The Hard Crush 1 (Feelings For You)

EIGHTEEN

As usual, Travis dropped them off at school the next day. It had become a routine. No one said anything on the way, which was an annoying strong sense of déjà vu.

Beatrice had decided to keep to herself; always staying in her room and refusing to talk to anyone except she was being spoken to. She'd suddenly become slightly cold and distant. And Winifred had forgotten to talk to Jericho yesterday. She'd make that her priority today.

When she got to school, Beatrice left to meet her friends, not saying much to Winifred.

Winifred bumped into Jerry when she stepped into the hallway.

"Hey, you," he said, giving her a gallant smile.

"There you are," she said, relieved that she didn't have to look for him.

He raised his brows. "Were you looking for me?"

"Sort of. We need to talk."

"Yeah, that's true. What is it?"

"Okay. Well, the thing is, I'm curious. Or rather, Beatrice and I are curious. We'd like to-"

"Uh..." He said, automatically cutting her off. "Sorry, can this wait?"

She frowned. "No, it has to be now."

"I'm sorry. I can't right now. How about during lunch?"

"No. I'm not staying at your table."

He glanced behind her nervously. "Okay. I'll call you."

She gave him her number and he kept looking behind her outside.

"I'll call you," he said again and left almost immediately.

Winifred looked back at him and watched him leave to go and meet Tristian and Sebastian.

Was he trying to avoid being seen with her by them or what? Strange.

She headed towards her locker and found Hilary leaning on it and waiting.

"Uhh...can you move?" Winifred asked after a while.

"Oh, I'll move alright," Hilary said. "But that'll only happen if you answer just one question correctly." She shifted in her position. "What was that you gave Jerry?"

"That's not your concern."

Hilary smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "Listen, sweetheart, I mean no harm. Jerry and I share something very intimate, so whatever you gave him, is completely my concern. I don't know what it is you have in mind, but you can't just show up here and try to ruin my achievements. That is just not nice."

"Achievements?" Winifred chuckled. "I don't see any achievements."

"It doesn't matter if you see it or not. What matters is that I share a bond with Jerry. We have a strong connection, and I don't need you making any attempts to take that away from us."

Winifred nearly choked with laughter. Who was this girl? And how did Jerry manage to put up with her? Even her voice got on Winifred's nerves.

"Is Jericho aware of this bond?" Winifred asked, trying to suppress more laughter.

"That's nothing you should worry about," Hilary said flatly. "Now, what was that you gave Jerry? I saw you scribbling something on a piece of paper and shove it into his hand."

Winifred watched her. She was still smiling, which was weird. It'll be a blast to wipe that smile off her face. "My number," Winifred told her. She waited for a change in reaction but none came. Surprisingly, Hilary was still smiling.