Unspeakable (2 page)

Whatever. I’m used to waiting.

“That’s okay.” I held my e-reader between us. “I read while I waited.”

“You always have your nose in a book. Live a little.” Soft lips grazed across the skin of my neck.

“It’s kind of hard to live life on the wild side while I sit in your car and wait for you to blow-dry your hair, Jaden.”

Pushing away, he glared at me. “Check the attitude.” He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, taking a left, the opposite direction of my subdivision.

“Where are you going?”

“There’s a party at Jamieson’s.”

“I’ll miss curfew. I need to go home.” My hands balled into fists in my lap. I took a deep breath to stay calm. “Just because you don’t have a curfew doesn’t mean you can ignore the fact that I do.”

“Damn it, Wills, I’ll miss half the party if I have to take you home,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Don’t call me that. I have to go home, Jaden. You know I have a curfew. Why do we have to fight about this every time we’re out?”

With a curse, he made an illegal U-turn, tires screeching against the pavement. I grabbed the dash to steady myself. He didn’t speak to me the rest of the ride, and when he pulled into my driveway ten minutes later, he shifted the car into reverse and waited for me to get out. I barely had time to shut the door before he squealed out of my drive and sped away.

Breathe. He won’t break me. Breathe. I’m stronger than he is. Breathe. Just breathe.

“Willow? Is that you?” my mom called when I walked through the door.

“Yeah.”

“Did you have a nice time at the game?” She walked around the corner and smiled at me.

I shrugged a shoulder. “I guess. We won.”

“That’s good, huh? Why the sad face, then?” She cupped my chin in her hand, lifting my face to look at her.

“Jaden. He’s mad that I couldn’t go to a party because of curfew.” I blew my hair out of my eyes.

“Oh. Well, next time, just call me. You could have gone. As long as you’re with Jaden, I know you’ll be okay.” She patted my cheek and kissed the tip of my nose.

If you only knew.
“I will next time. He’ll like that.”

“Better hurry up to bed. It’s getting late,” she told me, “but try to be quiet. Ralph has another migraine.”

That was code for
he drank himself into oblivion and passed out
. So we tiptoed around the house and spoke in quiet voices—we did not want to wake the beast.

Nodding, I gave her a hug. “‘Night, Mom.”

I climbed the stairs and went into my bedroom. Closing the door behind me, I flipped the lock closed and tossed my things on my bed, before going into my bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I crawled in bed, closed my eyes, and braced myself for the nightmare that was sure to meet me in my sleep.

The same scenes played over and over in my dreams. The secret no one could know—the one Jaden used to blackmail me. The one Ralph taunted my mom with. The secret that changed our lives. No. Ruined our lives. If she’d only done something. Anything. But she just stood there and watched. Listened. And then it was over… and the real nightmare began.

Breathe. Just breathe.

“Hey, Willow, I didn’t know you’d be here tonight. I thought Jaden hated these school dances?”

I sat down next to Jenna. “Jaden didn’t come with me.” Looking at her date, I smiled. “Hi.”

He nodded in greeting. Most guys didn’t speak to me. I dated Jaden. I was off-limits, and he made sure everyone knew it—and since most people were scared of him, they stayed at a safe distance.

“Oh. He let you off the leash tonight, huh?” Jenna asked. Sarcasm laced her words.

“Something like that.” I shrugged and picked at the plastic covering on the tables set up in the gym for the school’s fall welcome back dance.

I took in my surroundings. The gym was decorated in oranges, yellows, and reds. Streamers hung from helium balloons floating overhead and brightly colored silk leaves were spread across the tables. Twinkle lights were strewn everywhere. A photographer had set up a photo booth in one of the corners, complete with bales of hay, dried cornstalks, and pumpkins.

“Who’s on the decorating committee this year? These decorations are a disaster, and the photographer’s booth looks more like a farm threw up in it than a fall scene.”

“I know, right? It’s heinous. The head of the decorating committee should be put in front of a firing squad.”

“You’re so funny.” I bumped my shoulder into Jenna’s. “You did a great job, Jenna, except for the photographer. I still say he missed the memo on the theme.” Giggling, I watched the girls perch on top of the hay bales while their dates stood next to them, waiting for their photo to be taken. All they needed was a pitchfork to hold and the look would’ve been complete.

“Yeah, well, it was either him or one of those giant, blow-up pumpkins you see in people’s yards.”

Jenna and I met in sixth grade, just after the first week of junior high. We shared a table in science class, and it didn’t take long for us to become besties. Now we shared everything—well, almost everything.

There was one thing no one knew, not even my best friend. And it had to stay that way. Only, somehow Jaden found out. The thought made bile rise in my throat, leaving a fiery trail behind. And that was why I stayed with him—so he’d keep my secret.

“Hey!” Jenna snapped her fingers in front of my eyes. “What world were you visiting?”

I looked at Jenna and smiled. With her flawless mocha skin and warm chocolate eyes, she was stunning. Her soft ringlets were styled in a perfect up-do to show off the backless soft pink, silk dress she didn’t just wear—she owned. When Jenna walked into a room, people noticed. She would dominate America’s Next Top Model. I told her she totally needed to audition for the show after graduation.

“I’m here, just looking around at everyone. No one really changed over the summer.” I waved at some friends across the gym.

“Nope. Look at Kirsten dancing with Jason. Her dress is about to ride up so high that she’s gonna give everyone a peek at what color her thong is. She’s as skanky as ever.”

I laughed. “Yup, and Jason still loves it.”

“Well, most guys are pigs. They’re probably all looking to see if they can get a peek.”

Her date huffed next to her. “I’m going to get something to drink.” His chair screeched across the floor when he stood.

“Who’s the guy?” I watched him stalk to the snack table and grab a cup of punch.

“Earl. He’s the one I told you moved down the street a few weeks ago. My ever-so-helpful mother told his mom that I’d show him around. They thought it’d be cute if we came to the dance together, so I could introduce him to people. After all, I didn’t have a date or anything.” Jenna rolled her eyes. “Sometimes, I think my mother hates me.”

“So, why aren’t you mingling so he can get to know the high school hierarchy?” I twirled my finger around the expanse of the gym.

“Because I don’t particularly want to encourage another date, so I’m trying to make this one miserable for both of us. He has the personality of a rock.” She dropped her forehead against the table, banging it several times, making the leaves shuffle across the plastic, orange table covering.

“Keep knocking yourself in the head like that and your personality will match your date’s. You can be rocks together,” I said with a chuckle.

Her head on the table, Jenna turned and looked at me. “At least he’s easy to look at even if he is boring as sin.”

“Not as easy as that one.” I nodded my head toward the guy standing at the door, guiding a girl out with his hand on her lower back.

“Holy rippled abs, Batman. We have a new hottie on campus.”

“Don’t get your panties in a wad, ladies.” Tim leaned his hip against our table. “That’s Brody Victor. He just transferred from Stanton High. He’s the bad boy your mamas are always warning you about. You know, the love ’em and leave ’em type. Rumor has it he’ll date you ’til he does you, and then he’ll drop you cold.” Tim shrugged a shoulder and inspected his fingernails. “At least that’s what my cousin who goes to Stanton told me. And I have it on good authority that he did her and dropped her.”

“Hey, Tim, when’d you get here?” I hugged him before he sat next to me.

“Don’t hug me. My features are too delicate. They couldn’t withstand a run in with Jaden’s fist,” he whispered, looking around the gym.

“Jaden’s not here.” I bumped my shoulder into his. “You know he doesn’t do these dances.”

“How’d you manage to get him to let you come without him?” Jenna glanced at me over the rim of her paper cup.

My gaze fell to my lap, and I mumbled, “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

“No, it’ll just hurt you if he finds out.” Jenna puffed out her cheeks and let out a breath.

“Well, we’ll just make sure he doesn’t find out, chickie.” Tim smiled and patted me on the hand. His mop of brown curls fell over his forehead and into his eyes, and I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from giggling. Sometimes, he reminded me of my neighbor’s labradoodle. But even with his untamed curls and puppy dog eyes, he was one of the nicest people who ever lived in my opinion. He was my closest friend, next to Jenna.

Jenna looked over her shoulder. “Karen’s here.”

“No way!” My voice cracked, and my heart dropped to my toes. “She’s supposed to be out of town with her parents. That was the reason I came tonight. I didn’t think the little hussy would be able to spy on me and report my every move to Jaden.” My stomach felt like someone put it in a blender, and sweat beaded under my hair at the back of my neck.

“You have the worst luck, Willow, I swear,” Tim said.

“Don’t I know it.” My gaze wandered and landed on the school’s new hottie. I watched as he led his date out of the gym. “I saw him at the football game last night.”

“Who?” Tim looked up from the napkin he was tearing into strips and lighting on fire with a lighter he’d had in his pocket.

Jenna grabbed the pieces of napkin away from him. “Jeez, Tim. People are going to think you’re a pyromaniac if you don’t knock it off.”

“Yeah, I’m the chess club captain, first-rate nerd, math geek, and pyromaniac. I think I have my bases for unpopularity covered. My life mission is complete.”

I shook my head and laughed. “The new guy. He was at the game last night, and he introduced himself to me. Sort of.”

“Clearly, he’s new to the school if he dared to introduce himself to you,” Jenna said. “He must not know about the Jaden property laws.”

“Stop it. I’m not his property and he knows it.” Jenna and Jaden didn’t play well together. Jenna was convinced he treated me like a piece of meat. Although I wouldn’t admit it, I didn’t totally disagree.

“Come on, Tim. Dance with me.” I pulled Tim from his chair by the arm. “You’re the only one that would get a free pass if Karen tells Jaden I was here.”

“Why?”

“’Cause Jaden thinks you’re gay,” I answered, leading him to the dance floor. I heard Jenna laugh so hard that she choked on her punch.

Tim and I swayed on the dance floor. His arms were wrapped loosely around my waist. I placed my hands on his shoulders. We kept a safe distance between us, so we didn’t give anyone the wrong impression. We were just friends dancing together. Nothing more.

I didn’t see him come into the gym. It wasn’t until he was right behind Tim, ripping his arms away from me that I knew I had a problem, and my heart did a nosedive.

“Put your hands on her again and you’ll lose them,” Jaden shouted. He always liked to make a scene.

“Jaden, you know Tim and I are just friends,” I said with a frustrated sigh.

“Get outta here,” Jaden growled at Tim through clenched teeth before grabbing me by the arm and pulling me off the dance floor.

“Knock it off. I wasn’t doing anything except dancing with a friend.” I tried to jerk away from Jaden’s grip. He tightened his hand around my arm.

“We’re leaving.”

“No. I’m staying. You can leave.”

Jaden turned and looked at me. A vein throbbed in his neck. “I’m not having my girl stay at some cheesy school dance and embarrassing me. There’s a party at Jamieson’s house. His parents are out of town. My people are there, not at some dumpy, loser-filled school dance.”

“I’m not going to the party. It’s just an excuse for everyone to get drunk and hook up.” Jerking my arm from his grasp, I stepped away from him. I could feel the tips of my cheekbones heating. Adrenaline bounced off the walls of my veins.

Jaden jerked my purse off the chair and jammed it in under his arm. “Did you drive?” he asked quietly. That tone scared me more than him yelling.

I swallowed down a thick lump. “Yes.”

His hand shot out and grabbed my arm before I had an opportunity to move. “Let’s go. I’ll bring you back for your car later.” Jaden pulled me to the door of the gym. I looked back at Jenna. Her lips were pressed in a straight line. I hated what I saw in her eyes when she looked at me. Disappointment.

I wish I could tell you, Jenna. I wish you knew why I put up with his shit. Why I can’t kick the jackass in the nuts and lay him out on the floor like he deserves. But he knows. And as long as I do what he wants, he promised not to tell.