Jaded (Jaded #1)

Bryce didn’t react or comment.

Sheila didn’t expect it. She shook her head and left the porch to where her partner waited in their own car.

As they left, Corrigan’s car screeched to a halt in the driveway.

He wasn’t alone.

Bryce snorted in laughter as we saw Corrigan leap out of the car and jog over to us. Logan followed at a more sedate pace, opening and closing her own door without assistance.

“Hey, man. Wasn’t that…what’s her face?”

“Yeah,” I said dully and skimmed over Logan’s tight features. She looked like she’d been thoroughly screwed over.

“So…,” Corrigan murmured as he leaned beside Bryce against the banister, “What’s going on?”

I sighed and leaned on his other side. I surrendered my defeat, “My mother’s home.”

Corrigan choked in surprise, “What?”

Logan’s eyes went wide.

Bryce remained unmoving.

“Mama Jeneve is home!?” Corrigan jumped back up. “Sweet!”

“And she’s brought her boy toy with her.”

Corrigan barked out a laugh. “That’s awesome. I’m gonna go say hi.”

Logan stayed behind and leaned, awkwardly, against the house.

I told her, a dull anger, “He doesn’t love you. I don’t get why you jump in his bed when he whistles. It’s pathetic.”

Logan gulped, but murmured, hesitatingly, “I thought you were going to be nice.

Corrigan said you’d be nice.”

Bryce watched.

“He lied,” I laughed. “Corrigan is just another guy. They always lie to get what they want. Guess what? You were dropped before and he’s going to drop you again. I don’t understand why you guys keep signing up for the same humiliation.” And then I delivered the most embarrassing, “He’s inside hitting on my mother.”

Logan glanced at me, but quickly looked away when she whispered, “I think that says more about you than me.”

Bryce coughed to cover a laugh.

I seethed, “He picked you up at a fast food joint. We’d just bailed him out of jail and he got to order his food and sex for home. You let him do that. You guys always let him do that.”

“Then why are you friends with him?” Logan asked quietly.

“Because he calls me in the morning,” I said sweetly and left with my shoulders high. Strong.

I shook my head in disgust as I walked through the front door and heard my mother’s flirtatious shriek of laughter. They were in the kitchen and Boy Toy was glowering from a seat at the kitchen table.

Sharon Carlton glowed as Corrigan stood right next to her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

“Corrigan,” I said simply.

He looked up.

“Out.”

He left.

And my mother sighed as she turned to regard me. She crossed her arms over her chest and noted, wearily, “You’re furious with me. I’ve gotten the message, Sheldon.

You didn’t have to destroy everything I loved.”

I flinched at her words. She hadn’t come back for me. She’d come back for those things she loved so much.

I looked at the Boy Toy and pointed out, “You haven’t introduced me to my newest brother. Are you thinking of adopting so late for his age? That’s quite charitable, mother.”

Her mouth tightened as she clipped out, “Now, now, daughter dear. No need to be snippy and rude.”

“Is it not becoming of me?” I taunted and shifted to the back of my heels.

My mother was an intelligent, shallow, and selfish woman. Her intelligent eyes pierced through me as she drawled, “His name is Luther and we both know who he is.”

“I guess we both don’t,” I said pointedly. “I didn’t know his name was Luther, now did I?”

While mother and daughter played our game, Luther sat quietly.

“Tell me, Sheldon,” my mother spoke again, seemingly bored. “Have you stopped yanking your friends around by their chains? Corrigan was positively enamored to see me. I wonder how Bryce felt considering it’s his bed that you’re in for the most part.”

“Why would Bryce care if Corrigan was happy to see you?” I asked, but I knew I shouldn’t have.

“Corrigan doesn’t want my bed, darling. He wants yours. It’s so obvious.”

“Please,” I laughed. “Do you know how many times that ploy’s been thrown my way?”

“Really.”

“Really,” I delivered in contempt for my own mother. “Get some new material.

You’d probably think of some if you weren’t on your back more than I was.”

Luther laughed, coughed, laughed again, and sputtered to compose his puppyish begging for scraps.

My mother froze and pierced me again with her eyes.

She asked softly, “Did you just call your mother a whore, darling? That’s not very loving of you.”

“That’s funny. I don’t ever remember you teaching me how to be loving.”

Sharon took a breath and I felt her move farther away even though she never moved.