Chapter 5 The Jerk
1034 Words
Eleanor's POV:
I almost slept with Jeffrey—every time I thought about it, my cheeks would catch fire.
My feelings were a jumbled mess. I craved Jeffrey's attention, his kisses... but what we nearly did was wrong. We were step-siblings; we needed to... put some distance between us.
After that night, Jeffrey and I never spoke of our "mistake", acting as if it had never happened.
We went on as usual, chatting, playing chess, reading, like normal siblings.
As for the restless emotions deep inside me... I buried them under the chessboard.
*****
A week flew by, and before I knew it, it was the first day of school. With a bounce in my step and a small suitcase rolling behind me, I navigated the unfamiliar campus, alone.
First things first: check in, find my dorm, drop off my luggage, and then head to the chess club to register. There was a match underway.
Two guys were in a round. One of them was sweating bullets, his expression tight with concentration, while the other was grinning smugly, radiating confidence like he'd already won.
"Javier's playing with Gene like a cat with a mouse," someone whispered nearby.
"He hooked up with Gene's girlfriend and is now humiliating him over a chessboard. Total jerk," someone else chimed in.
From their discussion, I could tell Javier was the cocky one who was about to win.
His broad shoulders, sun-kissed skin, and athletic build could probably make most girls on campus swoon. He definitely had the look of a guy who would steal someone else's girlfriend without a second thought.
"Checkmate. You lose, Gene," Javier said lazily.
He tapped Gene's king over with one finger before leaning back in his chair, and he smirked like he just won the lottery.
"You're a goddamn bastard, Javier Evans!" Gene shot up, his face red with rage, his fist already swinging toward Javier's face.
Before Gene could land the punch, people around him grabbed him and shouted, "Calm down, Gene..."
"Hey, relax, dude," Javier said with a grin. "Punching me won't make Reina take you back."
"Shut up! If you hadn't stolen her—" Gene struggled against his friends, his fury boiling over.
"No, no, no." Javier wagged his finger. "Even without me, she would dump you eventually. You know what she said? She said you're no good in bed."
The room erupted into laughter, and the mocking sound made Gene's face turn an even deeper shade of red.
If I were Gene, I'd wait for another chance and punch that smug look off Javier's face—not just once, but twice.
"Javier! I knew you'd win!'
A pretty girl emerged from the crowd, impeccably dressed and smiling brightly. But Javier's expression made it clear he wasn't happy to see her.
"Queenie...' he frowned, ignoring the catcalls from the guys around him, "What are you doing here?
I already told you, we shouldn't be in touch anymore. We're not in a relationship," Javier said, his tone dripping with frustration.
Queenie's sweet smile froze, and embarrassment flashed in her eyes. She clearly hadn't expected him to be so blunt in front of everyone.
'What a jerk,' I thought, not planning to get involved in this drama and looking around for someone to fill out the registration form.
But Queenie's voice, tinged with tears, still reached my ears.
"But you said you like me!" She clung to his arm as if letting go would shatter her.
"Oh, come on, Queenie. I said that in bed. I tell that to every girl I sleep with, okay?" Javier replied in a casual tone.
"Bravo, man, that's what any man should say!"
some boys around echoed, as if Queenie's sorrow meant nothing to them.
Amidst the noise, Queenie cried out, heartbroken, "You're such an asshole!"
"Yeah, I'm an asshole. Is this news to you? I thought every girl on campus already knew I was trash," Javier shot back, seemingly caring nothing about his bad reputation.
Poor girl, I thought, wishing she'd see through this guy and never come near him again.
Unfortunately, Queenie didn't hear the internal pep talk I was sending her way but instead tried to win him back. Tears streaming down her face, she choked out, "Why can't you give me a chance? Or is it that you can't forget Kate Wolfe..."
'What the hell does this jerk have that's worth all this? Wake up, girl!' I said, shaking my head.
"Oh, please. Don't even mention that name. How can I make you understand? I can get close to any girl, but I won't truly fall for any of them." Javier ran his hand through his hair, clearly losing patience. His gaze swept through the crowd, passed over a few guys in front of me, and locked onto mine.
"Hey, you there." His eyes lit up as if he'd found something new.
What did he mean? I froze in place.
Wait, was he coming over here?
Javier stopped right in front of me, his sturdy frame blocking my view like a wall. I felt an inexplicable wave of nervousness wash over me.
"Watch this, Queenie,' he said.
He reached out, gripping my chin and lifting my face. In an instant, his lips were on mine.
He actually kissed me!
"Uh—No, Javier!'
The guys around us burst into a roar of cheers, mingled with Queenie's shrill scream.
I stood there, eyes wide, rooted to the spot. My blood seemed to freeze, then ignite, leaving me burning hot.
'Where am I? This is the chess club, isn't it? I barely know this guy. All I know is his name, which I just learned from the previous drama...'
I felt lightheaded, unsure if it was from the long, suffocating kiss that left me unable to even register what a kiss was supposed to feel like...
Finally, as I began to struggle, Javier pulled away, turning to Queenie and saying, "See? I can kiss any girl...'
Before he could finish, I slapped him hard across the face, the sound echoing through the room.
The cheers and laughter died down abruptly.
"That was my first kiss, you asshole!" I snapped while glaring at him.
- Writer
