved my life! Not even if you… Not even if you…”

“Told you that I’ve loved you since the second I saw you?”

His words shocked me, but his facial expression didn’t. He looked like he was about to burst out laughing, so I knew he wasn’t being serious. I didn’t think that it was even possible for Jesse Jacobsen to ever be serious.

“Not even that!” I cried, stomping my foot now. “Not even if you ever told me that you loved me and you were serious! Not like you did at the dance! I won’t ever feel anything but hate for you! Not anything! Especially not love!”

Jesse winked at me, taking a step away and starting away slowly. “Honestly, Emery, I really hope it stays that way.”

Before I could continue yelling at him, he disappeared in the many guests that attended the stupid Christmas party. Dallas reached out for me, but I shrugged him off and started upstairs toward my room. I had been so excited to spend the night with him, but now all I wanted to do was be alone.

I had an enemy now. It was even hard for me to believe. I hadn’t ever had an enemy before… I never hated him as much as I hated anyone else before. Actually, I couldn’t remember a time when I had even ever hated someone before.

Jesse Jacobsen was going to be difficult to have around, I already knew. I knew I was definitely going to get used to having an enemy very, very soon.

J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J

Jesse’s P.O.V.

“Seems like we’re the only ones around the same age,” I smirked at her, moving closer even though I knew she was just going to move away from me. She did as I thought, but I continued smirking. “Maybe we should stick together.”

“I don’t think so.” She shook her head, taking another step away from me. I was going to grin and say something obnoxious to her, but that was before I saw who was across the room, eyeing me almost suspiciously. Oh, no. What the hell was he doing here?

“What?” Jordan asked, obviously noticing my discomfort. Her back was to him, but she quickly tried to turn around to see who I was looking at. Before she could fully turn around and face him, I grabbed onto her shoulders and turned her back so she was facing me again. She stared at me, her big brown eyes wider than usual.

“Maybe you’re right,” I chuckled almost nervously, and I hoped she didn’t notice. I removed my hands from her shoulders, even though I really didn’t want to. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to hold her… She didn’t even bother turning back around to see who I was looking at, and I couldn’t have been more thankful for that. “We probably shouldn’t stick together. I’ll see you later.”

She blinked at me, obviously not understanding what I was saying to her now. “What?” she repeated, but I didn’t even respond this time as I walked right past her and into the crowd of guests that filled her house.

“Hey, Hunt!” I called out, making sure I wasn’t loud enough for anyone else to hear me. I sure hoped Jordan wouldn’t hear… When I finally got up to my gang’s leader, I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I’m surprised to see you here, too,” Hunter told me, cocking his head in the direction I had been in with Jordan. “And I was very surprised to see you flirting with some girl over there. I thought that one girl that didn’t give you the time of day was always on your mind.”

Yeah, I had told him about Jordan. I didn’t think it was exactly the smartest thing to do, but I hadn’t told him her name just yet. I shouldn’t have even told him about her at all, but he wouldn’t leave me alone until I told him what was bothering me.

“Maybe I’m just trying to forget about that other girl,” I lied, shrugging and shoving my hands into my pockets. “What’s the point of chasing after someone that has absolutely no interest in me?”

I wished I could have followed my own advice. But I couldn’t just forget about this girl, because how could I? I had only realized a few days before that I really thought that I was in love with her… and I had only known her for a little over a month.

Hunter nodded at me. “You’re a smart kid.”

 I wished I could have agreed with that. Because falling in love with a girl you barely even knew was not smart. It was downright stupid. Especially when you were in a gang and you could never be together. And especially when she hated you…

“So… is Erica here?” I asked, trying my best to change the subject from Jordan. I didn’t want Hunter finding out more about her just yet. It was probably a smart thing to not tell him about her at all, but I knew I would someday.

Hunter nodded. “Yeah, somewhere, I guess. I think she’s hanging out with a few of her other friends.”

I just didn’t get Hunter and Erica’s relationship. Hunter claimed he loved her all the time, but I never saw them do anything a couple should be doing. I didn’t think I ever even heard Erica even say that she loved him, which was understandable considering the fact that she chased after me all the time. But even though they didn’t do all the cute things couples did, I could tell Hunter really loved Erica. But Erica… I just didn’t know.

That was a difference between Hunter and me. If I had a girlfriend that I truly loved and treasured, I’d be showing her off to the world. Hunter only showed Erica off to get people jealous, which usually worked because of how attractive Erica was. But if I was going out with Jordan, I wouldn’t think twice about showing her off and telling her how much I adored her.

Damn it. I was getting all mushy again. But I just couldn’t help it when it came to that girl. She was amazing and confusing, and I just couldn’t get enough of her. She was like a drug or something. I just couldn’t get enough. I wanted more.

I spent the next twenty minutes talking to Hunter about gang related business until Erica finally wrapped her arms around him and told him that she wanted to dance. Hunter immediately obliged, happy to have time with his girlfriend. I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for him when Erica winked at me from over his shoulder as she led him away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something purple moving toward the kitchen. I turned to see Jordan, the only person dressed in purple because everyone else was wearing red, white, or green. I knew that I said we weren’t going to be around each other during the party, but Hunter wasn’t around right then. And she was my drug…

I grabbed onto her arm to stop her from going any farther into the kitchen. She turned toward me with a bright and happy smile on my face, obviously either hoping or expecting it to be someone else, and her smile immediately dropped when she saw that it was only me.

“I thought you didn’t want to hang around with me today,” she drawled, ripping her arm from my grasp and placing her hands on her hips. I couldn’t help but find that incredibly sexy. “I was actually getting through the party pretty well until just now.”

But now I wasn’t looking at her, because something else had caught my attention. I was looking up, over her head and at the ceiling. Jordan looked scared for only a moment, but then she followed my gaze and she looked even more terrified than she had the moment before.

Mistletoe was right above us, and Jordan obviously had no idea what she was supposed to do or say. She stared at me with those wide brown eyes, and I was now finally looking back down at her. She looked… so innocent. I hated to admit that that turned me on greatly.

Before I even let her have the chance to react and run away, I grabbed onto her elbow and pulled her into me. Our lips touched, and I could tell that she was shocked, because she didn’t even move. We stood there for only ten seconds, and I could only wish that it lasted longer. Before I could really start enjoying it and slip my tongue into her mouth, someone else pulled her away from me.

I could have sworn that I growled.

“Hey, asshole,” Dallas snapped, moving Jordan so that she was now standing behind him. What was he, her bodyguard? “How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from her? How many times have I already told you?”

I smirked, wiping my bottom lip with my thumb. I could still taste her… “Obviously not enough.”

Dallas scowled at me, but all Jordan did was stand behind him in complete shock. She obviously couldn’t believe that I had kissed her. And as I looked down at her innocent and surprised face, I felt myself become even more turned on. This stupid girl was going to be the death of me…

“You stupid jackass,” Jordan spat, wiping at her mouth to try to get my germs off of her. That wasn’t going to work… I would just put more on her later if I had to. “That… that… that was my--”

I forced out laughter like any jackass would before she could even finish her sentence. “Don’t tell me that that was your first kiss,” I snickered.

Her cheeks turned crimson, and I wanted to lean over and kiss them. But all I did was just start laughing even harder, and Dallas got even angrier at me. Not that I cared what he felt… I didn’t care if he was Jordan’s boyfriend or not.

“You’re a lousy, rotten excuse for a human being,” Jordan scowled, still scrubbing at her lips, and I noticed tears fill her eyes. Damn it; I didn’t want to make her cry! I didn’t know what I would do if any tears fell… “I can’t stand you!”

I’d be lying if I said those words didn’t hurt. In all honesty, they hurt a lot. But I’d known that she hadn’t been able to stand me for a while. I just didn’t want to hear her say it with such utter hatred in her voice…

All I could do was force a smirk. “Right back at you, Emery.”

In a way, it wasn’t a lie. I couldn’t stand the fact that she was taking over my mind and all my thoughts. I hated that she was all that I dreamed about, and I hated that she was interfering with my actions in the gang. I couldn’t stand that I had only known her for a month, though it felt like I had known her my entire life.

“This isn’t over,” she challenged, practically pushing Dallas out of the way so she could now be face to face, toe-to-toe to me. I would have laughed if I wasn’t pretty much breaking up inside. “I told you before that I’m not going to lose to you. I’ll get you back for this somehow. I… I’ll take one of your firsts!”

I smirked, ducking down so my lips were right by her ear. She froze, and I knew it was because she felt my breath against her neck. She must have not noticed that I could hardly breathe as well and I was pretty much frozen as I said, “Maybe you could take my first time in bed, Emery. I wouldn’t mind that at all. You seem like you would be very wild.”

She pushed me away like I thought she would, her face a dark crimson color. I really just wanted to lean forward and kiss her hard. I wanted to force her up against a wall and take her right then in there, even in front of her stupid boyfriend and our families and friends. I didn’t care. She was just so goddamn irresistible.

“I’ve come to a decision,” she announced, snapping me out of my fantasies as she took a step away from me and almost ran into Dallas. Again, I would have laughed if I hadn’t just been pretty much having an almost erotic fantasy about her… “Not only can I not stand you, I hate you. From this moment on, we’re rivals. Enemies. And that’s all we ever will be.”

I only continued to smirk, one eyebrow rising. But on the inside, I was crumbling even more. This girl was never going to understand how I truly felt. “Are you sure about that, Emery?”

She was getting angrier and angrier by the second, I was sure. “I am on hundred percent sure! Not even if you saved my life! Not even if you… Not even if you…”

“Told you that I’ve loved you since the second I saw you?”

My words obviously shocked her, but I was sure that my facial expression didn’t. I pretended that I was about to burst out laughing, but in all reality I felt like crying. But she didn’t think that I was being serious. I knew that she thought that I was lying, but that was what I wanted her to think.

“Not even that!” she cried, stomping my foot now. “Not even if you ever told me that you loved me and you were serious! Not like you did at the dance! I won’t ever feel anything but hate for you! Not anything! Especially not love!”

I winked at her, taking a step away and starting away slowly. “Honestly, Emery, I really hope it stays that way.”

Before Jordan could continue yelling at me, I slipped away into the many guests that attended the party. I knew that if I stayed and continued to let her yell at me, I wasn’t going to be able to take it. I was either going to start crying or just force my mouth on hers.

But the last thing I had said hadn’t been a lie. I wanted things to stay the way they were. I wanted her to hate me. Because if she grew to love me like I loved her, we were going to have some problems. I didn’t want to get her involved with Hunter and the gang. Her hating me was enough. As long as I was still someone to her… As long as she still felt something for me. Even if it was hate, I was perfectly fine.

“Hey, Jess,” Hunter said, clapping a hand down on my shoulder as I glumly made my way through the party. I turned toward him, and he was smirking archly like he always did. A few of his buddies and other members of the gang were standing behind him, snickering to each other. “We’re gonna go rob the convenience store a few blocks away. Get alcohol and money and shit like that. You want in?”

Forgetting about Jordan for a moment, I smirked along with them. This was where my mind belonged. This was what I was supposed to be thinking about, not some stupid girl that hated my guts that I barely even knew. I had to stop being all sappy and be a man. A man that was in a gang. I had to stop acting like Romeo and more like Benvolio.

Oh, man. There I went, being all sappy again. I made a freaking Romeo and Juliet reference… That just showed up whipped Jordan had made me after only knowing her for a month. What was going to happen after knowing her even longer?

I glanced back over to where I had left Jordan to see that she was no longer there, but Dallas was instead. I bit the inside of my cheek, hating him more and more as every second passed. He was older, and taller, and probably even stronger, but I didn’t care. I knew he wasn’t good enough for Jordan.

But then again, I wasn’t good enough for Jordan.

I turned toward Hunter, just looking at him for a moment. He was only a year younger than Dallas, yet he was as big as him. And yet, people still mistook him to be as young as me. I just didn’t get it sometimes. He looked the same age as Dallas. Maybe even older. But that was just me, I guess.

They waited for me to answer, and at first my voice didn’t let me. I wanted to find Jordan and tell her how I really felt about her. I wanted to feel her tongue fighting for dominance against mine, because I knew she would put up one hell of a fight.

But I didn’t do any of those things, because I knew it would be no good. There was no point in trying to make up with her, now that we were enemies and nothing more.

“Yeah,” I nodded, heading toward the door with Hunter and the rest of them. “I definitely want in.”

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Woo, extra long chapter! :D

You all wanted Jesse's P.O.V., so here it is... It was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I might do it more often. Whenever you see the J~J~J~J~J~J~J~J sign, that means the P.O.V. is going to change. ;D

Oh, I'm back at school now... Meh. I'm not going to delve into the details of my sucky school. All I'll say is that I really wish I had a Jesse, Hunter, Alex (who unfortunately isn't in this book...), Dallas, or an Austin. Hot guys just don't exist at my school.

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