In Love with my high school bully

IN LOVE WITH MY HIGH SCHOOL BULLY CHAPTER TWO

If there was one thing I had learned about high school, it was this:

News traveled fast.

By lunch, the entire school had already moved on from algebra homework, college applications, and whatever questionable excuse for food the cafeteria insisted on serving every Tuesday. There was only one thing anybody cared about.

Jimmy Harding got dumped.

“Okay, but did you see his face?” Mia asked between fits of laughter, nearly choking on one of her fries. “I swear I have never seen a man look that humbled in my life.”

I stabbed halfheartedly at the wilted salad sitting on my tray.

“It was kind of terrifying.”

“Terrifying?” Mia repeated, staring at me like I’d completely missed the point. “Zara, that was legendary. Do you even understand how long Chloe Cartman and Jimmy have been together?” I shrugged. Honestly, I had spent so many years actively avoiding Jimmy Harding that keeping track of his love life had never exactly been high on my priority list.

“Since sophomore year,” Mia continued dramatically. “That’s basically a lifetime in high school years.” Without meaning to, I glanced across the cafeteria. Instant regret. Jimmy sat at his usual table surrounded by the football team, but something felt wrong. Nobody was laughing. Nobody was talking. The usual noise around his table had completely disappeared. And Jimmy…Jimmy looked furious. Not his usual irritated, arrogant kind of angry either. This was different. The kind of anger that made everyone around him visibly uncomfortable, like nobody wanted to be the first person stupid enough to say the wrong thing.

Good. Maybe humiliation builds character.

“You’re staring.” I looked away immediately. “I’m absolutely not.” Mia smirked. “You hate him way too much.” “That sentence makes zero sense.”

“No, seriously.” She leaned across the table, lowering her voice dramatically. “People don’t put that much effort into hating somebody unless—” I pointed my fork at her. “Finish that sentence and I’m ending this friendship permanently.” She only grinned wider. Before she could continue being annoying, my eyes landed on someone across the room.

Nathan Reeves.

Tall. Smart. Cute. Student council president.

And, if everything went according to plan…Potential prom date. Mia followed my gaze instantly.

“Oh my God.”

“Don’t start.”

Her eyes widened. “Wait… you’re actually doing this?” I exhaled slowly. I had exactly seventy-two days left until prom. Not that I was counting…again. And at this point, desperation was starting to feel like a perfectly valid life strategy.

“I’m doing it.”

Mia immediately grabbed my wrist. “You are absolutely not prepared for this. “Neither was Chloe this morning,” I said, standing up. “And look how that turned out.” She laughed as I pulled away. I crossed the cafeteria before I could talk myself out of it. Nathan looked up the second I stopped beside his table. Too late now.

“Hey,” I said.

Smooth.

Very smooth.

Nathan smiled politely. “Hey, Zara.”

Okay.

Good start.

I forced confidence into my voice and tried not to think about the fact that I could physically feel my heartbeat in my throat.

“So… this is kind of random, but I was wondering if maybe…”

Just say it.

“…you’d want to go to prom with me?”

There was a pause..Not a normal pause either. The kind of pause that instantly makes you wish you could disappear into another dimension. Nathan shifted awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. Then he said the single worst word possible.

“Oh.”

My stomach dropped.

Oh?

What exactly was oh supposed to mean? He looked genuinely uncomfortable now.

“Yeah… I actually kind of already promised someone else.”

Right.

Fantastic.

Amazing.

Humiliating.

I nodded way too fast, pretending my entire nervous system hadn’t just collapsed.

“No, yeah. Totally fine. Forget I asked.”

Abort mission. Immediately.

I turned too quickly and walked straight into something solid.

Strong hands caught my shoulders before I lost my balance completely.

I looked up. Of course.

Jimmy Harding.

For once, he wasn’t smirking. Wasn’t laughing. Wasn’t making some stupid comment. He was just staring at me. Like he had seen everything. Then, slowly, I watched something change in his expression. Like a thought had just formed. Like some idea had suddenly clicked into place. And then—

Jimmy Harding smiled. And somehow…

That felt a whole lot worse than watching Nathan reject me.