โItโs Discretion, not Diamonds, Thatโs aโ
Girlโs Best Friend
โYou sure youโre up for this?โ Macy asks several hours later as I grab a sweatshirt from my closet.
Is she kidding? โNot even a little bit.โ
โThatโs what I figured.โ She heaves a huge sigh. โWe could cancel if you want. Tell everyone youโre still not over the altitude sickness.โ
โAnd have Flint think Iโm chicken? No thank you.โ I actually couldnโt care less if Flint thinks Iโm afraid or not. But Macy has been so excited about this snowball fight that thereโs no way Iโm going to take it away from her. The fact that she offered to cancel because she knows Iโm not into it only makes me more determined to go. โWeโre doing this snowball fight and weโre going toโฆโ
โKick some butt?โ
โI was thinking more along the lines of not make complete and total fools of ourselves, but way to think positive.โ
She laughs, as I intended her to, then bounds off the bed and starts layering up big-time. Whichโฆfinally, someone at this ridiculous school who has some sense. Between the jerks I met the first night and then Jaxon and Lia, Iโm beginning to think everyone in this place has some bizarre immunity to cold. Like maybe theyโre aliens and Iโm the
ignorant and fragile human living among them.
After we both finish getting dressed inโI counted this time
โsix layers, she herds me toward the door. โCome on, we donโt want to be late or weโll totally get ambushed.โ
โAmbushed. With snowballs. Sounds fantastic.โ San Diego has never looked so good.
โJust wait. Youโre going to love it. Plus, itโll give you a chance to meet all of Flintโs friends.โ She checks her makeup one more time in the mirror by the door, then all but shoves me into the hallway.
โAllย of Flintโs friends?โ I ask as we make our way through
the halls. โExactly how many people are going to be at this thing?โ
โI donโt know. At least fifty.โ
โFifty people? At a snowball fight?โ โMaybe more. Probably more.โ โHow does that even work?โ I query.
โDoes it matter?โ she answers, brows raised.
โYes, it matters. I mean, how can you possibly keep track of that many people trying to throw things at you?โ
โI donโt think you keep track of them so much as try to flatten everyone you come across without being flattened yourself.โ
โMaybe youโre right. Maybe the altitude sickness is coming back.โ
โToo late.โ She links her arm through mine and grins. โWeโre almost there.โ
โSo can you be a little more specific about who all is going to be there? Anyone Iโve already metโI mean, besides Flint?โ
โI donโt know if Lia will be there. Cam wonโtโhe and Flint donโt really get along. Itโs aโฆthing.โ
I think about asking exactly what kind of thing sheโs referring to, but the truth is, I donโt care if Lia shows up. Or Cam. Thereโs only one person Iโm trying to find out about, and since Macy isnโt getting there herself, I guess I really am going to have to ask.
โHow about Jaxon?โ I keep my voice light even though, after our encounter earlier, my heart is pounding at the mere mention of his name. โIs he going to be there?โ
โJaxon Vega?โ By the time she gets to the second syllable of Jaxonโs name, her voice is little more than a squeak.
โHeโs the one we saw in the hall that first day, right?โ โYeah. Umโฆyeah.โ Macy gives up any pretense of chillโ
and of walking, as it turns out. Instead, she turns to me, hands on her hips, and demands, โWhy are you asking about Jaxon?โ
โI donโt know. Weโve met a couple of times, and I just wondered if he was into snowball fights.โ
โYouโve metย Jaxon Vegaย a couple of times? How exactly did you meet, considering Iโve been with you almost all the time since you got here?โ
โI donโt know, just walking around the school. It was only a few times.โ
โA few times?โ Her eyes almost bug out of her head. โThatโs more than a couple. Where? When?ย How?โ
โWhy are you being so weird about this?โ Iโm seriously beginning to regret bringing Jaxon up. I mean, she was freaked out over Flint, but it was a fun kind of freaked out. Right now, it looks more like sheโs going to blow a gasket.
โHe was in the hallway; I was in the hallway. It just kind of happened.โ
โThings donโtย just happenย with Jaxon. Heโs not exactly known for being talkative with anyone outside ofโโ She stops abruptly.
โOutside of what?โ I prompt. โI donโt know. Justโฆโ
โJust?โ I ask. She smiles a little sickly but doesnโt say anything else, and it annoys me. Like, seriously annoys me. โWhy do you keep doing that?โ
โDoing what?โ
โYou start sentences and then never finish them. Or you start to say something and halfway through change what you were saying to something else entirely.โ
โI donโtโโ
โYou do. All the time. And honestly, itโs beginning to feel a little weird. Like thereโs some kind of secret Iโm not supposed to know. Whatโs going on?โ
โThatโs ridiculous, Grace.โ She looks at me like Iโm a few snowflakes short of a snowball. โKatmere is just, you know, full of all kinds of weird cliques and social rules. I didnโt want to bore you with them all.โ
โBecause youโd rather I commit social suicide?โ I arch my brow at her.
She rolls her eyes. โSocial suicide is the last thing you need to worry about here.โ
Itโs the first real thing sheโs said since we started this conversation, and I jump on it. โSo whatย doย I have to worry about, then?โ
Macy sighs, low and long and just a little sad. But then she
looks me in the eye and says, โAll I was going to say is that Jaxonโs not very friendly with people who arenโt in the Order.โ
โThe Order?ย Whatโs that?โ
โItโs nothing, really.โ When I keep looking at her, silently pushing her to continue, she sighs again, then adds, โItโs just a nickname we gave the most popular boys at school because theyโre always together.โ
I think about the guys Jaxon walked into the party with and the ones who were with him in the hall when Flint was carrying me to my room. At the time, I remember thinking that Jaxon looked like the leader, but I didnโt think much of it. I was too busy trying not to stare at him.
Based on my recollections, Macyโs explanation is reasonable. Still, thereโs something about the way she says itโand the way sheโs looking everywhere but in my eyesโ that makes me think thereโs more to the story than sheโs letting on.
Although, standing in the middle of the hallway doesnโt seem like the best place to keep pushing at her, especially since we really are going to be late if we donโt get moving.
With that in mind, I start walking and Macy does, too, but she sticks close to my side. I give her a weird look, wondering what sheโs up to, at least until she asks in a kind of stage whisper, โHave you met the others, too?โ
โThe other guys in the Order?โ I feel a little ridiculous just saying the name out loud. I mean, theyโre twelfth-grade students at a boarding school, not running a monastery in Tibet. โNo. Iโve only met Jaxon.โ
โOnly?ย You mean he wasย alone?โ Now she doesnโt just
look worried; she looks downright sick. โYeah. So?โ
โOh God! What did he do? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?โ
โJaxon?โ I canโt keep the surprise from my voice.
โOf course Jaxon! Thatย isย who weโre talking about, right?โ โNo, he didnโtย hurtย me. Why would you even think that?โ
She throws her hands in the air, frustration and fear evident in every line of her body. โBecause heโs Jaxon. Heโs a one-man demolition crew. Itโs what he does!โ
โHe wasโฆโ I shake my head, try to think of the right word to describe our interactions. Then go with generic because I figure Macy wonโt get it anyway. โMost of the time he was actually kind ofโฆinteresting.โ
โInteresting?โ This time she looks at me like I just said I wanted to bodysurf the Alaskan tundra. โOkay, Iโm confused. Are you sure weโre talking about the same Jaxon?โ She pulls me into the nearest alcove, then grabs my hands and squeezes them tightly. โReally tall, really gorgeous,ย really scary? Black hair, black eyes, black clothes, and a smoking-hot body? Plus the arrogance of a rock starโฆ or the self-proclaimed dictator of a not-so-small country?โ
Iโve got to admit, itโs a pretty good descriptionโespecially theย arrogantย part. And theย really gorgeousย part, even if it doesnโt take into account a lot of the things that make him so attractive. Like his eyes that see way too much and the way his voice gets all dark and growly when he expects things to go his way. Not to mention the thin scar that turns him from merely pretty to sexy. And also scary as hell. โYeah, thatโs him.โ
โYou know you donโt have to lie, right? You can tell me what happened. I swear I wonโt tell anyone if you donโt want me to.โ
โYou wonโt tell anyone what?โ Iโm thoroughly confused now. Because while it might have been a stretch to call Jaxon interesting, I canโt imagine why the fact that Iโve met him is eliciting this kind of response from my cousin.
โWhat he did to you?โ She starts looking me over, like sheโs searching for some proof that I survived a rabid Jaxon attack.
โHe didnโtย doย anything, Macy.โ A little impatient now, I pull
my hands from hers. โI mean, he wasnโt Gandhi. But he helped me out when I needed it, and he sure as hell didnโt hurt me. Why is that so hard to believe?โ
โBecause Jaxon Vega isnโt helpful to anyone. Ever.โ โI donโt believe that.โ
โWell, you should.โ She enunciates each word in an obvious attempt to make sure I listen toโand understandโ what sheโs saying. โBecause heโs dangerous, Grace.ย Veryย dangerous, and you should stay as far away from him as you possibly can.โ
I start to tell her that heโs not the dangerous one, but then I remember the way Marc and Quinn fell right into line the second he showed up. It was hard to miss the fear on their faces, and not just because heโd sent them flying across the room.
Now that I think back on it, theyย hadย been scared of him.
Like, really scared.
โIโm serious. You need to be careful of him. If he really was helpful to you, itโs only because he wants something. And
even that seems strange, because Jaxon takes what he wants. Always has, always will.โ
Iโve been here three days and even I know thatโs not true. Which is probably why I say, โJaxonโs the one who kept Marc and Quinn from throwing me out in the snow, Macy. I donโt think he did it because he wanted something from me.โ
โWait.ย Heโsย the one?โ
โYes, he is. Why would he do that if heโs such a bad guy?โ โI donโt know.โ She looks stunned. โBut just because he
helped you once doesnโt mean heโll do it again. So be careful with him, okay?โ
โHeโs not the one who tried to kill me.โ
She snorts. โYeah, well, youโve only been here a few days.
Give it time.โ
โThatโsโฆโ For long seconds, I trip over my tongue as I try to find a comeback that will show her how absurd she sounds. But in the end, I canโt get past the annoyance her words cause and end up saying exactly what Iโm thinking. โA really awful thing to say.โ
โJust because itโs awful doesnโt make it any less true.โ She gives me a no-nonsense look that seems incongruous with her normally effervescent personality. โYou need to trust me on this.โ
โMacyโฆโ
โIโm serious. Donโt worry about me being too harsh.โ She narrows her eyes at me in obvious warning. โAnd donโt worry about Jaxon Vega. Unless youโre trying to figure out how to stay as far away from him as possible.โ
Behind her, something catches my eye, and my mouth goes dry. โYeah, well, that might be a problem.โ I barely
manage to get the words out past my suddenly tight throat. โAnd why is that exactly?โ
โBecause Iโm not going anywhere.โ Jaxonโs low, amused voice cuts through my cousinโs umbrage, has her eyes going wide and her skin draining of color. โAnd neither is Grace.โ