𝒟𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝒥𝓊𝒹𝑒,

╰┈➤ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓

𝚂𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟹𝟶𝚝𝚑, 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟺

𝙹𝚞𝚍𝚎

"You don't know what I went through to get these," I say, placing the box carefully in front of him. "I mean—"

He doesn't even look up. "I don't care."

Anger flashes through me. "Count them."

His eyes finally meet mine, a challenging glint in them.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"No! It's an unopened box. Fifty chocolate bars. Look." I jab a finger at the label.

Atlas's gaze narrows as he stares at the box. "I don't just take your word for it. Count them."

My face flushes with frustration. "Seriously? You want me to count them?"

"Yeah," he replies flatly. "I want to see if you're actually as reliable as you claim to be."

I let out a sharp breath, biting back a retort. I start opening the box, the flaps crumpling under my fingers. Each bar is wrapped neatly in its packaging, and I begin to count them out loud, my voice tinged with irritation.

"One, two, three..."

As I continue, Atlas watches me with an inscrutable expression. By the time I reach fifty, my patience is wearing thin, but I force myself to keep a steady hand.

"Fifty," I say, setting the last bar down with a little more force than necessary.

Atlas smirks, his eyes still locked on me. "Alright. I guess you're good for your word." Awesome. I'm reliable now. Doesn't make him any less of a jackass.

I roll my eyes, trying to mask my irritation. "Meet me at the cafeteria doors, and oh, and bring your friends Reuben and Tommy too."

Atlas's expression shifts to one of surprise. "The deal was only for me."

"Yeah, well, the deal's changed," I snap back. "I'm not running around fetching chocolate for just you. If you're going to be a pain, you can deal with the whole mess."

As I turn on my heel to leave, I suddenly realize I'm heading out of the classroom. I start to turn on my heel, but then I freeze. Shit. We're in the same class—why am I walking out? Did anyone notice? I hope not.

Trying to salvage some dignity, I quickly turn back around and head to my desk. My face is on fire as I realize just how close I was to making a complete fool of myself. Atlas's chuckle slices through the awkward silence, and I glare at him, desperate to hide my embarrassment. "What's so funny?" I snap, my voice trembling slightly.

Atlas's chuckle morphs into a full-blown smirk. "Just didn't expect you to be so... passionate," he says. Stupid. He really meant "over the top." If I weren't so desperate right now, I'd probably throw a book at him. But for now, I force myself to just smile. Laugh it off, Jude.

I narrow my eyes at him, struggling to keep the smile from creeping onto my lips despite myself. His dimples are so distracting. I need to get a grip. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it. I'm not here to entertain you."

"Right," he smiles slyly.

__________________

The bell rings, and we linger by the cafeteria doors, waiting for the usual rush of students to subside. My stomach growls, reminding me that I probably should have grabbed breakfast this morning instead of watching one more episode of that show.

"Did you get them?" Maya asks.

"Yeah, I got them," I reply, my frustration still simmering just beneath the surface.