I cringe at the idea. “I wish I could, but I’ve never been able to.”

“Well, never can be a temporary word,” she informs me. “You should ask Hunter or Jax to teach you. Both of them are really good swimmers. But I’m sure you know that since they saved you today.”

“I’ll think about it,” I tell her, but I don’t want to at all.

“Good,” she says, sounding like she’s calmed down a bit. “I have somewhere to be, so I can’t talk for much longer, but there’s so much stuff I want to talk to you about, so I’m wondering if you want to have lunch tomorrow with me.”

I smile at that. “I’d love to.”

“Awesome. Meet me at my locker at lunchtime?”

I agree, and then we hang up.

The second I get off the phone, Hunter asks, “What’d she want?”

“She heard I was dealing drugs and got suspended from school,” I tell him. “She wanted to fact check the rumor.”

Jax, who’s sank down on the bed, straightens, tension rippling through his body. “What?”

I shrug. “I’m sure it’s whoever pushed me off the bridge. Well, that or Dixie May saw an opportunity if she noticed I wasn’t at school for the last half of the day.”

Hunter shakes his head with his jaw set tight. “Somebody is going to get their ass kicked, even if it is your stupid cousin.”

“You gonna beat up my cousin for me?” I question with amusement.

His lips twitch, clearly annoyed. “I want to, but I don’t feel right hitting a girl, so I guess I’ll just have to help you make that happen.”

I struggle not to grin like an idiot at the idea of Hunter holding Dixie May back while I smack her around a bit.

“Is that all Low wanted?” Hunter double-checks. “You guys talked for a bit …”

“Pretty much,” I tell him. “Oh, well, she wanted to see if I wanted to go to lunch with her tomorrow.”

“No. You can’t,” Jax sputters so suddenly and sharply that he startles me badly enough that I nearly pee my pants.

I arch a brow at him. “Dude, as grateful as I am for you saving me, you can’t just boss me around.”

He steps toward me, panic flashing in his eyes. “I’m not trying to boss you around. It’s just too dangerous right now for you to be wandering around.” He roughly rakes his fingers through his hair. “With the game starting and with what happened on the bridge today …” He shakes his head, struggling to breathe. “You can’t be by yourself. Ever.”

“That’s not your decision,” I stress. “And, while shit may have happened today, I’m more prepared now. And I know how to handle myself in a fight.”

His panic magnifies, and he reaches for me, but then he jerks back. “I … I can’t …”

Hunter steps between us and gives Jax’s shoulder a soft squeeze. “You need to step outside, takes some deep breaths, and try to calm down.”