"Your funeral." Kate was cold as she raised an eyebrow, but then she stepped back. She commented under her breath as her friends circled around us, "Duly noted, Jax." Her eyes snapped to mine. "And thanks for the exile, bitch. You just made it worse."
Heather sucked in her breath as the four filed in a single line and went up the stairs. Once they were out of earshot, she whirled to me. "They were exiled?"
I nodded. That couldn't be good, I knew that much.
"Do you know what that means?"
I shook my head.
"They're out, Sam." Her hands gripped both of my arms and squeezed tight. "They're fully on the outs with the guys."
"What does that mean?"
"That means that they're not included with anything anymore. The guys are closing ranks and those girls," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder, "were the only girls they included in their group, but now they're on the outs. That means no talking to them, no sleeping with them, not even hanging out. The guys won't acknowledge them in the hallways or anywhere. Being exiled means that they're strangers to the guys. Oh. My. God. Mason did that?"
I gulped. That seemed harsh, excessively harsh. But that's who Mason is…
Heather started to jump up and down.
I'd never seen her so excited.
"You have no idea what this means, do you?"
I shook my head. "This was my life about five months ago."
"Yeah, but not for those four. This is awesome, Sam. Get excited. Your boy delivered a huge blow to them, and it's going to sting for a long time." A smile stretched from ear to ear over her face. "And you have no idea how many other girls hate those four in school. Those four just got a lot of enemies that can finally push back. You have no idea!"
"You said that you have friends at school?"
Heather stopped bouncing. Her smile fell flat. "Yeah, I lied about that. I've got a few, but most of my friends go to Roussou."
"What's wrong?"
She glanced over her shoulder and bit her lip. "I'm still getting comfortable with this crowd. I'm used to being considered the enemy."
"You came here for me?"
She gave me a fleeting smile. "Yep, so you're stuck with me now. Let's go."
I gestured to the bathroom. "I really do need to go."
"Okay." But she kept looking around.
"What are you doing, Heather?"
"Looking for new friends." Her eyes snapped with a warning. "We're going to need them if we're going against the Tommy P's."
"I thought you said there were a lot of girls who could push back now?"
"Doesn't mean they're going to help us." She gestured towards the pool table. "I'm going to be over there. I know a few of those girls from the short time I was on the tennis team. Kate hates tennis, if I'm remembering right, and I know a few of those girls hated her back." She shooed me away. "Hurry up with the bathroom. There are a lot of people you need to meet."
She sauntered towards a group that looked perfect with smooth golden hair, tanned bodies, and faces that could've been in magazines. Each of them seemed cautious as Heather approached them, but it wasn't long until the group had circled her; listening intently.
Heather would have no problem making friends. I remembered Mason's words when he said Heather Jax wasn't a normal girl. I was glad she had befriended me. My gut was telling me I'd need all the friends I could get, and making friends was not a skill I had.
I turned around, and found myself face to face with someone else. I scowled. "What are you doing here?"
Jeff rolled his shoulders back and stuck his fingers in his hair. The ends were sticking up, but he spiked it higher. He flashed me a grin. "What do you think? Too high?"
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Jeff."
"Alright, alright." He stuck his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched together. He looked even smaller, and he was skinny enough. "So what's up with you and Jax?"
My eyes narrowed. "You know Heather?"
"Been to her place a few times."
There it was again, his same vague answers that I heard for three years. "Jeff," I warned. I didn't have time for his games. I needed to be making friends. No, I had to pee first.
"Okay, okay." He chuckled, "I come to you as a friend."
"You aren't anything else."
He frowned. "I know. You don't have to sound so happy about that."
"You cheated on me. For two years."
He lifted a shoulder in an easygoing shrug. "Bygones. I thought we made peace."
"I thought so too."
He studied me for a moment and then smirked, laughing some more. "Okay. I got it. No games, but seriously, how do you know Jax?"
"I work at Manny's." I frowned. "I thought you knew that."
"I didn't. Things make sense now."
I was growing tired of the conversation, but I knew something was wrong. He was stalling. "Are you going to tell me what you want or not? I just got served papers from the Tommy Princesses. Heather and I have to scramble so I don't get my ass handed to me at school."
"You?" His grin turned into a leer and he looked me up and down. "You can take 'em."
"There are four of them."
He shrugged again. "You could still take 'em. I heard about your rumble with Tate at that cabin party. You're tougher than you look. I think its cause you've got runners' legs. Might look stringy, but damn there are muscles there. If anything, you could just run in circles or run away. They won't catch you."