Wicked Heart Beat - A Listen To Your Heart Book

Rumor

After lunch, everyone went back to their dorms to relax and do whatever they may wish. Currently, Audrey was on her phone scrolling through social media, while her roommate Crystal was curling her hair for a date.

Suddenly Audrey let out a blood curdling scream. Crystal yelped and cursed under her breath. Her curling iron had fallen and landed in her bare foot. She hobbled out of the bathroom holding her foot, only to knock into her nightstand, causing a half opened nail polish bottle to fall and spill on their carpet.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Crystal asked, worried for her friend.

"No, but my reputation is!" Audrey said holding out her phone. Crystal rolled her eyes but still skimmed through the latest post on Royalgram. It was a picture of Audrey and Jay at prom during their little dance off. The caption read 'Enemies, frenemies, or something more? Looks like Sleeping Beauty's daughter has found her own prince charming!'

"That's what you screamed about?" Crystal asked, annoyance clear in her tone. She rubbed her foot and returned to the bathroom. "It's not that big a deal, Audrey. So people think you and Jay are a thing. Get over it."

Audrey appeared at the bathroom door. "It IS a big deal! How could anyone think we're a thing?"

"Well...you two did look cozy on that dance floor," Crystal smirked. Audrey visibly paled and gulped. But she still let out a huff of annoyance.

"Crystal! Stop!" Audrey exclaimed. "You know we're not dating!"

"It wouldn't be so crazy, you know?"Crystal laughed. "I'm pretty sure Jay wouldn't mind."

"You're right!" Audrey said."You know what? I bet stupid Jay posted this! I'm going to kill him!I cannot have my reputation tainted!"

"Would it be so bad if you did start dating Jay?" Crystal teased. Audrey didn't answer as she stormed out of their dorm.
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"98, 99, 10-" Jay paused counting his push ups when he heard a loud banging on his door. He knew it wasn't Carlos coming back from studying for the scholastic decathlon because Carlos wouldn't knock to enter his own room.

Jay picked up his towel and wiped the sweat off his forehead and took a sip of water as he approached his door. To his surprise it wasn't one of his best friends but instead Audrey, obviously too peeved to notice her appearance. Her hair was in a braid and she was wearing black leggings and an oversized jersey. She wore no makeup and was wearing pink fuzzy bunny slippers.

Jay couldn't help but think that she still looked beautiful. Not that he'd ever admit it. "Sup Audrey, what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Save it!" Audrey said, holding up her hand. She barged into his room and started pacing.

"Ok?" Jay said, confused.

"Care to explain this?" Audrey asked, pushing her phone into his face. Jay squinted from the bright light and read the caption underneath the picture she showed him.

"Hey," Jay said defensively. "If you think I posted that, you're sadly mistaken. I literally just saw this right now."

"You didn't post it?" Audrey asked.

"No," Jay replied casually. "But someone obviously did and by the looks of it, the whole school has seen that picture."

"Ugh!" Audrey said, sitting unknowingly on Jay's bed. "My life is over!"

Jay frowned. "Just because people think we're a 'thing', your life is over?"

"Um, duh."

"Ok, I know we're not exactly friends, but I'm not that bad." Jay said, trying to hide his hurt from her comments.

Audrey sat up and looked like she was about to explode. "Oh my gosh! It's not even that! I don't like you like that. Me date a VK? Come on! That's ridiculous. Sure, Doug and Ben did it. But I'm a princess. I have to be dating a prince, and well, you're not a prince."

Jay winced. He felt like he just got slapped. "Ok, you made your point. But it's not like is the worst thing that could happen, okay?"

Audrey rolled her eyes. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jay's eyes narrowed.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm Royal and you're not. You don't have to deal with all the same issues I have to deal with. Do you know how badly my reputation could be ruined if people started think that you and I were dating?" Audrey scoffed. "It's very simple. People like me and people like you don't cross paths that way."

"People like me?" Jay said, getting angry. "You know what? You're nothing but a stuck up princess who always gets what she wants, not caring who she has to step over or who she hurt to get it!"

"Bite me!" She hissed.

"I was right to judge you, you may be pretty and all but I can see why Ben chose Mal over you!" Jay spat. Audrey visibly winced. Jay could see the hurt in her eyes but he didn't care. She wanted to make him feel like crap, well he was going to return the favor. "Mal may be Maleficent's daughter, but she would never be as cruel and heartless as you! The real villain here is you!"

Jay took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. He didn't realize during their argument, he and Audrey had gotten closer to each other. Their faces were so close, that one slight move might mean lip locking for the two teens.

Audrey bit her lip, taking in all of Jay's words. She held back tears, and furiously wiped at her eyes, not wanting to succumb to her emotions, especially in front of Jay. "I hate you!" She yelled in his face. She turned on her heel and stormed out of his room.

It wasn't until she was out of his room that he realized she was wearing his jersey.