Holding onto Hadley (Chasing the Harlyton Sisters Book 3), Page 2

  “It’s nothing.” I shake off my irritation and stuff my phone into my pocket. “Are you ready to go to school?”

  “Nah, I’m all dressed up like this to take a nap.” She smirks as she gestures at her outfit, a pair of torn jeans, clunky boots, and a purple shirt. Her hair is done and her eyes are lined with eyeliner.

  I can’t help but smile. “All right, smartass, go get some breakfast and then we’ll leave.”

  She salutes me. “Yes, boss.”

  She seems in a good mood today, but she also seemed okay when she was dropped off by the social worker… whoever the hell the woman was that dropped off my sisters at the house this morning. Londyn seemed okay too. It’s Payton I’m worried about. She seemed off, distant, very un-Payton like.

  “Where’s Payton?” I ask as Bailey walks by me.

  “She’s still getting ready.” A frown tugs at her lips. “She’s still in a shitty mood too… I’ve been trying to get her to tell me why, but she gets more pissed off the more I ask.”

  “She’s probably just upset about getting hauled off by social services. I’m sure in a couple of days, when everything gets back to normal, she’ll be back to her smiling self.” Normal? As if there was ever such a thing in our lives.

  Bailey must think the same thing too because she mutters, “What’s normal?”

  I sigh as she trudges off to the kitchen, her mood plummeting. With another sigh, I turn to go back upstairs and find Payton. But she’s at the top of the stairway as I turn around, and she starts stomping down the stairs toward me. And when I say stomping, I mean stomping, like an angry troll.

  “What’s with the frown, Charlie Brown,” I joke, hoping she’ll at least crack a smile.

  Instead, she gives me the dirtiest look ever. “Cut the fake smiles shit out. I’m not in the mood for it this morning.”

  Okay. Clearly something is bothering her. Londyn and Bailey suggested that perhaps something happened to her at the group home, but getting Payton to open up is going to be complicated.

  I raise my hands in front of me. “I’ll back off for now. But if you ever want to talk, just know that I’m here.”

  “Why? Because you’re our new mom,” she sneers.

  My lips pull downward. “I’m not your new mom… I could never replace mom… I’m just trying to help.”

  She rolls her eyes again then nudges me out of the way. “You should try helping yourself first.”

  I internally sigh. Something bad must have happened at that group home. Well, either that or maybe someone told her what’s going on with me. After all, when Austin hauled me away from school to go meet his dad, he said he knew a few guys in the group home that would punish my sisters if I wasn’t cooperative.

  “Pay… Did something happen while you were at the group home?” I ask, following after her.

  “No,” she snaps. “Just leave me the hell alone.” She snatches a granola bar out of Bailey’s hand and storms out of the house, slamming the door.

  I glance at Bailey and Londyn, whose shocked expressions mirror mine.

  “She’s in a really bad mood,” Londyn says, glancing worriedly at me.

  I nod. “I think we should all keep an eye on her and see if we can figure out why. But don’t be too pushy. I don’t want to upset her more.”

  “I completely agree. The last time she got like this and we were too pushy, she ended up…” Bailey doesn’t finish, but I know what she’s going to say.

  The last time that happened, I found myself in a somewhat similar situation as what Blaise was in the other day with Alex. Payton wasn’t doing hardcore drugs or anything like that, but she spent days partying hard and hanging out with sketchy people until finally I tracked her down and dragged her back home. She never admitted the reason behind her rebelliousness, even after I spent weeks trying to get the truth out of her. My mom probably would’ve succeeded, which makes me feel like a failure.

  “You’re not a failure,” Londyn tells me as she grabs a couple of Pop-Tarts from the cupboard.

  Shit. Did I say that aloud?

  “I know,” I say and she frowns. Before she can press further, though, I motion for them to follow me as I head for the back door. “Come on, let’s get to school before we all end up being late.”

  I open the door and step out of the house into the sunshine. My gaze instantly wanders over to the Porterson’s house. No one is outside and the GTO and the SUV are missing from the driveway, which more than likely means they’ve left for school already.

  After the whole crying-on-Blaise’s-shoulder thing that happened last night and then the kiss—two kisses actually—I’m kind of relieved they’ve already left. But it does remind me that I still owe Blaise quite a few favors for the deal we made over the drag race.

  “I really need to get those favors paid off,” I mutter as I hike down the driveway.

  “The favors you owe Blaise?” Londyn asks, walking beside me.

  I shield my eyes from the sunlight with my hand. “Yeah. I just want to get it done with.”

  “I can’t believe that after everything, he’s still making you do that.”

  “Actually, yesterday he gave me a free pass, even though I didn’t want it. And he doesn’t seem that interested in me following through, but… I hate favors and not following through with our deal means I’ll owe him.” Not that I believe Blaise will make me feel like I owe him.

  No, after what happened between us, I’ve decided he’s not as big of a douchebag as I originally thought. Although, knowing he saw me break down is making me super uncomfortable. Plus, I kissed him and then let him kiss me. Seriously, what the hell was I thinking? Did I lose my damn mind or something?

  Not that the kisses were bad…

  They were nice…

  Really, really, nice—

  “What’s going on with you two?” Londyn asks, stopping beside the passenger side of my car.

  I blink from my lustful thoughts of Blaise. “Nothing. Why?”

  It’s not entirely a lie, since I’m not quite sure what’s going on between Blaise and I. Confused. That’s how I feel when it comes to Blaise and me. And I don’t want to be confused over a guy. And I don’t want a guy to be taking up so much of my mental space.

  “Fine. Lie to me again,” she mutters, shaking her head.

  Guilt crushes down on me. When social services took my sisters away from me, I thought I might not get to see them for a while. That I’d spend the next couple of years waiting until they turned eighteen before we could be a family again. But I was lucky enough to get them back, and I should be more grateful about it.

  “We kissed,” I sputter. Yes, actually sputter like a dumbass. I clear my throat. “Blaise and I, last night, we kinda kissed.”

  Londyn glances at me, confusion flooding her eyes. “Kind of kissed? What does that mean? How can you kind of kiss someone?”

  I shrug. “It was just a small peck. We didn’t use our tongues or anything.”

  “That’s still a kiss, Had.”

  “Okay, so…” I shrug again. “Then I guess we kissed. But let me stress, it was a small peck. Like barely a brush of our lips.”

  She observes me closely. “Is that a good thing or bad thing? Because I seriously can’t tell if you guys hate each other or just get off on it.”

  “We don’t get off on it. We just… I don’t know. He helped me out a lot and sort of understands me. Plus, we have a lot in common. But he does get on my nerves sometimes.”

  A smile pulls at her lips. “Holy crap, you like him.”

  I cringe. “Like might be a strong word… More like I don’t hate him as much as I thought I did.”

  A grin takes over her face. “No, you so like him.”

  I narrow my eyes at her. “Stop saying that. It’s not true.”

  “Okay.” But she keeps on smiling.

  I throw my hands up in the air. “Whatever. Just get in the car. We’re going to be late.”

  Still grinning, she turns
and gets into the car.

  Her words echo in my mind.

  Like Blaise? Ha, yeah right.

  Deep down, though, I might be lying to myself.

  But it doesn’t matter. Whether I like Blaise or not isn’t important right now. What is is dealing with the August and Axel situation, something I’m reminded of as I turn onto the street and noticed a dark car with tinted windows tailing me.

  Hadley

  By the time I arrive at school, I’m aware of three things: 1). That the less I try to think of Blaise, the more I do. 2). That I’m definitely being followed by someone. And 3). Blaise isn’t at school.

  The third revelation comes to me after the bell rings and he doesn’t wander into class. Jaxon is seated a few desks back from mine and while I want to ask where Blaise is, I don’t want to give away that I noticed he’s gone, which is why I don’t text Blaise to see where he is. But it’s annoying how much my fingers itch to send a message to see if he’s okay. I know he mentioned he was going to talk to his father about the bags my dad stole, see if he knows where they could be. That has me concerned.

  I scratch at the bandage on my wrist, a reminder of how corrupt and bad Blaise’s father is.

  “All right class, I want you to pair up into groups and work on the assignment. I’ll also be walking around and handing out packets,” the teacher announces, drawing me out of my thoughts. “You’ll have until the end of the next week to complete the assignment. I’d like to keep the groups to around three to four people. If you can’t find a group, come talk to me and I’ll assign you one.”

  Great. I totally spaced off and have no idea what assignment he’s talking about. Even worse, no one at this school likes me, thanks to the flyers Alex spread around school.

  As everyone begins to pair off, I peer around, trying to figure out the best way to find a group. I quickly realize, though, almost everyone is already in a group except for a couple of people, Jaxon being one of them.

  He’s dressed in his usual black jeans and dark t-shirt getup and wisps of his chin-length dark hair hangs in his eyes as he stares down at his desk, either completely uninterested in finding a group or nervous about it. Considering what I’ve observed about him, my guess is the latter.

  “Hey baby Porterson,” I say in a light tone. “You want to pair up with the social outcast or what?”

  He glances up at me, a drop of amusement twinkling in his eyes. “You know I’m barely younger than my brothers, right?”

  “Yeah, but you’re still the youngest, which makes you the baby,” I tease with a smile. “So what do you say? Wanna be partners on this ever so awesome assignment.” That I know nothing about, but I’m going to pretend I’m totally on top of things.

  He offers me a small smile. “I guess so. I’ve been meaning to do some charity work lately anyway.”

  A grin spreads across my face. “Wow, snarky sarcasm. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “Why not?” he questions as he stands up and starts pushing his desk toward mine. “My brothers are smartasses. And you’ve hung around them enough to know that, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I am too.”

  “Yeah, but you’ve barely said anything to me, so I thought maybe you were the sweet, shy one.”

  He chuckles as he sits back down in his seat. “I guess compared to my brothers, I might be. But I’m not that sweet. And I’m not shy. Just quiet.”

  “I guess I can kind of see that. My sister, Londyn, is like that too.”

  “She does seem that way,” he says as he opens his notebook. “I mean, I haven’t really talked to her except for that one time Rhyland and I gave her and your other sisters a ride to school, but she seemed like the quietest one out of all of you.”

  “Wow, I think that’s the most sentences I’ve ever heard you say in a row.” I flash him a grin so he’ll know I’m playing around.

  He starts to smile, his lips parting. “I—”

  “Here’s an idea.” The teacher appears by our desk with a stack of papers in his hands. “How about you start using your talking skills to discuss the project.”

  “Sorry Mr. G.,” Jaxon apologizes with a small smile.

  Mr. G.’s hard expression softens. “It’s fine. Just try to focus on the assignment, okay?” He sets a packet down on each of our desks. “And you guys should find at least one more person to be in your group.” He points over his shoulder at a girl with dark hair, glasses, and freckles, standing at the front of the classroom, nervously looking around. “Ava doesn’t have a group. Do you guys mind if she joins yours?”

  Jaxon and I both trade a look and I shrug.

  “Sure,” I say with a smile, hoping to win the teacher over like Jaxon clearly has.

  “Good.” He turns and gestures for Ava to come over.

  She shuffles toward us with her head tucked down, her hair curtaining her face.

  “Ava, you can join Jaxon and Hadley’s group,” Mr. G. tells her when she reaches us.

  Ava nervously nods. “Okay.”

  Poor thing. I can practically feel her jittery nerves shaking through the air.

  “Now that that’s settle, let me go see if I can find a group for Gage.” Mr. G starts to walk away but then pauses and looks at Jaxon. “Is Blaise here today?”

  “He had an appointment this morning so he’ll be a bit late,” Jaxon replies. “But I think he should be here soon.”

  Mr. G. glances at the clock then back at Jaxon. “I’m assuming he’ll probably want to work in your group.” When Jaxon nods, Mr. G. sets another packet down on Jaxon’s desk. “All right, I’ll write down that he’s in your group. Here’s his packet.” With that, he walks off.

  I arch my brow at Jaxon. “Appointment, huh?”

  He shrugs, his gaze flitting toward Ava. Then he looks at me. “A doctor’s appointment.”

  He’s lying. I can tell. But I let it slide, figuring it’s none of my business. Then I stick my hand out in Ava’s direction, figuring I might as well break the ice and attempt to make her comfortable, at least enough that she’ll sit down. “Hey, I’m Hadley. It’s nice to meet you.”

  She offers me a shy smile and shakes her hand. “I’m Ava.” She shifts her weight, giving a nervous glance at Jaxon before quickly looking back at me. “Thanks for letting me be in your group.”

  “No problem.” I pull my hand away and point at an empty desk. “Why don’t you drag that thing over here so we can get started on this awesome project that I literally have no clue what it’s about since I wasn’t paying attention.”

  She cracks a tiny smile. “Okay.”

  “I can drag the desk over for you,” Jaxon offers, jumping to his feet.

  “Well, look at that, a Porterson who has gentleman skills.” I teasingly smile a Jaxon.

  Jaxon starts to smile when his gaze strays to something beside me.

  I start to turn around when I hear, “So you’re saying I’m not a gentleman?”

  I tilt my head up and meet Blaise’s amused gaze.

  He looks good today; his blonde hair is hanging in his eyes, a chain dangles from his black jeans, and leather bands ornament his wrists.

  “Are you saying you are a gentleman?” I quip with a cock of my brow.

  The corner of his lips kicks up into a half-smile. “I think deep down you know I am.”

  I roll my eyes. “I think deep down you probably think you’re a gentleman, but since I’ve yet to see any of these alleged gentleman skills I’m going to doubt for now they exist.”

  His eyes narrow, but it’s a playful move. “All right, fine. I guess I’ll have to prove my case then.”

  “And how exactly does one prove they’re a gentleman?” I ask, crossing my arms on the top of my desk.

  He winks at me then sets his notebook down on Jaxon’s desk. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and find out.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t like surprises, dude.”

  He grins at me as he drags another desk over and pushes it against mine. Th
en he plops down in the seat and opens his notebook while Ava tentatively sits down in the desk Jaxon pushed over for her.

  “So what’re we doing?” Blaise asks. He glances up at us, his gaze bouncing between Jaxon and me.

  Jaxon and I trade a look then Jaxon shrugs.

  “I wasn’t paying attention either,” he tells me as he takes a seat.

  “Why not?” Blaise asks him.

  Jaxon lifts a shoulder while fiddling with the leather band around his wrist. “I had some stuff on my mind. And then Hadley and I were talking…”

  Blaise’s brows rise to his hairline as he glances at me. “You were talking to Jaxon?”

  “Yeah. So?” Question marks flood my mind. “What’s the big deal? Am I not supposed to?”

  He slowly shakes his head, a crinkle forming at his brow. “No, you can, it’s just…” He looks at Jaxon and his brow lifts.

  The two of them trade a silent look that goes on long enough to make the situation super uncomfortable. Well, at least for Ava. My sisters and I have shared similar looks so I can relate, but Ava looks very uneasy, staring down at her desk like she wants to be anywhere but here.

  I pat my desk. “Yo, dudes, can you cut the silent, creepy looks out for a bit so we can get on with this shindig of a project that no one seems to know anything about.”

  Blaise’s gaze slides to me, his lips quirking. “You’re such a little weirdo.”

  “Hey, I’m not the one exchanging the creepy silent look,” I point out.

  “That still doesn’t mean you’re not a weirdo,” he retorts with a grin.

  “You know, I’d take that remark as an insult except you’ve said it enough times that it’s lost its dramatic effect,” I quip with a cheeky grin. “Plus, I know I’m weird and it doesn’t bother me.”

  He mirrors my smile and my heart does that fluttery thing it sometimes does around him. You know, the one that makes me want to kick my own ass.

  Mentally rolling my eyes at myself, I look away from him, telling myself that I need to get over this whole fluttery thing. That while Blaise is nice and yes, gorgeous, I don’t have time to get all swoony over a guy. But I think maybe I could try being friends with him.