The Hard Crush 1 (Feelings For You)

TWENTY-SIX

Winifred didn't know how she managed it but she did. Yeah. She punched - what was his name again? - oh yeah, Elijah. It wasn't exactly neat or accurate but she'd put enough force into the hit so much that she'd caught Elijah off guard and right now he had his ass on the ground. Not only did she not expect the impact to hurt her knuckles, she certainly didn't expect Jerry to pull her away from the scene with a pissed off expression on his face. She'd expected some sort of gratitude for saving his ass, but no, he was looking down at her, grey eyes sparkling with fury and something she sensed as disappointment. She'd never seen such a look on him before and what made it much more troubling was the fact that it was directed at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He asked.

Winifred flinched at the question. She was getting sick and tired of everyone asking her that ridiculous question. Why she didn't immediately snap at him was because his voice was surprisingly calm compared to the look on his face, but she still detected a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"What do you mean? I just saved your ass."

"Oh, so now you're a super hero or what?"

Winifred scowled. "That guy was just about to hit you."

"I would have taken the hit," he snapped in a low tone.

She didn't know why, but she had a feeling this wasn't the only reason he was mad. It seemed he was struggling to stay in control. Punching Elijah shouldn't be enough to get him so worked up. Winifred looked around at the small crowd that had gathered, so intrigued by the show. With the enthusiasm radiating off of them, there was no doubt they'd all waited long enough for a day like this to see Elijah get humiliated and put in his place. The guy was a complete douchebag. With everything Tristian had told her about his reputation earlier in class, she'd come to dislike the guy.

"Are you insane?"

Jerry and Winifred turned to looked at Elijah who had now scrambled to his feet. He approached them and Jerry instantly stepped in front of Winifred. Despite his anger at her, she couldn't help but feel excited that he still attempted to protect her. She was so close to him which thankfully gave her the opportunity to inhale his warm scent and carefully admire his body structure; his broad shoulders, his perfect jawline, his strong biceps and the overwhelming confidence that surrounded him right then. His caramel brown hair looked a bit tousled almost as if he'd raked his hands through it a couple of times. Mmm. His hands. Those hands had been practically all over her yesterday. Memories of the kiss came flashing back. She almost smiled but she stopped herself. This was not the appropriate time to daydream about whatever romantic affair they both thought they had. Nothing had been established between them so she wasn't going to get excited for no reason.

"What?" Jerry asked Elijah. "Are you mad you got knocked out by a girl? Did it shatter your crappy ego?"

His voice was full of confidence but there was a sudden tense registered on his body. Elijah's face went red with both embarrassment and anger. He cast a glare at some of the students around who found Jerry's statement humourous and chose to laugh or giggle openly. Most of them were girls. Their eyes were fixated on Jerry probably hoping he'd notice them right there or presumably after the commotion. Winifred felt a pang of jealousy hit her at the thought of these girls checking him out. Without thinking, she reached forward and held his biceps.

"Well it's not my fault that you're a sissy," she told Elijah. Although she didn't get the same reaction that Jerry's statement had from the other students but there were hushed whispers echoing in the hallway.

Jerry flinched and then turned and regarded her with disapproval. "Uh, I think this is the part where you stay quiet and let me handle the situation." He pulled away from her hold.