Read Conflicted (Secrets and Lies) for Free Online Page A

garnering some fuzz so it appeared that he might be bringing it back soon.
    I withheld staring at him any longer to glance over at Bri and Trey. They remained engrossed in each other's mouths. Those two flirted since the first day they met so why they drug out giving into each other until their last year of college was mind-boggling. Trey could refrain from putting a label on their relationship indefinitely but the truth was that Bri was his girl. She had been for a long time. Trey was too damn stubborn to say it but that didn't mean shit. I knew it and so did Shane. He glimpsed over at them. Shane shook his head with a roll of the eyes. He probably felt the same way as I did. Shane went as far back with Bri as I did with Trey. Their families were in the same elite social circle. It shocked Trey and me that we fell in so easily with Shane and Bri. We had no experience with the class and wealth that went with their world.
    Jackson started spouting off at the mouth again. I decided to help Shane out. Jackson couldn't see me but Shane saw me glide out of the doorway. He continued crushing his controller extending a leg towards Jackson who deftly maneuvered away from his attempt to knock him off balance. Shane scowled beating his controller even harder. I got his attention giving him a wink and pointed towards Jackson while covering my eyes. His scowl turned into a smug grin. I walked behind Jackson getting up on my tiptoes and placed my hands over his eyes.
    "What the fuck?" Jackson growled.
    While he fought me off, Shane won the game. Jackson huffed and pushed me into the recliner behind him. Shane slouched into the couch laughing hysterically at the pout on Jackson's face.
    "Thanks Mia," he bellowed in between the howls of laughter.
    "Anytime Shane," I giggled.
    Jackson frowned even deeper and smacked Shane across the shoulder. "That's cheating motherfucker. I want a rematch," he grumbled.
    Shane sat up threatening to pounce on Jackson if he took another swing. Jackson pulled his arm back but kept it there when Shane raised an eye in warning. I refrained from laughing again because Shane could annihilate Jackson with one hand tied behind his back. It surprised me that he put up with that crap when those two played video games together. They had become a package deal after Trey started spending more of his free time with Bri.
    When I introduced Jackson to my social circle from high school, I was unsure if he would fit in with us but I couldn't have been more wrong. Jackson rounded out our group perfectly with his carefree attitude. His family was wealthy like Shane and Bri's so he had lots of stories to swap with those two about countless stuffy cocktail parties and organized events. Shane and Jackson learned fast that they liked creating trouble together. If they weren't scheming or party planning, they were in here duking out games on the consoles. Trey and Jackson bonded over music with shared interests in bands. All three boys enjoyed debating sports in any league making plenty of appearances on campus to support the teams. Jackson and Bri spent the least amount of time with each other because of the constant jeering they did with one another. They had smart mouths that they loved to use against each other. It was in good humor though. I listened to the exaggerated huffs from behind me and turned my head towards Jackson who was still pouting.
    "Come on Jackson, it's not the end of the world," I teased, poking him in the side.
    Before I could react, Jackson pinned me into the chair and tickled me into a fit of giggles.
    "Oh, hell no! We came back here to hang out for the night as a house. Don't ruin it by pissing me off!" I yelled, squirming away from him.
    Jackson stopped tickling me to see if I was telling the truth. I smiled wide with a nod of the head. He got up from the chair hauling me with him towards the bar with Shane right behind us. Jackson lined up five shot glasses and pulled the bottle of Patron from behind him.