Battlefield: Control (Book Two)

Chapter Twenty-Two - Cadence

Cadence realized JD was watching her in that peculiar way again. It was a side glance, with a slight frown, and pursed lips. Like he had something he wanted to say to her, but he wouldn't just come out with it. They were sitting in his car, parked at the mall.

"Do I have a zit on my forehead?" she asked.

"Nope, your skin is perfect, like always. Not fair I should add," he said.

"Why are we just sitting here? What do you want to talk about?" She folded her arms in front of her.

"Yeah, you're right, I wanna chat. About the fight we keep having. And I wanna say I'm sorry. I do need to accept all of this as part of who you are now, and I shouldn't be freaking out so much about you changing when we're so young. It's high school. Even before all this began, we were changing." He spoke so quickly she almost missed it all together.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me," she said. Without hesitation, she reached over and grabbed his hand. "I am trying to be sensitive to your feelings JD. I hope you know that. It's hard for me to go back when I've stepped into something so new and exciting."

Hopefully he understood. He once explained his romantic relationships in a similar manner.

Slowly, he nodded. "You said we'd always be best friends and I'll hold you to that. It won't change, and as long as that one thing stays the same, then I'll be cool."

"I think I can do that," Cadence said with a soft smile.

She couldn't imagine life without him. Even when he made her mad, she couldn't write him off. He was far too important to quit on. They were drawn to each other, an experience she was pretty sure was new for them both.

He licked his lips and faced her, looking into her eyes. If she didn't know better, she'd think he wanted to kiss her, but why would JD do that?

"But I need to be even more honest with you here. Part of the reason I am getting weird so much is because I'm keeping something from you and I don't think I can handle it anymore."

"What kind of a secret?" she asked.

There would always be things he kept to himself, she knew this, just like she had a few things she didn't think he'd care to know. It was natural to have some secrets, but part of what she loved most about their relationship was the level of openness they had between them.

There was a lot she wished he hadn't told her. Things about girls he dated, or stuff he overheard some of the boys saying. She would return the favor by getting in-depth about her period. That's what friends did for each other. They listened even if they sometimes didn't want to. The things they didn't tell one another were usually minor, so for him to come out and say he had an actual secret implied something more.

JD gave her a weak smile. "A good secret. Super juicy. You're gonna like it. I hope."

She gasped. "You've got a new girl! You dog! Who?"

Almost every time he didn't share something juicy that made him so happy, it involved a new crush. He didn't like to talk about it unless he was positive everything would work out.

"You," he said casually.

"Ewe? That's kind of a weird name for a girl. Isn't that a sheep or something?" Cadence had heard some bizarre names before, but this one definitely took the cake.

He brought the palm of his hand to his face, and muffled a laugh. "You're...funny, did you know that? You. Y.O.U. As in Cadence Sinclair, the beautiful, awesome babe sitting next to me. I've been into you for, well, I don't even know how long. It's part of why I broke up with Anya last spring, and why I haven't dated since." He gave her hand a squeeze. "You."