In Love with my high school bully

IN LOVE WITH MY HIGH SCHOOL BULLY CHAPTER 4

I spent the rest of the school day actively avoiding Jimmy Harding. Unfortunately, Jimmy Harding apparently had other plans. By the time final period ended, I had already taken a longer route to my locker, skipped my usual stop at the vending machine, and deliberately waited an extra five minutes in the hallway pretending to reorganize books I had absolutely no intention of touching later. It was a strategy I considered brilliant right up until I stepped outside and immediately spotted a familiar black pickup truck parked near the far end of the student lot. Leaning casually against the driver’s side door, arms crossed like he had nowhere else to be, was Jimmy. I stopped walking. There were hundreds of students pouring out through the front entrance, voices blending together in the usual end-of-day chaos, but somehow my eyes found him immediately.

That annoyed me more than it should have.

He noticed me standing there and pushed himself off the truck, the corner of his mouth lifting in what I was beginning to realize was his permanent expression. I considered turning around. Actually, I strongly considered turning around. Instead, against every survival instinct I possessed, I walked toward him. Jimmy watched me approach with an expression that was far too satisfied for someone who had spent the last four years dedicated to ruining my patience.

“You came,” he said.

I stopped a few feet away and tightened my grip on the strap of my backpack. “I came to tell you no in person.” He nodded slowly, like I had just confirmed something expected.

“Sure.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?” “It means,” he said casually, opening the passenger side door, “get in.”I stared at him.

“I’m not getting in your car.”

“Why not?”

“Because I enjoy being alive.” Jimmy sighed dramatically and leaned against the open door. “Zara, if I wanted to murder you, I’ve had four years to make it happen.”

“That is somehow not reassuring.”

A few students nearby laughed as they passed us. I could already feel eyes shifting in our direction. Of course people were watching. Jimmy Harding was the type of person people always watched.

Captain of the football team. Student favorite. Walking definition of unfair genetics. The kind of person who moved through high school like he owned it. And somehow, for reasons I still failed to understand, he had chosen me as today’s personal project. He tilted his head slightly. “You know people are staring.”

“I’m aware.”

“You know what they’re probably thinking?”I crossed my arms. “That you’ve finally lost your mind?” He grinned. “Close. They’re wondering why you’re standing next to me looking nervous.”

“I am not nervous.”

“You’re twisting your bracelet.”

My hand immediately froze. I looked down. Sure enough, my fingers had unconsciously wrapped around the silver bracelet around my wrist, tugging at it repeatedly. I quickly dropped my hand. Jimmy’s grin widened. I hated him.

“You notice too much.”

His expression shifted almost instantly. The teasing remained, but something underneath it softened in a way I wasn’t used to seeing.

“You noticed me first.” I frowned. “What?”“You’ve been glaring at me since freshman year.” “That’s because you’re irritating.”Jimmy laughed quietly and looked away for a second, shaking his head like he was remembering something. Then he looked back at me.

“Do you seriously not remember?”

Something in his voice made me pause. The sarcasm was gone. This version of Jimmy felt unfamiliar. I stared at him carefully. “Remember what?” For a second, he didn’t answer. The noise of students leaving school had started thinning out now, the parking lot slowly clearing around us, but suddenly I wasn’t paying attention to any of it. Jimmy ran a hand through his hair and exhaled.

“Freshman year. First month of school. Gym class.”

I blinked. Immediately, my brain supplied the memory. The football. I folded my arms tighter.

“You threw a football at my face.”

His eyebrows lifted. “It hit your shoulder.”“You still threw it.”

“It was an accident.”

“It absolutely was not.”

Jimmy stared at me for a moment before something strange happened. He laughed. Not the usual arrogant laugh. Not the cocky one he used whenever he got under people’s skin.

A real laugh.

The kind that reached his eyes. “You really think I spent four years plotting to throw a football at you on purpose?

“Yes.”

“That’s honestly kind of flattering.” I glared harder. He smiled for another second before his expression changed again. This time, more serious.

“Zara.”

The way he said my name caught me off guard. No teasing. No arrogance. Just my name. Simple. Steady. I suddenly became very aware that we were alone now. Most students had already left. The parking lot was quieter. Jimmy shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and looked directly at me.

“I know you think I’m an asshole.”

“That’s because you are.”

“Fair.”

I expected him to smirk. Expected another joke. Instead, he nodded slightly, almost like he was accepting the accusation. Then he said, “But I’m serious about the prom thing.”I stared at him, waiting for the punchline. None came. “You barely tolerate me,” I said carefully. “Actually, scratch that. We actively dislike each other. Why me?”

Jimmy looked past me toward the emptying school gates.When he answered, his voice was quieter. “Because everyone expects me to show up with someone predictable.”

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means Chloe.” He shrugged lightly. “Or someone like Chloe.” I studied him. There was something off about this conversation. Something that wasn’t adding up. Jimmy Harding was supposed to be shallow. Easy to read. Predictable in the worst ways. But right now, standing here in the fading afternoon sunlight, he looked almost tired. Like something heavier sat underneath all the confidence. Then he looked back at me and the familiar spark returned.

“But mostly,” he added, smirking slightly, “I think it would annoy half the school.” There he was. I rolled my eyes.

“There’s the Jimmy I know.”

He pushed himself off the truck and stepped closer. Not close enough to make me move. But close enough for my brain to suddenly stop functioning normally.

“You still haven’t said no.”

“I have said no. Repeatedly.”

“Not convincingly.”

I stared at him. He stared back. Neither of us moved. There was this weird silence stretching between us now. Not awkward. Not comfortable either. Just… charged.

Like something invisible had shifted and neither of us quite knew what to do with it. Then suddenly,

“Jimmy!” We both turned. Walking across the parking lot in expensive boots that definitely violated school dress code was Chloe Cartman. Blonde hair perfectly styled. Phone in hand. Expression sharp.

She stopped the second she saw me standing next to him. And immediately her eyes narrowed.

Interesting.

Jimmy didn’t move. Didn’t step away. Didn’t even look surprised. Chloe crossed her arms.

“Well,” she said slowly, looking directly at me now. “This is unexpected.” I looked at Jimmy. Jimmy looked amused. And for the first time all day, I realized something terrifying. He had planned this. Every second of it. He wanted her to see me here. And somehow…I had walked directly into his game. Jimmy leaned slightly toward me, voice low enough that only I could hear.“Still want to say no?” I stared straight ahead. Then, without looking at him, I smiled.

Very slightly.

“Congratulations,” I whispered back. “I’ve officially decided I hate you more than I did ten minutes ago.” Beside me, I felt Jimmy grin. For some reason, that made my stomach flip.