Jaded (Rock Star Trilogy) (4 page)

I fought with myself through class, and finally, when the bell rings I turn towards him.

“
I'm sorry that I punched you.” There. That wasn't so hard.

“
I'm sure you will find some way to make it up to me,” he says, winking at me. “Maybe tonight.”

I roll my eyes. “And just like that, I want to punch you again.” I turn to walk away.

“Come on, Scarlett,” he says, stopping me from walking out the door. “It's called joking. It's my way of trying to
flirt
with you. And I'm sorry that I updated your Twitter.”

“
Apology accepted. And wow, you called me Scarlett.”

“
Do you prefer Blondie?”

I shake my head, and bite my lip to keep from smiling. “No way. I'll see you tonight, Stephan.”

6:55 pm

Wear something HOT.

I retouch my makeup, and change my outfit before heading next door. I tell myself it's not for Stephan, but I know better. He sent me a tweet earlier that said “
Wear something hot
”. I don't reply, but I decide to wear something hot anyway.

Monica labeled everything in my closet for almost any occasion I could come across. I pick the one that says, “
For when you want to kiss ass, turn heads, and take names.
” I put the short, tight, red dress on, and smile at my reflection. I put on a pair of four inch black heels with it, and I have to admit, I look
good
.

“
Hope this is hot enough, Stephan,” I say to my reflection before heading out.

I decide to use the sidewalk to go next door, because walking in heels, in the sand doesn't seem like such a good idea. Before I get up to the house, I hear somebody come up behind me.

“Damn.” I turn around to face Stephan. He's staring at me, with his mouth slightly hanging open, and then he sighs. “I thought you'd wait to look hot until after your little math date with my brother.”

“
One, it's not a math
date
, it's
tutoring
. If I don't do this, I will fail and be forced to repeat my senior year for the rest of eternity. Two, you and I are going out
right after
, and I didn't want to change clothes. And three, you're welcome to come. I hear your brother is quite a math genius, and well, you and genius don't fit in the same sentence. I'm sure you could use the help too.”

“
Are you going to insult me all night?”

I nod my head. “Probably.”

“Good. It turns me on.” He smiles. “Have fun with my
brother
.”

“
I will.”

“
And don't tell Ethan it's not a date. He doesn't know that...”

7:05 pm

Tutoring

Ethan is waiting for me in his room, but I can't stop thinking about Stephan.

“Wow,” Ethan says, motioning towards my outfit. “You look beautiful.”

My heart warms at his comment. He called me beautiful, where his evil stepbrother called me hot. He's sweet. Stephan is a jerk. Why must I have warm, fuzzy feelings for the wrong guy?

“So you're going out with my stepbrother tonight.” It wasn't a question.

“
Yeah...” I bite my lip. “I kind of feel bad about the whole black eye thing.”

He nods. “Well, just be careful with him. He tends to get in a lot of trouble.”

“It's sweet that you're trying to be all protective, but trust me when I say I can handle an 18 year old
wannabe
bad boy.”

“
I'm not saying you can't handle him. I'm sure you can, Scarlett. I'm just saying... he might be bad for your good girl image.”

I laugh. I'm far from being a good girl, but he's right, in Hollywood I am considered a good girl. I don't have any DUI's, there are no sex tapes of me, I didn't get pregnant before turning 18, and I haven't posed for Playboy, but I'm definitely not what I would consider
good
.

“
What kind of trouble are we talking about?” I ask. “I gave him a black eye yesterday, and that was just because he updated my Twitter. I think I can handle myself.”

“
That's not what I meant.”

“
Then what do you mean, Ethan?”

“
Nothing...” He sighs, and opens his math book. “Let's just study, ok?”

8:15 pm

You can't look hot and be comfortable.

One hour later we are done studying, and I have a major stress headache. I don't feel like I've learned anything new. I'm also pretty sure that math is my kryptonite. Stephan is waiting for me downstairs.

“You probably should have worn more comfortable shoes, Blondie,” Stephan tells me, looking at my four inch stilettos.

“
You told me to dress hot.
You can't look hot and be comfortable
,” I say, shaking my head.
Boys.

“
You'd look hot in anything...” he pauses, then adds, “or nothing. I'm ok with that option as well. Feel free to take your clothes off.”

I roll my eyes. “Seriously, perv, if this is how it's going to be tonight, I will just go home.”

“No, no,” he says. “I'll be good. I promise.”

“
Just remember – you will
never
see me naked.
EVER
.”

His green eyes once again have me hypnotized. “One day soon, I will prove you wrong. And when I do, I am going to remind you of this very conversation.”

Yeah, it just got hot again.

I look at his car, and can't help but smile. He's driving a 1971 Dodge Challenger. It's black, and I love it. “Seriously, your car is
amazing
.”

“
You like classic cars?” he asks.

“
Um, yes! I love them. I'm actually thinking of getting a '69 Boss 429 from my friend Alec. It is candy apple red, and it is beautiful. He fixed it up last year, and it's been sitting in his garage with his other cars. I told him a car like that deserves to be driven.”

“
I think you should get it.”

“
I think I will.” Stephan opens up the car door for me, and I'm in shock. I look up at him. “You are the only guy who has
ever
opened the door for me, besides my limo driver.” I get inside. “I'm pretty sure this gives you a ton of extra awesome points.”

“
Wow. So you've only been out with jerks.” He shuts my door, and walks around the car. I'm smiling the whole time. He starts the car, and the engine roars to life. The whole car rumbles as it idles in his driveway.

“
This is what I love about old cars,” I say. “My Sesto Elemento is so smooth, and sleek, but this... This car is how a sports car should be. I love how I can feel the vibration of the engine.”

I'm seriously turned on by his car.

“A girl who can play the guitar, drives a Lamborghini, and likes classic cars,” he sighs happily. “Where have you been all my life?”

I laugh. “So where are you taking me?”

“It's a surprise,” he says, then takes off squealing his tires. The car jerks as he shifts. It is very different from what I'm used to, but I like it. It makes riding more intense.

“
Well, do I at least get to drive your car at some point?” I ask, hopeful.

“
Only if I can drive yours.”

“
Which one?” I ask.

“
You have more than one?” he looks surprised for half a second. “You know, I keep forgetting you're like a millionaire rock star.”

“
I'm going to take that as a compliment.”

“
So, the car you're thinking of buying,” he starts, “I think you should get it. It would be a great investment. Plus, after tonight, you'll probably want it.”

He turns onto a gravel road that looks like it leads to nowhere. We go down for about 2 miles, then he turns right into a house. It's a small house, but we drive past it and drive for another 5 minutes. I see a sign that says “
Jepsen Race Track
”. We pull up to a small race track. There are about 20 cars parked around it.

“
Racing?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“
Oh this isn't where we race,” he smiles. “This is where we practice.”

8:44 pm

Where the hell is Paul Walker?

As we get out of the car, I'm pretty much wondering what he means by they just
practice
here. It's actually a pretty nice track. And does he race? Or does he just like watching? I'm also wondering if I can get in on the action.

We walk up to a set of bleachers, a few people are sitting there already.

“Stephan!” I hear the group yell.

He grabs my hand, and pulls me behind him. “Hey guys!” He knuckle bumps a few of the guys.

“What happened to your eye?” One of them asks as we get closer.

I step out from behind him. “That was me, actually.”

I wait for them to recognize me, and for them to freak out. I am expecting them to ask for my autograph. But something amazing happens:
they don't know me
.

“
Who is this hottie, and where have you been hiding her?” One of the guys ask, looking me up and down. I'm suddenly wishing I would have wore more clothing.

“
This is Scarlett,” he says. “And she's mine, so stay away.”

His words should scare me. I really don't like possessive
guys, because I am a girl who can take care of myself. But with Stephan, it's kind of hot that he's telling his friends to stay away from me.

“
Anybody who can stand up to Stephan is cool in my book,” a girl holds her hand out to me, and I accept her handshake. “I'm Britney, but my friends call me Brit.”

Britney is about two inches taller than me, even with my four inch heels on. She has chocolate brown eyes, blonde hair, and curves in all the right places.

“Nice to meet you, Brit. You can call me Scar,” it's what my friends in grade school used to call me, and I really don't want these people to recognize me.

“
You look so familiar,” another girl says. “Have you ever gone to west side?”

“
No,” I shake my head. “I'm from... not around here.”

“
Hmm... I'm sure I'll figure it out,” she smiled. “I'm Ginny.”

Ginny's hair is red, but you can tell it's not natural. It almost looks orange. But bad hair color aside, she's just as beautiful as Britney.

Stephan puts his arm around me. “Hey, will you be ok up here by yourself for a few?”

I nod. “Yeah. I think I will.”

Him and a few of the guys walk down the bleachers. I wonder if I'm going to get to see Stephan race, and if I'm going to get a chance.

“
So, are you Stephan's girlfriend?” Britney asks me.

I shake my head. “No way. Are you forgetting that I gave him a black eye?”

Britney and Ginny both laugh. “Please, with Stephan, it probably made him want you more. He's kinky like that.”

“
So, do you race?” I ask them, changing the subject off me and Stephan.

“
No!” they say in unison.

“
It's the guys thing. We just come to support them, and get drunk,” Ginny clarifies. “But mostly to get drunk.”

Music starts blaring out of the speakers lined around the track. It's my song. I look at a big booth by the track, and see Stephan sitting inside. He leans close to the microphone, and is looking at me. “Scarlett for my
Scarlett!”

I give him a look that says
I'm going to kill you
, and he winks.

“
Oh my gosh! I love this song!” Ginny says, and then she starts singing along (
very badly
, I might add. Seriously,
I think my ears are bleeding
).

Britney rolls her eyes. “It's overplayed. It kills me. Listen to her, she probably can't even sing in real life. She probably slept her way to the top.”

Now I'm pissed. I'm about to smart off, and blow my cover when I hear Stephan's voice. “She's actually
really talented
,” I hear him say. “Scar, I'm about to race.”

“
Can I drive?” I ask.

“
You should have brought
your
car.”

I laugh. “Maybe when I get my Boss. I'm not driving my Lam...” I cough, remembering Ginny and Brit behind me. “Um, never mind. Stephan, you know why I can't bring my car.”