Collide (A 'Fated' Prequel)

Jealous

Monday; 6th of March, 2017

"Seriously? That's her, that girl over there?"

"Denise Hogan. She's in one of my classes, crazy talented."

"I've read a few of her fan fictions on Tumblr, they're really good."

"Is she the undergrad that somehow got accepted into a graduate's course?"

"Yeah, apparently her portfolio was reviewed and Professor Killian went to the school board."

"He's clearly on the rebound after Jenny Slate. She's pretty, plus she's a fan. Easy target. I get it."

"So what if she's pretty? The man is Captain freakin' America, she is so not pretty enough for him."

"He is really trying to switch things up with her, isn't he? Given his track record, I did not see this coming. Maybe there really is something about Asian girls, clearly every guy wants to check one off the list if even he's interested."

Denise kept her head down and took a deep breath. It was not the first time she'd heard other students gossiping about her. As the undergrad that got accepted into a graduate's course, there was a lot of gossip about her. It was easy to ignore what they were saying about how she got special consideration because she knew the truth, and that wasn't that she slept with Professor Killian or that her parents were probably crazy, rich Asians capable of paying someone off. But when she didn't really know herself what was going on between her and Chris, it was a lot harder to tune them out.

Frankly all she wanted to do was to turn and remind the girls gossiping about her that they were currently sat in a library where people came to study in peace. And she would've if she hadn't already learnt from experience that engaging in such conversations usually only made things worst for herself. So she reached over for her phone and turned up the volume of her music. Ironically enough, Taylor Swift's 'I Know Places' was the song blasting through her earphones into her ears; a place to hide was somewhere she needed right now.

Since being photographed with Chris, she seemed to have become the topic of everyone's conversation. At least, everyone who kept up with Hollywood's latest. Her follower count on Instagram had increased a significant amount since his fans had tracked her down. She had no doubt they were hoping she'd provide them with content: a photograph, a video- anything that involved Chris, and/or Dodger. Little did they know she was yet to meet Dodger, and that even if she had already met him and taken a cute video of him- she wouldn't post it. But other than wanting content, she realized a lot had probably followed her to keep tabs on her; to look for any sign that she was romantically involved with him, so they could either show their support by 'shipping' them or send her hate because she wasn't good enough for their celebrity crush. And though there was no sign yet, she'd already received her fair share of both.

Lost in her thought, she failed to notice the hand reaching for her earphones. It was when they were yanked from her ears that she was pulled her back to reality. "What the fuck is y-" She stopped herself when she looked up and saw Luca. Huffing, she let her frown fall off her face. "Sorry, I thought it was one of those bitches gossiping about me." She inconspicuously beckoned her head at the table behind her, which Luca looked over at then rolled her eyes. "They've been talking about me for a good ten minutes, either they think they're whispering or they think my music is too loud."

"Honestly, is it too much to ask that people all just-" She looked over at the four girls who had conveniently quietened down since she joined Denise, and called, "mind their own business?!" They glanced up from their laptops and books, a mix of emotions displayed on their faces: embarrassment, anger, contempt, and disgust. "Ugh, jealous much?" She turned back to Denise, a cheeky smile in place of her disapproving glare. "You know what we should do? Get Chris in here, I bet he could shut them up. When he comes over later, I am-"

"Not going to mention anything to him, Luca."

"And why not? He would totally be down to defend you."

"There's nothing to defend. What they're all saying, it's just- fan girls being fan girls. It's nothing I can't handle, and nothing he needs to bother himself with." Luca's shoulders slumped and she chuckled. "Let's try to remember that he is famous. He has a reputation to uphold and can't afford to participate in such juvenile matters. Plus we're just friends, if he defends me it'll insinuate that we're more than just friends and make things worst. Like you said, 'jealous much?' So just drop it, alright? It's not a big deal."

"Alright, fine. We will save him defending you from grade-A bitches when the two of you are more than just friends." She grinned when Denise rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't roll your eyes at me. We both know the two of you are going to end up together and live happily ever after. It's so obvious, it's just a matter of time now."

"I have to study, so how about you shut up?"

"Chris and Denise, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Denise put her earphones back in her ear, tuning Luca out before she got to the next verse of that childish song. Still, despite not knowing how Chris felt about her, she couldn't help but smile at the idea of having happily ever after with him. However many jealous fans she was going to have to put up with, as long as she had him in her life- it was going to be worth it.