BANGERZ 2: WORST BEHAVIOR (2015)

3. The Msfts

I laugh. "Za and Khalil haven't been talking about dates lately," I note. "I don't even think Za's talked to Lena since our scheme with Ronnie and Wayne."

"He hasn't. It's different with you and Jason, Tess. You're in the gang - you're not just 'Jason's girl.' He won't get soft or distracted - not much, anyway. Za and Khalil get a girl and they get caught up. They've actually been sitting out for the most part since the war. But... that's about to change. Real soon."

"How soon?"

"Like tonight soon."

My eyebrows shoot up. "Miley... what do you mean?"

Her expression is so devilish it's kind of scary. She leans toward me. "Let's just say the Bangerz and the Msfts have history," she reveals in a hushed voice. Oh, now she wants to be quiet? This must be juicy.

"History?" I repeat, intrigued.

She nods and the dirt starts tumbling out like Gossip Girl's blog. "Oh, yeah. Za and Kylie had a thing, and Mia and Khalil had a thing. They definitely had a thing. They had a lot of things. Jaden and me almost had a thing, but it wasn't really anything. Then everyone thought Jason and Kylie had a thing because Alex was friends with Kendall and Kylie before, but totally cut them off when Jason and Kylie got close. But she was being jealous 'cause it was just a friend thing. Whatever. And Kendall just has her own thing going on. Modeling and everything, but she could totally have a thing with any one of us 'cause she's fucking gorgeous. Just saying."

I stare at her. Sounds like the Bangerz and the Msfts know each other better than I thought. The Msfts sound sexy, stylish, and mysterious, so I'm not surprised at the attraction. Hell, my team's hot, too. Needless to say, I'm getting more and more anxious to meet them tonight. They're our allies, but now I know that we - well, my crew - has a past with them, I hope I don't intrude on their relationships when we meet. 

These thoughts render me speechless until our manicurists motion us over to the drying station, and she chuckles once she sees my stunned expression.

"We're just real tight with them, Tess," she explains further, carefully sliding her fingertips under the UV lamp. "And they understand the gang life, so it's less complicated. No pressure, no judgment. It's cool."

I look at the neon purple light illuminating my fingers and nails in a psychedelic glow. "What about you, Miley?" I ask. "Any special boyfriends you still think about?"

She smirks. "Sure. But they're all in the past. All casualties of the creative process. Nick, Justin, and Liam were cute and fun and all, but I'm over them. I'm not too worried about dating right now."

"You know, dating was the last thing on my mind when I came to North Shore," I confess, "and never in a million years did I think I'd date a guy like Jason."

"But why? We had this talk already. C'mon, look at me," she directs, and I do - ice-blue eyes, perfect smile, insanely slender bod and all. "If I'm telling you you're hot and amazing, then you know you are. And I know you had a boyfriend before Jason."

"Yeah, I did. A few, actually. Zac was funny, Josh was smart, Austin was a gentleman. But Jason's all of those and a whole lot more, so I just feel so lucky." I shrug innocently.

"That's exactly how Jason feels. You guys are so perfect for each other; it's so cute. He thinks he's not good enough for you. You think you're not bad enough for him. It's so fun watching you guys sometimes, watching you change each other." She glances up from her nails at the same time that I do. "You're changing him, you know."

I give a slight frown. "But I don't want him to change. I love him the way he is." I frown even more as I realize the contradiction emerging. Jason said so himself - You changed me. Haven't I changed as well? But didn't we tell each other before that the good girl and the bad boy didn't want each other to change?