I turned back to his mother. “My pedigree is lacking?”
She crossed her legs and leaned forward. All her attention was focused on the game, but she spoke to me. “Your mother is a gold digger and an alcoholic. She is a social climber while the father that raised you is a high school football coach. What pedigree is there for my son?” She turned now and never blinked as she met my gaze. She meant every word she spoke. “There is no pedigree. Mason deserves better than you. Yes, I will be nice to you for him. He’s asked this of me. I invited you to join me in this box, but I won’t insult you by answering with a bold-faced lie. I give you respect when I say that you are not the girl Mason will end up with. He will find someone who will fit with our life and his future. He is in high school. He has yet to enter the adult world, but when he does, you should prepare yourself. You will fall to the wayside.” She blinked now. Kindness seeped inside and she gave me a sympathetic look. “And you know it. You already know he’s more than you. It’s why I imagine you’re holding onto that other young man. Was his name Adam Quinn? I believe Mason mentioned something about him to me.”
I gave her my f**k-off smile and sat up straight. “It’s moments like this where I’m happy to tell you—” I paused. Her eyes narrowed. I spat out with a Cheshire grin, “Bella came back to town.”
Helen’s small grin vanished. She sucked in her own breath.
I leaned forward and whispered, “He wants to get back together with his wife and since she’s back, it looks like those two will reconcile.”
Her jaw clamped tight and I knew she blinked back tears.
I leaned close. “I might have to deal with you as a future mother-in-law, but I hope that you’ll never become my future stepmother.” I stood but I bent towards her again. “You’re a real bitch, do you know that?”
Then I swept out of the private box and hurried down the stairs and through the narrow hallway. As I entered the gym, the sounds doubled from what I had heard in the box, but I sighed in relief. I could breath. Then I twisted around and looked up. The plastic walls were clear and I saw her watching me. A somber expression was on her face, but I turned my back. I didn’t care.
The referee whistled, the ball hit the wall beside me, and I was jerked back to reality.
The game still went on.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I sat in a back corner on the opponents’ bleachers. I knew few of Mason and Logan’s friends and even fewer still that would want to sit with me. As the game progressed and Fallen Crest Public’s team won 32-24, I waited as everyone milled onto the open gym. When the team went back to the locker room, it was obvious their party crowd all waited around to figure out plans for the rest of the evening. It was just as obvious to see that Kate, Parker, Natalie, and Jasmine were the reigning Elite for their school. When they walked, everyone watched.
As I bypassed some of the opposing team’s fans, more than a few of them noticed the same. A group of girls grumbled at the FCP’s skanks, but when Natalie heard the comment, her head reared up and her eyes went feral.
She shoved through the crowd and stopped in front of their group. “Excuse me, bitch?”
Jasmine was the first to shove after her. She crossed her skinny arms and flared her nostrils. When a lock of her black hair got in her eyes, she flicked it back and looked annoyed. Kate and Parker followed suit but held back a step.
I felt Kate’s eyes on me but never moved. I was to the side and turned in a slow motion. For some reason I wanted to watch this.
The girl who had made the comment backed up a step. Her eyes got wide, but her friends rallied around her. They were all dressed in tight jeans and tight tops. Most of them wore pigtails that were loosely pulled back to look sexy.
Natalie smirked as she skimmed her up and down. “You call us skanks? You’re the Whores-R-Us of Nethlam. Who do you think you are?”
The girl’s mouth shut with a snap and she paled. Her friends giggled, but no one spoke against them. Natalie’s arm was hoisted to her hip in a dramatic pose. It was meant for intimidation, but I couldn’t hide my grin. Kate’s eyes narrowed as she saw it, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she shuffled closer to Natalie and shoved forward. As she stood in front, her arms were crossed and she stuck her head forward. Then her lips lifted in a snarl and her eyes turned murderous. “Leave before I bash your brains in.”
One of the girls snorted.
It was all they needed.