Bet ~Jean x Reader AU~

Chapter 19: Frozen in the Woods

"Oh my God. Did you hear the announcement?" a girl whispered, her quiet tone grabbing my attention.

"No," another female voice answered. "What announcement?"

"Supposedly there's some kind of perv who's creeping on campus," the first continued.

I lost interest in what I was doing. Instead of working on my art assignment I found myself eavesdropping on the nearby table. I too hadn't gotten the announcement, but unlike those girls, I already knew about the creep. After all, it had been me he stalked that night, but I still couldn't fathom it all. Even though he hadn't gotten a chance to do anything to me, I still shuddered at the possibilities.

"Wait. For real?" the second pressed, a sense of urgency visible in her tone. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, like, he was stalking a girl," the first said. "You know that ADA freshman, Eren Jaeger? The one who's always with Armin Arlert and Mikasa Ackerman?"

"Oh. Yeah. He's sometimes with Connie Springer and Marco Bodt too," her friend replied happily. "He's kinda cute."

There was a slight pause before the first responded. "Okay, first off; that's irrelevant. Secondly, eww. He's a freshman and Mikasa already has a claim on him. Thirdly, focus."

I couldn't help but chuckle silently to myself. He's cute, but not my type. I stayed to myself, silently allowing my pencil to scratch along the paper. I was still listening to their conversation, but I was doing my best to act as if I didn't hear a thing.

"Anyway," the first continued. "Eren kinda saved the girl from the creep."

"How?" her comrade pressed.

"I don't know all the details," the other said. "I just know he got to her before the perv could."

"That's a relief," the second laughed nervously. "But, why did they send out an announcement?"

"Because you dingle head. He could still be at large," she huffed. "Eren might've saved that girl, but by the sounds of everything, there was no physical altercation. Which means the guy could still be out there just waiting to attack."

Silence. It seemed the two were calculating what they'd say next. And, honestly, I was intrigued to hear what would come next. I just wanted to know what else they had to say about the announcement. What were the safety precautions? Was there going to be extra security? I didn't know, and I was hoping I'd get my answers from them.

Finally, the second questioned, "So...what does this all mean?"

"It means that we'll need to be on alert and that the ADA house will be patrolling with security," she replied calmly.

Is that what Marco meant? I pondered. About their house helping out? It only made sense but I still couldn't be sure. The security team was paid adults who patrolled campus 24/7. ADA was just a fraternity made of horny young adult males ranging with members straight out of high school to college seniors ready to fly out into the big world. I mean, I appreciated their concern, but there was no saying they'd take the role seriously.

I lost interest in the girls' conversation, so I redirected my concentration back to my work. Well, rather, I tried. It was easier said than done. My mind was just racing a million miles a minute, everything just swirling. The creep roaming freely on the streets had me anxious. My missing sketchbook left me aggravated. YM/N coming to Trost made me want to just scream out in anger. And lastly, there was the whole situation with Jean. I couldn't tell you why that fluttering feeling in my stomach overwhelmed me whenever I even just thought of him, but it did. I knew nothing about him and he wouldn't even recognize me if we passed each other in the halls, but I couldn't shake it...no matter how hard I tried.

Frustrated, I packed my things up. I needed some air and I needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. I flung my bag's strap up onto my shoulder, the heft of its tonnage pulling at me and shuttled off. My shoes knocked at the floor, the hums of schoolmates chatting all around me filled the spaces the quietness once resided in. I moved quickly, making sure to keep my eyes averted when I came across the doors.

I pushed through them, the keen breeze greeting me with a bitter kiss, though I ignored it. It combed its fingers through my loose hair, chilling my cheeks. I shoved my hands into my pockets and just pushed on, ignoring any humming of the students drifting between the buildings. I didn't have anywhere to be at the moment and it would be a while before I did, so I just began wandering, making sure to keep an eye out for any unsalted ice patches. I wasn't planning on biting the dust a second time, so I needed to be aware.

I trudged along, passing countless people, paying none of them any mind. I had no destination and was mindlessly drifting when after some time I blinked, glancing around. I was on the path I had taken that fateful night when I stumbled across the photographer and Nala. It had only been about a week since that night, but it felt like forever ago -like it had been ages. I hadn't seen either of them since then but being there in daylight was completely different.

Everything was bathed in the sun's natural light, its gleam illuminating what was once drenched in shadows. To be honest, it appeared differently than it did that night, but it was still beautiful. Ice and snow blanketed over the branches, the sun causing them to twinkle like jewels. It was amazing.

I glimpsed around and noticed there was no one else meandering along the path, which meant I was at the perfect place to get some air. I found a bench and claimed it as my own, planting my bum on the cold surface. Shivers darted the length of my spine at that, but I merely brushed it off.

I stared blankly out across from me, my vision peering into the woods. I could just barely see into them, but not too much. I just knew that the clearing was close by, taking my mind back to Nala and the photographer. I remembered how amazed I had been by watching his interactions with her. He had been so gentle and her so comfortable. It was truly a scene I was grateful to witness.

Before long, I had been perched in my little hiding spot long enough to where I could no longer feel my nose or fingers, leading me to take a peek at my cell. I had been there for roughly fifteen minutes, which wasn't bad due to how cold it was. Still, I had another class I had to go to and no time to just sit any longer. So, I pried myself up off the bench and was in the midst of stretching when a noise caught my attention.

I froze immediately at the rustling that came from close by. My heart was racing vigorously against my ribs as my pulse sounded in my ears, my body going numb. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Was all I could hear as the anticipation ate away at me. I remembered back to the stalker and was half attempted to make a dash for it when a male voice spoke.

"Didn't you get the notice?" he questioned, his voice low and laced with irritation. "You shouldn't be wandering campus alone."

I spun on my heel, my eyes colliding with a fiery set of gold orbs tinted by a fierce drive. A drive so wild that it hitched my breath and stopped my heart. It was him.

**Bello my sweet lovelies. I'm so sorry for all the sucky chapters. I'm really having a hard time writing, but I'm not giving up. I know what I want to happen, it's just that getting there is what sucks. Either way. But, enough with my moping. I hope y'all are doing well! Thank you so much for everything! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross