Believer ~Jean x Reader AU~

Chapter 3: One Line

Well...that was an interesting class. I mentally snorted as I made my way out of the LAL building. To be honest, though I knew art classes in college sometimes meant drawing naked models, I had never imagined I would draw one of my instructor's colleagues while he was fully bare ass in the nude...proudly displaying his family jewels. To be honest, I doubt he would have sat so boldly had Connie not been in the room, but he seemed to want to torment the boy. After all, he glared at Connie the whole time as if warning him not to fuck up. I actually almost pitied Connie...almost. I mainly found the whole thing hilariously amusing.

I made my way through campus, listening to the hushed chatters of those I passed. MRU had been so gloomy after Marianne's death, but things were starting to return to normal...slowly. Everyone was still wary of the man responsible for Marianne's death, but at least life was returning to campus. I hadn't realized how dull it had all been until laughter returned.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and went on my way, my thoughts enveloping me. Even though I was feeling a million times better after getting my test results back, I still wasn't truly back to myself. I still felt like shit. I was still avoiding both of my parents...well, avoiding my father. YM/N didn't really reach out to me unless she needed to randomly rant or something like that. As for YF/N, he still worked his best to get ahold of me. He would call, leaving me voice messages asking me how I was and texts, all always reiterating how much he loved me. But I still couldn't bring myself to answer.

I let out a huff and glanced up just as I saw him.

He was walking, his long legs taking confident strides with each step he took. His gaze was averted down, his eyes on the screen of his phone. He swiftly moved his fingers, the tips of his thumbs tapping at the screen as if he was typing something. The wind blew, blowing the loose strands of his sandy locks.

I almost couldn't believe it. I hadn't seen him at all in that time, but there he was. There he was walking, his backpack snuggly secured over his shoulders and his gaze down. I almost couldn't believe it, but my breath hitching brought me back to reality.

Kellen Haas.

With my heart racing, I turned to make for a quiet escape when I heard the sound of Kellen's deep voice question, "Y/N?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, chewing on my lips. Fuck. He spotted me. To be fair, I hadn't really expected him to recognize me, especially my backside. I was hoping he'd just keep going to wherever it was he was off to, allowing me to book it to my dorm...but, of course, I wasn't that lucky. Heaven forbid.

I breathed in a deep breath and turned, my eyes colliding with his warm ocean gaze. He was as I remembered him. His loose curls were still styled into that undercut, each gold strand glimmering in the light. His features were still sharp and sunken in, his jawline keenly chiseled as a soft smile lifted the corners of his lips. My heart raced, my breath becoming lodged in my throat with just a single glimpse at him. The artificial glow of streetlamps had done him no justice that night. He was utterly breathtaking, and I was utterly me.

How utterly disappointed he must have been.

"Y/N, hey," he smiled, scratching the back of his head. "Long time, no see. How have ya...how have ya been?"

I couldn't tell you what came over me. I couldn't even begin to explain what went through my mind at that moment because it certainly wasn't common sense. All traces of that went out the window before I even had a chance to calculate an intelligible response.

Without thinking, I blurted, "I'm not pregnant."

A mixture of confusion and surprise washed over his face as his eyes widened. It was only at that moment that I registered what I had said. My features contorted into horror at my words as I stared at him. Oh my God...you didn't...you did. As if my heart wasn't already beating my ribs like a madman, it resorted to hammering against them. My pulse pounded through my ears at a deafening pitch. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"I, uh" he began, his tone cracking from his astonishment. "I didn't know that was a concern you had."

Awkward, awkward, AWKWARD! ABORT CONVERSATION, BITCH! I wailed at myself. I balled my hands into fists and flashed a fake smile. "Sorry! Gotta go! Bye!"

And at that, I dashed away, running as fast as I possibly could. I didn't care if I looked like an idiot. Peoples' stares held no candle to the embarrassment I felt from blurting out what I had. The burning of my chest and the panting of my breath was the reminder of my stupidity. I was a moron.

I slowed, having placed a good distance between Kellen and I and bent over, huffing as I tried to catch my breath. My legs trembled beneath my body, reminding me that I was no track star as I wheezed. Smooth one, stupid. I growled internally. What the fuck was that? He asked how you were, not if you were knocked up. I stood straight up and bonked my head gently with one of my palms. I can never see him again. It's too embarrassing.

I dropped my arms to my sides and stared up at the sky, huffing, "Why am I like this?"

**Ello my lovelies! So, to be honest, I laughed while typing this chapter. The awkwardness was just so amusing to me. Like, all I can say is sorry because I lost it XD. But, I hope you enjoyed it! As always, thank you so super duper much! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross