✓ PICTURES OF GIRLS, jaeden martell

𝒙𝒗𝒊𝒊𝒊. better off

EIGHTEEN.

NATALIA'S PALMS FELT DAMP as she rested her hands on the doorknob of jaeden's home. on the way here, she'd been ambushed by more paparazzi then she could count, screaming questions at her such as "what is your relationship with jaeden martell?" among other things that she refused to answer.

sometimes she wished that she had never become famous, never had to endure the endless questions and people following her around all day. but then again, natalia was famous because of acting- and she loved acting. acting was her passion, and she wouldn't give it up for the world. but before jaeden, things hadn't been like this. she just simply hadn't been as popular. yeah, she'd had encounters with the paparazzi before, but never as much as this. but natalia also wouldn't give up jaeden for the world. no matter how bad the press and reporters got, she wouldn't let them get to her. and she would never stop seeing the boy that lit up her life.

jaeden's mother angela answered the door, making small talk with natalia while jaeden finished up whatever he was doing upstairs. angela was a really nice woman and a great mother, she'd raised jaeden to be quite a remarkable boy.

natalia and jaeden weren't going on an elaborate, super romantic date like you would imagine. this was simply because neither of them were like that. natalia was pretty outgoing but jaeden was not, he was a very introverted boy who didn't like elaborate gestures. natalia wasn't a very romantic person herself, so a movie night was fine for her as it was for jaeden.

so that's how it worked out.

a movie night.

due to natalia's insistence, jaeden finally gave in to watching both of the IT movies. the red head was a huge horror junkie, and plus she would definitely jump at the chance to see baby jaeden with a stutter.

and that's what they did. they watched IT and IT chapter two. right before the first movie, natalia rested her head nonchalantly on jaeden's lap on the couch, and it stayed that way the whole time (much to jaeden's surprise but also delight).

jaeden's hand unconsciously went in natalia's hair, playing with it throughout the entire movie.

natalia thought it was pretty fucking funny when jaeden did the stutter as bill in the movie, she cooed and laughed at the screen every time jaeden had a scene. the boy rolled his eyes at her (he actually thought it was cute but that's whatever.)

and when she was at the door, putting on her yellow raincoat and zipping it up to her chin, she noticed his expression.

"hey, jae, what's the matter?"

she asked, pulling on her hat over her red curls. jaeden tucked his hands in his pockets.

"it's not that important."

natalia frowned, crossing her arms at the boy in front of her.

"well, it's important to me!"

"nothing! i'm serious."

"don't do that. friends don't lie, mister martell."

jaeden's face fell, and his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. but just as fast, he lifted the corners of his mouth back up.

he was an actor, after all. and even though the girl he needed had just unknowingly friendzoned him, he didn't let that show.

"i'm not doing anything. text me when you get home, okay?"

and after she hugged him and left, still oblivious to what she had just done, jaeden let his expression droop. natalia had tried so hard to let the boy know he could be open with her, but some walls aren't meant to be let down.

jaeden was still the person he was before he met natalia parker. meeting her didn't change him. it may have made his feelings twist, but jaeden martell still was the shy, distrusting boy he was before her.

natalia had her own doubts about being with him, all the paparazzi and harassment on social media. and jaeden wasn't even sure if natalia liked him like that, she'd just managed to call him a friend right after their first date. so there was that.

and both the two teenagers couldn't help but think as they went their separate ways: were they just better off without each other?

ELLIE SPEAKS!
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