Five: Laila

I had to give him credit—he knew how to drive girls crazy.

He didn’t go insane with the clothes; he just put on a pair of tailored black slacks and a form-fitting black shirt with a silver skinny tie. Oh, and a black fedora. I think that’s what did it for the girls. It did it for me.

Most of the students were around the pool in the back, where the music was blaring. Half of the party-goers found themselves in the pool or in the grass dancing, probably at the request of the Rothschild twins. If the inside was reserved for food and idle chatter, then the risk of getting busted by their parents—who were conveniently away at a teachers’ conference in Manhattan—was significantly reduced. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out.

Our merry group of eight took over the large balcony that overlooked the backyard. Every now and then a few outsiders found themselves in our circle, but they never stayed longer than a couple songs. Most of them ended up being girls, crawling towards Jaiden to disprove our “relationship”. However, Jaiden put on a good show of turning them away and sticking with me the entire night.

“You want anything to eat?” Jaiden asked me quietly, leaning his head down to speak in my ear. At the present, I had taken to leaning up against his chest while he rested against the stone railing of the balcony. Since our arrival, we found ourselves in different positions, making sure we were always touching. According to Madeleine and Abby, our “relationship” was still in the honeymoon stage—which apparently meant we couldn’t get enough of each other, physically. We started out just holding hands, or me holding onto his arm, but as the night progressed and my comfort level evened out, we looked more and more intimate.

I opened my mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Oliver.

“Hey, the rest of us were thinking about getting some take-out and heading back to the dorms. You guys in?” he asked. Jaiden looked at me with genuine interest.

“Laila?” he prompted. I nodded.

“Sounds great,” I replied. “I wanna get out of this dress anyway. It’s getting hard to breathe already.”

Oliver left us to gather the rest of the crew. Jaiden took both of my hands, entwining his fingers with mine as he pushed away from the railing before wrapping his arms around me in a hug. I laughed a little as we stumbled forward thanks to his weight before pushing free, my hands still in his.

I looked at him for a moment, taking in his smile as we stood there. I couldn’t speak for his personality since we didn’t exactly spend the night getting to know each other or anything, but being around him didn’t repulse me anymore. I was surprised to find that he was a considerate guy; he didn’t try to touch my ass or boobs whenever we were pressed against each other. He always asked if I was comfortable before taking me into his arms or pulling me onto his lap. I wouldn’t say that I was starting to like him by any means, but I was starting to let go of my prejudices.

“What?” he asked, closing the distance a little.

I shook my head before looking around for my shoes. “Did you see where Maddy put my shoes?”

While the silver stilettos were gorgeous, they weren’t exactly dancing shoes. I had slipped out of them the minute we claimed the balcony, handing them to Madeleine to store with hers. That was the last I saw of them.

Jaiden let go of my hand and disappeared for a second, coming back with my shoes in tow. “The others are already downstairs, getting into the car. Do you wanna ride with them again or walk back?”

I frowned a little. “Walk?”

“Yeah. It’s not that far. The Rothschilds live literally next door to campus. It’s like a ten minute walk down the street.” He took off his hat for a second and ran a hand through his hair. “Besides, the others are going into town to get some food, which is another hour in a crazy crowded Suburban.”

He had a point. The ride over was painful enough.

“Let’s walk,” I decided, stepping into my shoes. My feet ached as we made our way down the stairs and out the front. Jaiden went ahead, telling whoever was in the passenger’s seat that we were going to walk back before stepping away from the car as it pulled away.

Turning to hold out a hand for me, Jaiden smiled. “I think they’re secretly grateful we’re walking. From what I saw, Madeleine and Abby were pinned between Paris and Archer in the backseat.”

I took his hand, smiling back. “Is Abby still drunk off her ass?”

Jaiden snickered. “And singing to Lady Gaga in Archer’s ear.”

I laughed as I imagined Paris’s pained look. “Paris must be dying.”

“Oh, I don’t know. He looked pretty content with Madeleine beside him,” Jaiden disagreed as we started down the street towards St. Thomas.

The community around the campus was a small one—known to the locals as Woodbury, but had all the basic provisions for the students: post office, bank, grocery, etc. Granted, all the good shops and restaurants were half an hour north in the small city of White Falls. Woodbury was mostly residential, made up of the large estates the faculty members owned and resided in during the school year.

Jaiden turned and winked at me. “I think there might be something there, between those two.”

I snorted. “Paris wouldn’t like Maddy. She’s too good.”

Plus she was my best friend, which automatically made her a leper in Paris’s eyes.

“Well, they were hitting it off earlier, at the party,” Jaiden remarked as the music from the party faded into the distance with each step we took. Our pace was slow, thanks to my shoes, but Jaiden didn’t complain; he just walked along beside me, holding my hand with just enough pressure to make it the most comfortable feeling in the world.

I rolled my eyes. He had been careful not to drink at the party, so I couldn’t write off his statements as drunken. I didn’t bother replying; I wasn’t in the mood to argue, especially about Paris.

“You know, at some point we’re actually going to have to get to know each other,” he said after awhile. He glanced at me, a little bit of a smile pulling at his mouth.

“What are you suggesting?”

He shrugged before slowing to a stop. I looked behind him; we had reached the main entrance to the campus, the stone archway looming over us.

“Not really suggesting anything,” he replied. “Just making an observation.”

Seizing the moment, I stepped out of my shoes, letting my feet enjoy the feel of the brick street we stood upon. Content, I looked up at Jaiden, thinking about his observation. He was right; if we were going to make this air-tight, we needed to know things about each other. In short, we needed to approach this like a real relationship.

That meant swallowing my pride, putting aside the fact that I disagreed with Jaiden’s treatment of girls prior to me, and letting myself befriend him.

Jaiden smiled again, and without saying anything, took off his hat and put in on my head.

“I’ve been wondering what it’d look like on you all night,” he said as he took a step back to admire his work. His smile was infectious. It was the perfect combination of innocence and seduction, a steel cable dragging you towards him like a moth to a flame.

“Looks good,” he complimented before taking it back and putting it on again. “Though I think it looks better on me.”

I pushed him playfully. “Yeah, right.”

“Yeah, I am right.” He grinned, jogging up ahead before turning around and walking backwards to look at me. “You know, I meant to say something earlier, but you looked really familiar tonight. In that dress, I mean.”

I wasn’t sure whether that was flattering or disconcerting; the dress was one of Elisabeth’s designs, which had been featured in Vogue last year. The fact that Jaiden recognized the look only meant one of two things: he read Vogue or some girl he new read Vogue.

“It’s possible,” I replied nonchalantly. “I modeled this dress for Vogue.”

Jaiden’s eyebrows rose. “You’re a model?”

“Not by choice.”

We made it to the House, Jaiden swiping his ID card to unlock the front doors and holding the door open for me. The House was essentially empty, only the scholarship students hanging around in the lower lounge with some pizza and cheap beer.

“What do you mean, not by choice?” Jaiden asked as he followed me up to my room.

I didn’t answer as I unlocked my door. The room was chilly thanks to the open windows Maddy and I had forgotten about. I threw my things on my bed and shut the windows quickly. Jaiden made himself comfortable on my bed—it was like he was subtly conveying a message.

“Earth to Laila,” he called from the bed.

“When your mother is the designer of a highly-successful label, becoming the face of said label is kind of inevitable,” I told him as I put my shoes back in my closet and looked for something comfortable to wear.

“Wait, your mom is the Elisabeth St. James?” Jaiden looked at me, awed. Did the kid have a secret obsession with fashion? And how could he not have realized that? Didn’t he sit through the same wedding I did?

I nodded. “Yep.”

Jaiden lay back against my pillows, staring at the ceiling. “Wow. I went to Elisabeth St. James’ wedding.”

I stared at him. “You’re just now realizing that?”

“Jaiden has issues with memory,” Paris said from the door, scaring the shit out of me. I put my hand on my pounding heart, grateful I didn’t scream.

“Would you learn how to knock?” I asked, exasperated. Paris shrugged and turned to leave.

“We’re all down in our suite,” he told us. “Madeleine helped Archer get Abby to her room, so they’ll be by later when she’s done puking.”

I wrinkled my nose at the image. “Yeah, be there in a few.”

Grabbing my pajamas and a sports bra, I turned to look at Jaiden. “You mind?”

He sighed, pushing himself off the bed and heading towards the door with a pout. “I thought girlfriends gave their boyfriends free strip shows,” he mumbled. Disgusted, I smacked the back of his head.

“Ow!” he yelped, rubbing his head before glowering at me. I glared right back before slamming the door in his face. Letting out an exasperated sigh, I shimmied out of the silver minidress, my chest expanding as I was freed. I slipped into a pair of boyshort panties and just finished pulling on the sports bra when the door opened again.

“Jaiden!” I shrieked, grabbing a tennis shoe as ammunition. “What the hell?!”

Madeleine’s blonde head poked around the door, her blue eyes blinking in confusion.

“It’s just me, hon,” she said as she closed the door. I dropped the shoe and sighed. “Did something happen with Jaiden? You two were getting along really well at the party.”

I grabbed my pajama pants and pulled them on. “I know. Everything was fine until we got in here. I mean, I was surprised he wasn’t a pain in the ass on the walk back, but it was like we were still at the party, you know?”

Madeleine looked at me thoughtfully as she unzipped her black dress. She had a wholesome beauty about her; wide, innocent eyes set in a friendly face. I figured Paris to be the kind of guy who went for edgy girls, not Maddy’s brand of “girl next door”.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, he was smiling when I passed him in the hall,” Maddy said as she handed me the dress. “Thanks for letting me borrow this, by the way.”

I took the dress from her, smiling. “You know you can borrow anything you want. Don’t worry about it. I have more clothes than I want or know what to do with.”

Madeleine shook her head, blushing. “I can’t. I mean, yeah things are kinda hard but—”

I shot her a look. “Hey. Stop that. You’re my best friend in the whole wide world. I’m going to help you, whether you ask for it or not.”

She sighed, looking at me with a small smile that said “thank you” in the biggest voice known to man. I smiled back before pulling my tank top over my head. Last May, her father was charged with fraud and embezzlement—a major blow to Mrs. Grey and the couple’s families. While the investigation went on, the Greys were forbidden to use any of the money in the joint account. Maddy’s grandparents, both sets from old money, happily stepped up to foot the necessary bills, like school tuitions for Maddy and her older brother, James. They even gave the kids a little of an allowance to make it through the year until other arrangements could be made within the family; however, Madeleine, ever the worrier, didn’t dare spend any of the money unless it was absolutely necessary.

“Was it a smug smile or one of his daydream smiles?” I asked, reverting the topic back to something less painful for Madeleine.

“Neither,” she replied as she slipped into a pair of sleep-shorts and a t-shirt. “It was more of a happy smile, like you did something to make him happy.”

I frowned as I pulled my hair up into a ponytail. “Then he must be into masochism because the last thing I did to him was smack him on the back of his head for complaining about the lack of a strip-show.”

Maddy giggled as I entered our private bathroom to wash off the makeup. “I don’t think he’s into masochism, Laila. According to Paris, Jaiden has a fairly low pain tolerance. He flinches every time Kit or Oliver goes to punch him.”

Drying my face, I thought about what Jaiden had said about Maddy and Paris.

“Do you like Paris?” I asked her bluntly as she entered the bathroom to wash her face. She stared at me, caught off guard by the question.

“What do you mean?”

I shrugged, leaning against the doorjamb. “Like, do you think he’s attractive? Would you date him?”

She didn’t answer immediately, just focused on washing her face. “Well, of course I find him attractive,” she said, applying some cold-cream to removed the makeup. “He’s one of the hottest guys here.”

“But would you date him?” I asked.

Madeleine finished wiping the makeup off and splashed some cool water to get rid of the extra cream. I grinned; she was avoiding the question. I didn’t badger her for an answer as we made our way down to the boys’ suite. She wouldn’t only deny it, even though I knew she would date Paris if the opportunity presented itself. It was a couple I could get used to, I suppose. Plus, with Madeleine in his life, Paris might eventually start treating me like an equal instead of a five year old.

The door to their suite was open, the sound of Guitar Hero echoing in the hall as Maddy and I approached. I knocked softly as we entered, grinning as I saw that Jaiden was having his ass handed to him by Oliver. Madeleine left my side to help Paris with the food he was arranging on the coffee table the boys had moved to make room for the game, so I made my way to sit with Kit on the sofa.

“Hey,” he greeted as I settled next to him. He looked at my favorite plaid pajama pants, his eyebrow rising as he grinned.

“Hi,” I replied, ignoring the silent question. “Does Jaiden always suck as this game, or is tonight an off night?”

Kit snickered. “The guy has no skill at this game, at all.”

“He can get into a girl’s pants in less than five minutes, but can’t win a simple game of Guitar Hero,” I mused. “Interesting.”

“You realize I can still hear you, right?” Jaiden said loudly without looking at us. Kit rolled his eyes.

“Just focus on the game you’re losing,” he replied before glancing at me.

“I don’t know if I can date someone who sucks this bad at a video game,” I said, grinning at Kit. He grinned back, making himself comfortable for our new game.

“That’s true, but you’re really only pretending to date him. So it’s not that embarrassing,” he mock-comforted.

“No, it’s still embarrassing.” I took the pizza Maddy handed me with a smile, scooting over to make room for her. “I wonder if it’s too late to find a different fake boyfriend, someone who isn’t so pathetic.”

“I don’t know, after tonight’s show, I’m sure the whole school believes he’s finally settled down.”

I swallowed my bite of pizza, smirking at Jaiden’s tensed back. Now for the kill.

“You mean whipped, don’t you?” I asked innocently. Kit snickered before taking a swig of beer.

The video game stopped, a livid Jaiden turning around and glaring at the pair of us. I smiled at him brightly before taking another bite of pizza.

“Right, my bad. He’s definitely proven he’s whipped,” Kit carried on, gesturing at Jaiden with his beer. “Just look at it this way, you’re now one step closer to getting the guy of your dreams, Laila.”

I nodded. “That is very true. Though, I have to admit, Jaiden’s taking to being whipped quite well. I half expected an immediate denial, you know?”

“Nah, deep down, Jaiden’s a wet noodle.”

“Great. I’m dating a closet-wimp.”

“Pretending to date. Big difference.”

Whether it was because he knew that if he tried to take on Kit, he’d be beaten into the ground, or some other reason relating to his ego, Jaiden handed the guitar off to Paris before grabbing a box of pizza and a case of beer. He paused in front of his door, turning to glare at Kit and me.

“I am not whipped,” he told us coldly before kicking the door shut behind him.

Kit and I exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

“He’s right,” Kit laughed, “he’s not whipped.”

I gasped for breath before completing his thought.

“No. He’s just a wuss.”

Something crashed against Jaiden’s door in response.

Kit and I looked at each other before laughing. Harder.