Safe with You (28 page)

What is with everyone on her side? Should they not be sympathizing with me right now?

“I know what I saw.” And I wish I could erase it from my memory. No such luck.

Dad slows to a stop when we reach the barn and turns to me. “J, you know in my line of work I’ve had tons of people tell me these sob stories and try to lie their way out of going to jail. I can always tell when someone is lying and when someone is telling me the truth. Son, Cassie didn’t do what you think she did.”

“But the picture-”

Dad holds his hand up, silencing me. “J, forget what you saw. What does your heart tell you? We have all come to know, Cassie just like you have. Bo, your mom, and I can tell you she is innocent and we stand by our decision.”

“How do you know for sure she really didn’t kiss him back?”

Dad places his hand on my shoulder. “J, I saw the picture. It is obvious she wasn’t.”

“How did you see the picture?”

“Ellen sent it to Bo, and he showed us.”

I scrub my face with my hands. This is all become a huge mess.

“Talk to Cassie, son. I have no doubt in my mind she loves you just as much as you love her.” Dad squeezes my shoulder once before walking off, leaving me alone with my somber thoughts.

Sighing, I finally give in and walk back towards the house.

Pausing at the front door, I take a calming breath before twisting the knob and opening the door. Cassie’s sobs can be heard from the door. Hearing her cries only intensifies the ache in my heart.

Shoving my hands in my pockets, I walk slowly into the living room. As I get closer, I hear Mom softly comforting, Cassie.

“Oh dear, he’ll come around. He just needs some time,” she tells her.

“B-but what if he doesn’t believe me? I love him, Jane,” she murmurs with a shaky voice.

I hear Mom let out a sigh. “Cassie, I know my son loves you dearly. I truly believe things will work out between you two. If not then, well he’s not the son I raised him to be. I taught J to not automatically jump to conclusions in any situation. He seems to have forgotten that little lesson.”

Crap. I hang my head, remembering Mom reciting that over and over growing up. I did jump to conclusions the moment my eyes landed on the picture. All I saw was Zack’s hold on her and his mouth on hers and I was full of rage.

I walk around the corner, stepping fully into the living room, taking in the scene. Cassie is leaning against Mom, who has one arm around her, crying on her shoulder. Bo is sitting beside Cassie on the couch, trying to comfort her. Everyone’s heads snap up to me when they hear me walk in the room, but my eyes were only locked one set of eyes. Cassie’s eyes are red and blotchy from the amount of crying she has been doing.

She wastes no time leaping off the couch and running to me, stopping a mere inch from me. “J, I didn’t kiss him, I swear! He kissed me and I was going to tell you this morning! You have to believe me, J! I love you!” she cries and the anger melts away from me.

Embracing her in my arms, I crush her body against mine. Cassie lets out a cry of relief in my shoulder. I kiss her hair and whisper softly, “Please stop crying, Cassie. It hurts to see you like this.”

With her in my arms, I feel whole. Life is good with her by my side.

I kiss the top of her head then release her.

I need to get another good look at the picture before I can say anymore.

“Bo, can I see it?” This is going to suck, but I have to do this. I need to see if Dad was right.

Sitting down in the recliner, I take Bo’s phone in my hand and stare at the picture that sent my world in a tailspin. I swallow past the lump in my throat. This is so hard to look at.

I hear Cassie sniffle next to me so I circle my arm around her waist, pulling her down in my lap. She buries her face in my chest, her hand fisting my shirt.

Staring at the photo, I see things clearer. While his eyes are closed, hers are open, wide. His hands are on her biceps while hers are pushing against his chest. Now that I get a closer look, I realize everyone was right. And here I thought they were just defending her. The ache in my chest molds into guilt. I shouldn’t have just assumed, I should have gone straight to Cassie and talked to her. By assuming, I let Ellen and Zack win today. They think Cassie and I are over. Good thing I came to my senses.

I hand Bo is phone back and lean back in the recliner, trying to form the right words. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mom and Bo leave the room.

I lift my gaze up to Cassie. “I’m sorry, Cassie. I’m so darn sorry for automatically believing what I saw. All it took was one look at him touching you and I went crazy.”

Cassie chokes back a sob and falls against me. “Oh, J, I wouldn’t do that to you, ever,” she cries.

I circle my arms around her, holding her to me. “I know, Cassie, and I’m sorry for not talking to you about it. I should have just come straight to you instead of ignoring you.”

“It would have saved us both the heartache,” she mutters, and I feel the guilt spread like a wildfire. “I don’t understand how she got the picture to begin with.”

“I’m going to find out,” I vow. From what I know, it looks like a setup.

“I love you, J,” she murmurs softly.

Lifting her chin, I gaze into her sad eyes. “And I love you, Cassie, more than words can express.”

Leaning down, I kiss her, slow and sensual.

Zack and Ellen can try their hardest to tear us apart, but Cassie and I have come to know each other over the last couple months. We are both honest and open with each other, which is something most couples don’t have.

Cassie stole my heart the moment I saw her walking down the hall on the first day of school, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chapter Thirty- Five

Cassie

The next day at school is starting off priceless. J and I are back to normal after our rough patch yesterday and we are turning heads. I’m sure everyone and their mother heard about yesterday since this is a small town. Apparently, they can’t believe we are back together already. The two people I’m more concerned about are Zack and Ellen, who are making it their mission to break us up. Zack wants me - when really I thought we had reached an understanding - and Ellen wants J. They thought they had ended our relationship, but oh, they are so wrong. If anything it will make our relationship stronger, more durable against haters.

Judging by the looks on their faces, we’ve succeeded in ruining their plot to break us apart. They are standing by the side entrance to the school. Zack has a seething look on his face while Ellen is scowling, looking like she is about to blow a gasket.

J’s fingers are threaded with mine firmly. He’s not letting go and neither am I. We are in love with one another and I don’t see it changing. Jess and Bo are right behind us, acting kind of weird. Jess seems like she’s sort of nervous to be around him and Bo just isn’t his happy-go-lucky self. Something is either happening between them or something has already happened between them. I need to talk to Jess later, right now, I’m enjoying torturing Zack and Ellen.

Glancing back at Zack, I notice he is wearing a hat. He is turned to side whispering into Ellen’s ear. His hat is pulled down kind of low-Oh no-the creepy/vanishing guy from the game and party.

I halt in my tracks at the scary thought.
Zack has been watching me all this time.

“Cassie, what’s wrong?” J asks, wondering why I all of a sudden stopped.

I don’t even know what to feel now. Should I be angry because he has been ‘protecting’ me longer than he has been here or scared because it is really creepy for one, and two, what all has he seen? Did my parents know what he was doing?

Leaning up on my tip-toes, I whisper in J’s ear. “Do you remember at the party the other night when I told you there was somebody watching me” I pause and wait for him to nod. “I just realized it was Zack hiding in the shadows.”

J tenses, his eyes zeroing in on Zack. “How do you want me to handle this because honestly, I want to beat the shit out of him. He has some nerve to be watching you like that,” he replies, his eyes never wavering from my ex.

If J charges up there, he will get suspended for fighting and he also will probably find things out that he isn’t supposed to know about my family if Zack flies off the handle. “I don’t want you to cause a scene and get in trouble. I only told you because I think you need to know. If he acts like a creeper again, as long as it is off school grounds, I won’t hold you back because he deserves it.”

However, I will be talking to Zack the next time he comes over to the house. More than likely he will be there tomorrow night since he is over practically every single day. I will lash out on him because he needs to back off.

J is still glaring at Zack and Ellen so I cup his cheek and turn his gaze to me. “Don’t give them the satisfaction of pissin’ you off. It’s what they want so just let it go. If we are smiling it pisses them off more.”

J turns his body parallel with mine, then he leans down to kiss me.

Now this is a good way to silence them.

A cough comes behind us, probably Bo, who has been awfully quiet. When J’s mouth leaves mine, I turn to Bo and Jess.

“Bo, are you sick or something because you’re acting weird.”

His momentarily shift to Jess who looks like she is on the verge of crying then he looks to me. “Just peachy,” he replies in a clipped tone before brushing past all of us, heading into school.

“Cass, I’m going to go talk to him. Meet me at the lockers, okay?” J kisses my cheek when I nod he runs to catch up with Bo.

“Jess? Are you okay?”

Apparently, asking her if she was okay was the wrong thing to ask because she bursts into tears.

I wrap my arms around her to comfort her. I feel like I haven’t been a very good friend to her here lately since I have been spending as much time as I can with, J.

“Bo, is an asshole, a beautiful one.”

I crack a little smile, but I don’t laugh. “What did he do? Do I need to threaten to string him up by his man parts again? Because I will do it, just say the word.”

“Well, it is sort of my fault too, but at the party the other night after you and J left, Bo and I started getting closer. He was drunk and I was halfway lit myself. Well, I kissed him and he kissed me back at first then he shoved me away and said he didn’t want me and some other hurtful things.

“I was upset and hurt by what he said so I went and drank some more and well…I may have slept with Colt.”

“Wow, um, I’m not even sure what to say to that. I’m still going to string him up for making you cry, but why is he so upset about you and Colt if you two are not dating? Bo is too much of a man whore anyway.”

Jess throws her hands up in frustration. “I don’t know, but I wish I knew why he wants to hang around me all of the time, yet when we get the slightest bit close, he shoves me away and spouts off mean things.”

The bell rings so we start making our way inside the building.

“I don’t know, Jess. I will talk to J and see what he thinks, but this might be a question only Bo can answer. I’m sorry I haven’t been a very good friend here lately. I will make it up to you, I promise.”

Jess smiles for the first time this morning. “It’s okay. You and lover boy are happy so that’s all that matters.”

The rest of the school day has been tense to say the least. Between Zack and Ellen scowling in our direction every waking moment and Bo and Colt arguing over Jess, it’s been a day.

Tonight is game night and I’m excited. The game I missed, they lost, so I hope they win again tonight. I want them to keep up their winning streak.

I ride home with Jess to get ready for the game with her and so we can have some girl time like I promised her.

Her mom orders a pizza for us since we were hungry.

I fill her in on all the craziness surrounding J and I. Her grow wide as she takes it all in. She tell me more about, Bo and how hot and cold he is towards her. I need to talk to Bo and find out what is going on with him. I miss him picking on me. I just hope he keeps his head in the game tonight.

The ride to the game consists of Jess and I singing at the top of our lungs. Since she is playing country songs, I don’t really know the words so I improvise. I’m wearing the shirt I made for the first game again tonight. I didn’t let Jess powder my face with any makeup this time. I drew the line on that. It’s a bitch to wash off anyway.

Jess and I grab our seats just as the team runs out on the field to warm up. I jump up and yell J’s name, cheering him on with the rest of the crowd.

Football is starting to become a sport I can watch on a regular basis, especially when J looks so hot in his uniform.

Jess is pretty much back to her giddy self. Sometimes I still see her frown. I hope either Bo figures out what he wants or Jess moves on.

Someone plops down in the seat next to me. When I look over to see who it is, I glare at him. “You aren’t sitting next to me, Zack.”