Warmth (Cheer Legacy Trilogy #1)

18.

"And the entire cake fell on him," Theresa finishes her story with flourish. 

I have to work to keep from snorting all unladylike. Theresa is the eldest, Shania the second, Mallory the third, and the youngest daughter is Clarice. Surprisingly, all of them have taken to me, and Jesse has been shoved to the other side of the yard, with his cousins and whoever else. They're taking turns telling me all the embarrassing moments Jesse has ever had. 

I fail miserably at containing my laughter and I snort anyway. "Oh god," I gasp, clutching my side. I'd laughed so much, my side has developed a stitch. And I probably have abs from the laughter workout. 

"Mom was so mad," Shania chuckles. "The poor guy was grounded for a week, and it wasn't even his fault."

Mallory is grinning, but she suddenly frowns and stands up, staring at someone behind me. "What the hell is she doing here?" 

The four sisters stand and glare at whoever it is, so, curious, I turn around to see. 

A beautiful blonde with a perfect tan and legs that are miles long stands in the driveway, her eyes scanning for something, and for some reason my heart sinks. I just know something bad is going to happen. She's really gorgeous, like a supermodel, the kind that garners hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Her eyes set on something or someone, and a beautiful smile spreads across her face. Her teeth are, of course, perfect.

I follow her gaze to...Jesse. Of course, I groan inwardly. Of course the one time I come to his house, a gorgeous supermodel shows up and makes a beeline for him. It's kinda obvious why. I mean, he's the hottest guy here. Badass as hell, with dark chocolate colored hair framing that handsome face, there's no comparison. He looks up and sees the girl, and his face goes completely white, making his blue eyes glow like mad. 

And...now would be a great time for me to faint dead away. What? What? Who is this? 

Jesse swallows convulsively as she reaches him, and his eyes shoot away from her, flying all over the place until he settles on me. He frowns, taking in my pale face and clenched fist. The girl says something to him and he turns the frown on her, saying something back. Being snarky, I think, by his expression. 

"God, why is that skank here?" Theresa growls. "She obviously needs to be put back in her place."

Shania cracks her knuckles. "I wanna go and knock her down a few pegs."

Clarice scowls fiercely. "I want to simply knock her out."

"Whoever knocks her out, I'll buy you ice-cream for a week," Mallory says heatedly. "How dare that bitch come here."

Well, at least now I know why Jesse's so terrified of his sisters. They're starting to scare me too, and they're on my side. Sucks to be on the other side.

Jesse scowls and snaps at the girl, then he gestures towards me. The girl turns around oh-so-slowly, her eyes narrowing as she takes me in, standing in the circle of girls, all of whom are Jesse's sisters. She looks at them all, surprise coloring her face. 

"We never liked her," Mallory says. "She's probably surprised that we're even talking to you. We were pretty awful to her."

Theresa shrugs. "She deserved it."

All four of them, even little Clarice, scowl at the girl in unison. She looks upset and uncomfortable. She shuffles her feet, turning back to Jesse once more. The group around them has already grown, and they are trying to do something. Calm Jesse down, it seems like.