stay (jenna ortega x female reader) AU (editing and revising)

chapter 4

Your POV

"There's no way in hell you just got away with that." Was the first thing Jenna had said to me as we passed through the entrance with no money spent. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I have my ways. Some people can't resist my charm." I flicked my hair back dramatically, causing her to laugh. I admired her as she slightly threw her head back every time she laughed, and the dimples on each of her cheeks became evident. Wrinkles formed around her eyes, and her perfectly aligned teeth brightened any room she walked into.

I realized I needed to stop gawking at her before she noticed, and before I fell too deep. I had decided last night that I had to bottle up and push away any attraction I felt towards her, so as to not put myself in harm's way. I wondered if she had noticed the shift from stuttery mess to slightly cocky and a bit more cold. In reality, I was still the stuttery and anxious mess I was the day before. I just knew that I couldn't act like that anymore if I didn't want her to suspect something.

"How do you even know him?" Jenna knocked me out of my thoughts and back into reality. My hand suddenly felt heavy holding hers, and I thought I should let go before she thinks I intend something more. I took off my backpack and pulled water out again, though I was not at all thirsty.

"Oh, I used to work here taking tickets. Him and I usually had the same shift, and we trauma bonded over having to work in the hot sun for hours." I explained. I took a sip of the water before offering it to her.

"That sounds like a true friendship." She said before taking a drink for herself. We walked up the pathway leading to the Parthenon.

"So, let me get this straight-" We caught each other's eye, and I already had a small smile on my face, knowing where this conversation was leading. "You thought it was a good idea to come up all this way, with no money or tickets, and you didn't even know if Luka was working?" I held my finger up to my chin, pretending to think.

"Yeah, pretty much." I answered simply. Jenna rolled her eyes at me.

"I'm joking. I had a backup plan if he didn't let us in." I said. She crossed her arms.

"Is that so?" She asked skeptically. "Yeah, I did." I said as-matter-of-factly.

"And what exactly was this backup plan?" She said, looking at me zealously. I brushed off my shirt sheepishly before answering.

"I would've snuck us in." I shrugged. Jenna stopped her act of sassiness and looked at me in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" She asked loudly. I waved my hand, brushing off her concerns like they were insignificant.

"Look, I used to work here, as I said before. I know my way around." I said defensively. She scoffed at me nonetheless.

"You are crazy." She concluded.

"I think you should just live a little, Ortega." I teased, softly nudging her shoulder. She rolled her eyes with a smile before nudging me back.

We eventually arrived at the massive Parthenon. The feeling of amazement when seeing the ancient ruins wore off on me a bit after working here most summers. The ruins sat at the very top of the hill, and the city cascaded below with an amazing view of the buildings. You could see the city of Athens for miles, and the sunsets were amazing. The pillars were about as tall as a three story building, and their shadows cast down on the other ruins.

I glanced over at Jenna, and her mouth hung slightly open as she studied the broken white pillars. I smiled at her reaction.

"Pretty great, right?" I said, looking out at the view with her.