ain't nobody takin' my baby- jack dylan grazer

chapter 5- the first day

monday:
holy shit, i thought when i woke up. it's the first day of school.
i groggily pushed myself out of bed and slugged over to the bathroom, turning the water faucet on so i could wash my face. as i got ready for school, my heart was beating out of my chest. what if they don't like me? what if they think i'm a slut for only having guy friends? my mind was racing, only thinking of all the bad things that could happen.
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i walked out of the door, my hands shaking. of course i had to look my best today, so i wore my ripped jeans and fishnets, with a black crop top (i couldn't care less if i got dresscoded) and my adidas superstars. as i was walking across the blacktop pavement, someone came up to me and covered my eyes with their hands.
"guess who?" the person questioned. i smiled as i instantly recongnized the voice.
"grazer! hey!" i responded, grinning from ear to ear.
jack looked at me, smirking. he ran a hand through his hair, and took his phone out.
"feel like taking a picture?" he asked.
"why the hell not," i said as he took the picture, posting it onto snapchat.
jack knew he looked good today. he wore an oversized t-shirt and ripped jeans. his hair was perfectly styled on top of his head, and he had adidas ultra boosts on.
over the past couple of days, we essentially became best friends. (red flag?) we texted and facetimed each day. there wasn't a moment where we weren't talking to eachother. it's crazy how he could make a shitty day turn into one full of joy and happiness. once we approached the bus stop, he waved to finn.
"yo, bro. what's up?" he asked, doing a "guy hug"
"nothing much. hey, ari!" he exclaimed, weaving his attention over to me.
"yo finn, how are you?"
"good, good. you ready for your first day of school?"
"as long as i got you guys, i know i'm gonna be okay," i said, bringing jack and finn into an embrace.
-
once we got to school, i was overwhelmed. i've been here before to preview it, but i've never seen the school inhabited by people. so many people were congregating by the doors, gregarious beings' voices booming across the school.
jack likely noticed i was nervous, so he turned towards me.
"hey, it'll be alright ari. you already have me, finn, jaeden, and chosen. soon enough, you'll have wyatt as well. you have nothing to worry about."
i heaved a sigh of relief.
today's gonna be a project.
-
as jack was walking me to my locker, a curly headed boy waved over to us in the distance. at first, he seemed puzzled. then, it seemed as if he remembered/realized something.
"grazer! yo!" the boy said. not gonna lie, he looked pretty nice. his style was streetwear inspired, and he knew how to dress himself.
"yo, wyatt! what's up? this is ari, the girl from chicago i told you about."
told him about?
"oh yeah! hey, ari! what's up?" wyatt responded, running a hand through his hair.
"nothing much, just trying to navigate my way through school," i responded, and chucked.
"cool, what's your first period?" he asked, staring at me.
i took out my schedule, looking for my first class.
"science, mr. white," i said, and his eyes appeared to light up. i looked at jack, disappointment smearing across his face.
"shit, me too! hey, i'll walk you to class, save you from grazer over here," he said, pointing at jack. jack let out an uneasy laugh.
"aight guys, i'll leave you two to walk to class. i better dip," jack said, waving at us.
"bye jack," we both responded. i opened my locker.
wyatt looked behind him, then turned around to me.
"so... ari. how'd you meet jack?" he asked, looking at me from up and down.
"oh... i'm his neighbor- well, i live by him. i saw him while i was moving in, and he came over later that day and said hi. the rest is basically history."
"oh," he said as i closed my locker. we began to make our way through the crowded hallway, pushing past people and brushing shoulders with others.
"just saying," he began, "you should be careful with him."
a puzzled look came across my face. "why?"
"he's the school heartbreaker, ari. i don't want you to get hurt."
"i don't believe you," i responded. jack seemed like such a nice person, the opposite of a player. was i getting the wrong impression of him?
"he has a fling with someone new almost every day. whenever he has an extended relationship with someone, he either cheats on them or breaks their heart. i don't want that happening to you."
i didn't respond.
-
the first couple of periods flew by, and it was already time for lunch. i walked into the lunchroom, and sat next to wyatt, since he called me over.
"hey, ari. sit right next to me and i'll tell you how lunch goes."
i abided.
"alright, so usually sophia sits where you're at, but she'll find a different place to sit. finn will sit right next to you, and noah schnapp will sit across from you. chosen will sit to the left of noah, and jack will sit to the right of him, across from finn."
great, i'll look like a complete slut for sitting next to boys.
i presume wyatt could tell what i was thinking, as he put his hand on top of mine.
"hey, no one's gonna think you're a... slut. you're okay ari, believe me," he said, my cheeks burning.
-
jack's POV:
i walked into the lunch room, looking for our usual table. as i was beginning to approach the table, i saw wyatt put his hand on top of ari's, and her cheeks turn crimson. a wave of jealousy flung over me, and i walked over to the lunch line instead of instantly sitting down.
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i sat down at the lunch table, and saw ari laughing at someone's joke. her brown eyes were glowing with joy, and her smile was 1000 watts bright. she is so beautiful, i thought.
"yo grazer, stare much?" noah whispered, nudging me in the stomach as i broke out of my trance.
"fuck, was i really staring?" i asked, my eyes widening. noah nodded.
"she didn't see you, though. you're okay dude," he assured.
ari looked at me, and time stopped. her dark brown hair was styled perfectly, tousled yet classy. her eyes sparkled, her eyelashes a million miles long. you could get lost in her dark brown eyes. her nose was so small and button-like, her lips in a perfect pout. her left hand was playing with a ring on her opposite hand, her acrylic nails shining.
i'm in some deep water with this girl, i thought.
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ari's POV:
i noticed jack was staring at me, so i looked back at him to see what was up. his eyes were glazed. it looked like he was really concentrated on me. i couldn't help but smile at him. he looked so amazing. but then i remembered everything wyatt said. you can't get yourself caught up in him. he will break your heart.
and with that, the bell rang and i was off to my next class.
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word count: 1256 words.
ouuuu we got another potential looOooOoOve interest for ari girl!!