intense jenna ortega imagines for my girlies

third wheel pt. 2

Dinner was... something.

My brother was pulling out his best Nice guy act, which meant he was tolerable for the most part—bit every once in a while, his real self cracked through. Passive aggressive remarks, cutting me off mid sentence, the usual.

But I knew how to handle him.

"You sure you don't want to go get changed?" he asked at one point, glancing at my sweatshirt. "I mean, you do own nice clothes right?"

I stabbed my fork into my food without looking up. "Oh, I was going to, but then I thought—nah. If I put in too much effort, I might steal your girl."

Jenna stifled a laugh behind her wine glass. I caught the movement from the corner of my eye, but I didn't let myself look at her.

Because every time I did, my brain slowed down just a little.

She wasn't obvious about it, but I felt it—the subtle glances. Quick and fleeting at first, then gradually more frequent.

I told myself I was imagining it.

But then the wine really started to kick in.

I wasn't a big drinker, so by the time I was tipsy, my usual ability to deflect and ignore was slowly slipping away. My brother, now slightly more relaxed, leaned back in his chair with a grin.

"So," he said, turning to me. "What do you think about me having a famous girlfriend, huh?"

I blinked.

"What?"

Jenna shifted slightly in her seat, her face unreadable.

"You know," he continued, swirling his wine like he was so pleased with himself. "Not everyone can say they're dating someone famous."

And that's when it finally clicked. I stared at him, then at her. Famous. Jenna. Holy shit. Jenna fucking Ortega.

I must've been quiet too long because my brother raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you didn't realize?"

I suddenly felt really, really stupid.

I blinked, confused. Why did he feel the need to phrase it like that?

I shifted in my seat, staring at him. "Well, first of all, no I didn't realize. And second of all, that's such a weird thing to say."

He raised an eyebrow. "What? It's true."

"You sound like that's the only reason you're dating her."

Jenna's knife scraped slightly against her plate.

Before my brother could respond, she spoke up, her voice light, almost amused. "Yeah, what do you mean by that?"

He let out a short laugh. "Relax, I'm just saying. It's not every day someone like me pulls someone like you."

Jenna just gave him a small, unreadable smile before taking a sip of her wine. I couldn't tell if she was flattered or unimpressed.

I shrugged. "Well... congrats, I guess?"

My voice didn't even sound convincing to me.

My brother scoffed. "God, you're so weird."

I just smirked, used to his stupid comments and remarks.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Jenna glance at me, just briefly, before looking away again. She didn't say anything, but something about the way she looked at me felt... different.

After dinner, the air in the room felt heavy, like the conversation had left something unspoken hanging between us all. The wine had warmed my skin and I could feel my face slightly flushed—not just from the alcohol, but from the weird energy at the table.