Crossing Hearts- A Maidstone Love Story

Chapter 7

The next morning, Jasper arrived at school with his usual swagger, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie as he made his way through the crowded courtyard. His friends—Dylan, Myles, and Tyler—were waiting by the main entrance, all grinning like they were up to no good, which, of course, they were.

"Yo, what's up, lads?" Jasper greeted them, bumping fists with each of his friends as they fell into step beside him.

"Same old," Dylan said, his trademark smirk plastered on his face. "Are you ready for another day of messing around?"

"You know it," Jasper replied, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Let's make it interesting, yeah?"

They made their way to their form room, where the teacher was taking the register. As always, Jasper barely paid attention, answering to his name with a lazy, "Here," before zoning out for the rest of the roll call.

"Alright, off to assembly," the form teacher announced after finishing the register. "Get moving, everyone."

The boys filed out of the classroom, blending into the stream of students heading towards the assembly hall. They were still laughing and joking among themselves as they entered, and that's when Jasper spotted Alessia and her friends sitting in one of the middle rows.

"Perfect," Jasper said, a sly grin creeping onto his face.

"What?" Myles asked, catching the look in Jasper's eyes.

"Let's sit behind Alessia and her friends," Jasper suggested, his tone filled with playful intent.

Tyler chuckled, already liking the idea. "What're you planning, bro?"

"You'll see," Jasper said, leading the way as they made a beeline for the row right behind Alessia's group.

The girls were chatting quietly among themselves, completely unaware of the mischief about to unfold. Jasper and his mates slid into their seats, the boys immediately starting to kick the backs of the girls' chairs—lightly at first, just to get their attention.

Alessia turned around, already narrowing her eyes at them. "Seriously?" she whispered, her voice laced with annoyance.

Jasper gave her an innocent look, shrugging as if to say he had no idea what she was talking about. "What? We're just sitting here, princess."

Alessia glared at him, but before she could say anything else, she felt a sudden tickle on her back. Jasper, grinning like a mischievous child, had reached through the hole in the back of her chair and was playfully running his fingers across her side. Alessia squealed, trying to suppress a giggle as she swatted his hand away.

"Jasper, stop it!" she whispered harshly, glancing at her friends, who were giving the boys dirty looks.

"Aw, come on, princess, you know you love it," Jasper teased, leaning forward to tickle her again.

This time, Alessia's friend Emily turned around, glaring daggers at Jasper. "Can you guys grow up for like, five minutes?"

Jasper just smirked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "What's the fun in that?"

Alessia tried her best to ignore him for the rest of the assembly, but Jasper and his mates continued to kick the backs of the chairs and snicker amongst themselves. By the time the assembly was over, she was fuming.

As the students began to file out, Jasper leaned down close to Alessia's ear and whispered, "See you in English, princess."

Without waiting for a response, he stood up and sauntered out with his friends, leaving Alessia glaring after him.