“So, why aren’t you mingling so he can get to know the high school hierarchy?” I twirled my finger around the expanse of the gym.

“Because I don’t particularly want to encourage another date, so I’m trying to make this one miserable for both of us. He has the personality of a rock.” She dropped her forehead against the table, banging it several times, making the leaves shuffle across the plastic, orange table covering.

“Keep knocking yourself in the head like that and your personality will match your date’s. You can be rocks together,” I said with a chuckle.

Her head on the table, Jenna turned and looked at me. “At least he’s easy to look at even if he is boring as sin.”

“Not as easy as that one.” I nodded my head toward the guy standing at the door, guiding a girl out with his hand on her lower back.

“Holy rippled abs, Batman. We have a new hottie on campus.”

“Don’t get your panties in a wad, ladies.” Tim leaned his hip against our table. “That’s Brody Victor. He just transferred from Stanton High. He’s the bad boy your mamas are always warning you about. You know, the love ’em and leave ’em type. Rumor has it he’ll date you ’til he does you, and then he’ll drop you cold.” Tim shrugged a shoulder and inspected his fingernails. “At least that’s what my cousin who goes to Stanton told me. And I have it on good authority that he did her and dropped her.”

“Hey, Tim, when’d you get here?” I hugged him before he sat next to me.

“Don’t hug me. My features are too delicate. They couldn’t withstand a run in with Jaden’s fist,” he whispered, looking around the gym.

“Jaden’s not here.” I bumped my shoulder into his. “You know he doesn’t do these dances.”

“How’d you manage to get him to let you come without him?” Jenna glanced at me over the rim of her paper cup.

My gaze fell to my lap, and I mumbled, “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

“No, it’ll just hurt you if he finds out.” Jenna puffed out her cheeks and let out a breath.

“Well, we’ll just make sure he doesn’t find out, chickie.” Tim smiled and patted me on the hand. His mop of brown curls fell over his forehead and into his eyes, and I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from giggling. Sometimes, he reminded me of my neighbor’s labradoodle. But even with his untamed curls and puppy dog eyes, he was one of the nicest people who ever lived in my opinion. He was my closest friend, next to Jenna.

Jenna looked over her shoulder. “Karen’s here.”

“No way!” My voice cracked, and my heart dropped to my toes. “She’s supposed to be out of town with her parents. That was the reason I came tonight. I didn’t think the little hussy would be able to spy on me and report my every move to Jaden.” My stomach felt like someone put it in a blender, and sweat beaded under my hair at the back of my neck.

“You have the worst luck, Willow, I swear,” Tim said.

“Don’t I know it.” My gaze wandered and landed on the school’s new hottie. I watched as he led his date out of the gym. “I saw him at the football game last night.”

“Who?” Tim looked up from the napkin he was tearing into strips and lighting on fire with a lighter he’d had in his pocket.

Jenna grabbed the pieces of napkin away from him. “Jeez, Tim. People are going to think you’re a pyromaniac if you don’t knock it off.”

“Yeah, I’m the chess club captain, first-rate nerd, math geek, and pyromaniac. I think I have my bases for unpopularity covered. My life mission is complete.”

I shook my head and laughed. “The new guy. He was at the game last night, and he introduced himself to me. Sort of.”

“Clearly, he’s new to the school if he dared to introduce himself to you,” Jenna said. “He must not know about the Jaden property laws.”

“Stop it. I’m not his property and he knows it.” Jenna and Jaden didn’t play well together. Jenna was convinced he treated me like a piece of meat. Although I wouldn’t admit it, I didn’t totally disagree.

“Come on, Tim. Dance with me.” I pulled Tim from his chair by the arm. “You’re the only one that would get a free pass if Karen tells Jaden I was here.”

“Why?”

“’Cause Jaden thinks you’re gay,” I answered, leading him to the dance floor. I heard Jenna laugh so hard that she choked on her punch.

Tim and I swayed on the dance floor. His arms were wrapped loosely around my waist. I placed my hands on his shoulders. We kept a safe distance between us, so we didn’t give anyone the wrong impression. We were just friends dancing together. Nothing more.

I didn’t see him come into the gym. It wasn’t until he was right behind Tim, ripping his arms away from me that I knew I had a problem, and my heart did a nosedive.

“Put your hands on her again and you’ll lose them,” Jaden shouted. He always liked to make a scene.

“Jaden, you know Tim and I are just friends,” I said with a frustrated sigh.

“Get outta here,” Jaden growled at Tim through clenched teeth before grabbing me by the arm and pulling me off the dance floor.

“Knock it off. I wasn’t doing anything except dancing with a friend.” I tried to jerk away from Jaden’s grip. He tightened his hand around my arm.

“We’re leaving.”

“No. I’m staying. You can leave.”

Jaden turned and looked at me. A vein throbbed in his neck. “I’m not having my girl stay at some cheesy school dance and embarrassing me. There’s a party at Jamieson’s house. His parents are out of town. My people are there, not at some dumpy, loser-filled school dance.”

“I’m not going to the party. It’s just an excuse for everyone to get drunk and hook up.” Jerking my arm from his grasp, I stepped away from him. I could feel the tips of my cheekbones heating. Adrenaline bounced off the walls of my veins.

Jaden jerked my purse off the chair and jammed it in under his arm. “Did you drive?” he asked quietly. That tone scared me more than him yelling.

I swallowed down a thick lump. “Yes.”

His hand shot out and grabbed my arm before I had an opportunity to move. “Let’s go. I’ll bring you back for your car later.” Jaden pulled me to the door of the gym. I looked back at Jenna. Her lips were pressed in a straight line. I hated what I saw in her eyes when she looked at me. Disappointment.

I wish I could tell you, Jenna. I wish you knew why I put up with his shit. Why I can’t kick the jackass in the nuts and lay him out on the floor like he deserves. But he knows. And as long as I do what he wants, he promised not to tell.

“How’d you know I was here?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Karen smirk. The bitch.

“Karen texted me. Do you know how embarrassed I am to have you at a dance full of geeks and losers?”

Like your cousin, Karen?

“Oh, and yanking me off the dance floor and dragging me out isn’t embarrassing?” I pushed at his hand, trying to pry it off me.

“Get in.” Jaden opened the door of his Mustang.

“I’m just going home,” I told him. “Let go of my arm, Jaden. You go to your dumbass party, and I’ll go home. Problem solved.”

Jaden put a hand on my head, pushing it forward, and an arm under my legs. I let out a small scream when he lifted me off the ground. He shoved his knee against my hip to move me sideways into the car. “You’re going. Get. In. The. Car,” he said through clenched teeth. He slammed the door, walked around to the driver’s side, and slid into his seat. I sat with my arms crossed over my chest and stared straight ahead. “Fasten your seatbelt.” Jaden drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. “I’m not asking again, Willow.” The muscles in his neck were corded, his lips were puckered in a frown, and I knew he wasn’t giving in.

With a sigh, I pulled the strap across my body and clicked the buckle into place. “I don’t want to go to the party. Just let me go home.”

“I don’t care what you want.”

“Willow, Jaden’s here,” my mom called.