The Price of a Secret

The Price of a Secret (2)

'When I pull up into my reserved parking space at Pullman High School, there's a big riot in front of the high school, in the middle of the parking lot.

All the students are crowded together, except for a few stragglers and loners. As I get closer to them, I see why. 

All the teenagers are standing together, but they're giving two people in the middle a wide berth, leaving them the spotlight. The two people being Jake, my boyfriend and Morgan's older brother, and the other being...

Jason. He looks so different, but it was unmistakably Jason. There's no forgetting those violet eyes. No one in a thousand mile radius has eyes that color. 

I'm surprised. Jason came back to town. I knew that, but I never expected him to show up at PHS the next morning. 

Jake is being backed up by his fellow soccer players. They don't stand in the spotlight along with him, but act more as guards, eyeing Jason with disgust, and undoubtedly ready to beat him up when Jake says the word. 

Jason is standing alone, with no one on his side, but he still looks calm and confident. I push my past to the front, next to Morgan, who looks nervous. 

"What's going on?" I whisper to her. 

She bites her lip. "You'll see."

"-you think what we did to you last time was bad, think again, Delamere. We'll give you what you deserve," Jake was saying. "Watch your back."

There were a few grunts in agreement, and menacing glares from the lacrosse players, but Jason, as cool as ever, replies, "You can try."

And that's when I notice...

Wow. Jason's turned hot. Because he has! It's a drastic change from the gangly, long-limbed Jason with a mouthful of braces I knew in middle school, and I wonder how I hadn't noticed before. He's taller - at least half a foot taller than me, and now he has a nice build. It's not like those buff guys on TV with bulging biceps, but Jason's muscles were more...subtle. Kind of defined, but not really. 

Someone behind Jake snickers."Oh, trust me, Delamere. We'll do more than try."

"In fact," someone says behind Jake. "Why don't we just settle the score now?" He walks up next to Jason, and more people shuffle back even further, the anxiety apparent on most faces now. "After all," the person says, "why wait?"

I'm pretty sure everyone's holding their breath by now. I nudge Morgan. Considering what Jason did to Mitchell, Morgan's oldest brother, I don't expect her to like Jason any more than I do - possibly even hate him. 

But we're both against violence, and seeing the entire lacrosse team take it upon them to beat up a single guy who we chased out of tow five years ago, in the summer of seventh going into eighth grade.

She nods and steps up. "Jake, stop," she says. "Just stop. What if a teacher comes up? You'll all get expelled. Although," sh added as an afterthought, "more college money for me. But that's really beside the point."

Jake shoots her a look. "Morgan," he says, "stay out of this."

I step up to join her. "She's right," I say. All eyes turn to me. I feel a bit nauseous, but I continue, Morgan nodding supportively next to me. "Please don't do this. At least," I hear myself saying, "not now."

The lacrosse players all look to Jake for his judgement, since he's their leader. He sends me a look that tells me he wishes I hadn't meddled, but I stand firm.

"Fine," Jake finally says. He gives Jason a disgusted look. "Not now. But Delamere, I'd still watch my back. Be glad they-" he nods and Morgan and I "-can't stand a little blood."