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Chapter 42 - uninvited

"Are you going tonight?" Corey asked Sophie as Jess glimpsed up to listen in.

"Yeah, I think so." Was the simple reply he got in response as her concentration was distracted from the laptop in front of her.

He had still been helping her with her assignment and finally gaining some understanding with Corey's help, she didn't want to be disturbed.

"Is Aaron not training then?" Corey continued to ask as Sophie removed her hands from the keyboard and turned to look at him.

"No. He's been there all day."

It was no surprise for Aaron to spend his nights at the gym training this close to a fight. He wasn't supposed to be drinking too much so that meant it was usually a better atmosphere for him than being surrounded by his drunken friends.

"But hey! You make it seem like I wouldn't have gone without him."

"Well you wouldn't have done." Corey teased, knowing how his group of housemates were not always her favourite individuals when drunk.

She was fine when they were all sober as she could actually get on with them extremely well. However, the moment they got some alcohol into them, everything changed and they could be a bit too much to handle, especially when Aaron wasn't around.

"Shut up." Sophie rolled her eyes. "I'd just rather not spend a night with them drunken messes without someone sane around."

"I'll be there... some sanity will exist."

"Oh of course, how the could I forget?"

"What about you?" Corey then turned to Jess who was more confused than anything.

"Um... no?" She replied, still trying to understand what they were talking about.

"Jack didn't invite you? Shit."

"What is it?"

Sophie looked just as surprised at the fact that Jack hadn't mentioned anything. She had just assumed that Jess knew yet instead, she was completely in the dark.

"Their house is having a party tonight." Corey began before Sophie interrupted.

"Did he not mention it at all?"

"No but it's fine. I wouldn't have gone anyway." Jess instantly shrugged it off as though she didn't care yet deep down her head was full of questions.

She'd spent the other night with him yet he hadn't mentioned a word about it. She wasn't sure if he didn't want her to go or if he had just genuinely forgot to tell her but either way she felt a little hurt.

"I'm going, come with me." Corey then sang with pure enthusiasm while Sophie caught Jess' eyes and instantly noticed her look of confusion still.

She didn't want to overreact but she would be lying if she said it didn't bother her. Even if he thought she wouldn't go, it would have been decent of him to just mention it.

"I don't think I should just turn up..." Jess trailed off, not wanting to sound rude to Corey.

"He probably forgot to mention it."

Looking across at Sophie who was expressing just as much concern, Jess dropped her head to look at her phone. They'd been texting all day and he hadn't said a thing. Everything had been completely fine but now she was beginning to question it all.

"Yeah, you should definitely come." Sophie added, trying to encourage Jess knowing how she was feeling by just the look on her face.

"I don't know... I have an essay due in next week and I haven't even started."

She was definitely making up excuses yet the idea of just inviting herself didn't feel like such a good idea. Jack had obviously not asked her for a reason so just turning up wasn't something she was all too willing to do.

"That can wait." Corey replied. "Text me and I'll pick you up on my way."

As Corey slid his phone over in the direction of Jess, her eyes instantly darted from him to Sophie and back to the phone again. For some reason she felt a rush of panic and guilt throughout her body, as though she was doing something she shouldn't.

She didn't know why but it felt kind of wrong to be agreeing to go to the party with Corey. She had just spent the night with Jack, in his bed yet was now committing to spend the evening with some other guy.

She was new to this whole thing so didn't understand what would be classed as okay or wrong however, with his eyes on her, she gave in and took the phone.

Entering her number into it, she then passed it back over before looking to his hand that was outstretched for her own phone. With Sophie's eyes still on the two of them, Jess then passed it towards him and watched as he typed away.

"Cool. I'll see you tonight then." Corey smiled as he stood to his feet and as Jess was still at loss for words, he turned his attention to Sophie. "And you too. Don't back out if Harris ends up training."

Giving him a challenging look, Corey broke into laughter before heading off with a playful wave. It wasn't until he was completely out of sight that Sophie turned to Jess with the biggest grin across her face

"Oh my God!"

"Sophie."

"This is so damn cute!" She continued while Jess' face was flushing red.

"You two would make such a cute couple, if things like progressed and that..."

"Soph, we're not..." Jess began before rephrasing herself. "What about Jack? I feel a bit guilty."

"You feel guilty?" Sophie's hands were then thrown out to her sides in the most dramatic manner possible. "He didn't invite you to his shitty party after you two nearly slept together the other night. That's not cool."

Jess knew Sophie was right and it did hurt knowing he hadn't mentioned it however, she wasn't sure how he would react to her showing up at his party, uninvited and with someone else. But, with her best friend's eager approval of Corey, Jess felt the need to go along with it and just see what happened. She wasn't used to any of this but going with the flow and riding the wave felt like her best option right now.

"Corey's a really decent guy. He's more genuine than Jack."

"Do you think so?" Jess asked, as it seemed as though she had no sense of what a 'nice guy' was anymore... even though that's what she was eagerly trying to find.

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