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Chapter 10 - change him

Jess

As Jess headed for the canteen later that afternoon once her lecture had finished, she instantly froze on the spot when she realised who had just walked straight out in front of her. He hadn't even noticed her heading that way as he was too engrossed in his conversation with his friends however Jess wasn't really sure what to do with herself.

She began to slow down until she got too slow that people kept bumping into her. She then began picking up speed but found herself getting closer and closer to Jack and his friends than she wanted to.

She didn't know why she was so nervous all of a sudden but she didn't exactly know what to say to him. After he had dropped her home last night, nothing else had been said. There had been no text, no phone call, absolutely nothing so she didn't know where she stood.

"So what happened with that girl?" Jack's friend Max nudged his arm, instantly capturing Jess' attention.

Jack's pause in response caused the nerves to intensify within her. Jess knew she shouldn't be here listening to this and that she should just walk away but she couldn't help herself.

"The one you took to the fight." Max clarified when it seemed as though Jack didn't know who he was talking about.

"Fuck all." Jack laughed as his friends instantly expressed utter shock.

"You're kidding right? I don't believe it!"

"She let me kiss her, that was it. It didn't quite go as planned."

The words that were leaving Jack's mouth caused Jess' heart to sink and she suddenly felt extremely sick. The guy she had spent the evening with last night was nothing like this. The guy that everyone had insisted Jack was had all seemed such a lie after how well things had gone. However, now she was beginning to rethink her judgment and believe that maybe, he truly was just as bad as everyone said he was.

"Fuck Jack Lawrence! You're losing your touch man." Max continued to tease, shoving Jack's side as he did so.

"Fuck off, no I'm not. Just give it time."

"Give it time? What, are you proposing or something?" The guy the other side of Jack who went by the name, Jamie added.

It was clear that not only did they find this whole thing shocking, they also found it comical and this conversation was the kind of thing Jess didn't want to hear. She didn't want Jack talking to his friends about her. She didn't want them knowing every detail of what did and didn't happen so she didn't understand why he had to express it.

"She's just not like the other girls. She takes a bit more work."

As the guys began turning off into the canteen, Jess held back for a few moments. She didn't want to go rushing in after them but that had originally been where she was heading. So instead, she leaned herself up against the wall as her heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn't quite understand the emotions erupting through her right now but she just wanted to escape them.

She knew she should have listened to everything Sophie had told her about him but at the time, it hadn't seemed so bad. Jess just assumed that if Sophie could be friends with him then surely he couldn't be as bad as everyone made out.

However, she hadn't fully processed the fact that Jack wasn't in the best position to treat Sophie in any way other than with respect as she was dating his best friend. For Jess on the other hand, she was just some other girl to him, just some stranger he had met and wanted to lure in with his usual games.

...

Moments later, she had finally bucked up the courage to head inside but with only one mission this time and that was to find Sophie. As she ventured in within the crowds, her eyes scanned the room until they landed on Aaron.