One of my brothers was trying to sneak upstairs.
That in itself was not unusual. Except I knew from the muffled steps on the stairs that it was Stefan, not Scott.
That was unusual. Stefan didn't sneak around. All his decisions and actions were thought through logically, so he never felt the need to hide anything from anyone.
Except for that one porn folder I found in his laptop, but that was neither here or there.
I rose from the island in the kitchen, where I was doing homework. Cheddar, sleeping on the stool next to me, cracked one eye open. Once he saw I wasn't heading to the cat food cabinet, he curled around himself and went back to sleep.
I tiptoed out of the kitchen. Sure enough, Stefan was on the last step. I took a deep breath.
"Stef!"
He jumped. Then froze. I slowly walked past the couch.
"Where were you?" I asked, a smile in my voice. I couldn't believe I actually caught Stefan sneaking in from somewhere. Lia would kill to hear about this. Where had he been? My curiosity was unbearable.
"Nowhere." He cleared his throat. Turning around, he put his hands in his pockets. My spider senses pinged. There was something different about my brother. I crept closer to the staircase, scanning him from head to toe.
His hands were in his pockets.
"Show me your hands."
He scoffed, as if I'd made a ridiculous request. I reached the stairs and got on the first steps.
"Fine!" he said, throwing his hands up. He showed me his palms. I snorted. Did he think I was an amateur?
"You fought someone, didn't you?" I put my hands on my hips. "Who did you fight?"
With a defeated huff, he lowered his hands, and I could see his red knuckles. Aha! I was right.
"No one."
I narrowed my eyes. Then realization dawned on me. "You fought Aaron, didn't you?" I asked. "Seriously! I thought Scott is the only rash head in this family."
"I was not rash," he said, jogging down the steps. He walked past me to the kitchen.
"Hey, where are you going?" I asked, following him.
"Since you caught me, might as well eat something," he said, opening the fridge.
I hovered nearby. "That was stupid."
"No. It's not stupid and it's not rash," he said, pulling a little container of grapes. "I didn't act yesterday when I was angry, so it's not rash."
"So you've been thinking about it the whole night and the entire day today?" I asked, watching as he popped open the container and threw a grape in his mouth. He chewed slowly, and nodded.
"Yes. I don't make decisions on the spur of the moment. That's stupid and rash. Scott does that," he said.
I threw up my hands. "You still did the same thing he had," I said. "You're blowing this out of proportion. It was a sparring session in the gym."
"I spoke to Brandon about it yesterday," Stefan said. "So I know the batard did it on purpose. I simply warned him off. I don't want to deal with taking you to the emergency room some time in the future because the idiot thought he could just punch you around."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm touched. So you did it to save yourself the trouble."
"Yes."
I patted his hand. Both my triplet brothers were idiots. I turned to the fridge. "I'm making myself a sandwich. Do you want one?"
I could hear the excitement in his voice. "Turkey and your special sauce? Then yes. Can you-
"No way," I said. "I'm not adding Pringles and pickles to the the sandwich. That's just disgusting."
"Your best friend doesn't think so," he mumbled.
"It's still disgusting."
Stefan loved to put pickles and Pringles in his grilled cheese. Surprisingly, Lia loved the combination as well. It was the only thing the two ever agreed on.
I put the ingredients on the counter and got to work. Stefan went to clean up his knuckles.
Cheddar was up and rubbing himself against my legs, his tail high and quivering. "Aha, now you're acting all chummy," I told my cat, moving to put a few pieces of turkey in his food plate. He almost tripped me. I petted him while he ate, his orange fur soft. "You're shedding a ton, buddy. We'll have to give you a good brush later."
Other than a flicker of his ears, the orange menace was focused on his treat.
I washed my hands and finished the sandwiches, making one for Scott as well and sticking it in the fridge. Stefan's measured footsteps pounded down the stairs. I was back in my seat by the island, my sandwich on a plate near my elbow. I chewed on my pen and looked at the gibberish in my notebook. Damn Calculus.
"Thanks," Stefan said, leaning on the counter across from me. "So, Jamison?"
I rolled my eyes. "You guys are talking about him like he's a psycho," I said. "He's actually a decent guy."
Stefan bit into his sandwich. "You've sat with him one time at lunch and you know he's a decent guy?"
"He was taking care of a kitten, the one I told you about yesterday," I said. "And he was polite whenever I spoke to him."
Stefan hummed, dusting his hands. He'd devoured that sandwich in two bites of his big mouth.
"Why don't you like him?" I asked, putting down my pen and picking up my own sandwich.
Stefan chewed on his words before replying. "He's not a nice guy."
I rolled my eyes. I wanted to tell my brothers that he wasn't a nice guy either, according to half the people in our school. But my mouth was full.
"I'm not saying I am," he said, reading my mind. "But the guy is involved in some sketchy shit."
"What sketchy shit?"
"Stuff. Bottom line is, you don't want to get involved with him."
"For goodness sake, I'm not going to date the guy. We're just friends. Hell, maybe not even that." I tore into my sandwich again.
If it was up to Jamison, we'd probably be even less than acquaintances. He didn't seem to enjoy people's company much.
I glanced at Stefan's red knuckles. He and Scott had gotten hurt because of me. I should've been more careful. I shouldn't have been goaded into that fight with Aaron. Guilt settled in the pit of my stomach, heavy and familiar. I hated it. I finished the sandwich and looked at the papers in front of me. The guilt pulled on a thread of older emotions, bringing them to the surface. Cheddar jumped on his designated stool, sat down and began licking his paws.
"I'm fine," Stefan said, pushing the container of grapes toward me. "Have this instead of that junk you keep eating. I'll be upstairs if you need me."
"You call it junk but you steal it," I said.
He walked past me out of the kitchen. I gave up on Calculus and pushed the notebook away. Maybe I should get Lia to tutor me. But that girl's tutoring was worse than Stefan's. Whenever I asked them about a problem, they would solve it and look at me like I should just understand how they did it.
I ate another bite of my sandwich. Feeling something unusual, I sputtered. Wiping my lips, my fingers came back with a distinctly orange hair. I showed it to Cheddar. I flicked the hair his way, but it stuck to my finger. "I guess fur is a condiment in our kitchen by now," I told him. My cat didn't look as guilty as he should.
I checked my phone. No message from Jamison. I really hoped he would get back at me quickly. I hated not telling Lia about that jerk face boyfriend of hers. But I had to be sure first.
*** **** ***
Lia was swapping spit with her boyfriend . Ugh. Usually, I would just walk past them. But Jamison's words from the day before made my stomach clench and bile rise in my throat. I felt guilty. Should I tell her? But what if it wasn't true?
Instead, I dashed down the hallway toward them and bumped into Lia, almost knocking her off her feet.
She looked at me, her forehead scrunched up. "Sapph?"
"Yeah, I need to tell you something!" I told her hurriedly, and took her hand.
"Hey-"
"Now!" I said, ignoring the incredulous look on her boyfriend's face and dragging her along with me. We joined the wave of students heading to the cafeteria.
"What is wrong with you?" She said, winded. She dug her heels in. I just yanked her her along, her feet skidding on the ground. Once Tom was lost among the throng of students, I stopped and smiled brightly at her. "Good morning!"
Lia glared at me. "It's noon. And this better be important."
I opened my mouth. But I couldn't bring myself to tell her. What if it wasn't Tom? I couldn't break her heart when it wasn't even a sure thing yet, but I couldn't just let her go on as if nothing was wrong. Ugh!
"Stefan," I said. "Stefan had a fight with Aaron."
Her eyes widened. "What?! Seriously?"
I breathed out in relief. Nice save, Sapphire.
"Yep." I linked our arms and walked ahead. "He came back yesterday, trying to sneak to his room, but I caught him."
"Well, that's so unlike him," Lia said. "He usually doesn't do stuff like that."
"That's exactly what I said! But according to him, he wasn't acting rash. His decision to teach him a lesson was a completely rational one."
"How so?" Lia asked.
"He said he warned off Aaron because he doesn't want to drive me to the hospital if I get punched again."
Lia snorted. "He couldn't find a lamer excuse?"
We joined the cafeteria's long line. Chatter and clatter disturbed the air. I glanced around, spotting Scott, Stefan and Jason at one table. If we sat there, Tom wouldn't come join her. He hated my brothers, especially Stefan.
"So, what's with you and Jamison?" Lia asked.
"What's with us?"
"You really shouldn't be hanging out with him too much, Sapph," Lia said, concern creasing her eyebrows.
"What's with you guys?" I said, truly annoyed. "You guys don't even know him."
"Girl, that boy beats people every week!" Lia said, picking up a tray.
I rolled my eyes and snagged my own. "Now you're just exaggerating."
"Am not!" Lia sighed. "I don't even know why I'm bothering. Once you make up your mind about someone, you don't change it unless they do something really dramatic."
"Right." I rolled my eyes. I wasn't that pigheaded. I think.
"Jamison is either beating up guys or banging girls, I don't know what-" she glanced behind me and clicked her mouth shut.
Uh oh. I looked behind me, sure enough, Jamison stood there, looking bored as usual. He picked up his tray and raised an eyebrow. "The line is moving," he said.
Lia turned a lovely shade of red. She whipped her head around and moved forward. I couldn't help it. I laughed. Lia reached behind her, her fingers catching my arm in a pinch. I slapped her hand away and looked at Jamison, getting my plate of chicken rice. "Please don't be offended. She's just dramatic."
He shrugged those massive shoulders, looking unbothered. "She's not exactly wrong."
"Uh-huh," I said, moving forward. "So you do beat people around? I'll keep that in mind. Do you take requests?"
"Requests?"
"Yeah," I said with a grin. "You know, for people to beat around. I have a few in mind." Namely Lia's jerk face boyfriend.
He shook his head, his lips twitching up in a smile. Oooh, I got a smile. That made me feel oddly accomplished.
We moved out of the line. Lia was already heading toward the table where my brothers and Jason sat. Jamison made a move to go outside. The sky was gray and the weather gloomy. He would just go sit by himself in that weather. It made my heart clench.
"Hey, Jamison," I said, making him pause in his stride. Students walked past us. "Why don't you come sit with me. With us."
He blinked lazily. I braced myself, hoping he would accept but knowing there was a bigger chance he'd refuse.
He nodded.
My heart soared. I grinned and nodded my head toward the tables. "Come on."
Jamison followed me toward the table where Lia was slapping Jason's hand off her plate. Scott and Stefan, sitting next to each other, looked up as one. Their eyes flickered between Jamison and me. Identical surprised expressions on their faces for once. Very few people could tell them apart, aside from me and Sam. Lia could, and Jason, too, most of the time; but that was because we'd been friends since kindergarten.
I sat down on the bench of the round table next to Lia, Jamison next to me, Stefan on his other side.
"Hey, Sapphire," Jason said, his dark eyes glinting. "Your makeup is lovely. Oh, that's just your black eye."
Scott leaned across the table and fist bumped him. I snickered. I had to give it to him. That was a good one. "You're an asshole."
"Jamison," Scott said. "Fancy seeing you here. Since when do you know my sister?"
I groaned. "Really, Scott?"
"What?" He asked. "Am I not allowed to be concerned about the kind of company you're keeping?"
I threw a fry at him, then immediately regretted it. He wasn't worth a fry. He caught it with his mouth and wiggled his eyebrows in triumph.
"So Jamison," Scott said again. "You're not thinking about playing football? With your physique, you'd be untouchable on the field."
"Not interested," Jamison said next to me, already digging into his food.
"So what interests you?" Stefan asked. "Not football. Fighting?"
I glowered at my brothers. "You guys are being obnoxious," I said. "Can you just let the guy eat in peace? Seriously..."
"Do you really participate in underground fights?" Jason asked.
I groaned. They really didn't know when to call it a day. Underground fights? Really? What were we, in the seventies?
"Sometimes," Jamison replied.
I gaped at him. "Seriously?" I asked. "There are underground fighting rings?"
Jamison nodded, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Isn't that illegal?" I asked.
"So?" Jamison said.
Jason laughed. "Sapph, you do know that just because things are illegal, doesn't mean they're not happening, right?"
I closed my mouth with a snap. "I know," I grumbled.
"So, where's that prick boyfriend of yours, Lia?" Scott asked.
Lia scowled. "What's with you guys and my boyfriend? He's a nice guy."
"And I'm a five foot two white girl," Jason said.
Scott chortled. "He's a rapscallion."
We all looked at him. "A rapscallion?" I said. "Really?"
"What?" Scott said. "I learned it yesterday. I'm trying to work on my vocabulary."
"Quick, someone get him some ice," I said.
Scott's forehead lined. "Why?"
"You used that big word in a sentence all on your own," I said. "Your brain must be overheating."
Lia spit out the juice she was drinking. Everyone laughed, even Jamison broke a little grin.
Scott pointed a finger at me. "I will get you one day, little sis."
"I'm not your little sister. We're triplets, you idiot."
"We're older," Stefan said, butting in.
"By like, two minutes!" I said.
"Details, little sis," Scott added. He looked at Jamison. "You have Mr. Granger's class with us, don't you?"
Jamison nodded. Stefan chuckled. He downed the rest of his drink in one big gulp and slammed it on the table. "You're going to witness him shitting bricks, today."
I shook my head. "I don't even want to know."
"The prick deserves it," Scott said. "I didn't get to play the final game because of him, last year."
"Because you sucked at his class," I said.
Scott didn't acknowledge my remark. Still in denial. "Anyway," Scott said. "It's Stefan's idea, surprisingly."
"What are you going to do?" Lia asked.
"Oh, it's going to be wild," Jason said. His grin did not bode well.
"Seriously, guys. Mr. Granger doesn't play around. Be careful."
"We won't get caught," Stefan said, putting my mind a little at ease. If it'd only been Scott and Jason, I would've worried about them. But Stefan was too meticulous, and he cared too much about his grades to be caught.
"Oh," Lia mumbled, her eyes on something behind me. She whispered, "here comes your stalker, Sapph."
"Hey, Sapphire."
I glanced at the guy who came to stand over me. Ugh. "Hey, Jake. Bye, Jake."
The black-haired boy didn't get the hint. He never did. He smiled. "I'm surprised, you know?"
"No, I don't," I mumbled, knowing he would keep speaking nonetheless.
"You turned me down last year," he said, his eyes flickering to Jamison. "Yet here you are. Dating scum."
That asshole! Jamison slowly looked up at him, raising one eyebrow. He opened his mouth, but I was already shooting up to my feet.
"What did you just say?" I asked, glaring at him. He was taller than me. I didn't think Jake would hurt me, but my black eye was proof of my poor judgment, so I didn't count on it. I did, however, count on my fists and my brothers' presence.
Jake raised his hands. "Whoah, don't get mad."
"Get lost, Jake," I said. "The next time you call one my friends scum, I'll let everyone know about the little stunt you pulled last year. Piss off."
Laughter left quickly left his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"
I raised one eyebrow. "You know exactly what I'm talking about," I said, holding two fingers to my lips as if I was smoking. "You're lucky no one got hurt."
He licked his lips, looking around our table then back at me. Shaking his head, he walked away. Idiot.
I sat back down. Fortunately, the cafeteria was too busy to pay attention to us. Scott, Stefan and Jamison were all following Jake with their eyes, their expressions looked eerily identical.
"What little stunt were you talking about?" Jason asked, leaning on the table to look at me.
"The gymnasium fire last year," Lia said. "Sapph thinks Jake did it."
"I wasn't sure," I said. "But I guess he just confirmed my suspicions."
"That was Jake?" Scott asked.
I felt a heavy look on my cheek. I glanced at Jamison, and he looked away.
"Apparently," Lia said.
"I caught him smoking under the bleachers a couple of times," I said. "A few weeks later, the fire happened. I heard they were suspecting cigarettes, so I immediately thought of Jake."
"So you don't know for sure," Jason said.
"He just confirmed it now, though," Lia said.
I glanced over my shoulder. Jake was sitting with a few guys a few tables away. He was looking at Jamison. He caught my eyes and looked away, but not before I saw the sheer animosity on his face.
"So..." Jason said, looking between Jamison and me. "Are you two dating?"
I rolled my eyes. "No, we're not."
"Well, a lot of people think you are," Jason said.
"You remember last year, people thought you and I were dating," I told Jason. I'd been spending more time with him and my brothers because Lia had just started dating Tom and was in the blissful phase where they had to be stuck together all day long.
Jason fake-gagged. "Don't remind me."
I chuckled. "Asshole."
The bell rang, and we spilled out of the cafeteria with the last wave of students. Everyone went to their class, Jamison and I walked together some more, both our classes being on the other side of the school building.
"You didn't have to do that?" Jamison suddenly said.
"Do what?"
He glanced at me. "With that guy, Jake, back there."
"Oh." I shrugged. "Jake is an ass. He targeted you because of me. What are friends for?"
His lips twitched up. "So we're friends?"
"Yep. Besties," I said with a grin. He grimaced. I laughed. "Hey! Don't look so thrilled."
He grinned that little grin again. It was cute. "Besides," I said. "It's better than you beating the crap out of him."
"I might still do."
"Let me know. I want to throw in a punch or two," I said.
He stopped at a door, I kept walking. "See you later, Jamison."
I was a few steps ahead when he called me. "Sapphire."
I turned and walked backwards. "Yeah."
"Stop calling me Jamison."
I stopped and raised my brow. "And what should I call you?"
I expected a "Bond, James Bond" joke. But Jamison didn't have my trashy sense of humor.
"Hunter," he said, then ducked into his class.
Alrighty, then.
--- ---- ---
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