Jesse's Girl

Chapter 9

     At school, I passed by Jesse's car – parked in front and flashier than the others around it. I hadn't noticed it stood out until my dad asked about it, which was scary – the last thing I wanted in this world was my family to have a soft spot for him.

    Being the idiot I was – I didn't think about how far I was from the school when I jumped out of his car. I admit, I was being...complicated, but...I would suppose he deserved it...in a way of revenge...right?

    I earned the annoyed look from my English teacher when I walked in late, but in depth, Jesse was nowhere to be found in the class. I was irritated – obviously – because where else could he have gone with his car parked right outside? He was just asking for me to punch him in the face, but in a way, I found that I wasn't as mad as I should be, since Lauren wasn't in class either. Worry seemed to fill me, but I what kept me sane was that he was off with her and not someone random.

    Right after this hour, I planned on giving each and every janitor's closet a visit. And then...maybe later I could start a riot or something to make them lock the doors.

    While at my locker, I felt someone nudge me – and I turned to see Katrina, leaning against the locker beside mine. "What happened to you yesterday?"

        "I had stuff to do."

    She sighed, most likely misgiving my answer, and let it go – obviously, since I wasn't in the jolliest mood ever.

    It was then, when the halls quieted down – I heard crying. Acting out of instinct, I immediately stared at the nearest janitor's closet. Surprisingly, that wasn't the location I heard the noise.

    I glanced back at Katrina, who was staring past me. I followed her gaze, and instantly regretted it.

    There, against the lockers with a few friends by her side, was Lauren. She looked a lot like the girl who came into class late right after Jesse had left her – and I had no doubt that that's what happened to her.

        "When did it happen?" My voice croaked, not wanting to believe that he had the nerve.

        "He missed class to do it. Probably as soon as he showed up, he wasn't in the courtyard this morning." Judging by all the mixed signals about Jesse, to Katrina, it most likely seemed as if I had the most furtive crush on him. It didn't serve my thoughts any justice, because just by looking at Lauren, my mind wasn't picturing Jesse and I on a lovely getaway – just a lot of pain and brass knuckles.

    I shoved the remaining things in my locker, and shut it – louder than necessary, and walked blindly to Lauren. Somehow, I was relieved to find that Katrina stayed at the locker, no bothering to get in a way of a rampage.

        "What happened?" I knew already, but asking for details wouldn't kill anyone.

    It seemed as if she couldn't even talk at all, but she pulled through when she met my eyes – I suppose the annoyed yet impatient look scared the life out of her.

        "He...said, that he didn't even like me. That...he only asked me out to get someone jealous—"

    I didn't let her finish, since I knew enough, and clenched my fists and stomped through the halls.

    It didn't take long to reach him, but when I did – I could have sworn I felt my nails seep into the skin of my palm. In front of him, was a girl – petite but all the while not bad looking at all. The worst thing about the scene was that they were far from talking.