Jock Road (Jock Hard) - Sara Ney Page 0,16
a freaking hand reaches out and takes it.”
“He just took it?”
“Yes! He took my chicken sandwich and literally shoved it in his face immediately. No manners, didn’t ask, just ate it like a wolf raised in the woods.”
“Now you’re being dramatic.”
“I’m sorry, but no. He took my food and didn’t even apologize.”
“Okay, so then what happened?”
“Then Wyatt, the guy who works there, had two burgers ready and I took those. Because the guy with four billion Js in his name wanted to nab them, too.”
“The nerve!” She’s clearly outraged on my behalf—and if she’s not, she’s doing a great job pretending to be on my side.
“Yeah, so he wants both—both of them after he just scarfed down my chicken. For real, Wyatt didn’t know what to do. He looked terrified, and Jackson isn’t even scary. Give me a break.”
“I mean, he kind of is? The guy is huge, Charlie—did you not get a good look at him? He’s like six and a half feet tall.”
“What. Ever. I was hardly checking him out.” Not even a little—not even today when he came ambling toward me in that cutoff t-shirt and faded jeans slung low on his hips.
Brown leather flip-flops. Hair blowing in the—
Ugh, stop it, Charlie! He is not your type!
“Is that the whole story?”
“No. I told him to give me ten bucks for a burger.”
“That’s extortion.”
I laugh. “That’s what he said, and I told him it was supply and demand, but then he paid for all the food and I got a free lunch. So who was the loser in that game? Not me.”
I’m on a budget; I’ll take a free meal no matter what form it comes in.
“Anyway. He goes his way, I go mine, and I didn’t think I’d see the asshat again, but I did the following Friday.”
“I’m sensing a theme here…”
“I know, right? I need to start staying home on Fridays because I can’t seem to stop running into JJ Jennings.”
“So you ran into him again last weekend?”
“Yup. On the corner of University Drive and Darter. He’s all up in my shit—again—but this time I’m livid. Fuming, like, I’ve never been so freaking mad. So I slam on my brakes and get out of my car because I have to give this butthole a piece of my mind.”
“You did not get out of your car! You could have been murdered.”
Solemnly, I nod. “I know. It was dumb.”
“What happened?”
“I storm the truck and he rolls down his window and it’s him. Ugh, that smug face.” I frown, remembering how pleased he looked to see me beside his vehicle. “I don’t know what the hell kind of game he and his buddy are playing, but it makes no sense. Seeing him on the side of the road like that, something has to be going on—I mean, isn’t that weird? Tell me that’s not weird.”
“Maybe it’s a coincidence?”
“Please—three Fridays, same strip of road cannot be a coincidence. They’re up to something.” I tap on the steering wheel, deep in thought now that the idea has taken root in my mind. “I’ve heard of this kind of thing, where they play for points and stuff—I wonder if it’s like that.”
“I think you’re being paranoid. Back where I’m from, the big thing to do on the weekend was drive up and down Main Street because there is literally nothing else to do. People have been doing it since my parents were teenagers, and they’re still doing it today. It’s like ‘see and be seen.’ Triple J must be from a small town—bet you anything he is.”
“I’m not going to ask him and find out. NO thanks.”
“It’s one way to find out what he’s up to.”
Why does she always make so much sense?
And why am I still thinking about Jackson Jennings?
Jackson
“That’s that same girl.”
“Yup.” It sure is.
“She doesn’t like you.”
“No shit.”
Tyson gives me side-eye. “Do you like her?”
“What? No.” Is he being serious? “You know I’m not datin’.”
“I didn’t ask if you want to date her. I asked if you like her.”
“I don’t know her.”
He’s quiet for a few seconds, thoughtful—likely putting some bullshit sentence together in his mind before saying it out loud. “Didn’t look like you don’t know her, and you sure do run into her a lot.”
That I do.
Weird.
This is the fourth time she and I have clashed, bumped into each other randomly and gotten into a tiff.
“She’s cute. I wonder if she’s single,” Tyson muses out loud.
I roll my eyes, not about to fall for his tactics. He’s