𝐈 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔

𝐗𝐈𝐕 | 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄

꧁꧂

    "Hey," (Y/N) nodded towards Cage that next Monday in the student parking lot, he having just exited his car to escort her to their class like he always did. "I need to ask you something."

    "About what?" He smiled.

    "Did you ask your father to buy my mother's store?" She went straight to the point, searching his expression to find that she had indeed been right by his growing smirk, then letting out a small exhale of breath as she chuckled. "You know, you didn't have to do that for me. Apparently, with your father in charge now, my mom is cleared of what she has to pay and is getting a salary raise. Was that your idea, too, Cage?"

    "Yes," he threw an arm around her shoulder as he gestured outward with his other hand. "After all, I can't just leave you hanging, right?"

    "Thanks, Cage," she murmured softly.

    "You should be, praise me more."

    "No, I really mean it," she rolled her eyes as she stopped him when she gave him a tight hug, his entire body freezing from the contact. "If it hadn't been for you, I don't know what would have happened, so... thank you."

    She released him.

    Then, she turned and began walking again.

    Cage still stood there.

    The memory of how warm she felt, of how her body felt against his, everything, was burned into his memory. Since (Y/N) so rarely ever showed affection, what she just did was foreign and unexpected, yet it made Cage's heart roar in his chest. Pressing his hand against the lower half of his face that was flushed with heat by then, he tried to calm the way his pulse thrummed in his ears.

    He blinked rapidly.

    He couldn't believe it.

    He couldn't believe how one simple hug had flustered him to that point.

    He thought he had hid it well.

    Yet, it was so blatantly obvious.

    Smoothing out his expression when (Y/N) turned back to yell at him to hurry up, he moved forward. However, he didn't realize that his little episode had been observed by two individuals who found the very thought of his interaction with (Y/N) revolting. Their hatred was clear—their anger they believed was justified, so they made a plan. It was simple, but it was also effective. When Cage wasn't with (Y/N) during lunch, when she was alone and vulnerable, the two grabbed her without so much as an explanation and hauled her to their destination: the back of the school.

    "So... this is her?" The one on the left exclaimed in a southern accent, the girl a bit shorter than her companion with curled brown hair that fell to her shoulders, pale skin, and equally pale blue eyes.

    "Yeah," the one on the left answered, Jasmine crossing her arms over her chest.

    (Y/N) blinked at the new girl.

    Ah.

   So this is the other girl from the bathroom.

    "I'm Jasmine," Jasmine properly introduced herself since she didn't have the chance to last time when seeing her with Cage, then gesturing to her companion. "And this is Angelina. I'm sure you realize why you're here, right?"

    "Not really, no," (Y/N) slowly shook her head, looking a bit bored if anything. "Care to enlighten me, then?"

    The two glowered at her.

    "Honestly, I don't get what Cage sees in you in the first place," Jasmine mused as she slid a manicured nail down her jaw, her dark eyes trailing up and down (Y/N)'s form in a scrutinizing manner. "You look like you have no personality, you have no friends besides Cage who I think is just pitying you, you throw yourself at teachers like poor Mr. Henderson, you're obviously poor, and all of that with average looks to boot."

    "Wow, okay, rude," (Y/N) muttered in reply, her brow twitching from the insults.

    "Shut up," Angelina hissed.

"You're the ones going off, not me," she shrugged, thoroughly annoyed by that point even though it didn't entirely show on her blank face. "Honestly, I think I know why you brought me out here, and it's a little ridiculous if you ask me. But, to clear up your worries, there's nothing going on between Cage and I, so he's all yours."

    Both scoffed at her statement.

    She raised a brow.

    "See... I just can't believe that," Jasmine chuckled as she flicked her braid over her shoulder whilst approaching (Y/N), her gaze however looking anything but friendly. "From what I've seen, you're always constantly hovering around him. I'll never understand why he allows that, but it's obvious that your presence isn't doing him any good. It would be best if you just stayed away from him. Someone as worthless as you doesn't deserve him."

    (Y/N) pinched the bridge of her nose as she let out a slow exhale of breath.

    Bruh...

    If they say one more thing, I'm gonna throw hands regardless of what it is.

    "Stay away from him, bitch," Jasmine shoved her face close to hers, her beautiful features wrinkling with hatred. "Don't make me repeat myself."

    (Y/N) didn't hesitate.

    Curling her fingers into a fist, she pulled her arm back and socked Jasmine right in the nose.

    Jasmine let out a choked gasp and scream as she stumbled backwards, holding her nose that was dripping blood from the force of impact. It wasn't broken, (Y/N) knew that, but she damn well felt satisfaction when seeing the looks of fear cross through both her's and Angelina's eyes. Glancing down at her fist, grimacing when seeing blood staining the now bruised flesh, she sighed again.

    "Listen," she began monotonously. "I don't care about you. I don't think Cage cares about you. Don't worry your pretty little heads about any of this, okay? Don't make me repeat myself twice."

    Brushing past them and without looking back, she flipped them the middle finger.

    She wasn't a saint.

    She certainly didn't pretend to be one.

    She just didn't care.

꧁꧂