Nothing Matters (Family Matters Book 1) by Liana Key Read Free Book Online Page B

with Nathan?" he asks nonchalantly, after just giving me a play by play on the Clippers game last night, as if I was interested in it.
    I give a shrug.  "Love him," I say flippantly.
    "What? Like you loved Stacey Portman?" he sneers.
    I give him a face.  "Yeah, well," I say indignantly, "may have made an...error in judgment with that one."
    "Error in judgment?" Jakey laughs, "that sounds about right!"
    "Nathan is different," I declare.
    He pauses, picks up his can of drink from the ground and says in a low voice, "He's white trash Magdala."  I narrow my eyes at him, feel upset, pout at him.  "What do you see in him?" Jakey asks, his tone less severe, he knows he's hurt me.  I don't reply for a second, trying to think of a careful answer.  Jakey is supposed to be my best friend, he's supposed to be supportive, caring, not tearing my boyfriend to shreds.
    I've considered Jakey to be my best friend since I was seven and he was eight.  That was the year that both our parents were having relationship and financial issues.  Dad, Cassian and I moved in with Grandad Chris on the ranch because Dad was studying at that time, only working part time and couldn't always have a sitter to watch us.  Aunt Kate had just broken up with Jakey and Raff's father, so they moved to the ranch as well.  We all ended up staying there for eighteen months.  In that time the four of us all hung out, but it was Jakey and I who became the closest.  I was the one who started called him Jakey when I was just little.  His name's Jacob, but it was shortened to Jake, then, the story goes that as a three year old I called him Jakey, and it stuck.
    Jakey's kind of reckless, a little rebellious, in contrast to Cassian who is strong, constant, reliable, sensible, just as an older brother should be.  We never did anything bad, but Jakey liked to push boundaries, live on the edge, make a little mischief when we lived at the ranch and I could always be relied on to be his co-conspirator.  Raff, who is the same age as me, was always shyer, quieter, he liked computers and books, rather than sports and horses.
    "You wouldn't understand," I say with a wave of my hand and a shake of my head.  Because what does he know about relationships?  He's never had one last more than a handful of dates.
    "He got you fucking drunk Magdala," he says.  "Anything could have happened."   
    "Well it didn't," I reply defensively, "and he didn't get me drunk.  I made my own decision to drink." 
    "Well it wasn't your smartest move," he says.  "Did you tell Trey?"
    I shake my head.  Luckily for me the next day Dad had taken Damon and Dominique to the ranch so I never saw him until the evening, by which time I'd slept off my hangover.
    "I don't fucking trust him," Jakey says, "why do you even like him?"
    "There's just something between us," I try to explain, because sometimes I don't even understand how our relationship works myself, "some sort of chemistry."
    "You suck at science," he jests, "what would you know about chemistry?"
    "I just want to be with him...all the time," I proclaim.
    "Do you talk?" He seems intrigued now.
    "Of course we talk," I say, "we talk all the time."
    "You fuck all the time."  It's like a statement.
    I just stare, my mouth wide open, "Jakey -" I say, my voice shocked.
    "Cash says you stay over at his house," Jakey says, annoyance in his voice, like this is a bad thing.
    "I told you we love each other," I say, smiling.
    "Love or lust?" Jakey scoffs.
    I just glare at him, shake my head.  "I'm not gonna talk to you when you're like this," I say, folding my arms.  Besides I haven't, and don't think I want to discuss my sex life with Jakey.
    "Hey Magdala," he soothes, "don't be like that.  You know I just don't want to see you get hurt."  Then, as if to add insult to injury, "Again."
    "Nathan would never hurt me," I state, "and I think you know that."
    Jakey sits forward, looks into my eyes, concedes, "I don't want him to come between us."
    I