Page 8 of Extra Tight

“I won’t be late for school.” I take another bite of my breakfast, checking the time on my phone. Nash suddenly reaches out and grabs it off the counter. “What’s your deal with my phone?”

“My deal is you’re being a brat.”

“Give it back.” I know I sound exactly like what he’s accusing me of being, but I can’t help it. He brings it out of me.

“You’ll text your little friend that you don’t need a ride today. I’m going to drop you off at school.”

Josie has been picking me up since we became friends. I still haven’t learned to drive. The few times I tried, it freaked me out, and I panicked.

“Um, yeah, that’s not happening,” I say, and he tilts the phone toward me. That’s when I see that Nash grabbed my phone so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to lock the screen.

“Or I’ll text her,” he offers.

“No!” I shout way too quickly, making him lift a brow. If he texts her, he’ll see the last thing we were talking about. Then I’ll die.

“Is there something you don’t want me to see?”

“It’s girl talk.” I hold my hand out for the phone, and he stares at me. “Please.”

“Was that so hard?” He sets it on the counter in front of me, and I snatch it up. “Text her,” he orders, and this time I don’t hesitate.

I fire off the text before he can try and take the phone again. After I send it, I delete all of our texts too.

“Good girl.” He says it like it’s the most normal thing in the world to call me, and I hate the rush of desire that fills me when I hear it.

“This is stupid.” I take my bowl over to the sink.

“It is. You should be eating more than cereal for breakfast. I’ll fix that tomorrow.”

“That’s not what I meant.” I grab my backpack. “Josie is already on the way to school. I’m on her way. It doesn’t make sense for you to take me.”

“It’s not for you to worry about what makes sense. It’s for you to do as you’re told.”

I shake my head at him. Nothing I say will get through. Nash does what he wants, and honestly, his words only fuel the fire inside of me. His comments should piss me off, but they only turn me on, which I suppose does piss me off. This is a crazy merry-go-round I’m on, and I need to get off before I’m thrown from it.

“Can we go?” I need to get some space from him so I can come up with a new plan. Last night blew up in my face because he was completely unfazed.

“Get your little ass in the car,” he orders, and I have to resist the urge to retaliate. I bite my tongue with a retort, but my patience is short-lived.

“I can’t believe you really took my door,” I huff when he pulls out of the driveway.

“I can’t believe they still make you wear those uniforms.” I catch him looking at my thighs, and he stares at them until I shift in my seat. What is he looking at? I was butt-ass naked last night and he didn’t have this much of a reaction.

“I like them,” I admit. “I’m not used to this.”

“This?” he asks.

“It’s a fancy school. The uniform makes it easy for me to blend in.” Even with the uniforms, I see the expensive shoes and jewelry the other girls wear at school.

My stepdad gives my mom money, which I understand. They are married, and we had to move our whole lives to come here. She couldn't keep her job, and he hadn’t wanted her to. With how he has to travel for work, he said he wanted her to be able to come with him. I’m not sure if that was true because he hasn’t really gone anywhere since we moved in.

If he was lying, I think it was for a good reason. He wants as much of my mom's time as he can get. It's sweet, but I don’t feel right using his money more than I need to. I know how to live on a budget.

“You’ll never blend in, Goldie.”

“Right,” I mutter under my breath. The comment cuts deep, and I stare out the window.

“You really have no idea, do you?”

---