Jackson's Girl: Being His Duology Read online

  He stayed close to me long enough to make sure I was comfortable before moving back and leaned against the wall. My heart rate sped. Jackson never looked away from me once. Could he hear each and every single one of my heartbeat?

  His eyebrows pulled in together. “What were you doing, getting in the middle of a fight? Are you crazy?”

  I shook my head but wasn’t sure how to answer him. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Grant scowl. “She didn’t get in the middle. The fight broke out near her locker, and when she tried to move away, no one would let her leave.”

  Jackson looked to me, his expression softened before he said, “Are you okay?” I nodded. I was feeling much better. A headache was already beginning to dissipate. The only thing that hurt was my back when I was body slammed to the ground. I was sure it was Jackson who plowed over me because I could see guilt beneath those eyes of his.

  The nurse showed up, cutting off whatever I was going to say to him. “What happen?” she asked.

  “I fell,” I answered lamely. She didn’t look like she believed me. Nurse Banks was a petite woman, about an inch or so shorter than me. She had dark black hair, that was noticeably graying, and kind eyes. She checked over my body, and I tried to keep myself from flinching whenever she touched a particularly tender spot.

  “I think you’ll be fine, but to be sure, we should call your parents and have them pick you up.”

  My eyes widened before I could stop myself. Grant spoke before I could. “That won’t be necessary.”

  I nodded. “I’m feeling much better, and besides, I can’t skip the rest of my classes.”

  The nurse frowned. “You will be excused from them.”

  I shook my head. “I feel fine. I’ll be okay.” I stood up before she could say anything else, and walked out the door.

  “Wait!” she yelled. I was already making my way up the stairs, and unless she dragged me kicking and screaming, I wasn’t going back.

  I heard footsteps behind, and a quick glance back told me both Jackson and Grant had followed me out the door. Grant’s face twisted in concern, whereas Jackson looked me up and down, his face unreadable.

  Grant stopped me with both hands on my shoulder when we were far away from the nurse’s office. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  I nodded, patting one of the hands on my shoulder. Jackson’s eyes were on me, but I hoped if I keep ignoring him, he would go away.

  No such luck. Gently removing Grant’s hands, I walked over to Jackson. “Thanks for taking me to the nurse’s office.”

  “Don’t thank me,” he responded gruffly. “You’re hurt because of me.”

  I shook my head. “Jude pushed you into me,” I said. “You were trying to get me out of there. So thank you.”

  He nodded, but his amber eyes still darkened with some unnamed emotions, making them look more brown than gold. Before I could say anything, Beth came out of nowhere, wrapping her arms around Jackson’s waist. My face paled, and I backed away from them. Jackson’s expression changed then, and he didn’t even bother to hide it. His lips tightened in a thin line and his eyes clouded with anger.

  “Are you okay?” she asked him, placing her hand on his chest.

  Beth was made of nothing more than boobs and blond hair. She was the female equivalent to Jude, which made them the prettiest and also the vilest couple in the whole school. And Jackson was somehow involved with her, even as she was taken.

  I turned away from them without another word. At least I knew what the fight had been about. I passed Grant, who was watching me with concern in his eyes. He caught up with me moments later.

  “We can ditch school and go somewhere,” Grant suggested as we walked up the stairs leading to the lunch room. I wasn’t so hungry anymore, even though I knew I needed to eat.

  I shook my head. “Ethan will want to know where I’m at. Especially when he catches wind of what happened. I’m sure people were already talking about it.”

  Grant jaw clenched. “Where is he, anyway? I didn’t see him in English today.”

  I shrugged, though we both knew where he was. Somewhere with Max, getting high.

  Grant opened the door leading to the lunchroom, and I walked in, where heads turned my way. It was unnerving to find all eyes on me was unnerving. I regretted not taking Grant’s offer to ditch. Keeping my head down, I pulled Grant along as we made our way to the lunch line. Several people came up to me and asked if I was okay. I reassured them that I was, smiling at those I was comfortable talking to.

  When we finally got our lunch, Grant led me to one of the corner tables, away from prying eyes. “You got any plans after school?” he asked.

  “Job hunting,” I answered, absently eating the meatloaf.

  Grant was quiet for a moment before he said, “Mind if I tag along? I need to look for a job myself.”

  I shrugged. “Of course not.” It was better that way. Grant had a car. If I went by myself, I would be taking the bus. And that was the last thing I wanted to do, especially since I wasn’t sure when I would be going to be home.

  The chair beside me pulled out, and a large body occupied it. Grant and I shared a look, and I worked hard to hide my surprise.

  Aiden sat next to me, concern etched in his gaze. Aiden was as big as Jackson, only he gave off a sort of bookish vibe. He was classically handsome, with an Irish nose, square jawline, and big gray eyes. He had a day old stubble when most of the boys in school couldn’t get past the peach fuzz phrase. He looked larger than life, sitting next to me. I felt tiny then.

  I could see why he was as popular as Jackson.

  He had messy black hair coming up to his shoulders. Today, he had it tied in a small bun, which only brought out his strong jawline and prominent cheekbones.

  “Hey, you’re Emily Lewis, right?” With a cautious smile, I nodded. “I wanted to check to make sure you’re okay. I tried to get to you…” he trailed off with a grimace.

  I covered the hand he had laid out on the table and squeezed before letting go. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  He didn’t look reassured, the grimace still on his face. “Still, Jackson’s huge. And you’re… well, you’re tiny.”

  I scrunched my face up, which made both him and Grant laugh. “I’m not that small,” I protested. Maybe small compared to him. But then again, most of the students here were probably small compared to him.

  He shot me a humorous smile. “You’re probably the smallest thing around.” I shrugged. I wasn’t going to argue with the giant. “Anyway, I was just checking on you,” he added when I didn’t say anything.

  “I’m okay, really.”

  Another smile and a nod and then he was walking away. I looked to Grant who was suppressing his smile. “I pretty sure by the end of the day, you’ll be the most popular girl in school.”

  “Oh yeah, everyone will know me as that one girl Jackson tackled to the floor,” I said grumpily.

  Grant laughed. “I’m glad you’re okay, and I didn’t have to rush you to the hospital.”

  “Me, too,” I said quietly.

  Surprisingly, the rest of the day was pretty uneventful.

  I gathered up my things when the last bell rang and walked out the door. I noticed that a few people were looking at me, but nothing more. Quickly dropping off my things at my locker, I made my way out of the school and walked home.

  Despite it being late spring, a cold wind picked up when I stepped outside. Pulling my thin sweater in more tightly, I kept my head down and began the three block walk it would take me to get home.

  As I got off the school’s student parking lot, I heard my someone call my name. Turning around, I was surprised to see Aiden running toward me. I slowed down a little.

  “Hey,” he greeted.

  “Hey,” I said back, trying to keep my expression neutral. It was strange that ever since Freshmen year, I had never said a single word to the guy, and here he was, coming up to me and talking to me for the second time in the day.

&nbs
p; “What’s up?” I asked when it didn’t look like he was going to say anything.

  He shrugged, a boyish smile curved around his full lips, making him appear younger.

  He and Jackson made quite a pair. Whereas Aiden could easily pass for one of those models that graced the covers of GQ, Jackson was handsome in a wilder, more untamed kind of way.

  Both, I found equally fascinating.

  “What are you doing today?” he asked.

  “Well, I have to get home first. Then Grant is taking me job hunting with him,” I said. I wasn’t sure why I was telling him anything at all. I was pretty sure he had better things to do than to listen to me talk. Although, he was the one who approached me.

  “You’re looking for a job?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I need one.” I wasn’t going to tell him how much though.

  “Do you need a ride home?” he asked suddenly.

  “Thanks, but my house is pretty close to here.” I pointed to the direction of the quaint neighborhood about fifty feet away. He didn’t say anything, but he continued to walk side by side with me. I didn’t know how to ask him what he was doing without sounding rude, so I stayed silent and kept walking.

  When we finally entered my block, Aiden surprised me by saying, “You know, if you need a job, you can come and work for my aunt. She is always looking for extra help, and she’s very flexible schedule-wise.”

  “What does your aunt do?” I asked.

  “You know Suzie’s Café down the block from school?” I nodded. “My aunt is the owner. And she likes to hire high school students.”

  I eyed him skeptically. “She’s looking for help?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, you and Grant just drop by. I’ll tell my aunt you’re coming.”

  I nodded, trying to keep the smile from forming. I didn’t want to seem too eager. “Thank you.”

  It was exactly what I needed. This job would get me out of the house, allow me to make money, and it was close enough that I wouldn’t depend on anyone for rides.

  Aiden winked at me, and like every time that he looked at me, I was struck by how beautiful he really was. It wasn’t fair. No man should ever be that beautiful.

  “What?” he asked when he noticed I was staring at him.

  I shook my head and looked away, least of all, he starts to think I was weird. We continued walking in companionable silence.

  When we got to my house, I paused at the driveway. “This is me. Thanks for walking me home.”

  “Anytime,” he responded. “I’ll see you tonight?”

  I frowned not understanding until I realized he meant he would be there when Grant and I came in for the job. With a small smile, I nodded and walked into my house. He took off when I got the front door, going back the same way we got here. Back to the school.

  I was still reeling over the fact that Aiden Montgomery had walked me home and offered me a job. The day didn’t feel real. I might have hit my head harder than I thought.

  I closed the front door behind me and made my way to the kitchen only to find two men sitting on the kitchen table, drinking beer. The both turned my way.

  “Hi dad,” I said quietly.

  Caleb Lewis could have been a handsome man if his body hadn’t gone through almost a decade of alcohol abuse. Though he was tall, he wasn’t very big. I got his blonde hair, but my late mother’s brown eyes. Those were the only features I’d received from either one of my parents.

  My dad’s eyes, I supposed could be striking, the blue irises standing out against his dark skin. But looking at them at the moment, his eyes seemed dull, his gaze no longer sharp.

  “Emily, is the school out already?” Dad asked gruffly.

  Keeping my head down, I responded, “Yes.” I wasn’t surprised that he had completely lost track of time. Though I was surprised that he was even up during the day. My dad worked night shifts at Kelbs Brass Foundry, and he usually wasn’t up and about until five in the evening.

  I pivoted and took a step forward to my escape when another voice stopped me in my track. “How was school, Emily?”

  I froze and looked up to the man my dad was drinking beer with at three in the afternoon. Forcing myself to not show him any hint of emotion, I answered, “It was good, Jerimiah.”

  Jeremiah Johnson, unlike my dad, was a bulky man and sharp eyes. He had dark brown hair and green eyes that seemed to never miss anything. His gaze always unnerved me.

  And he looked at me… often.

  He and my dad had been friends since they were in high school. They never left Seattle. He was Grant’s dad, which was how Grant and I became friends, and he had been in and out of my house since I was born, but I had never been especially close with him.

  There was something about Jeremiah that unsettled me tremendously.

  “I’m glad to hear that.” He smiled. I fought against the urge to run away. Instead, I returned his smile with a small one of my own, and with one last glance, I walked out of there and into my room, locking the door.

  3

  Past: Emily

  Grant pulled into the parking lot of Suzie’s Café. Turning off the car, he turned to me.

  “What?” I asked him after a long and tense moment. And I knew he was tense. I could tell based on his stiff posture, the way he had his fist clenched around the steering wheels, to the uncomfortable silence in the five-minute car ride over.

  “Are you sure you really want to work here?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Of course. It’s convenient, and I already told Aiden I would. I mean, you don’t have to work here if you don’t want to.” Although having him with me would be better than braving my first job by myself.

  I was scared of a lot of things, and Grant had been the only reason why things were bearable for me most day. I couldn’t imagine not having him as my anchor. But I wasn’t going to make him work with me if he didn’t want to.

  I looked at him expectantly. He shook his head. “It’s not that. But you must have heard that this is the place almost everyone hangs around after school.”

  I frowned. “What’s the problem?”

  “This is where Jude and his football buddies like to hang out.”

  “Oh,” I said, understanding. “Beth hangs out here, too.”

  He nodded. “It’s bad enough that you have to deal with her at school. You don’t have to deal with her after school.”

  My face softened, and I cupped his cheek. “You worry too much. I’ll be fine. Besides, I can’t possibly avoid going anywhere just because I’m afraid I might run into her.” The notion was ridiculous to me. I had enough stubborn pride to not let her get to me any more than she already had.

  “Okay. Let’s go in.” Grant tried to put on a happy face. He failed miserably. He opened the door and got out, waiting for me by the hood of his car. I walked over and shot him a reassuring smile, though, at this point, I wasn’t sure who I was trying to reassure, him or me.

  He held out his hand, and I grabbed it without hesitation. Grant had this fondness for touch, and though I wasn’t always so open to having anyone in my personal space, Grant was the exception to my rule.

  He led me through the glass door and as soon as we entered, the scent of coffee invaded my senses. I closed my eyes and inhale. Coffee reminded me of my mom.

  “Come on, Emily,” Grant said softly. I nodded.

  We were greeted by a short, plump lady in a purple apron. She had graying brown hair tied up in a high ponytail and the same kind gray eyes as her nephew.

  Her greeting smile took away any apprehension I had about coming here. “Oh, you must be Emily and Grant. My name is Jamie.”

  Grant looked at me before directing his gaze back to her. “How did you know?”

  “Aiden told me you were coming by. He said the tiny girl with the big brown eyes was coming in with her friend, the hipster one with the black frame glasses.”

  “Uh… I guess that’s us.”

  I had to bite my lips to keep from laughing. Gran
t tugged on my hand when Jamie asked us to come in the back to her office. We passed by several people working, and I recognized a handful of them from school. Aiden was right when he said his aunt liked to hire people from school.

  The office was small and homey. It seemed fitting with the rest of the place. Welcoming. I could already see myself working here and loving it.

  Jamie took the seat behind her desk and indicated to the sofa pushed up against the wall. We sat down side by side as Grant looked at her expectantly.

  “So,” Jamie begun, clasping her hands together. “Tell me about yourself.”

  “What do you want to know?” I asked.

  “Your age, what grade you’re in, what you plan on doing after high school. Stuff like that.”

  Grant and I shared a look before he talked first. “Uh, well, my name is Grant Johnson. I am eighteen years old. I’m a senior at Ridge Falls High School.” Grant paused before he let out an awkward cough. “But, uh, I’m sure you already knew that.” Jamie smiled encouragingly, her gray eyes taking him in as she fiddled with the pen in her hand. Grant continued, “I don’t really know what I want to do after I graduate. Go to college, maybe.”

  “Maybe?” Jamie asked. Grant nodded. She stared at him for a moment or two before turning her attention to me.

  I let out an awkward cough, clearing my suddenly dried throat before saying, “My name is Emily Lewis. I am seventeen years old, also a senior. And I want to go to college and get my nursing degree.”

  “Oh, and why do you want to be a nurse?”

  “My mom was a nurse.”

  “Was?”

  “She, uh, she died when I was seven.”

  Jamie’s eyes soften as she leaned back against the leather chair. “You poor thing. A girl should always grow up with her mother. I sorry you were robbed of that.”

  I shrugged because there wasn’t much to say. I was robbed of having a mother growing up, and that was all there was to it.

  “Okay,” Jamie said after a long silence. “Can you guys start tomorrow?”

  Grant and I both nodded. “Excellent. I can give you some paperwork to fill out, and if everything checks out, we should all be good to go by the time you both get out of school tomorrow.”