“Why the disrespect for the law?”
Jack shrugged. “I don’t think it’s a good law. People should be able to get stuff to help them relax. I have other reasons, too, but you’re not getting those out of me.”
“Why not?”
“Way too personal this early in the relationship.”
“Fine. Fair enough. Though I don’t really see how you can have personal reasons to be a drug dealer.”
Jack grinned at me. “You know, the first day we met, at my dad’s house for that dinner, I saw you and I instantly thought “doormat with a low self esteem”.
“Well thank you, you sure know how to make a girl feel welcome,” I retorted.
“Little did I know that you’re just the opposite. You’re a little firebrand.”
“I’m not sure I’d go that far, but thank you.”
“So where’s your father?” Jack asked out of the blue.
“That’s pretty personal too. But he was never part of my life. We’ll leave it at that.” I wasn’t sure I wanted Jack knowing about my mother’s blackmail, about the fact that my father was presumably some big Hollywood hotshot, and I had no idea which one.
Just then the waitress brought over our food, and we started digging in, the conversation turning to much more light-hearted subjects.
I explained to him the concept of The Apprentice, he told me it sounded like shit, I told him that was the point, he still didn’t understand the point.
He told me about the best spots in town to get a drink, to get a meat pie for lunch, what pubs to avoid because the Neo-nazis had a tendency to hang out there, who to talk to if I needed some pills to stay focused during exams. You know, normal stuff.
Before I knew it, two hours had passed and we were still sitting in that booth, talking like we’d known each other for years. I began to realize that my attraction for him wasn’t just physical. Sure, he was basically a Greek god, like Michaelangelo had sculpted his features out of marble himself, but there was more to him than that. My brother was a bad boy with a heart. The longer we talked, the more I began to realize that was true.
He wasn’t just a soul-less douchebag, as much as I’d thought that when I first met him. In fact, I actually kind of liked him.
Eventually we decided to head home.
“I’ll drive you, it’s on my way,” Jack joked, and I giggled. The guy could be pretty funny when he wanted to. I suspected that behind the mediocre academic achievements lay a brain that was actually far more intelligent than he wanted people to know.
I followed him back to one of the campus parking lots, where his bright Lamborghini sat, absolutely the star of the show surrounded by old Toyotas and the odd Mercedes, bought no doubt by some rich parent. Much like Jack’s Lambo.
Climbing into the passenger seat, I immediately got a kick out of it. I’d never been in a car like this before. Pressing a button, the engine roared to life, and Jack gunned it into reverse. I’d barely had time to put my seatbelt on, and now I was clutching the side of the seat, hanging on for dear life.
We were so low to the ground it felt like we were basically on the ground. Everything felt so much faster from here, and I noticed people staring as we drove past.
Until we left the city Jack drove fairly conservatively. I didn’t blame him. With a ton of drunk college kids around, who knew what would happen. As soon as we got on the road back over to his father’s place though, he let the car go. We sped up, and I was far too scared to look at the speedometer, but I knew he had no respect for the speed limit.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I felt on the edge, the absolute limit of life, and I realized just how fun the car was.
At the same time as being super speedy, it was also the most comfortable car to ride in. The suspension took care of any little bumps in the road, and if it wasn’t for the fact that we were going mach a million, I would have probably never been more comfortable in a car in my life.
“Woooo!” I cried out as we took a sharp corner, the G-forces acting on my body forcing it to the side.
Jack grinned at me as he pulled up to the driveway. Still going incredibly fast, way faster than I thought was safe, he gunned it straight at the house. I grabbed the dashboard, terrified, when suddenly with a spin of the wheel Jack turned the car sideways and we drifted to a stop.
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed when I finally realized we were still alive.
“Enjoy that?” Jack asked.
“You know it!” I replied. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Anytime, Jules,” he replied, pretending to tip his hat.
I got out of the car and went into the house. I went up to my room, knowing his was just so tantalizingly close, and when I heard him come in ten or fifteen minutes later, it didn’t take long before I got the courage to go over to his room and knock on the door.
Chapter Twenty