Such a Rush(50)
Author: Jennifer Echols

“Have you seen yourself in those shorts?” Grayson asked me. “I’m beginning to think you really don’t know.”

I leaned around the headrest to face him in the backseat. “Know what, Grayson? That nobody will hire me just as a pilot? That all my flying jobs come with a side order of sexy times? Yeah, I’m beginning to figure that out. Not that you’re to blame.”

“God!” Molly was saying to Alec as she got into the backseat and he sat down in the front. But as soon as Alec started the engine and rolled down the windows to let the heat escape, Francie skittered out of the mansion with her minions behind her, pointing toward the car.

“Go, Alec,” Grayson said quietly.

Francie’s long, straight, glossy locks bounced around her shoulders as she stopped by my door and screamed through the open window at me. “What are you trying to do, start a fight and bring the cops to my party? This is why I don’t invite trash.” She peered past me into the car. “Molly, this is why I don’t invite your trashy friend. Do not bring her near me again.” She called across me to Alec, “You’d better be careful. You’ll definitely catch something.”

Her friends behind her laughed. More and more people were streaming out of the mansion to hear what Francie would say to me: all the girls who were actively mean to me in the hall and the bathroom and PE, the whole reason I never ventured to the lunchroom, and now a lot of other people too, who had never given me a second glance but were realizing now who the trashy girl was that everybody had been talking about. I’d felt safe at school when those girls and certain boys weren’t around. Now I wouldn’t be safe anywhere.

As my world crumbled around me, I opened my mouth to insult Francie back. I had no idea what would have come out. Through long years of practice, I was pretty good in these situations, though there was no way I could hurt her as badly as she’d hurt me. Making fun of a girl for being rich didn’t have the same zing as bullying her for being poor.

Before I could say anything, Molly exclaimed “Francie!” in a truly shocked tone.

But Alec drowned her out. “That is a nasty thing to say.” His voice was louder than I’d ever heard it when he wasn’t trying to talk over engine noise. “This town has gone to seed since I left.” He hit the button to close all the windows. As a glass barrier rolled up to protect me from Francie, he threw the car into reverse to back out, then jerked it forward.

I watched Francie in the side mirror. She posed on her lawn, gaping in shock, half the school behind her. Her dear friend Molly couldn’t shut her up, but an adorable boy from a different town had been able to make her see herself for what she was. Or, more likely, he’d just embarrassed her into silence temporarily.

As he turned from the driveway onto the main road, he bit out, “What did you bring Leah here for, Molly?”

“I warned y’all Leah didn’t want to come!” Molly said. “I told you that’s why she was dressed that way, and you didn’t seem to mind then.”

“You didn’t tell us that girl would come after her,” Alec said.

“I’ve never seen Francie act that way!” Molly protested. “I knew she didn’t like Leah, but I thought that was because Leah can be kind of brusque, in case you haven’t noticed. Did Leah tell you what she said to Francie’s friend inside earlier? It was a doozy.”

“That’s because Francie followed Leah.” Grayson was speaking for the first time. “I told you that before. It was obvious they were waiting to corner her. That’s why I sent you after them.”

“Well, what do you expect?” Molly snapped. “Did you think Francie would welcome Leah to the party and compliment her on her cute outfit? Leah’s dressed like a hooker.”

“Hey,” Alec said disapprovingly. At the same time, Grayson said, “I think she looks nice.”

I turned around in my seat and glared at Grayson, furious with him for manipulating me and getting me into this whole ill-fated date in the first place. “I hope you’re enjoying this.”

He stared back at me, lips parted, brows raised, looking almost apologetic.

I shifted my go-to-hell look to Molly. “And I’m sorry you’re not enjoying it. You told Grayson and Alec last night that you decided to be my friend instead of sticking with Ryan because I’m so fun and brazen for a poor girl. Now you’re saying you don’t want me to dress like a whore and stick up for myself when you drag me to a party thrown by your bitch friend who hates me and calls me trash to my face every time she sees me. You need to make up your mind, girlfriend, how you like your charity case.”

Delicate brows pulled low in a scowl, Molly took a long breath. She was going to tell me I was right. She didn’t want to be friends with me anymore. My heart was breaking already, but I wasn’t going to be used as anybody’s emotional punching bag—not Francie’s, not Molly’s.

Only Grayson’s. And only while he made me.

Instead, Molly slapped her hands over her face and burst into tears. Her sobs were loud at first. She tried to contain them, holding her breath, and ended up with a case of the hiccups.

Grayson could have slipped an arm around her to comfort her. I didn’t want him to, but that would have been humane. He chose the low road: “This is so awkward. You’re still coming to work tomorrow, right, Molly? I told you, no drinking this week, and no drama.”

“Really?” I shouted at him. “I’m about to lose my best friend and it’s still about work for you?”

“Yes, it’s about work for me,” he said. “I’m your boss.”

At the same time, Molly wailed, “You’re not about to lose your—” She hiccupped. “Please, Leah, you’re not about to lose your—”

“Molly, you would deserve it if you did,” Alec muttered. I could tell from the way he was looking in the rearview mirror that he was watching her.

“And what about you, Leah?” Grayson accused me. “You didn’t tell us Mark Simon would be at the party.” I felt his hand on my shoulder. “You promised me he wouldn’t come after Alec.”

I turned around again and frowned at Grayson. “I promised you no such thing. I told you Mark wasn’t dangerous.”

“He came after you, and Alec and I had to save your ass. In effect, he came after Alec.”

“Alec and you did not exactly have to save my ass,” I muttered at the same time Alec said with uncharacteristic bitterness, “Shut up, Grayson.”