Page 22 of Filthy Elites

“No problem. How did you end up out here?” he asks as he makes a U-turn.

“It’s a long story.”

“We have time.”

Why is everyone so damn curious about my business? It’s annoying. But I can’t begrudge them the information. I do owe them big time.

“Jason left me stranded.”

“What?” Sage asks at the same time her brother asks “Why?”

I don’t want to tell them about the kiss. “To be honest, I don’t know. He took me to have dinner with his mother, and that didn’t go well. Then he brought me to the lookout point and bailed.”

“That’s horrible,” Sage says. “I thought Jason’s reputation for cruelty was a lie.”

“That’s the thing though,” Luke pipes up. “Jason isn’t cruel unless it’s warranted. Something tells me you’re not telling us the whole story,Nicola.”

“I think maybe you don’t know your friend that well,Luke.” I don’t hide my annoyance.

I don’t want to be ungrateful, but I’m sick and tired of people treating me badly based on assumptions. And Jason loathes me for reasons I can’t fathom.

“Even if Nicola had done something to aggravate Jason, he shouldn’t have left her stranded. It’s not safe. She could have been run over,” Sage retorts.

That possibility didn’t cross my mind. I was too busy freaking out about the darkness.

The conversation dies out, and I’m left alone with my thoughts for a couple of minutes. That is until Sage breaks the silence. “I heard you’re going to play at the recital. I didn’t know you played the violin.”

“Yeah, I dabble a little.”

“I doubt that. Mrs. Simpson is super selective about the students who join her program. She must have been impressed by your talent. And she gave you a solo!”

“Not a solo. A duet with Jason.”

Luke chuckles. “Oh, I can’t wait to watch that performance.”

“You don’t like classical music,” Sage replies.

“But I love catastrophe, and that duet will be explosive. Mark my words.”

I want to say something to the contrary, but I can’t. He’s not wrong.

A cell phone rings in the car, and a moment later, Luke answers it. “Hey, Finn, what’s up?”

There’s a pause, and then Luke continues. “You know I don’t pass up a burger from Dennis’s Diner.” He turns to Sage. “Wanna go out for dinner?”

“Sure.” She looks over her shoulder. “Do you want to come?”

I open my mouth to say no, but Luke beats me to the punch. “She’s coming. Maverick Prep is out of the way. I can drop her off after, or she can Uber home.”

I’m beginning to dislike this guy. He’s rude as hell.

I bite my tongue for Sage’s sake. “I didn’t actually have dinner, and I’m famished. Burger and fries are always a good idea.”

Never mind that I don’t have my wallet on me. I can pay Sage back later.

* * *

Jason

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