Still Jaded by Tijan

CHAPTER FIVE

We drove home in silence. When Bryce wheeled into the garage, he turned off the engine, but we both stayed in our seats. Then he took a deep breath. "What is going on between you and Corrigan?"

I shrugged and moved to get out of the car. Bryce reached out and hauled me back.

"What?" I glared and shoved off his hand. I got out and stormed into the house only to curse when I heard the doorbell ring.

"Not funny!" I shouted and ignored it to go into the kitchen. As I opened the fridge and reached for a beer, Bryce asked as he turned the corner, "What's not funny?"

I ignored him, opened the beer, and tipped my head back for a long drink.

And the doorbell rang again.

Bryce looked towards it. "What the hell?"

"I thought that was you."

"I'm having flashbacks to Mena and her dumbass brother," Bryce grumbled as he left to answer it.

I heard Grace's voice and groaned. I was fast losing friends, but I could win this one back. I pushed off the corner, beer in hand, but stopped when I met her in the doorway.

She wore a yellow sweater over plain blue jeans. As she ran a nervous hand through her thin hair, I swallowed. Grace was scared. It was my fault. There was no question about that. She was strong about everything except Corrigan, and I'd trampled on that without even meaning to do it.

My impulsive behavior was not sensitive sometimes.

"I am an awful homosapien," I blurted out.

Grace frowned and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Homosapien? I'm here because of class. I'm sorry that…why are you awful?"

"Because I told our class that you had feelings for Corrigan. I don't even know if you really do, and I opened my mouth without thinking. I'm sorry, Grace. I really am."

"Oh." She looked taken aback. "I'm here because I overreacted. You're right. I do have feelings for Corrigan, and I should be able to talk about them, at least with you because you're one of my best friends. But you're also his best friend and I never wanted to put you in the middle, but I you already knew about my feelings…and I just didn't know what to say." Her voice trailed off for a moment. "I'm sorry that I ran out of class. And I'm sorry that I haven't called to see how you've been doing since Bryce got back, but I wasn't sure if he was back. Although, I guess I know he is now since he opened the door…" Then she looked around.

"He's probably watching football downstairs or something. Don't worry about it."

"Oh." Grace didn't look reassured, but she moved to perch on a counter stool. "He's…I'd forgotten what Bryce Scout is like in person."

I laughed as I remembered Bryce's flashback about Mena.

"What?" Grace was confused.

I shrugged. "It's nothing. I—just—Bryce mentioned Mena and I remembered how she used to feel the same thing. I think she was scared of him."

Grace shifted to get comfortable on the stool. "He's not the friendliest person. He was okay towards the end, but he only tolerated me. I knew that. But, still, seeing him again—he's not the friendliest guy."

"He's just protective." And he was, but only when it came to my female friends. Bryce had never warmed up to Grace, not even after she and I got close the summer before he left for Europe. When I asked him about it, he shrugged and replied that he wasn't sure about girls sometimes. I didn't know what he'd meant, and I'd never asked.

Just then, Bryce walked into the kitchen. "You gotta see something." He reached for my beer and rotated on his heel. He walked down the stairs before I could comprehend what he'd said. Or realized he'd taken my beer.

I grabbed another beer and headed after him. Grace trailed behind. I heard the television, and my stomach clenched. I already knew what I was going to see.

On the screen was an image of Bryce as he carried me out of the frat house. An anchor narrated how witnesses overheard Sheldon Jeneve, high school sweetheart to the Sun's newest striker Bryce Scout, exchange insults and assault another former high school classmate. The anchor continued to speculate as to whether the authorities would get involved, if the still unidentified victim would press charges, and if it had anything to do with the rumors that Bryce Scout had had an affair with Spanish model Guadalupe?

"I hated that bitch. You slept with her?"

"No!" Bryce cried out. He pointed at the television. "Is that all you heard? My supposed infidelity? We have worse problems, Sheldon. They caught you on tape at the house."

I shrugged. "Corrigan's not going to press charges."

"Wait—what?!" Grace exclaimed.

She was ignored.

Bryce pressed, "I don't care about that. The media have us on their radar. I don't want a repeat of what happened in Spain."

"I never asked to be stalked. And really, they should learn what it's like to have their pictures taken and their privacy violated."

Bryce threw his hands in the air. "You followed a reporter to his home and videotaped him giving oral sex to his mistress. That's over the line. You were lucky he didn't press charges."

I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against one of the couches.

Grace sighed. "Oh no. I know that face."

Bryce straightened. "Sheldon, what did you do to that reporter?"

"You never asked before. Why ask now?"

"What did you do?"

I clipped out, "That girl wasn't his mistress. She was his daughter's underage friend. They've got laws over there too. I used that law, and it worked. It got him off our backs."

"You never told me any of that."

Bryce was tense, too tense. I frowned. "You didn't need to know. You didn't need to know any of it. You were there to play soccer. You played soccer. You did your job. And my job—I did my job."

"Oh God," Bryce mumbled and shook his head. "What else did you do? Do I even want to know?"

"What do you expect?" I yelled. My heart should've been pounding. It wasn't. I had a cold feeling in my gut. It was stuck there and refused to move. "What I do with my boyfriend is no one else's business. No one needs to know if I eat salad or meat at some restaurant. They shouldn't speculate if I'm sick because I'm pregnant, if that's why I skipped a championship game. It's my life. It's my privacy. Hell yeah, I'm going to do something to protect it."

Bryce looked at me like I was an alien, like I made no sense to him. And then his expression changed. I blinked at the sudden understanding on his face. His shoulders dropped, and his voice went soft. "I should've protected you better."

I shrugged. Whatever. "They were reporters. They were harmless."

Bryce moved closer. "I'm not talking about them."

What—oh.

"Stop." I moved back. I held out my arms to stop him, but I couldn't see through my tears.

"Oh." And Grace understood.

Bryce pulled me into his arms and tucked his chin into the crook of my shoulder. He whispered as he rubbed my arm in a tender motion, "I didn't want this. I won't let them hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you again."

He meant the Marcus Donadelis out there. It was the second time he'd reassured me about him. There was something extra in Bryce's tone this time.

I felt it. I felt him. He really would do anything to stop someone.

I sighed and hugged Bryce back. My fists slowly uncurled, and I clung to him.

We stood like that for a few moments, and then Grace coughed. "Uh…what happened with Corrigan tonight?"

I started to pull away, but Bryce kept me close for another second. He pressed a swift kiss to my forehead. "It won't happen again. Promise."

Then he shut the television off and went upstairs.

"Sheldon, what happened with Corrigan?" Grace's voice rose.

I sighed and opened my mouth. I was ready to tell her. I was ready to tell her that Corrigan had heard, and I knew she would be mortified again, but the doorbell rang. Then it rang again. Then someone pounded on the door. I cursed, but heard Bryce at the door. When I heard the raised voices, I recognized Corrigan and shot upstairs.

"Wha—"

That was all I heard from Grace before I turned the corner and saw Bryce as he blocked Corrigan in the doorway. Raz and Michael were with him. Both seemed reluctant to be there. Not Corrigan.

"Bryce, I gotta make things right with her. You know us. Let me in."

"And I'm saying no. I want to know what's going on between the two of you. She's never attacked you before."

I held my breath. I wasn't sure what I was going to hear.

Corrigan sighed. "Look, it's nothing. She pulled away this year. She's been here, but she's also not been here. Tonight was the sixth time she's come over to the house. Sixth time in a year! She hasn't been Sheldon, not really."

Then there was silence. I expected Bryce to say something, but he was quiet. His head hung down, and I held my breath again. Everything was such a mess.

Then Bryce sighed, "If it's any consolation, I think she went a little crazy when you left to be with your mom."

"Really?"

Bryce shook his head. "We all have issues, especially from that kid."

Corrigan fell silent now. He seemed slightly relieved, but there was something else. His eyes skirted around, like he wasn't sure if he should say anything or not, but he looked at Bryce—whowas staring outside. I followed his eyes and gasped.

All heads snapped to me. Bryce cursed swiftly while Corrigan surged inside, "Sheldon? What's wrong?"

At the gate to my estate was a media van. Lights were flashing. Another van pulled up. Its door burst open, and two cameramen jumped out. They set up their cameras, the lights clicking on, and I knew they were rolling. Reporters started to line up outside the gate, and one approached. He was going to walk up the driveway.

I raced for my nearest control panel and hit the switch. I heard the gate closing. When they shouted in protest, my shoulders sagged in relief. They couldn't see anymore.

When I returned, the guys had moved to the front porch. They gazed at the wall that now barricaded the media from my home.

"I had it installed after Marcus Donadeli."

Corrigan and Bryce both looked at me.

"Sheldon…" Corrigan began.

I shook my head. "I heard what you said. We're fine. I attacked you, and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"No, you had every right. I…I said…well, I shouldn't have called you out on something, and I did. I understand. It's okay. I'm sorry."

I looked away. The truth was that Marcus Donadeli had worked a number on all three of us. What I said was true—Corrigan had almost died because of him. And Bryce had been violated too.

I remarked, "Leisha and Bailey's families got the worst of it."

Both Corrigan and Bryce grunted in agreement. We still had each other. Those families had lost their daughters.

"Holy, talk about being screwed up. You have an effing moat, Sheldon," Corrigan laughed. "Is there a secret drawbridge? Is that how we're going to get out? Do we have to go through crocodiles and sharks?"

And the serious moment was gone. The jovial Corrigan was back.

"The reporters are the crocodiles and sharks." Bryce wrapped an arm around my shoulder to draw me against his side. "It serves them right."

"You are a rad rad girl," Raz mused.

Michael grinned. That same odd look was on his face.

Then Grace called out from behind us, "Sheldon? What's going on?"

I twisted to see her, but caught Corrigan's sudden frozen state. It didn't last long. No one said a word as he brushed past her. Grace was left shaken in the hallway. Her head hung a little as she watched him go, but then she met my gaze.

I flinched at the hurt in her eyes. And then I knew that something had happened between them. Oh hell. This wasn't something I wanted to deal with. I couldn't handle hurt feelings and confessions that had real depth to them. I could barely handle my own crap, much less someone else's. But it didn't stop me from being the friend I needed to be. After the guys headed back inside, I found Grace back downstairs. She had curled up on a couch and I perched on the corner. "Is there something going on with you and Corrigan?"

She brushed away a few tears. "What do you mean?"

"Grace."

She flung her hands down, but the tears continued to fall. "Corrigan and I slept together before you left for Europe."

"What?!" But I wasn't surprised, not really.

"I know. He was with Logan, and you know how Corrigan was at that time. I mean, he told me to my face that I 'was not hot.' You guys were awful that last year. You and Corrigan were especially mean because you would band together against people. Bryce, he just usually didn't talk to people unless they were in his circle or something. But you two—you guys went after people. It was awful. I remember Corrigan was always saying that stuff to me."

I moved forward. I wanted to protest or apologize, but Grace waved me off. She combed her fingers through her hair. "He came and found me one night because he was worried about you. He said that he thought things weren't okay with you, like something was wrong and you weren't talking about it. I asked him what Bryce thought, and Corrigan wouldn't tell me anything. And…things just led from one thing to another. Pretty soon…I sinned, Sheldon. I lost my virginity that night."

I narrowed my eyes, took in Grace's genuine distress, and stormed off. I swept through the kitchen, out the dining room, and found Corrigan with Bryce in the pool area where they lounged beside a table. Both jumped up when they saw the rage on my face.

Corrigan gulped. He held out his hands. "Don't attack! Don't hit me, Sheldon!"

I stopped just short. My hands balled into fists. "You took her virginity!"

"I did—yes. What's the crime in that?"

Bryce groaned. "Oh God."

"You took advantage of her! She's my friend, Corrigan!"

"I did not! I so did not, and weren't you harping on me because I hadn't dealt with her being in love with me? You were the one that let that cat out of the bag. What's your deal, Sheldon? You're like a maniac tonight."

I surged forward.

Corrigan backed off. "Okay, okay. It wasn't smart. I'll own up to that. I went over there because I was worried about you." He glanced at Bryce but continued, "Anyway, you were good friends with her so I thought she might know, but she didn't. And you know that things with Logan and me weren't going well anymore. She wasn't handling me going to Europe that great so…I don't know what you want me to say. It happened. Deal with it."

Deal with it? I crossed my arms over my shoulder. "The next time someone screws you over, you want me to say those words to you? Deal with it?"

"I didn't screw her over."

"Mmm. You did. Literally."

"Well…" He opened his mouth and then closed it again. Corrigan groaned, "It's not the same thing."

"Yes, it is! You knew she had feelings for you. You've known for over two years. You went over there because you wanted sex. Admit it."

"Oh, come on."

"She's my friend, and she's still hurting because of you. You just left her hanging."

Shock flashed over his face. His mouth hung open, but then a storm surged over him. "Are you kidding me? I don't have to—"

Bryce stood up. "She's your friend, Sheldon. She's not mine. She's not Corrigan's."

My eyes shot to his. "Meaning?"

His eyes narrowed. "Corrigan doesn't have to nurture her hurt feelings. That's not his responsibility."

"But—"

He interrupted, "And you know it. She's not blind. She slept with Corrigan knowing his reputation. Do you really think she thought he was going to profess his love for her? She's not a stupid girl."

Grace made a choking sound, but I didn't look back. I couldn't; my eyes were held captive by Bryce's. I closed my mouth and gulped, but I waited for the rest of what he had to say.

"Don't turn around and be hypocritical on Corrigan. He doesn't love her. He doesn't owe her anything. You might, but he doesn't."

Corrigan added, "Those are our rules, Sheldon. You know that."

I closed my eyes. I heard everything they said, and it was all true. All of it. Those were the rules that we lived by in our dysfunctional family, but they were hard to swallow that day.

I lifted my chin and squared my shoulders. "And I'm being loyal to Grace by going after the guy that used her for sex. That's one of my rules."

I couldn't look away from the two guys in my life. They'd been my family for so long, my only family, and now I was going against them. A part of my heart fell to the bottom of my stomach.

This wasn't going to end well.

Bryce snapped his eyes to Grace. "This is why I didn't want you around. You screw things up for the rest of us." Then he stalked past us and left.