Chapter 3
620 Words
Jackson
By second period, Cedar Creek High had fully settled back into its usual level of chaos.
Which meant:
Freshmen looked terrified.
Teachers looked exhausted.
And half the football team had already gotten yelled at at least once.
Tradition.
I leaned against my locker while Liam argued with Jake about fantasy football like his life depended on it.
“You drafted two kickers,” Jake said flatly.
“Because I believe in specialists.”
“You auto-drafted.”
“Drafting is drafting.”
Jake looked physically pained. “You’re the reason I have trust issues.”
Liam ignored him completely, stealing my Gatorade the second I looked away.
“That’s mine.”
“You have money. Buy another one.”
“That logic is exactly why you’ll never survive adulthood.”
“I don’t plan to.”
Honestly, this was pretty normal for us.
Me, Liam, Jake, Noah, Tyler — we’d all been friends long enough that insults basically counted as affection now.
Noah walked up a second later carrying enough textbooks to qualify as a workplace hazard.
“Why do you own so many books?” Liam asked immediately.
“Some of us value education.”
“You play football.”
“And somehow I still know basic geography.”
Liam pointed at him aggressively. “That was one time.”
“You thought Alaska was an island.”
“IT LOOKS SEPARATE.”
I laughed under my breath as a group of girls passed us.
One of them smiled immediately.
“Hi, Jackson.”
“Hey, Sophie.”
She looked entirely too pleased I remembered her name.
That happened a lot.
Not because I was trying to flirt constantly.
Okay.
Maybe a little.
But mostly because people liked feeling noticed.
It was easy once you figured that out.
“You coming to the bonfire Friday?” she asked.
“Depends. You planning to make it interesting?”
Her friends immediately started giggling.
Liam looked at me in disgust the second they walked away.
“You flirt like you’re being held hostage.”
“And yet it works every single time.”
“That’s the upsetting part.”
Another girl waved at Liam from farther down the hallway.
Unlike me, Liam didn’t really flirt for fun.
People just liked him.
Meanwhile, I actually enjoyed the game.
The reactions.
The banter.
Watching people try to keep up.
Liam just existed and somehow collected admirers like a golden retriever with good hair.
“And yet, your fan club grows daily,” I informed him.
Before Liam could answer, Coach Ramirez’s voice echoed down the hallway.
“Why are none of you in class?”
“Educational freedom,” Liam answered immediately.
Coach stared at him.
“You’ve been back in school for four hours,” Coach said. “And I’m already tired.”
“That’s fair.”
Coach shook his head and walked away muttering something about retirement.
The second he disappeared around the corner, Noah looked toward me.
“You going to Emma’s party Saturday?”
“Probably.”
“You say that every time and still show up an hour late.”
“Suspense builds character.”
“Pretty sure it just makes people annoyed.”
A girl passing by overheard our conversation and immediately jumped in.
“I’d wait an hour for Jackson Maddox.”
I pressed a hand to my chest dramatically. “See? Finally, someone appreciates me.”
Liam looked genuinely embarrassed on behalf of the entire hallway.
“You encourage them too much.”
“You say that like I’m not charming.”
Jake shook his head slowly. “One day somebody’s gonna humble you.”
I grinned easily.
“Maybe, but not today.”
- Writer
