“Right, cafeteria it is,” Harry said quickly, holding up both hands in surrender. He stood and made his way off.Jaxon watched him go with raised brows. Harry never went to the cafeteria. He could not even remember a time he had ever stepped foot inside since freshman year.Harry glanced back, caught his look, and smirked before disappearing inside.Jaxon leaned forward, bracing one arm on the table, then lifted his other hand to cup Daisy’s cheek. His thumb moved gently along her skin.“Still worried about your parents?” he asked softly.Her smile faded. Her eyes shifted away. “No.”“Eyes, Daisy,” he said quietly.She hesitated but looked at him again.“Do you want me to come with you and talk to them?” he asked.Her face softened. “No. I will be fine.”His body went tense. A thought crept into his head like poison, and suddenly, he was angry.“They would not hurt you, would they?” he asked, jaw tight.Her eyes widened, horrified. “No! God, no,” she whispered. “They would never hurt
"Your parents seem nice," Jaxon said against my lips.I pulled back, horrified. "Oh God, no,” I breathed. “Mom is strict, and scary when she gets angry. Dad turns into a full-blown nightmare when he gets protective."Jaxon smirked and kissed me again, completely unfazed."Stop stressing about your parents," he said, tugging me toward the school. "You should be worrying about your exams next week, and your terrible grades."My heart dropped. Oh no. My grades. I sighed. Lady Luck had clearly abandoned me once again.Jaxon glanced back, noticed my expression, and slowed his pace. He slid his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side without asking, and I slipped my arm around his waist without hesitation.It always felt right, like we were made to fit perfectly like this. Just walking beside him made me feel calm, safe, and okay. And just like that, the panic started to fade. I sighed again and leaned into him.*****Jaxon stood against the back wall of the school building, his g
Daisy’s povDad was kneeling on the floor beside Mom’s chair, dramatically declaring his eternal love. He held a bouquet of roses in one hand and a diamond bracelet in the other, where he got it from, I had no idea. Mom still looked upset, but I could tell she was beginning to soften.I giggled and tiptoed away, heading upstairs to my room and leaving them to sort things out.As I got ready for bed, I hummed quietly, feeling lighter. I had really missed my parents, it had been almost two months since I last saw them. But then I remembered something that wiped the smile right off my face.I had completely forgotten to tell them about Jaxon. I slapped my forehead and groaned.During dinner, I tried to bring it up, but every time I opened my mouth, no words came out. So I said nothing. And now? What was I supposed to tell Jaxon?I started pacing across my room, biting my nails. How was I going to explain that my parents were back and I had not told them about him? Would he be mad? Would
Daisy’s povI stared at the ceiling, listening to Taylor Swift singing about wanting to go back to December. Before that, I had played Bruno Mars promising he would catch a grenade, and Ed Sheeran talking about getting drunk the moment he wakes up.I turned to check the clock on my bedside table. It was 6:35 in the evening. My parents had been home for nearly two hours.I thought music would calm me down after reading failed to help, but I was completely wrong. I could not stop thinking about the fact that my parents were here. At home. Right now.I rolled over, grabbed a pillow from the headboard, and pressed it over my face to muffle a scream. My parents were here.Oh no. My parents were actually here!I had not told them I had a boyfriend. I had not mentioned that my boyfriend looked tough, hot, yes, but definitely rough around the edges. I had not told them it was Jaxon. And I definitely had not told them that Jaxon was the school’s notorious bully.I winced just thinking about it
“Your phone keeps ringing.”Jaxon walked into the kitchen, towel-drying his damp hair, wearing only his boxers. His eyes immediately landed on Harry, who was loudly chomping through another bowl of cereal like it was gravel. The sound grated on Jaxon’s nerves.“Your phone keeps ringing,” Harry repeated with a full mouth.“Oh, really?” Jaxon said with a mocking tone. “I could hardly hear it over the sound of you chewing tree bark and small animals.”Harry gave him a wide grin, food stuck between his teeth. Jaxon grimaced and looked away, reaching for his phone on the counter. The moment he saw the screen, his expression darkened. Of course.“It is your father, isn’t it?” Harry asked, his voice quieter.“I do not have a father,” Jaxon muttered coldly. He powered off the phone and placed it back down.Harry shoved another spoonful into his mouth.“Why are you still here anyway?” Jaxon snapped. “You said you were not staying over.”“I crashed on the couch. Relax. You should probably answe
Avery rolled her eyes. “Please. It is obvious. You look like the kind of girl who is waiting for someone special before you give that away. Someone perfect. Someone who says all the right things and makes you feel like a princess.”I stared at her, completely stunned.She was right.That was exactly what I had been waiting for. The perfect guy. The dream guy.“So,” she went on, “are you really going to give something so important to a boy who has a reputation for sleeping with anyone who lets him?”My chest tightened.I had never really thought about the other girls Jaxon might have been with. What kind of relationships he had before me.Sienna gave me a quick look. “That is not exactly true. People say it is his friend Harry who hooks up with everyone. Jaxon just has a bad temper. He is not the school player. Harry is.”Avery’s face darkened the moment Sienna said Harry’s name. I noticed it and, for a moment, my own pain was replaced by curiosity.“But… I thought everyone in school w