“Was it your relationship with Logan?”
“Maybe” Jae frowned, “Don’t think I that I don’t know you dodged the question, Carter.”
Alex blinked innocently, “Which question?”
Jae turned to smirk at her, “About why you didn’t tell Logan about the party.”
Then, he looked at the road again. Alex blew on her bangs. It seemed like she wasn’t the only one with a keen eye—and hearing. Crossing her over her chest, she leaned back on the backrest.
“It’s not like he asked about it,” she pointed out. If Logan had asked, even with her reluctance, she would have told him. It was simple logic.
“So?” Jae raised an eyebrow, “If you’re BFFs, does he need to?”
Memories of Alex scolding Emily for hiding things from her came to mind. Okay, she sounded like a hypocrite but that time and this time were two different things.
“It does when you feel bitter” Alex mumbled.
“Woah, really?” Jae exclaimed, “It bothered you that much?”
Alex stiffened in her seat. She couldn’t believe he caught that.
She placed her right ankle on her left knee, groaning and glaring out the window, “Why shouldn’t it? He kept telling me to come then, he wasn’t there like he said he would be.”
Jae stepped on the break when the traffic light ahead turned yellow. If he sped up, he could actually beat it but he wanted a chance to look at Alex during this conversation.
With one hand on the wheel and one hand on the gear shift, he turned his head towards the passenger seat.
“Sounds like you’re the person who had every right to ask where he was that night” he said but Alex still stared out the window. When he didn’t get a reply, he joked, “Mind telling me when he answers you?”
Alex shrugged, not bothering to look at him, “I’ll think about it.”
“So stingy” Jae chuckled. Out of the corner of his eye, the light turned green. He changed gears and moved the car forward, “Unless you meant you’ll think about asking him.”
Alex widened her eyes. Was it part of the Parker genes to be nosy? Although the twins had different approaches. Logan had that endless questions approach until he got an answer.
On the other hand, Jae placed more thought into his questions. He read people first before asking.
She should really stay away from this guy.
“Maybe, maybe not” Alex answered nonchalantly, hoping it would build a wall between them and closing off this conversation.
“What’s holding you back? Are you scared?”
…
…
…
How in the blazes did he figure that out?! Alex yelled in her mind.
“You are scared!” Jae grinned in triumph, “What’s so scary about it?”
“What’s not scary about it?” Alex retorted, glaring at him. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, “I was actually worried about him that night. The next day he showed up like nothing happened. You also had this theory going on that he was out on a date.”
“Are you jealous?” Alex swore his ears perked up like bunny ears, “That this girl could be taking your BFF away?”
“Logan is not my BFF.”
“Could have fooled me, Al” Jae mocked, “I mean, you went all the way to our house and made him some soup. If that’s not what BFFs do then, I don’t know what is.… unless you’re finally gonna admit you’re ga—”
“Don’t even go there, Parker.”
Jae cackled. He didn’t know but he came to love Alex’s reaction towards that statement.
“Just saying” he shrugged, his laughter dying down, “I’ve heard Max say he’d go gay for him too many times. I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Jae made a right turn. Alex recognized the familiar subdivision roads. Home—and her freedom from Jae Parker—were only a few meters away.
“Speaking of my own so-called BFF, I’d like to say thank you” Jae said out of the blue while he checked his rearview mirror.
Alex frowned, “Thank you for what?”
“For giving him a chance.”
She raised an eyebrow, “You mean how I gave him an opportunity to appease the girl he likes?”
The corner of Jae’s lips turned up, “You caught on that, huh?”
“You knew?”
“I do but I don’t think Max knows that” Jae snorted. How could he not know? As much as Max tried to hide it, he’d have to blind to not see it since they spent so much time together, “The craziest and stupidest s*** he ever done has always been about Lauren. Anytime someone bullied her, Max would make sure to give it back tenfold. You know I never really believed when they said people do crazy things when they’re in love until I saw it with my own eyes in the name of Max Peyton. “
Alex let out a short breath through her mouth, “Does Lauren know?”
Jae shook his head, “Nah, it was usually behind her back. I just noticed the pattern of all the troubles he gets into.”
“That sounds like a lot” Alex whistled. Then again, Jae had a good perception. Maybe it didn’t take long for him to notice.
“Not that much” he chuckled, “I know he is not one of the smartest bunch like you. Sometimes I think he is the dumbest piece of crap I’ve ever met but his heart is always in the right place. You may not think that way and I can’t blame you but that same idiot stayed by my side even after what happened between Logan and I.”
“He chose to side with you? Did Colin pick Logan then?”
“Well, I guess you can say that” Jae replied, slowing down the car until it reached a full stop in front of Alex’s house. He looked around the neighborhood. All of them had house numbers.
He wondered why other neighborhoods couldn’t do the same thing?
“Colin has always been the more reasonable one plus he has a lot of patience which one needs around Logan. Max couldn’t stand how blind Logan acted so it didn’t take him long to decide on a side.”
Jae sighed, massaging his temples with one hand. All of what happened only took one girl to make. Well, maybe their immaturity also came into play. Either way, he needed her gone from their lives. She already caused enough damage.
“Because of that, Logan had Max semi-blacklisted. I’m telling you this as a warning. Logan won’t take it lightly once he finds out what Max tried to do to you.”
Alex bit on her inner cheek. It sounded like she had more reason not to tell Logan about it… but the way he looked at her earlier and the sting in her arms outweighed that.
“Thanks for the heads up” she sighed, unlocking the car door, “I’m not looking forward to it.”
“Alex, before you go” Jae spoke up.
Alex’s hand on the door froze.
She looked over her shoulder to meet Jae’s eyes. This had to be the first time she saw vulnerability in them. His blue eyes looked as clear as the sky as if it had nothing to hide.
“Now that you know about us. I hope you understand the position you are in” he began to say, “Out of everyone, you’re the person closest to Logan. I’m asking this as a favor.”
“What is it?” Alex whispered, surprised that she could still speak.
“Please keep an eye on him.”
