Page 60 of The Rebel of Raleigh High
“Uh, yeah. I guess. I think I’ve had enough for one night, though.” I don’t wanna break my own rule. One line’s more than enough for me. The effects of the coke Kacey gave me in the bathroom are still going strong, the lights in the kitchen a little too bright, my skin burning, heartbeat a touch too quick. I’m not a heavy user like Kace. If I have any more, I’m going to be seriously messed up.
“Ahhh, come on, Silver. Don’t you wanna have fun with me?” He holds out the martini glass he’s just poured the cocktail into. I accept it, dipping my head.
“Sure. Of course. I’m just a lightweight. I don’t wanna get too fucked up. I have to drive home, and—”
“Okay. All right. Say no more.” Jake flashes me a grin that makes my stomach flip, the way it used to flip when I watched YouTube videos of One Direction when I was twelve. “I respect that. You’ll still come upstairs and hang while I do a rail, though? And then we can go outside and hang by the pool. I have a lot of questions about you, pretty girl. I can’t believe we’ve been at the same school for so long and we’ve barely even said two words to each other. I don’t know the first thing about you.”
Oh, I know plenty aboutyou, Jacob.I try on a smile that I hope looks shy and pretty, taking a sip from the martini glass. The cocktail's strong—way stronger than I'd typically like, but it's deliciously sweet and tastes like Christmas. “Oh my god, this is amazing.”
He must be used to people telling him how great he is, but I can see that he’s glowing under the complimentI’vegiven him, like my opinion matters to him. “Thanks. I’m glad you like it. Drink up.”
There’s really not much liquid in the martini glass, and I don’t want Jake to think I’m a pussy, so I knock the whole thing back in one, laughing as I try to swallow.
“Nice. I like a girl who can handle her liquor. So, what do you say, Parisi? You gonna come up and wait for me?”
“Sure, let me just tell Halliday where I’m going, and—”
Jake grabs me by the hand, pulling me around the corner of the kitchen island. His hand sits on my hip, and then it’s sliding around to the small of my back, rising up my spine. I’m shaking like a leaf as he leans down and presses his mouth to mine. I’ve daydreamed this moment enough times that I thought I knew what it would feel like to kiss Jacob Weaving. This is a little rougher than I’d pictured, a little more brash and hungry than the slow, intense burn I had in mind, but still, I’m practically crowing with delight as he pushes his tongue past my teeth and plunges it into my mouth.
God, is Halliday seeing this? Zen? Ideally, I’d prefer if Kacey isn’t standing by, observing my first kiss with Jake. There’s clearly something weird going on with her tonight, and I don’t want the moment ruined by another of her salty barbs. One of the other girls, though. Be good if they could tell me later if I looked calm and confident as I wrap one hand around the back of Jake’s neck, and I pull him down to kiss me harder.
Jake’s eyes are half-lowered and hungry when he straightens, and a thrill races up my spine. I can’t believe that just happened. I can’t believe he just fucking kissed me. My lips feel swollen, a little raw from the stubble he’s rocking. Jake slowly presses his index finger to my mouth, rubbing it along my bottom lip. “So pretty, Silver. You’re so damn pretty. Come on, let’s go.”
He takes the martini glass and sets it down on the island, leaving it behind as he drags me toward the stairs. He seems filled with urgency, keen to hurry away from the noise and the crowd of the party. Halfway up the stairs, urging me ahead of him, he places his hand on the bare skin of my back, brushing my hair out of the way, and places a kiss on top of my shoulder.
I’ve never been up to the third floor of Leon’s house—it’s the only area of the sprawling, breathtakingly designed mansion that’s out of bounds. I have no idea what to expect as Jake guides me down a long hallway with architectural plans pinned to the walls, and strange, small Japanese-looking knickknacks arranged neatly on the shelves. This is Mr. Wickman’s domain. I’ve never met him, but from what I’ve heard over the years, Leon’s mother’s death changed the man. Made him a little unhinged. I see no sign of madness here, as I walk along the hallways, past meticulously tidy rooms with open doors. The reading nook we pass looks so inviting that I could easily pull a book from the imposing shelves to sit and read for a while, despite the churning pulse at my throat.
“There. On the end, see,” Jacob whispers against my shoulder. “Terry’s bathroom’s insane. You’re gonna freak out when you see it.”
I'm feeling a little silly. A little giddy. My brain isn't focusing properly. The world's started to feel a little…spongy. “Does it have a sunken bath? I’ve always wanted to try one of those.” My voice hardly sounds like my own.
“Oh, don’t worry, sweetheart. We can try everything. Would you like that?”
I nod, and my brain feels like it’s bouncing around the inside of my skull. The edges of my vision seem to be softer than it should; everything’s a little muzzy, but I feel good. Really good. Jake ushers me into the bathroom, and I falter when I see that Sam and Cillian are already there, leaning against a huge slate grey counter, stocked with fancy looking little bottles of soaps and shampoos, along with a mountain of hand towels, rolled up, like you see in hotel spas. They look like little burritos, which, for some reason, makes me laugh.
I still don’t like the fact that Cillian and Sam are here, though. Especially Sam. “I thought we were going to be alone,” I whisper to Jake. I can’t have whispered as quietly as I’d hoped; the other guys must hear me because they share this look, smiles curling up the corners of their mouths, their eyes narrowed into half crescents, and I try to take a step back toward the door.
“Hey, hey, easy.Easy. It’s okay. We just came up here to have some fun, right, boys? You want to have some fun with us, don’t you, Silver? I thought you liked to party.” Jake’s hand on my arm feels comforting. His voice is soothing. But when I look up into his eyes, they look the same as Sam and Cillian’s eyes—primed, shining and excited. A cold jolt fires like a piston up my spine, like cold water. Like jumping into the lake in the dead of winter.
“Wouldn’t it be more fun if Kacey and Zen were here? Or Halliday? I can…I can go and get them.”
“There’s only so much coke to go around,” Jake says tightly. “And besides, we want to get to knowyoua little better. I hate to say it, Parisi, but your friends are all super cunts. Way too bitchy, especially Winters. If they came up here, they’d ruin the dynamic. Cillian, why don’t you rack ‘em? We probably don’t have long.”
Sam connects his cell to the Bluetooth speakers that are mounted onto the walls while Cillian preps a worryingly long line of coke along the slate counter. A creeping sense of unease keeps trying to sneak up on me, but every time I begin to worry, Jake touches me, his hand on my arm, or my back, or my side, and the attention dispels the dread.
I can’t believe he likes me.
I can’t believe he’s finally noticed me.
I can’t believe he kissed me.
I can’t believe he chose to spend time withme.
‘Santeria’by Sublime erupts from the speakers, just as Cillian ducks down and inhales a good three inches of the insane line he’s just cut. The music seems way too loud, thumping at the back of my head, but no one else seems to mind. Cillian hands Jake a rolled-up bill, his eyes rolling wildly, a dazed smile pulling his mouth open.
“Uhhhhh, oh my god. It’s good. It’s good. Fuck. My face is numb as fuck,” he jabbers, his words bleeding into one another. “Get in there, boss.”
Jake doesn’t need telling twice. He snorts just as much as Cillian, if not more. He staggers when he stands, pinching his nose, eyes tightly closed. “Shiiiiit. I think I just came,” he hisses. “Holyfuck.”
