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 partygoers, a guy, no, a very cute guy suddenly approached me,grabbing my waist from behind. A rush of discomfort coursed through me as I tried to push him away, but his insistence grew, his grip tightening. Panic settled within me as I struggled to escape his grasp.
But just as I was beginning to feel overwhelmed, Conrad came out of nowhere, forcefully pushing the guy aside. His sudden appearance caught me off guard, and I stumbled back, my heart pounding in my chest. Conrad's intense gaze met mine, concern etched across his features.
This was the first time he looked at me that way ever since I got to Houston. I couldn’t deny the fact that I missed that gaze. Without a moment's hesitation, Conrad reached out and took hold of my hand, leading me away from the chaotic party and into the cool night air. The sounds of laughter and music gradually muffled as we ventured further from the house, into a secluded area of the yard.
As the adrenaline slowly subsided, I realized how drunk I had become and the potential danger I had found myself in. My head spun, and I leaned against a tree for support, clutching my temple to ward off the throbbing headache that began to take hold.
Conrad stood beside me, his eyes scanning me intently. "Jenna, are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with a mix of worry and guilt. But mostly guilt. He should be, if he hadn’t brought me to the party in the first place, I wouldn’t be in this state.
I struggled to find my words, my voice slurred as I finally managed to respond, "I'm... I'm okay, I guess."
He sighed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "I told you to stay in the car. Why didn’t you?”
Are you fucking kidding me? Did he expect me to say all stuffed up in the car while he enjoyed his life? I struggled to stand on my own but my legs felt wobbly. I would have fallen if he hadn’t caught my arm on time.
“Don’t touch me,” I said in a bitch-voice, yanking his hand off my arm.
I could see the disappointed look on his face as he stared at me. Heck! It was so worth it.
He sighed and said we needed to leave. I knew I couldn’t walk on my own so I allowed him to guide me back towards the car, my steps unsteady as we ventured through the now-dimmed party scene. As we drove away, I slowly fell asleep.
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Conrad Declan’s POV
When we finally arrived home, Jenna was already asleep. Why would she drink so much if she couldn’t handle her alcohol? I tried to wake her up but she just kept mumbling gibberish. I unfastened her seatbelt and helped her out of the car. Everyone else was asleep so I knew better not to make any noise because mom would be hurt if she found out I had been ditching studies to attend parties. But what’s senior year without party raves?
Bad boy or not, I hated hurting mum. She was a delicate woman and she sometimes acted like she was strong when she wasn’t. When dad died two years ago, she had acted all strong but she had sometimes cried every night.
As I helped Jenna out of the car, her arms circled me. She looked up at me, her gaze lingering a bit too long. For a moment, I felt the awkwardness of the situation.
"You know, Conrad, you're such a jerk," Jenna said, her words slurring slightly. "A very…mean person."
I forced a smile, "Thank you, Jenna. Let’s get you to your room."
As we walked into the house, she tripped and I leaned in to catch her, but we both tumbled to the ground, ending up in a heap of limbs.
Breathing intermingled in the sudden silence, i felt my hearts racing as we locked eyes. For me, it was an unexpected rush of emotions i couldn't quite explain. Then, Jenna smiled and brought her hands up to cup my face. Hell, they were so soft on my skin.
Control yourself, Conrad!
"I'm so sorry, Conrad," She whispered, immediately dropping her hand.
"It's okay, Jenna," i said, relieved that she didn’t scream like I expected. "Let's just get you to your room."
I helped her up again and we both successfully made our way up the stairs. I helped her inside her room and settled her on the bed.
Taking one last look at her, I turned to leave but I felt a warm hand grab my wrist and my steps momentarily faltered.
“Don’t leave” Jenna said still holding my hand.
I turned around and there she was, already up. Her face was so close to mine that i could feel her breath on my face. She took a step back still holding my hand, and scrunched her face up, her pretty lips sticking out all funny. She wanted me to kiss her and I swear I wanted to.
‘Jenna is like a sister to you!’ That voice kept reminding me.
I slowly pulled her hand away and held both her arms to place her back on the bed. This time, she got on the bed momentarily and I tucked her in before switching off the lights and walking out of the room.
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Jenna Brooks’s POV
As Conrad left the room, I yanked the duvet off my body. I was literally forcing myself on him. God! Jenna. You should have controlled yourself. And why did he leave without saying good night? Not that I wanted him to say good night, not that I needed his good night but it wouldn’t hurt to say it though. I just hope I forget the embarrassment by tomorrow.
I rolled on my bed and took a deep breath. Why did I drink? I wasn’t supposed to taste alcohol till I turned twenty five—one of the rules of mum I had broken tonight. I wasn’t supposed to attend a party till I turned twenty five also but look at me. Although, if there were party raves like this in Cronners, I would have broken the rule long ago but as the saying goes, better late then sorry…or never, whichever one works.
I also wasn’t supposed to have a boyfriend till I turned twenty five but I kinda broke that rule a long time ago, dated my next door neighbor who was three years older than me.
Mum would kill me if she found out I broke my no-alcohol-before-twenty-five promise to her. Now, I have a throbbing headache, I have school tomorrow and my inside voice wouldn’t just stop talking to me. I’m fucked!
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
Jenna Brooks’s POV As I saw Conrad approach us, my breath hitched in my throat. Why was he here all of a sudden? What happened to ‘I think we should keep the distance for a while’?“I need to speak with Jenna.” Conrad said, turning to Liam who was still standing there. “But I’m talking to Jenna right now,” Liam replied.Conrad suddenly grabbed my wrist and my eyebrow’s furrowed in confusion. Why was he doing this to me? Why can’t he just tell me what exactly he wanted?“I need to talk to you, Jenna. Now.” Conrad said again, his tone intimidating.As he tried to take me away, Liam suddenly grabbed my other wrist, “I was here first!”Both of them were now holding both my hands and it felt like they were going to split me into two halves. Why not just do it now?!I yanked my wrist off Liam’s hold but Conrad’s grip was way too tight. He pulled me towards the quiet auditorium while I whispered ‘I’m so sorry,’ to Liam whose gaze followed us until we disappeared. Now in the quit
Jenna’s Brooks’s POV “What?” My jaws dropped.“Yeah. It looks like the real deal but it’s not. Where did you get it? Were you conned?” I really wish I was conned. I really wish Jeanette was mistaken. Olivia would never give me a knockoff bracelet. It’s not even about the price anymore but the fact that she lied about her parents getting the bracelet from Italy. Why would she lie to me? Was she not confident enough in our friendship? Did she think I would reject it if she told me she got it for a cheap price?“Yeah, I was conned. I paid a hundred bucks for it,”Jeanette grasped my hands in surprise, “You should have told me, Jenna. I could’ve gotten you the real deal for less.”“It’s fine, Jean. I like it.”“If you say so.”Jeanette went back to pressing God-knows-what on her phone while i pondered on why and how Olivia lied to me. Why wasn’t she honest about it? I thought about texting her but decided not to. It would be better to discuss face to face with her tomorrow at