Page 4 of Jain

“Tell me you’re not hot for him too,” Harley muttered as I made a face.

“No, I don’t fancy ourteacher,Harley.”

Harley rolled his eyes before slapping me on the ass, running away before I could punch him.

“That’s sexual harassment!” I shouted after him as he turned around, grinning.

“Only if youdon’tlike it!”

“Prick,” I muttered, stopping to pull my phone out. I located the text from Kate, seeing her remind me of the party tonight.

As if I could forget.

I walked down the hall, skipping down the steps that led to the Math block. Eloise was up against the wall, lip-locking with some faceless boy. I went to move past them when I clocked the trainers, my eyes lifting to see it was indeed Arden. So, the bad boy and the bad girl, what a surprise.

“So, fuckingpredictable,” I muttered as I walked by, stopping when I felt a hand on my arm.

“What did you say?”

I pulled it back as Eloise strode away, sending me daggers as she did. Arden glared at me, his fingers gripping my arm.

“I said, fucking predictable.”

“Are you jealous?”

“Of the school clich? No.”

Arden laughed then, his lips pulling into a smirk as he pushed a fresh cigarette into his mouth. I took it from his lips, dropping it on the floor as he glared at me.

“Doe, youarejealous.”

“It’sJain, Arden. I’m not jealous. You two are perfect for each other.”

I went to turn away when he spoke softly.

“Why? Because she’s hot too?”

Ugh.

“I’ve got to go.”

I couldn’t explain my reaction, but maybe I had hoped he wasn’t just another bad boy who wanted to bang his way through school. I’d known him for years, but this was the most I’d ever spoken to him.

“I’ll walk with you. I’ve got Math too. “

I refused to acknowledge him, annoyed that he had heard me muttering in the first place.

“Doe—”

“Ihatethat nickname.”

“Then I’m definitely gonna keep calling you that.”

I threw him an angry look when I saw my friends watching us in bewilderment from the stairway.

“Jain and Charter? That’s an odd sight.”

“Off you go, Doe, back to your little clique. The popular yet fucking clueless.”