“Hmm,” he hummed.
The sound swirled around me, making me dizzy. He sounded exactly like Trent just now. I began to question again whether he was lying to me about having a brother. It was stupid for him to lie about that, or for me to get hung up on it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
“Has Simon asked you to stay?” he asked, breaking through my thoughts.
“Not outright, but he’s hinted at it.”
“What if this new guy asked you to stay? Would you?”
“Yeah, like that’s going to happen.” A girl could wish, though. “So… you really don’t have a brother?” I asked, eyes narrowing slightly. “The night of the charity event, the guy told me he had a brother. They were there together.”
He averted his gaze, and my stomach twisted. He was lying to me. I knew it! The silence stretched, and I shifted uncomfortably on the couch.
“Jaxon?” I asked, my tone sharp.
He sighed and dragged his hand through his hair. “He’s my twin brother,” he said.
My jaw dropped. “Trent is your twin brother?” My voice was laced with disbelief and anger. “Why did you lie to me about that?”
Finally, he jerked his gaze back to mine. “I didn’t lie to you, Chloe. It simply never came up before.”
“I literally asked you just a few minutes ago if you had a brother, and you said no.” Restlessness spread through my limbs, and I shifted again. “Why would you do that?” Then, another thought slammed into my brain. “Wait… if Trent’s now going to my school, does that mean…?”
“No.” Jaxon shook his head. “I’m not going to your school,” he said.
“Do you actually go to Malibu high, or was that a lie, too?” I asked, crossing my arms.
He remained silent.
Anger burned in my chest. How was any of this possible? It couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? How did Trent’s brother just happen to find my ad and hire me to tutor him days before I met Trent? Nothing about this made any sense, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was some sort of pawn in whatever game they were playing. But why me?
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m done.” I stood, snatched my bag from the floor, and flung the strap over my shoulder. “You and your brother can find someone else to mess with.”
“Chloe, wait.” Jaxon was on his feet in a flash. He clutched my elbow, stopping me from making my escape.
I glanced to where his hand held my arm, then up at him. “The only way I’m staying is if you explain what’s going on. And don’t you dare lie to me again.” I jerked out of his hold and crossed my arms.
“I can’t tell you anything. Not yet,” he said, his expression conflicted. “I’m sorry.”
“Whatever.” I huffed and shook my head. “You better start looking for a new tutor, because I quit.” And then I walked out of the bookstore.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Tension or Chemistry?
I STOOD STARING INTO MY LOCKER, my mind shifting from total blankness to overwhelming confusion. I hadn’t slept much last night; I was still reeling over the fact that Jaxon was Trent’s twin brother. Though, it made sense looking at both of them—there was no denying the family connection.
And what was it that Jaxon couldn’t tell me? Clearly, he knew something or else he wouldn’t have said that. I shook the thoughts from my head and tried to focus on grabbing the stuff I needed for my first class.
“There you are.” Simon approached and slipped his arm around my waist. “How’s your face?”
“Better.” I smiled and took a small step away from him, from his embrace.
My cheek still stung a bit, but it wasn’t swollen or bruised. There was a small mark, though, like a scratch, which I had no idea how I’d gotten. My eye, however, was a tad puffy.
We headed down the hall and stopped outside of my class. “I want to take you out on a date,” Simon said.
“Simon… We’re friends,” I said as delicately as possible.
In my mind, I could see Jaxon giving me an arrogant smirk, an I-told-you-so in his expression. I hated that he’d been right about this situation with Simon. And I really hated that I was even thinking about him right now when I was still livid with him for lying to me.
“Friends can date,” Simon said.
“No, they can’t.” I laughed. “That’s literally the exact opposite of what friends do.”
He leaned against the wall, one hand tucked into his pocket, the other wrapped around the strap of his backpack. “So, what can friends do then?”
I shrugged. “Hang out, I guess.”
“Semantics.” He straightened. “But okay, fine. Will you hang out with me this weekend?”
I smiled despite myself. Simon was fun—unlike Trent, who was always so intense. And if I was being honest, a little scary, too. And Simon wasn’t a liar like Jaxon, so that was an added bonus.
“I suppose so,” I said.
Simon laughed. “Love your enthusiasm.”
“It’s hard to be excited when I have no idea what you’re planning.”
“That’s called a surprise, and they’re fun.” He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on my uninjured cheek.
Instinctively, I leaned away from him. Hurt flashed across his face, and I frowned. “Friends, remember?” I said as softly as possible. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt his feelings.
“Right.” He nodded.
“We can still hang out, though,” I said quickly. Pushing away my only friend wasn’t the smartest thing I’d ever done, but I needed him to know that’s all he was to me—a friend.
“Saturday night. Six o’clock.” And then he walked away.
I watched, a sad smile on my face.
Until I realized he was around. Trent. I didn’t have to see him to know. I could feel him, and that was unnerving. My smile faded as I turned, searching for him.
He stood at the other end of the hallway, his gaze zeroed in on me. How long
