boy of my dreams- JESS MARIANO

CHAPTER 11

 jess pov

I was walking through the halls of school, my mind buzzing with everything that had been going on lately. My thoughts were on Avery, our one-month anniversary, Rory's lingering anger—everything except school, to be honest. I moved through the crowd of students, heading nowhere in particular, when I heard someone call my name.

"Jess," a stern voice cut through the noise. I turned around to see the principal standing there, his expression serious. "Come to my office. We need to talk."

My heart sank. This couldn't be good. I followed him down the hall, every step feeling heavier than the last. What could this be about? Had I done something to get into trouble again, or was this just some routine check-in? I tried to keep my face neutral, but I knew there was no way this conversation would be anything I wanted to hear.

The principal closed the door behind us as we entered his office. He sat down at his desk, his eyes fixing on me with that usual disappointed look that adults seemed to reserve for me. "Jess," he began, folding his hands in front of him, "I've reviewed your academic progress, or lack thereof, and I have to tell you... things aren't looking good."

I stayed silent, my jaw tightening. *Get to the point,* I thought, trying to mask the anxiety building in my chest.

"You're on track to fail," he continued, bluntly. "And if you do, that means you'll have to redo your senior year."

My stomach twisted at his words. I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to blow up right then and there. "What?" I finally spat out, my voice sharper than I intended. "You're just going to make that decision now? I still have time to pull things together."

The principal shook his head, his eyes unwavering. "Jess, this isn't something that just came up overnight. You've been struggling all year, and your teachers have repeatedly warned you. We've tried to help you, but you haven't shown the effort required to pass."

I felt anger bubble up inside me, threatening to spill over. "This is bullshit," I snapped, standing up abruptly. "I'm not redoing anything. I'm not staying here another year."

"You don't have a choice," he replied calmly, as if he were simply stating a fact. "This is the consequence of your actions—or rather, your inaction. I'm sorry, but this is the reality."

I stared at him, my blood boiling. *So this is how it ends,* I thought bitterly. No matter how hard I tried to push back, it was clear he had already made his decision. I was trapped, and I hated that feeling more than anything.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind me. I felt like I was suffocating, my heart pounding against my ribs as I stalked down the hallway. I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't care. I just needed to get out of there.

A part of me wanted to find Avery, to tell her what had happened. But what would I say? That I had screwed up again? That I was failing? I didn't want to drag her down into this mess, not when she had so much going for her. She deserved better than me—better than some guy who couldn't even get through high school.

As I walked, the anger started to give way to something else—something deeper and more painful. I felt lost, like the world was closing in around me. There was only one place I could think of where I might be able to breathe again.

*New York.* The thought hit me like a punch to the gut. I needed to get back to the city, to disappear into its chaos, to figure out what the hell I was going to do with my life. There was nothing for me here now; that much was clear.