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CHAPTER TWO:
THE NEXT TIME the pair would meet each other again was in school. Jadelyn slowly made her way through the crowded halls of Easton High— bumping into someone every two minutes, and apologizing right after. This was the typical day that the junior was used to. Once she got to her locker, the girl put in her combination and grabbed the next two books that she needed: Anatomy and Pre-Calculus. Those two classes were right after each other, so she didn't see the point of coming to her locker twice in the span of an hour.
She could hear the multiple conversations that were being held in the hallway— one of which, she was the topic of discussion. Jadelyn didn't even have to look in the direction of the voices to know who was talking. "She's not so tough without her family being here." One of them snickered. The sixteen-year-old rolled her eyes slightly at the girl's remark and walked away, not wanting to cause a scene.
Jadelyn wasn't one for confrontation, and that made her a constant target in school. Her brother and sister knew that as well, which was why they stuck by her when they attended Easton High. Jason was known to be the hotheaded one out of the three, so no one dared to mess with Kamilla and Jade while he was around.
Once she made it to class, there was someone sitting in her desk: Xander Holmes. Well, her name wasn't on the desk— but everyone knew that once you chose a desk to sit in, that was practically where you sat for the rest of the school year. Jade's eyebrows furrowed in irritation and she walked up to him. She tapped the desk, which made him turn to look at her.
Jadelyn grimaced at his gaze. "You're um.... sitting in my desk." She said quietly. The upperclassman chuckled at the younger teen. "Too bad, go sit somewhere else. You can't get your way now that ole brother dearest isn't here." He scoffed before turning to talk with his friends again. Aaron was sitting with some of those guys and looked up when he noticed them laughing. He could hear the conversation taking place, but didn't really care until he saw Jade with a frown on her face.
Aaron clicked his tongue and smacked Xander's arm. "Move." He said, which made Jadelyn look at him in shock. No one really talked to Xander like that unless they wanted to get a boot to the face and take a trip to the nurse's office. Xander raised an eyebrow, "You can't be serious..." Aaron narrowed his eyes as if to say "try me."
Jadelyn shook her head before speaking once again. "Aaron, it's fine... I'll just sit somewhere el—" She began. Aaron shook his head, "You're gonna sit right here." He declared, giving Xander a dark glare. "What's up your ass, Reynolds?" Xander scoffed. He looked between the two and something clicked.
Xander laughed, "Don't tell me that you like Morris!" Aaron rolled his eyes, "If I did, that's none of your business. She's a friend," He stated with narrowed eyes.
"Now, move out of my friend's seat before I make you."
—
After her last class ended, Jadelyn quickly made her way out of the classroom. She knew that if she didn't get out quick, Xander would certainly try to do something... and she didn't want that at all. The girl made her way to her locker and put in her combination numbers in order to open it. She could hear footsteps coming her way, which made her silently pray that it wasn't Xander.
"You seem spooked,"
A deep voice made the teen tense slightly, and she turned to see Aaron leaning against the lockers next to her. "It's not everyday that someone stands up to Xander, especially for the likes of me." Jadelyn spoke quietly as she closed her locker after getting the books she needed. Aaron raised an eyebrow in confusion, "It's normal for him to treat you like that?"
Jadelyn nodded her head. "And I think you made it worse..." She said with a small frown. The younger teen was grateful for Aaron's actions, but every action comes with a consequence... which usually ended up with her getting milk poured over her head.
"That bastard." Aaron muttered in his native tongue, which made Jadelyn look at him in slight confusion. The older teen noticed the confused expression and quickly apologized, "I tend to switch languages when I'm upset.... my bad." He chuckled nervously. Jadelyn nodded slightly in understanding, "but what did you say?"
"Oh, I called him a bastard."
Jadelyn snorted and covered her mouth before she could laugh out loud. "There's that smile." Aaron grinned as he bumped her slightly. The pair slowly made their way towards the exit of the school. It was silent between the two of them until Jade spoke once again. "I just want to say thank you..." She said with a small smile. The older male shrugged lightly, "Eh, it was nothing. I just hate it when the jocks try to shit on other people."
"Well, I appreciate it. A lot."
"Just hang with me, no one will mess with you."
"Don't you graduate this year though?" Jadelyn asked with a frown. Aaron shrugged, "I don't care, no one messes with my friends."
