Summer Lovin: A Tayler Holder Story

28- Jaden

Jaden showed up to your house and didn't even bother knocking. You heard him honk and rushed outside before the neighbors saw anything and told your mom. You climbed in his car and the smirk across his face already was making your skin crawl. 

Jaden: "The directions you sent me weren’t even close. I’m shocked I made it."

You: "Well, you did now let’s go."

You drove around talking for a few minutes before warning:
"Don't go too far from my neighborhood."

Jaden: "Relax. It’s just a drive."

The further out into the middle of nowhere he got, the more your anxiety rose. He reached his hand across the seat and rested it against your thigh. You debated shoving him off but decided to play along, hoping to get answers.

You: "You and Dixie got pretty close this summer. Did you spend last summer together too?"

Jaden: "God, that was so long ago. I wasn’t even really friends with Dixie last year."

You: "That makes sense, I guess because I heard you were actually roomies with Griffin that summer."

He didn't acknowledge your statement but did seem to look around his surroundings as if he was getting close to where he was heading.

You: "It's weird you got so close to her so fast."

His hand moved further up your thigh as you continued grilling him:
"I mean you didn't even come to her funeral after all of that."

Jaden: "It was nothing serious."

He pulled off the side of the road and locked the doors as you asked:
"What are you doing?"

He leaned in as if he didn't even hear you but you blurted out:
"How can you just be indifferent to sneaking out with a girl and a few hours later her body is being pulled from the lake. Like, you’re unphased."

He sat back and sighed. He seemed frustrated by the interruption.

Jaden: "It was just a hookup."

You: "Did she know that?"

Jaden: "I'm a lot of things, but honest tops that list."

You: "Dixie just never was the type to hookup with someone casually."

Jaden: "She knew that I could never get serious with someone who hooked up with Griffin, we were friends… That’s why I could never take Mads serious. She just doesn’t listen."

You: "Mads and Griffin hooked up?!"

Jaden: "Yeah, last summer Mads and Griffin were a thing and Dixie and Tay-"

You: "It’s okay, I already know."

Jaden: "Yeah, well Griffin and Dixie I guess broke up right before camp and she met Tayler and wasn’t having any part of wanting Griff anymore so he tried to make her jealous with Mads."

You'd heard Griffin had gotten with another girl at camp while Dixie and Tayler got together but you had know clue it was Mads.

You: *mumbling under your breath*
"I knew there was more to Mads and Dixie not liking each other."

Jaden: "They’re both wackjobs if you ask me."
 
Now that you had all the answers he could give you, you were done pretending you wanted to be out with him.

You: "I need you to drive me home." 

Jaden ran his hand even higher:
"Oh come on. We just got here."

You: "Now Jaden."

He pulled his hand back, angry and shoved the car into drive. He took off so fast that your seat belt locked into place. As he drove you focused on sending another series of mysterious texts.