Night of Secrets (Night of Secrets #1)

Chapter 13 - When and When Not to Hate Yourself

"Shit, shit, shit," I mutter.

Jax stops in the middle of the sidewalk, whirling towards me. "What?"

"It's past ten, and my mom's calling."

A crease forms between Jax's eyebrows. "I thought our parents would be okay--"

"Yeah. So did I, but I don't think my parents actually ever said I could be out past ten." I take a deep breath and answer the call. "Hey, Mom."

"Do you know what time it is?"

Oh, shit. She's that mad. "Like thirty minutes past ten."

"Thirty-one," she corrects. "It's thirty-one minutes past ten."

"I know I'm late, and I'm sorry. I just thought you'd be okay with it since--"

"It doesn't matter who you're with. Just because you're with Jax doesn't mean you can completely disregard your curfew. That's not how it works, Adeline."

"Okay, but--"

"But nothing. The least you could've done was call us and ask if you could stay out later. But you didn't. So you're gonna come home right--"

Jax takes the phone out of my hand and puts it to his own ear. In his most respectful, charismatic voice, he says, "Hey, Eliza." What is he doing...? When he sees my expression, he smiles and winks at me. "Yeah, it was totally my bad. I didn't mean to keep her out so late. We were just reconnecting tonight, and I guess time got away from us. I'll bring her home as soon as I can... No really. It's not a big deal... Well, if you insist. But we'll be careful about getting home by curfew the next time this happens. I promise... Thanks, Eliza. Have a good night." Jax hangs up and hands my phone back to me. "We have until midnight now."

I stare at Jax, my mouth slightly agape. "How'd you do that?"

He laughs. "Simple. Your parents love me. You could do the same to mine if they call." Right on cue, his phone starts ringing. He hands it to me. "Wanna give it a try?"

I hold my hands up, palms out towards Jax as I take a step back. "I don't think I can convince them like you convinced my parents."

Jax gives me an exasperated look, gesturing between us. "We did this all the time when we were little. You totally can."

That's true... I stare at his phone as it continues to ring. "Okay. But if you get in more trouble, I warned you." I take the phone from him. The caller ID reads "Mom." I glance at Jax, and he nods at me. I pick up, greeting, "Hey, Lillian."

"Adeline?" she questions.

"Yeah. What's up?"

"Is Jax there?"

I glance at Jax. He smiles, arching an eyebrow at me. "No. He's a little busy right now. I'm just holding his things for a second. Did you need something?"

"Just wondering why he hasn't come home yet."

"Yeah, sorry about that. We just..." What did Jax say to Mom? "...lost track of time. We've been really enjoying the night together and wanted to be out with each other as long as possible."

Jax definitely said it better than that, but Lillian pauses and it sounds like there's a hint of excitement in her voice when she asks, "Really?"

"Yeah, but if you want us home, we'll be right there."

"No, no, no. It's okay, Adeline. If you guys aren't done reconnecting yet, then you can keep going."

I give Jax a wide-eyed look, mouthing, "What?" at him. He smiles, trying to keep in his laughter. "Are you sure, Lillian?"

"Positive. You two have fun." After a slight pause, she adds, "Are you feeling any better? You seemed upset when you stopped by earlier tonight."