never told you the full story.”
Speechless, Garreth shook his head.
Jackson stiffened his spine and straightened his shoulders. It was time Garreth knew. Time he understood the real reason Rachel was off-limits to Jenna’s twin. In a twisted way, he understood why Gazza had seduced Rachel. Why he’d thought a threesome might be a good idea between them. Gazza believed it was time to get over the immature barriers that had kept Jackson and Rachel apart. Garreth was pushing him to take a stance, to make Rachel his. But Garreth had acted without knowing all the facts.
“I had a fling with one of Jenna’s so-called friends when we were seventeen.” She’d been pretty, she’d been popular, and she’d been interested. She’d also been about as fascinating as an empty can of tuna. After a few dull dates Jackson had told her they wouldn’t work out. “When she realized I didn’t return her interest, it pissed her off. She decided I needed to be taught a lesson. So she told fifty of her closest friends that I couldn’t get it up.”
Garreth opened his mouth, but Jackson pushed on.
“For her. She told them the only girl I could get it up for was my sister.”
Garreth gaped at Jackson.
“The rumor spread. Within a day the entire school had heard it. Only by then it had morphed into Jenna and I having a heated sexual relationship. We were the talk of every teenager at South Brisbane High.” The viscous bitch had destroyed Jenna’s life. Had she kept her bitterness focused on Jackson, he’d have had no trouble laughing it off. But she’d targeted Jenna as well. Accused them both of hideous untruths.
Those untruths had taken root in the school grapevine and grown out of all proportion, destroying Jenna’s and Jackson’s reputations in the process. The talk and the gossip had not died down quickly. Over the weeks it had changed Jenna, turned her from the vivacious, confident sister he’d known, into a hollow shell of her former self.
“Jenna became depressed. I’m not talking sad and miserable. She suffered a full-on clinical depression. And she stopped eating. By the time my parents admitted her to hospital, she weighed barely thirty-five kilos. If she’d gone on like that she’d have starved herself to death.” The memory still dredged up the same sense of uselessness, of helplessness, he’d felt back then. It left him as powerless now as he’d been at seventeen.
“She stayed in the clinic for the rest of the year,” he told Garreth. “Three months passed before either Jenna or her doctors and therapists believed she was ready to be discharged.”
At the beginning of the new year, Jenna and Jackson had transferred to a new school and a new life, leaving the scandal and the rumors far behind them.
“Jenna has every right to make the demands she now does. I couldn’t stop the landslide that followed that bitch’s assassination of her, but I’ll damn well make good and sure nothing bad ever happens to my sister again.”
“I-I never knew,” Garreth whispered in a tortured voice.
“Jenna never wanted you to know. She doesn’t want anyone to know.”
Garreth nodded. He was quiet for a very long time, absorbing everything Jackson told him. “Rachel would never do anything like that,” he said finally. “Even if things don’t work out between you.”
“Of course she wouldn’t,” Jackson agreed. That was a given. Rachel was the one who’d helped Jenna through her trauma. The girl who’d befriended her at their new school, who’d seen through his sister’s pain and somehow accessed the real Jenna again. “But even dating Rachel would freak Jenna out. It would bring back memories she’s put away and moved on from.” He shrugged. “I made a promise to Jenna. I won’t go back on it.” No matter how much he wanted to be with Rachel.
Rachel spent the day in hiding. The shock of discovering Garreth was Jackson’s housemate was too overwhelming to think about. She chose not to.
Speechless, Garreth shook his head.
Jackson stiffened his spine and straightened his shoulders. It was time Garreth knew. Time he understood the real reason Rachel was off-limits to Jenna’s twin. In a twisted way, he understood why Gazza had seduced Rachel. Why he’d thought a threesome might be a good idea between them. Gazza believed it was time to get over the immature barriers that had kept Jackson and Rachel apart. Garreth was pushing him to take a stance, to make Rachel his. But Garreth had acted without knowing all the facts.
“I had a fling with one of Jenna’s so-called friends when we were seventeen.” She’d been pretty, she’d been popular, and she’d been interested. She’d also been about as fascinating as an empty can of tuna. After a few dull dates Jackson had told her they wouldn’t work out. “When she realized I didn’t return her interest, it pissed her off. She decided I needed to be taught a lesson. So she told fifty of her closest friends that I couldn’t get it up.”
Garreth opened his mouth, but Jackson pushed on.
“For her. She told them the only girl I could get it up for was my sister.”
Garreth gaped at Jackson.
“The rumor spread. Within a day the entire school had heard it. Only by then it had morphed into Jenna and I having a heated sexual relationship. We were the talk of every teenager at South Brisbane High.” The viscous bitch had destroyed Jenna’s life. Had she kept her bitterness focused on Jackson, he’d have had no trouble laughing it off. But she’d targeted Jenna as well. Accused them both of hideous untruths.
Those untruths had taken root in the school grapevine and grown out of all proportion, destroying Jenna’s and Jackson’s reputations in the process. The talk and the gossip had not died down quickly. Over the weeks it had changed Jenna, turned her from the vivacious, confident sister he’d known, into a hollow shell of her former self.
“Jenna became depressed. I’m not talking sad and miserable. She suffered a full-on clinical depression. And she stopped eating. By the time my parents admitted her to hospital, she weighed barely thirty-five kilos. If she’d gone on like that she’d have starved herself to death.” The memory still dredged up the same sense of uselessness, of helplessness, he’d felt back then. It left him as powerless now as he’d been at seventeen.
“She stayed in the clinic for the rest of the year,” he told Garreth. “Three months passed before either Jenna or her doctors and therapists believed she was ready to be discharged.”
At the beginning of the new year, Jenna and Jackson had transferred to a new school and a new life, leaving the scandal and the rumors far behind them.
“Jenna has every right to make the demands she now does. I couldn’t stop the landslide that followed that bitch’s assassination of her, but I’ll damn well make good and sure nothing bad ever happens to my sister again.”
“I-I never knew,” Garreth whispered in a tortured voice.
“Jenna never wanted you to know. She doesn’t want anyone to know.”
Garreth nodded. He was quiet for a very long time, absorbing everything Jackson told him. “Rachel would never do anything like that,” he said finally. “Even if things don’t work out between you.”
“Of course she wouldn’t,” Jackson agreed. That was a given. Rachel was the one who’d helped Jenna through her trauma. The girl who’d befriended her at their new school, who’d seen through his sister’s pain and somehow accessed the real Jenna again. “But even dating Rachel would freak Jenna out. It would bring back memories she’s put away and moved on from.” He shrugged. “I made a promise to Jenna. I won’t go back on it.” No matter how much he wanted to be with Rachel.
Rachel spent the day in hiding. The shock of discovering Garreth was Jackson’s housemate was too overwhelming to think about. She chose not to.
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