Interference

University of Britchester
Mossy Lane Campus Home

With a frustrated yell, Briar Rose kicked her backpack, sending it tumbling across the room. Books and binders followed suit, crashing onto the floor off her desk. Pens and other knick-knacks ricocheted off the walls, and one hefty book skidded all the way to the open door. The sudden commotion caught the attention of a young man now standing in the doorway, who leaped back with lightning reflexes to avoid getting hit.

He blinked at the chaotic scene, and Briar Rose fixed him with an intense stare.

“Brad!”

“Are you okay? Need a minute? Should I come back later? Or is there a risk this house would no longer be standing after another, more intense outburst? ”

“Hilarious, I’ll laugh later. No, just come on in. Sorry about that. Having a rough day.” Briar Rose scrambled to restore order, returning items to their rightful places. As Brad handed her an armful of scattered belongings, their proximity stirred something within her. Their eyes met, and the charged atmosphere hung between them.

She sighed and faced him squarely.

“So, what’s up? Why are you here? You gonna invite me to another wedding? Another baby on the way? Or maybe any of the other things everyone just suddenly seems to be doing that I will probably never get to do?” Briar blew out a frustrated breath.

“Wow and yikes. Are you sure you’re okay? Because none of what I have seen or am seeing and hearing even remotely spells what I would consider ‘okay’.”

Briar Rose feigned a sob.

“Nooo, I am not all right at all, Braddy. Not at all. Far from okay.”

Brad stepped closer, enveloping her in a comforting embrace. His fingers traced soothing patterns on her back.

“Oh, Bri, what’s wrong? You can tell me. Maybe I can help—I’m excellent at solving problems, unless they are my own.”

Briar couldn’t help but giggle against his chest, then pulled away, meeting his gaze with a smile.

“Well, take a good guess.”

“Your cowboy. Yeah, I get how that could be tough, especially with the distance. I was going to talk to you at the wedding and the baby shower, but I wasn’t sure if Jackson would kick my ass for it.”

“Seriously? Jackson isn’t some rowdy brawler. Not unless you give him a real reason.”

“Me existing anywhere near you might be reason enough.”

“No. He trusts me. And I trust him. So, aside from bashing Jackson, what did you want?” Briar’s tone turned pointed.

“What did I want? Well, the usual, probably. Needed some Bri in my life, was hoping you’d have lunch…I guess it would be more like an early dinner now… with me, but it looks like you need rest more. Maybe I should go.”

“Why is life so complicated? Seriously, Brad, it feels like everything was cruising along, and then around age 15 or 16, everything happened at once. Everything changed. Things I thought would happen didn’t, and things I never expected did. Now I’m stuck in this chaotic middle ground. Every time I try to climb out of this mess, I slide even deeper. Why is everyone getting married at our age, Brad?”

Overwhelmed by her outburst, Bradford grimaced and shrugged.

“I don’t know about everyone, but I can tell you why I did. It wasn’t exactly my choice. Same goes for the rest of drastic changes in my life. Wasn’t what I asked for, Bri, but it’s what I got.”

“Oh, right. Sorry. Tactless. How’s all that going? I keep forgetting to are a married father now. You still look like the Brad from high school.”

“I still feel like the Brad from high school, so…well…it’s going.”

“Sounds convincing. Thank God I’m the performing arts student, not you, cos man, you tanked this performance. Not even remotely believable.”

Brad snickered, but a sense of melancholy lingered.

“To stick with your performing arts analogy here, sometimes I wonder if fate made a mistake with us and accidentally cast us, all of us, into the wrong roles.” Brad sighed.

“Only sometimes? I wonder that on the daily. Another role I am not sure I belong in is college student. Man, what was I thinking taking a semester off to stay with Jackson. I mean it was so worth it, but now I am here, I work and work and, in the end, it’s barely another credit. I will NEVER manage to graduate at this pace, let alone graduate with all of you. I will be here forever, trying to graduate. With gray hair and all one day.” Bri sighed dramatically, making Brad chuckle.

“Okay, maybe you do need a change of scenery. Come on, let’s go get some greasy campus food. Unless you are up for a drive to a decent place in an actual town where people care about what they put into their bodies.”

“Spoken like a true doctor. Okay, let’s go. My brain won’t be able to absorb any of this now anyway.”

He waited in the living room while she changed, then they strolled to his car and enjoyed a nice drive and meal, plus conversation.

By the time they returned it was dark, had gotten late. Brad insisted on walking her to the door, where the air began to sizzle as she turned to him before unlocking.

The night air crackled with tension, their eyes locked, lips inching closer, and for a heartbeat, it felt like the universe held its breath. But then the door swung open, revealing a scene that shattered the fragile moment.

Jasper stood there, leaning against the doorframe with an unamused, almost annoyed smirk, nodding his head. “Well, well, well. Look who’s playing Romeo and Juliet on my doorstep. Brad, my man, you’ve got some nerve.”

Brad’s jaw tightened, and he stepped back, breaking the spell. “Jasper.”

Briar Rose’s cheeks flushed, and she glanced past Jasper. There, in the dim light, stood Jackson. His eyes were stormy, hurt etched into every line of his face.

“Jackson,” she whispered, her voice catching.

He didn’t respond, just stared at her, his jaw clenched. The air thickened with unspoken words—betrayal, longing, anger.

Jasper, ever the smartmouth, broke the silence. “Well, this is cozy. Brad, you remember Jackson, right? The guy who just drove clear across the country in a beat-up old truck just to see Bri, you know, his girlfriend? You got some ‘splainin’ to do, Bri. Especially when I tell you why Jackson’s here to begin with.”

Brad’s gaze shifted from Briar Rose to Jackson’s face. The cowboy’s eyes bore into him, and for a moment, Brad glimpsed the raw pain there—the hurt of a love interrupted, the ache of distance and longing.

“I better go now. Thanks, Bri, for listening and talking. Bye everyone.” Brad awkwardly muttered, then rushed off, leaving Bri standing there, still staring at Jackson like a ghost.

“Jackson, it’s not what you think. I swear, it was just a dinner to get my head on right, I studied so much, total burnout, nothing made sense anymore and …” Bri tried, while letting Jasper grab her and pull her into the campus house they shared, shutting the door behind her.

There she stood now, staring at Jackson, who looked stiff, his facial expression hardened as if etched in stone, but he said nothing.

“Say something, please.” Bri begged.

“Well, if he won’t, I will. He came all the way here to see you, Bri, thinking it wasn’t fair that it was always you coming to him. And he saved some money from…oh wait, I am not supposed to tell you that it’s from winning rodeos cos him getting his shit rattled makes you worry, oopsie…anyway, he wanted my help to book some real nice vacation for Spring Break, just you and him. Well, surpriiiiiiiiiise. Then again, guess the surprise was on us, wasn’t it, cowboy. Here’s your cue, now you go and say words, my man.” Jasper turned to Jackson.

“Thinkin’ it’s best I go.” Jackson said, heading for the door, but Bri tried to stop him.

“Jackson, please, let me explain!”

“Explain what? What I saw was pretty cut and dry. No explainin’ needed. Got the gist.” His tone and drawl were deep.

Jasper’s voice cut through the charged air, a blend of annoyance and concern. “Whoa, whoa, whoa…listen up. I get it—you’re all cranky now, and you’ve got every right to be. But Jackson, you didn’t drive clear across the country just to grab your toys and run back home. How about a nice, calm—did you hear that part, calm?—conversation over some coffee in this kitchen? I’ll hang out in the living room, watching TV, minding my own business, but making sure you two don’t kill each other in here. Yeah? Good. Come on.”

He took charge, pulling both Jackson and Bri along to the kitchen, where he ‘parked them’ while he brewed coffee. Jasper’s smart mouth couldn’t resist adding, “Hey, cowboy, reckon y’all better start talkin’ up a prairie storm right about now…” He even attempted to imitate Jackson’s drawl and cowboy mannerisms, complete with a pretend spit into an equally pretend bucket. Bri snorted a giggle, and even the corners of Jackson’s lips twitched upwards.

Jackson’s voice was quiet but firm, a clear request for privacy now. “Thanks, buddy, for everything. But before yer performance there gets any worse, I think we’ve got it from here now.”

Jasper saluted theatrically and then exited the room. Moments later, the sounds of the TV filled the space, leaving Briar Rose and Jackson suspended in a charged silence—a moment that would shape their tangled constellations.

Their eyes remained locked until Bri sighed, her fingers brushing against the edge of the kitchen counter. “The coffee,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned to prepare two cups, but Jackson’s hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. He pulled her into a tight, almost painfully so, embrace. Bri melted into it, her face buried against his chest, inhaling the familiar scent, an indefinable mix of leather, horses, hay and wilderness.

“I am so sorry,” Bri mumbled into Jackson’s strong chest. She could feel his entire body relax slightly as the tension released. His grip on her tightened, as if he couldn’t bear to let her go.

He released her enough to tilt up her head to face him. His eyes still bore the hurt and sadness, but then he kissed her. It was an intense kiss, harder than usual, demanding, claiming. Bri’s heart raced, and for a moment, she forgot everything else—the tangled web of relationships, the mistakes, the uncertain future.

Iris Marie, Bri’s twin sister and Jasper’s girlfriend, walked into the scene, her eyes wide. “Wow! From almost breaking my poor brain with all the bone-dry, boring things they think mere mortals should be able to retain–an idea my brain is seriously resenting— straight into some boom-chic-a-bow-wow moment between my sis and her man in our kitchen. On that note, hey there Jackson, didn’t know you were coming to town. Is that coffee I smell… whoa!” Her rant was interrupted by Jasper, who appeared out of nowhere and pulled her with him into the living room.

“Sorry about that,” Jasper called over his shoulder. “You two resume. Iris, in here, now! Come on, babe!”

“But… coffee!” she protested, trying to break free, but Jasper proved stronger.

“You don’t need no coffee, you got me, I’ll perk you right up. Leave those two be right now.”

Iris protested, still trying to break free and probably head to the coffeemaker, but Jasper started smooching around on her in a manner that made her and probably everyone watching it forget their own names as he pulled her into the living room.

With them out of view again, Bri kissed Jackson once more, and right as they were getting lost in the moment, they felt watched again. Bri pulled away, her lips swollen from the intensity of their kisses.

With a disgruntled groan, she let go of Jackson, wiping her lips. She turned to the young man who had just entered the room, eyeing the scene. “WHAT?! Where did you come from and why are you staring at us like some creep? Never seen a couple kiss before? Ever heard of privacy?”

“Good evening to you both as well,” the newcomer said, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Lots of smooching going on here tonight, your sister and Jasper are at it in the living room and now you two in here. Sorry to interrupt, and to answer your question with the obvious fact: I came from outside and am on my way to my room which leads me through this very shared kitchen. If you two wanted privacy, I would suggest moving this tete-a-tete into your room and close the door. Either way, I wouldn’t have interrupted, but just wanted to tell you that I am gonna be leaving a bit early for Spring Break, packing right now and will be gone tomorrow morning. Got some parties to throw, cos I was just proposed to.”

Jackson scowled. “I am sorry, but who are ya?”

“Oh, Jackson, sorry. This is Jake Cameron. My cousin from Henford on Bagley, Uncle Gavin and Auntie Bee’s son,” Bri explained. “He shares a room with Jasper, at least for a little while longer; cos that lucky guy is about to graduate soon. Wait what? Did you say you were proposed to? As in engaged?! YOU ARE ENGAGED! I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend! OMG, another wedding. Lemme guess, she’s knocked up too, right?”

“Well, while it’s certainly in the realm of possibility, we are not expecting as far as I know at this time. I wouldn’t have called it a girlfriend per se, but I met a very beautiful and sweet young noble lady at one of His and Her Majesties’ balls in Henfordshire and we have been seeing each other when we could over the past year or so, you might say we kept it on the down low, to avoid idle gossip and paparazzi and such until we were ready to share. I got a bit elusive because of exams of late, sweet Lady Dominique just missed me too much, so she came all the way here to campus to surprise me this afternoon, and then after a nice dinner, we went on a romantic walk, where lo and behold, she surprised me yet again, by proposing marriage to me. Obviously, I accepted. You might say my future Lady Cameron is not only of noble birth, their lineage dating back centuries, but also a very modern-minded young lady. I must go pack now; she is waiting for me at her hotel near the airport.”

“Hear that Bri, someone missed someone else so much they would drive their old beat-up hand me down truck across the country to see them,” Jackson couldn’t help but comment.

Jake raised an eyebrow.

“I see, so that is why you are here, how endearing, and most definitely a grand gesture to behold. I suppose it’s a similar situation, except a Lady Dominique DeMercier wouldn’t drive herself, let alone this far. She took her parents’ private jet, and had a driver, so presumably her parents already know the happy news. Mine don’t. On that note, I need to go make a phone call before I start packing. You’ll probably be able to hear my mom’s response…without needing a phone, she’ll be screaming while doing her happy dance, my poor dad is gonna end up temporarily deaf. Anyway, nice to see you again, Jackson. I remember you; it’s been a while, but you were at Jack’s wedding celebration at Cromwell Palace, which is where you and I were introduced. Oh, right, just occurred to me Jack’s your dad, of course. Oh yes, I DO remember you now, very vividly. I’ll leave you two to it then. Please tell Jasper and Iris the news, they were more intensely involved with each other, so I really didn’t want to interrupt that.” Jake’s smirk grew big, and he wiggled his eyebrows at Bri, winked at Jackson, and headed down a hallway.

“I don’t remember ever meetin’ that guy,” Jackson muttered.

“Yeah, well, you have, he’s right, I remember that now too and he clearly remembers you. You and I have become quite memorable to most of my family because of our roll in the clover when we took those two royal Cromwell horses without asking and stopped for a round of nookie during that joyride, and your dad nearly beat our butts for it during the earthshattering lecture he gave us the minute we got back, during which my brother somehow figured out what we had been up to in the fields, while my then still-boyfriend Brad was left at the palace by himself. I know somehow my Grandpa Blaine got wind of all that and then everyone knew. Oh man, I had almost forgotten about that nugget. As if I needed help feeling any shittier by being reminded that my entire family knows about that, all five million of them. You sure you wanna date THIS?” Bri gestured up and down at herself.

“There’s a lot more I wanna do with THAT. But yeah, dating is one of those things.”

“So we’re okay?” Bri tested, hopeful.

“I’m not happy about it all, still a lot hurt,” she began, her voice softening, “but yeah, we’re okay.”

“Thank you. I promise I’ll keep Brad at arms length from now on, maybe an occasional friendly hug.”

“Now, reason I came here, aside from missin’ ya and wantin’ to spend time with ya, is I got a surprise for ya too. Well, Jasper’s got it on his laptop, I’ll have him show ya tomorrow. He already let the cat out of the bag, but here’s a hint: you’ll be needin’ yer bikini. If ya don’t like it, I might have to kick Jasper’s Northfacin’ Southend something fierce, cos he been insistin’ you’d love this a lot more than the piece of real nice jewelry I was thinkin’ about buyin’ ya, earrings or a nice bracelet or something, but he said a couple’s vacation is what we really need. So, that’s what we got.”

Briar Rose raised an eyebrow. “You really booked a vacation for us? Oh boy! Jasper’s got good taste which makes me worried, cos that usually means expensive and he definitely does know what I like and what not. Oh Jackson, how did you pay for that?! With those damn rodeos, right? You’ll break your neck one of these days getting bucked off!” She leaned against the kitchen counter, with a sigh, while running her hands down Jackson’s chest.

“Ah, I am tougher than letting a lil bronc ridin’ kill me. But yeah, that, a little bit of stud fees for Blaze and Patches and a lotta helping out other ranchers who were short a ranch hand or two. Hope ya didn’t already make plans for Spring Break, cos I just called dibs on ya.” Jackson winked, placing his hands over hers pressing them against his chest.

“Sounds heavenly, my plans were actually to come and see you, surprise, surprise, so I am all yours, but I just realized another problem. You are here now and it’s late. I’d love to invite you to stay with me, but oddly enough and ironically, my Grandpa Blaine actually owns this place and he’s got strong opinions on all that. Single beds only and they won’t fit both of us, plus I am in the top bunk so I can’t even suggest stacking us in there, just won’t fit. Grandpa claims his rule is in place to prevent any Cameron Curse babies from being conceived while living in the campus house he owns, basically to cover his own rear, so nobody can blame him when they send their kid here for a degree and they come back home with a new addition to the Cameron family tree on board. Knowing my grandpa and how much he enjoys sex, that is hysterically hypocritical. As if beds are all it takes for things like that to happen, as he would well know, having raised seven kids and knowing him, not all, if any, were actually conceived in a bed.”

Jackson chuckled, crinkling his eyes. “Yeah, your grandpa’s something else. But speaking of curses…” He stepped closer, his gaze intense. “Maybe instead of preventing a Cameron Curse baby, I need to start trying for one on purpose. That should do the trick and send the right message to Brad once and for all. And remind you who yer with. Me.”

Briar Rose’s laughter bubbled up. “Wow, delulu much? Seriously?” She shook her head. “For one, if it’s on purpose, it’s not a Cameron Curse. That term was coined for unplanned, unwanted accidents—habitual in my family, by the way.” She touched her abdomen, the scars hidden beneath her shirt. “Secondly, we’re way too young for kids, Jackson, not to mention not remotely mature enough for parenthood. Thirdly, and probably most importantly, may I remind you that I can’t have babies, Jackson. Cysts, ovaries, internal scarring—you remember all that? Ring any bells? Yeah, sad reminder that you are dating damaged goods here.”

He nodded solemnly. “I remember everything, it’s you who keeps forgettin’ that I keep tellin’ ya whether or not ya can have babies, ya ain’t damaged goods, Bri, you are perfect. I don’t need no remindin’, I remember you and yer brother and yer parents always sayin’ it would be difficult for ya to become a mother, but nobody ever said impossible. I listened, and I listened good. And maybe it’s time to redefine things. Turn curses into blessin’s. At least for us, I reckon, it would be.”

Briar Rose’s eyes narrowed. “Okay, what’s with the baby talk? Since when are you the family man? You don’t even want to get married. Remember Taylor? She wanted a ring, wedding bells, the whole package with YOU and you gave her the pass. You dragged your feet, supposedly not able to break up with her cos she didn’t want to hear you, until she started trying on your last name, then suddenly you demoted her to ex-girlfriend so fast it made her head spin, just wham-bam-thank-you-Ma’am and Taylor who?” Bri snapped her fingers.

Jackson’s grin was unapologetic. “Taylor, yeah. She wasn’t the girl I’d marry, she’d warm my bed on frosty nights, but that’s where it ended. No strings, no promises, and I never told ‘er otherwise, if she got ‘er hopes up, that’s on her. All that was back in the days after ya already let me have a taste of ya, but then only allowed me to be a quick scratch for some itch ya had, didn’t want to be seen associatin’ with me. Now that ya came to yer senses—” He pulled her closer, his touch warm. “now that yer mine, I could be persuaded to dance on a higher floor with ya. Despite of everything, especially if the stork were to ever deliver us a present, planned or otherwise, we’ll figure it out. We get married or we don’t, depends on how we feel. And probably how yer daddy feels.” His eyes danced. “I’ve seen my fair share of shotgun weddin’s.”

Briar Rose sighed. “Okay, I’m loving how you’re planning a future for us in that super-weird way right now and am super-flattered. But umm… that whole baby talk is just not it for me. It freaks me out on so many different levels. And just for the record, my dad doesn’t even own a shotgun.”

Jackson’s smirk deepened. “Why would it freak ya out? Cos you’d be havin’ a baby with a redneck like me? Cos you’d be the talk of yer hometown for letting a redneck like me knock ya up? Don’t give me that babies scare ya, Bri, I watched ya when ya held Brad’s baby, secretly wishin’ it were yours. I saw it, and I got over that, but it did make me think things I hadn’t thought of before.” He gestured toward the window, even though this wasn’t her hometown. “I know what I am and what I ain’t, I’ve seen them starin’ whenever you and I stroll through yer hometown. Bet yer parents just love hearing about all that and then some from their neighbors, about that terrible stain on their white vests they are lettin’ their sweet daughter date. All that promise, all that potential, ruined and in the gutter cos of that backwoods Kershaw boy, huh?”

She leaned into him, her heart doing that familiar flip. “Oh, shut up you dramaqueen. You know none of that is true. Yeah, maybe you are a redneck, you definitely act like it sometimes,” she whispered. “But you’re MY redneck. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Plus, my parents adore you. Just so you know, last time we were home, for Christmas and New Years, some women did try to stir up drama with my mom when she was shopping at the bakery in old downtown. Oh, they clearly didn’t know my mom well, but they do now. She handed their butts to them, in bitesize pieces. Dad was waiting for her in the car but heard the commotion, so he went into the bakery just in time to separate my mom from some lady, ready to throw down. All because they tried to talk trash about you.”

“That’s funny right there, cos when mah dad and Izzy were visitin’ home this last time, just a few days before ya showed up, someone said something he didn’t like about you down by the cornerstore and dad just about mopped the floor with that guy, and when they got him off that guy, Izzy went in literally kickin’ his ass yellin’ at him in Irish Gaelic. I wasn’t there for all that, but got told about it by several people, includin’ mah dad and Izzy. Guess we got some people rootin’ for us all over. Wish I had a way to break that news to Brad.”

“Brad knows I love you and I wanna be with you, he said as much. The problem with him is that he and I never actually got a chance to break up. His dad decided and made everything so toxic. Logical reaction would be to stay away, but it’s not fair, Brad and I were good friends before we dated, he used to be Jasper’s best friend, so growing up, he was at our house all the time, I know him so well, as do Iris and Jasper, obviously. It’s not about the ex part, it’s about the old friendship. He really is a good guy, kind and not malicious. Just, our situation is really confusing, to him and to me. Has nothing to do with loving him or not loving you. It’s hard to explain. And his wife is one of my oldest friends. I have been friends with Molly in kindergarten. I can’t just act like that never happened. Those were years of my life, considering I am a whopping 20, knowing someone from age 3 or so to 16 is a BIG part of my life.”

“Yeah, I get all that. And I don’t mind ya talkin’. I talk to Taylor, I told ya, where I come from it’s small towns, you don’t just go ’round ignorin’ people. You might need their help next. And we all always help out if we can. No time or room for all that drama. So, yeah, I do get it, but I don’t get the romantic moment I saw. That had nothin’ to do with old friendship. I saw what I saw, Bri, there’s no denyin’ that wasn’t friendly, that was romantic and let’s be honest, had Jasper not opened the door when he did, there would have been more than what we got to see.”

“I am not denying that. It was a moment of weakness. We talked so much over dinner, first about college and all that stress, then about him and his wife and kid and somehow that lead us down the rabbithole of ‘remember back when…’. And somehow that made us forget we are not 16 anymore and it isn’t prom night.”

“I took ya to prom.”

“You took me to senior prom. I meant junior prom and all those dances in between, I went to each of those with Brad, Jackson. Then and now, he always sees me to the door and from when we started dating, it always ended like what you saw, up until he and I broke up. We just fell into the past for a brief meaningless moment. I am sure he feels just as bad and guilty and ashamed of that lapse in judgement as I do. This wasn’t the beginning of an attempt to cheat. It was a memory that had become too real to handle. I swear it, and I also swear it won’t ever happen again.”

Jackson sighed, then nodded, processing her words.

“I am no stranger to sleepin’ on floors, if yer sister don’t mind me in all y’all’s room.” he winked at her.

“Umm, how about a couch. It’s a shared room, so you would have people walk through, but if you are okay with that … You, me and Iris in a pretty small room is just a little too cringe and she has nowhere else to go. I know she would love to give us privacy, and she’d love even more to sleep in one bed with Jasper, but grandpa is surprisingly stern about that, which is ironic, since everyone knows how much he likes sex. A lot of it, all the time, always has and always will. But he says there is a time and place for everything, and our parents don’t pay a lot of money to send us to university just to give us a comfortable place to screw when we should be—and I quote ‘learning important shit’—unquote.”

“Can’t fault him for that logic, cos we both know, he ain’t wrong about it. There wouldn’t be much learnin’ happenin’ if there were beds big enough for two people. I ain’t been to college myself, but I heard all the stories about them partyin’ and tryin’ out things, not sure how much of all I heard is true, but even if it’s half, I get where he’s comin’ from. I got mah truck. Seats lay all the way back and it ain’t too bad a sleepin’ spot. If it don’t rain, the truck bed can be real nice.” Jackson drawled, making Bri giggle.

“This is Britchester in Spring. It will rain. Okay, I’ll get some pillows and blankets and we’ll put your truck to the test as overnight quarters.

***
Bri’s face burned with humiliation as she bolted toward Jasper’s luxurious car, practically diving headfirst into the back seat. The hood of Jasper’s sweater was pulled low over her face, shielding her from the world. Jasper, ever the smirking instigator, patted Jackson on the back as he attempted to join Bri. Instead, Jasper slammed the back door shut and opened the passenger side, effectively keeping them apart.

“Let’s just keep you two off my backseat,” Jasper quipped, his eyes dancing with amusement. “I’ve heard what you two get up to in there, and I just had the leather seats detailed.”

Jackson, undeterred, playfully shoved Jasper. He slid his long legs into the passenger seat without a word, and Jasper settled into the driver’s seat, glancing at Bri in the rearview mirror. She huddled in the back, attempting to disappear beneath Jasper’s oversized sweater. He grinned at Jackson.

“Got about 300 buckaroos left?”

“300 bucks? What for?” Jackson looked shocked.

“To bail your truck out of campus car jail,” Jasper explained. “Campus security loves impounding vehicles when students misbehave—parking violations, naughty escapades, you name it. Last time I had to retrieve my car, they charged the princely sum of $299.95. That was fun explaining that number on my credit card statement, which goes straight to my dad. Yeah, nothing like telling your dad your car was impounded by campus security cos I was caught pounding Iris in the backseat. Oh well, as long as I can keep my grades up along with my pant-dwelling friend all is good and well, right?”

“JAS!!! TMI!!! Iris is my sister and I really don’t want to hear about your ….thing!!!! EEEW!”

“So? I am your brother from another mother, my sister from another Mister, and I just had to listen to campus personnel’s fun game of trying to say it without saying it about what you two dirty birdies were caught doing in his truck last night… They didn’t have to get too graphic for me to know someone’s pant-dweller was involved at some point and I got my money on it having been Jackson’s.”

“JASPER!!! One more word about that and I am walking home!” Bri shot eye daggers at Jasper as their eyes met in the rear-view mirror.

“Okay, okay, fine, I’ll behave. But only because you’re wearing my favorite hoodie, cos someone decided to dress in her sexy pjs for some mattress mambo in her boyfriend’s truck last night. Almost as if I knew you’re not one to think things through, and at least one of us, meaning me, remembered that Spring mornings can be VERY nippy in Britchester, huh Bri?” he grinned as she demonstratively flipped him off.

“Not to interrupt all all y’all’s anatomy lessons and fashion discussions, but I don’t have that much cash on me…” Jackson looked distraught.

“No worries,” Jasper reassured him. “I’ve got it covered. Ever since my little personal experience with the diligence of nighttime campus security I made sure I got a ‘pounding impound emergency fund’ in cash on me at all times. Speaking of…Iris wanted to be here, to bust into the administration office all lawyer-like, but she had an early class. Trust me, she’d have been too busy laughing to be of much, if any, help anyway. And luckily, since we all are supposedly adults here, they don’t call the parents. That would’ve been a real awkward conversation.”

“Yeah, lucky for us you handle these situations maturely and with such dignity.” Bri grumbled from the backseat, her words oozing sarcasm.

Jasper chuckled. “Hey, I’m keeping it mature here, keeping my jokes to a minimum. But just like Jackson probably told you last night, sometimes you’ve gotta let me get one in real quick… OUCH!” He winced as playful swats and gentle punches rained down from both Bri and Jackson. Ignoring the ‘abuse’ and laughing, he started the car and drove them to the campus impound lot, determined to retrieve Jackson’s truck.