Page 36 of Those Heartless Boys

He ignores everything I’ve just shouted at him. Instead, he answers with, “The previous incident was before we teamed up.”

“And you’re still controlling everything,” I growl, pointing back to my poor, useless truck.

“It’s for your own good,” he says, checking his watch. No doubt the proper rich kid is worried about being late to his first class. He would’ve hated growing up with my dad.

“You’re...insufferable,” I stammer out.

He raises his eyebrows, and I just glare at him. I first read that word inPride and Prejudice, and it totally suits this douche. I highly doubt Stone Jacobs is going to turn out anything like Fitzwilliam Darcy, though. He’d have to rearrange every thought in his pea-sized brain.

“We can argue about this later,” Stone says curtly, “but we need to leave for Saint Clary’s now.”

“Why? Your fan club awaits?”

His eyes flash. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

The jealousy that tears through me makes me furious. Has he been talking to Meghan the whole weekend while I’ve been in my room? Logically, I want to drill a hole in my brain right now to empty all those thoughts. I should not be thinking that way about Stone. My stepbrother. My nemesis.

Lucas sighs. “Give me the keys to your truck, Wyatt.”

Wyatt cocks his head. “What?”

“Just give them to me. I’ll take Dakota to school, and you two can go in the Audi.” Wyatt sends Lucas a warning look. “I’ll be careful,” he promises.

Wyatt fishes in his pockets and throws the truck keys in Lucas’s direction. I’m not keen on riding with Lucas either, but it’s the lesser of two evils, so I follow him into the other garage and get into the passenger seat of Wyatt’s enormous truck. The one that almost plowed me over. Since that incident was also before we teamed up, I suppose Stone wants me to forget it ever happened, too.

I grit my teeth as I gaze around the interior. Wyatt’s truck is nothing like mine. It’s brand new with all the technology mine lacks. Hell, mine doesn’t even have a working radio, while this has satellite radio along with a GPS. It starts with a barely restrained growl.

Stone floors it out of the garage, kicking up little stones in his wake. His engine thrums like a tiger, and I hiss “Asshole” under my breath.

“You bring out the worst in him,” Lucas says, shaking his head to himself.

“By breathing?”

He backs the truck out of the garage carefully and hits a button on the ceiling that lowers the garage door. “Nothing gets under his skin more than you.”

I’m reminded of what his father said on Saturday. Stone’s “infatuation” with me. Surely, he’s not using infatuation for the usual meaning. He must mean his infatuation with being a prick toward me. Or his goal of trying to ruin my life. Either could work.

“I understand what you see when you look at him. I used to see it too. The rich, pompous kid. He’s not like that though. Yeah, he has more money than he knows what to do with, but despite all that, you guys are more alike than you think.”

“I highly fucking doubt that.” I glare at Lucas like he doesn’t even know me at all, which he doesn’t. Of course. Sure, he saw me when I was a kid. We go to school together now. We’ve had glimpses of each other over the years, but that doesn’t mean that any of these fuckers actually know me.

Sometimes, I’m not even sure I know myself, to be honest. What I do know is, I am the furthest thing from being Stone Jacobs, pretentious asshat extraordinaire.

Fuck that notion.

17

Stone is in most of my morning classes, and we manage to ignore each other. His fan club hovers around him. Most of them ask about teaming up with my family... Well, just me, I guess. More than a few girls giggle snort like teaming up with my family is the worst thing his could’ve ever done. Stone, though, unlike the other days, doesn’t seem to be in the mood. It’s not just me he’s ignoring. It’s everyone.

During lunch, I stand in line to get food when a body hovers behind me. I know who it is, but I don’t acknowledge him until that rich voice of his sends a blast of heat through me. “Hey,” Lucas says.

I turn my head, and he offers me a tray. I take it with a small smile. “Hey.”

“I thought maybe we could take our food outside.”

“You want to eat with me?”

The smile on his face grows. “Don’t sound so surprised. I would’ve bothered you more over the weekend if I hadn’t thought you needed time to process things yourself after the press conference.”

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