Chapter 17

Georgina

I can’t believe AJ saw my panties. Even more unbelievable was him getting hard against my leg when he saw them.

They were just plain white cotton panties. I’m sure with his vast body count, he’s seen much sexier lingerie.

I feel my cheeks blush, remembering my body’s response to feeling his length pressed against my thigh. ~Maybe he does want me like he wants every other girl in school?~

~

Ugh! Do I even really want him to want me like every other girl?

I guess if I’m being completely honest with myself, it’s not even that I actually want him. After changing myself so much to fit in, I just want to feel like he would at least look at me that way.

You know? It’s good to feel wanted, even if it’s by an asshole fuck boy.

Talking of feeling wanted, I was very surprised when Drew and PJ asked Katy and me out on a double date.

I enjoyed hanging out with Drew. He was the nicest of Jake’s new group of friends. He always took time to pop his head in and say hi when the boys came over to hang with Jake.

But sitting here in the dark cinema, as his hand slowly inched closer to mine, I couldn’t help but tense up.

I shift over in my chair more toward Katy, who leans over to me to whisper about the hot lead actor. I’m really worried about the ride home. I really hope Drew isn’t expecting anything.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not as innocent as people think, but I have had bad experiences which have made me wary.

The bonus of Drew driving is the fact I get to sit shotgun because PJ and Katy want to get handsy in the back seat. The downside is PJ and Katy getting handsy in the back seat.

With every little moan and giggle, I can feel my cheeks get hotter. Glancing at Drew, who keeps glancing in the rearview mirror at them, is getting me more annoyed by the second.

~Who in the hell actually pervs on their friends getting off with each other!~

~

Hindered by my stupid crutches, I don’t manage to get out of the car before Drew runs around to help. He slides his fingers down my arm, takes my hand, and smiles sweetly at me.

I smile back before turning and shouting bye to the two horny teens wrapped around each other on the back seat. He walks me up to my door, carrying one of my crutches for me.

“So...I had fun. Thanks for inviting me out.” I smile and squeeze his hand slightly, trying to ease myself away.

“Yeah, me too.” The side of Drew’s mouth turns up. He squeezes my hand back, tightening his grip on me. With his other hand, he sweeps his blonde hair back off his forehead.

Before I have time to react, his lips are pressing onto mine. I feel myself freeze as his hands find their way onto the sides of my face.

He pulls back, looking puzzled. “Hey? Are you not into this?”

“N...no...” My voice trails off, keeping my gaze down.

“Hey. Hey?” He cups my chin, lifting my face up to meet his. “It’s okay. I just read the signals wrong. It’s cool.” He smiles. “It’s all gravy, baby.”

I can’t help but smile back. He pulls me in for a hug. The stereotypical teenage boy smell of Axe body spray invades my nostrils.

I feel kinda bad, seeing as he’s being so sweet, so I squeeze him back, feeling his strong muscles flex.

“You’re a really sweet guy, Drew. You’ll make someone an excellent boyfriend. But I’m just not looking for anything like that right now.” I pull back and give him a light peck on the cheek.

Jake is lying on my bed when I finally get upstairs. I crawl over to him and rest my head on his chest. His fingers immediately twist into my hair, his fingernails lightly scratching my scalp.

“How’d the date go, Smidge?”

I sigh.

“That good, huh.” Jake chuckles.

“He kissed me, and I froze.” I push myself off him and make my way into the bathroom to take my makeup off, quickly wiping away a rogue tear.

“George.” Jake sits on the closed toilet seat next to me, pulling his knees up and resting his chin on top of them. “You know I’d never let anything bad happen to you again, right? You know it kills me…”

I slap a hand over his mouth, and he looks up at me with sad eyes.

“Jakey. I don’t want to think about that night, much less talk about it.” He nods under my hand.

I finish getting ready, sticking on my glasses, and quickly change into an old pair of Jake’s sweats, which he outgrew several years ago, and one of my dad’s old Rolling Stones T-shirts.

Cuddling up to Jake in my bed, watching ~Beetlejuice~ for the thousandth time, I’m distracted by him fiddling on his phone every two minutes.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I snatch the phone out of his hand before he realizes what I’m doing.

His Snapchat is open, showing a cute petite brunette wearing a Captain Marvel costume. “And just who is this, Mr. Nelson?”

Jake blushes, grabbing his phone back. He sighs heavily and closes the app. “Her name is Layla. She’s a junior. We started talking a couple of days ago on Insta. I think I’m gonna ask her out on a date.”

“Jake, that’s awesome!” I sit up excitedly. “Just don’t forget about me when you are all loved up.”

“Nah…you know you’ll always be my number one girl, Smidge!” He pulls me back down and wraps his arms around me, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “You’ll find someone you feel safe to feel that way about too soon.”

***

Since the accidental panty flash, AJ has pretty much ignored me. Kind of. I’ve caught him staring at me in class a couple of times and felt the heat of his eyes when I’ve spoken to Drew in passing.

Macy, on the other hand, has practically become my shadow. I preferred it when she was ignoring me. I wasn’t used to her being this nice.

She’d offered to drive me around while I was still incapacitated, and we spent more time than before hanging out, just the two of us.

We were currently in her bedroom getting ready for another party at PJ’s.

She and Robyn are giggling in the corner together, and I’m straightening Katy’s hair and listening to her talk again about PJ. I know ~far~ ~too many of the personal details of that boy.

My dad reluctantly agreed to let me go to this party, after much pleading and begging by both myself and Jake.

I promised to stay away from the alcohol, and Jake promised to get us both home before 11:00 p.m. I know for a fact both our dads are going to be waiting up for us.

Jake asked that girl, Layla, to meet him at the party tonight, so he was hyped up all day.

I was kinda glad he went straight to PJ’s house after the football game this afternoon. He needed to smoke a couple of joints and chill out, so he didn’t freak her out with his crackhead energy.

Macy and Robyn’s giggling and whispering continue up until we enter the party, where they promptly disappear. However, Katy soon latches on to PJ.

I hobble through to the kitchen, where I find Jake, his red eyes and huge grin a sign that he has had a smoke. Standing with him, looking around with wide eyes, is the girl from his phone.

I smile and wave at them but get a scowl off her before she turns back toward Jake. ~Bitch!~ ~What the fuck did I do!~ ~

~

I grab a water bottle and wander back to the living room, where people are dancing. I sit on the couch and people-watch for a bit.

AJ is leaning up against the wall opposite, smirk in place as per usual, sipping on a red solo cup, one of the other cheerleaders pressing herself up against him.

I don’t get how his sisters are both so cute, and he turned out as he did. The music cuts off suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Hi, guys!” Macy stands next to the music dock.

“I just wanted to bring everybody’s attention to a little something and dedicate this next song to my ~best~ friend, Georgina Evans.” She presses the button, and Limp Bizkit’s “Counterfeit” starts playing.

Robyn is standing next to her holding a card, which she hands to Macy with a grin.

Flipping around the card, I’m horrified to see it’s a large photo of me from when I was thirteen, going through a gawky stage: large glasses, bunches, freckles, boys shorts, dirty T-shirt.

“This is what our lovely Gina looked like when she first started high school with us. No wonder she quickly decided to completely change her whole personality to try and fit in.”

She flips around another photo. It’s of my mom. My heart is pounding. I feel like I’m drowning.

“This is Gina’s mom. We, her closest friends, were obviously not good enough friends for her to tell us what happened to her, are we, Gina?”

She flips another card. It shows the newspaper article detailing the suicide of my mother.

“Gina’s mom selfishly walked out in front of the commuter train. She obviously couldn’t cope any longer being the mother of a liar like Georgina.”

“Macy! Shut the fuck up!” I hear AJ bark at Macy through the loud buzzing in my ears.

~I think I’m going to pass out.~

~

“But, AJ, I would have thought you’d love to know how much of a bitch Gina really is.”

“Georgina Evans is ~such~ a bitch that she ruined someone’s life.” ~Nonononono.~

~

Macy flips around another card. “This is the poor guy who got sucked into Gina’s cesspool of a life and was accused of rape—”

Before she can finish the last word, AJ hits the music off, and Jake appears, snatching the cards from her hands and ripping them in half.

The room stands in silence, eyes flicking from me to Macy. I can feel tears streaming down my cheeks but make no move to wipe them. Macy smirks at me.

I turn on my heels and run as fast as I can with my stupid fucking plastered leg and crutches.

I manage to make it out of the front door and halfway down the drive before Jake catches up with me. He pulls me into a tight hug, and I can’t do anything but sob into his chest.

I am aware of other voices behind me, and then Jake sweeps me up bridal style, and I’m jostled into what I assume is a car.

I am numb.

I think I’m still crying.

Before too long, I’m jostled again in Jake’s arms, then the familiar scent of my dad surrounds me. I can hear him murmuring my name while he rubs his hand up and down my back.

I must have eventually fallen asleep because I'm in my bed when I next open my eyes. Jake is sprawled across the end, and my dad is slumped over my desk.

As I sit up, I can see James, Jake’s dad, lying on the floor.

I lie back down, fresh tears prickling behind my lids.

~How did they find out all that stuff? And why would Macy want to destroy me in public like that? I thought we were friends.~

~

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