Conrad Declan’s POV
“I’m never going to date you, Conrad.” Oliva said to my face and walked away leaving me standing in the hallways.
I smirked as I watched her catwalk back to the class room, the kind of catwalk that screamed I-really-want-you-but-I-gotta-play-hard-to-get-first. Yes, that’s Oliva. A girl I hated, to say the least.
I’ve always thought of Olivia as a slutty and manipulative person. She had a reputation that preceded her—kind, gentle, pretty, caring blah blah blah but in reality she wasn’t any of those things. She messed with most of the seniors when we were juniors and sometimes I had always wondered how someone from such a rich family could be so petty.
But then again, besides the designer clothes and bags she carried, there was nothing else to prove that she was indeed from a rich family. No one has ever been to her house or seen her parents who she claimed were abroad. We can’t be sure she’s not getting all that money from selling her body.
Olivia’s had a crush on me since fifth grade and she has never failed to show it whenever she is around me. But now that we’re seniors, she’s trying to play hard to get. I’ve never been into her, not even once and right now, I am pursuing her because of a bet I made with Carter. That fuck boy has something on me and is making me pursue Olivia.
It will all be over soon because i know Olivia well. She is going to give in because she is like that. She sucks up to every dick she gets. It makes me kind of worried about Jenna, she shouldn’t be friends with someone like Olivia.
I cared about Jenna, a lot than I should. When mum had told me she was staying with us for senior year I had looked forward to bonding with her like when we were kids, the innocent looking Jenna. But, heck when I first saw her that night, I knew we could never be friends. She didn’t look that innocent anymore. Literally everything about her was different now. She had gotten prettier than I remembered, way prettier.
Her eyes? Even in the dimly lit room that night, they had shore under her impossibly long eyelashes. The way she fidgeted when she saw me that night was funny and her dark hair was a little messy.
And her lips. They were pretty and judging by my observation, really soft with a perfect cupid’s bow—not that I’m obsessed or something, I’m just kind of good at observing.
To be honest, I don’t think I’d be able to control myself if we were alone in the same space for too long. Not being friends with her is way better.
“Hey, Conrad!” I heard that familiar voice resonate through the hallways. It was Carter. Of course.
He jogged to my side and mockingly nudged my elbow, “I saw what Olivia did there, Con. Sick burn.”
I furrowed my eyebrows at him. He was trying to toy with me but I wasn’t going to let him get to me.
“Whatever, Carter. We’re in the playing-hard-to-get-phase. She’s going to give in soon. I’m Conrad, Conrad Declan.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Carter said. You’ve been kinda cocky lately.”
“Cocky?”
“Yeah, cocky. You know, overconfident, full of yourself, big ego, arrogant, condescending …”
I shut him off with a nudge, “That’s enough, I know what cocky means. I’ve always been cocky, though. And by the way, it’s not cocky if it’s true.”
“Sure, Conrad. Let’s go for a smoke.”
Carter and I decided to skip last period and go for a smoke behind the bleachers. It had always been our secret hangout since junior year. Just us two. We’d been inseparable since junior year, he was also the only close friend I had. I knew everything about him and he also knew everything about me—maybe not everything but we’re getting there.
“Emily asked me to give you something. I don’t know, it’s a little gift bag. It’s in my locker. Want me to throw it out?” Carter said, as he brought out a lighter from his pocket.
“Do you even have to ask?” I replied, clenching my fists..
Most of the girls at Fox Lane High were pathetic, shameless even. They’d throw themselves at any guy with abs. While some of them told me they liked me to my face, some of them just went the old fashioned way—sending the best friend. I’ve always wondered how Carter never complained about the list of girls that came to him everyday to ask about my likes, my dislikes and girlfriends.
Girlfriend was out of it. I’ve never been in any serious relationship, most of the girls I screwed with were a one time thing. It had never gone beyond that. Why? Because it’s fun to have a lot of options, to not be bound to one person by a stupid myth called ‘love.’ Love is a complete waste of time. You can never truely be loved and you can never truely love someone. So, why go through the stress of loving someone and being loved when you can just screw around with any girl you want and have fun?
*****
Jenna Brooks’s POV
As soon as the closing bell rang, I grabbed my bag and dashed to freedom. There were surprisingly no interruptions on my way out except when I bumped into Olivia and she told me she was looking forward to seeing me tomorrow.
That uplifted my spirit a little and it made me kind of want to look forward to tomorrow. The ride home was filled with bickering between Jeanette and Jamie. They were arguing about something that wasn’t quite clear to me but it was obvious Jamie was winning by the way Jeanette was squinting her eyes like she couldn’t see his point.
While I let myself enjoy the whole thing because it was kind of refreshing, Conrad just sat there pretending like no one else existed. How the fuck does he do that? He gets so touchy and squirmy and feely with girls at school but whenever he’s around me, he acts like a lone wolf.
I wasn’t going to let his presence bother me, I wasn’t going to let him bother me. The rest of the ride home was quiet after Jeanette finally admitted that Jamie was right and she was wrong.
Jenna Brooks’s POV As we ate dinner, Auntie Laurel asked me how my first day went and I kinda lied about how great it was. I had earlier told Jamie not to mention it to her that I was having a hard time. As i slowly ate my lagzania, I tried not to look at Conrad who was seated right across me, poking at his food with a fork.Jeanette had told me he hardly ate at home so why was he here tonight? Did someone invite him? Yeah, I was annoyed at him at that moment and I remember I swore not to let him get to me but gosh! He had a way of annoying his way into my thoughts.Finally, as dinner was about to be over, Auntie Laurel turned to Conrad.“You have your study session with your friends tonight, right?” She asked him and he barely acknowledged her with a nod. “Great, you can take Jenna along.”Jenna? My Jenna? Why? How? I glanced at Conrad to be sure his eyes weren’t already throwing daggers at me. Too late. His eyes were already shooting lasers.Conrad shrugged, “I don’t think J
Jenna Brooks’s POV Liam's grin widened, and he motioned towards a table adorned with cups filled with a suspiciously colored liquid. "In that case, let me get you a drink. It'll help take the edge off, trust me."Reluctantly, I nodded, my curiosity overriding my reservations. Slowly, Liam guided me towards the table, effortlessly dodging the energetic crowd as we made our way through the throng of partygoers.As I held the cup in my hand, tiny droplets of condensation trickling down its sides, I hesitated before finally taking a hesitant sip. The drink was bittersweet on my tongue, but as the warmth spread through my body, i couldn't help but feel a fleeting sense of relaxation. As the night wore on and the drinks flowed, my inhibitions began to melt away. The once disapproving gaze I held over the party faded, replaced by a sense of reckless abandon. The music engulfed me, its rhythm guiding my movements as I danced among the swaying bodies.Amidst the pulsating sea of
Jenna Brooks’s POV KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! I jolted awake, startled by the noise. Ow. My head was throbbing. I rubbed my temples trying to remember what had happened last night but I failed to. How did I get home? How did I get to my room? This must be what it feels like to be hungover. How much did I drink? Why was my head pounding so much? Was it the tequila? The whiskey? The rum? The wine? Mixing all four? Who knows. KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK. Shit. What time was it? I checked my phone: 8:05 a.m. Fuck! “I’m coming!” I shouted, trying but failing to put on my best I-definitely-did-not-just-wake-up voice. I yanked open the door. It was Jeanette. She was all dressed for school except, she hadn’t yet put on makeup. “You’re not ready yet?” she asked me, her eyes scanning my appearance with suspicion. “Yeah…I’ll be down in a sec.” She mumbled a ‘hurry up’ before I closed the door and rushed into the bathroom. Jeanette still hadn’t done her make up yet so I still had time. In less tha
Jenna Brooks’s POV Fear pricked at my heart, my eyes widening in a mixture of shock and embarrassment. I covered my stained skirt with my hands, my face flushing crimson at the realization of my predicament. Conrad's urgency urged me forward, and with a silent nod, i allowed him to guide me towards the ladies' room.As we walked, my footsteps felt heavy, my legs losing their strength as fear gripped me tightly. Questions raced through my mind, wondering how he even knew about the stain, and why he was showing such concern for me.Arriving at the ladies' room, Conrad firmly instructed me to wait inside while he headed out. I obeyed, leaning against the cold tile wall, my mind still reeling from the unexpected turn of events. I could hear muffled conversations from inside, the sound of running water, and the soft rustling of paper.I felt embarrassed. How was I supposed to face Conrad after this? I fidgeted with my glasses as I looked down at my shoes, trying to sniff back the t
Jenna Brooks’s POV My heart froze with fear as I tried to open the door by continuously tilting the door knob but to no avail. I felt my heart race, I had always been scared of being trapped in enclosed spaces, dark enclosed spaces. Crunching hit my ears from behind, accelerating the already rampant pondering of my heart. I sunk to the ground, was this the newbie prank? Who would do something so mean? The crunching got louder and i clutched my knee, trying to block out the noise. I felt a chill of unease run down my spine. My eyes were focused on the door…waiting. Please. Please. Just open. Then, like a miracle, the closet door swung open, flooding the small space with light. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. And there, standing before me, was Liam. As I quivered on the hard, cold floor, my breath hitched in my throat as Liam stepped forward. Without a word, he reached out and enveloped me in a warm, protective hug. The kind of hugs in high school movies.
Jenna Brooks’s POV Conrad’s expression was unreadable as he glared at me. I sprinted off the shelf, feeling a mix of embarrassment and shock. What would he think of me now? That the girl who had spent barely two weeks in the school was already making out with guys in the janitors closet?“The driver’s here, it’s time to go,” he said more casually than I had expected, then turned around to leave.How could he be so indifferent about what he just saw? At that moment, I felt like a loser. The person I had been trying so hard to be perfect for, had just caught me making out with a guy I barely knew, in the JANITORS CLOSET of all places. And to top it off, his reaction was…nothing.You fucked up, Jenna! Why couldn’t you control yourself? Why did you have to melt into Liam’s arms? He’s not even that great of a guy besides his dreamy eyes, strong shoulders, muscles-you-only-get-to-touch-once-in-a-life-time, strikingly handsome face, full lips, golden brown Mohican hair, extremely ch
Jenna Brooks’s POV He gently pulled back the hair over my ear to kiss my neck, giving me goosebumps that caused a shudder to run down my spine. His eyes on mine, he leaned more forward until our faces almost touched. His fresh apple shampoo smell was distracting. For some reason, it made me feel warmer. His lips hovered around my face a little until it was about to touch mine…Knock-knock-knock! Jenna, are you in there?Shit! That was Jeanette’s voice. I pushed Conrad off of me and he landed on his back. I sprinted off the bed and made sure Conrad was already on his feet before opening the door.“What took you so long?” Jeanette asked me as soon as I opened the door. I had never been this nervous.Reaching out her hand, she placed her palm on my hot cheek. “Why’re your cheeks so flushed?” she whispered.“Nothing, Jean. Let’s go.” I held her hand and walked out of the room and down the stairs to meet Auntie Laurel. “I need to go groceries shopping for tomorrow, who wants to tag a
Jenna Brooks’s POV “Why should I date you?” I asked Liam as he rested on the railings. It was lunch break and we were both standing in the hallways.“Because we kissed.” He replied, his tone casual.“I guess it’s a must to date every guy I kiss,”I know what you’re thinking, how did we get here? Please enjoy this expositional flashback.Flashback>>>>>>>>>>>>> That night, after Pstar7 replied my DM, we ended up chatting for hours.Pstar7: “So, you’re Jenna. That’s such a lovely name.”Me: “Thanks a lot, Pstar7. I bet yours is lovelier.”That’s a simple trick you can use to get a guy’s name. I really needed to know his name, Pstar7 was just too far fetched. Pstar7: “I saw what you did there. Let’s just stick with Pstar for now. So, let’s drop the honorifics, I’m pretty sure we’re the same age.”OMG! We’re the same age? Then we can definitely be soulmates. I took a deep breath and sat up.Me: “Really, I’m a senior.”Pstar7: “Me too. I hope I can get through senior year withou