"Ring!"
The bell rang, signaling the final moments of class. Students were slowly gathering their things, the sound of papers rustling and bags zipping filling the room. But Jenny wasn't paying attention to any of that.
Her gaze was fixed on the door at the other end of the hallway, where Jeremy stood talking with his friends, laughing, his posture relaxed and effortlessly cool.
Every part of her wanted to just walk up, hand him the envelope from Ashley, and get it over with.
But, of course, she couldn't do that. It was Jeremy, the guy everyone gossiped about, the guy with the magnetic pull.
She wasn't even sure what it was about him. His deep brown eyes? His messy hair that looked like it was styled just by running his fingers through it? Or maybe it was just his aura of confidence that made him impossible to ignore.
Jenny didn't have time for a deep analysis—her feet were already in motion, pushing her into a sprint across the crowded hallway.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she dodged through the stream of students, some of them glancing up in confusion, others muttering about her sudden dash.
I can do this. I can do this. It's just Jeremy. Just hand him the thing and walk away.
But as she approached him, everything slowed down. She could hear the faint chatter of his friends behind him, their laughter echoing in her ears.
She felt her cheeks warm with nerves. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever. She was almost there—just a few more steps—and then she felt the familiar tug in her stomach that came with getting too close to him.
"Hey, Jeremy!" Her voice cracked a bit louder than she intended, making the word Jeremy sound more like a confrontation rather than a casual greeting.
It was a stupid thing to do—shouting his name like that. She hated how it sounded so desperate, but there was no turning back now.
She quickly reached the doorframe where he was standing. For a split second, she hesitated, catching her breath.
Her sneakers squeaked as she stopped just in front of him, chest heaving as she tried to get the words out.
The classroom around her seemed to disappear, the noise of students fading as her focus narrowed on him.
The closer she got, the more she realized just how much he seemed to stand out.
He leaned casually against the doorframe, looking effortlessly cool, while she was gasping for air, hoping she didn't look as ridiculous as she felt.
He finally looked down at her with that same unreadable expression. No smile. No words. Just his gaze, like he was waiting for her to do something,….anything.
Now, clutching the envelope in front of him and the little bag from Ashley, her words hung in her throat.
He didn't move. He just stared down at her, his hands tucked casually into the pockets of his jacket.
His gaze was steady, unblinking, as though he was weighing her, taking his time with her presence.
Jenny's stomach churned, and she couldn't help but feel a prickling heat rise to her cheeks. Why was he looking at her like that? Wasn't she just handing him a message? Wasn't that supposed to be the end of this interaction?
The feeling was awkward.
He was probably waiting for her to hand over the stuff and leave. But the silence stretched on, thick and uncomfortable.
"Uh…" she finally muttered, her voice faltering as she tried to fill the gap. "I—um, Ashley asked me to give this to you."
His eyes flickered briefly to the envelope in her hand, then back up to her face, still unreadable. So much for a simple favor.
He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing, just for a moment. Was he smirking? Jenny couldn't tell. It was almost like he was sizing her up—no, waiting for her to crack.
Without a word, Jeremy reached out slowly, almost lazily, and took the small bag from her hands.
He gave it a cursory glance, his fingers brushing over the candy inside. Then he held it up, as if inspecting it like it was some strange artifact.
Jenny's palms felt suddenly clammy. Was this some kind of joke? Did he think this was funny? She had never felt so exposed in her life, standing there with his gaze like a spotlight on her.
But Jeremy didn't seem to be in any rush. He popped a coffee-flavored candy from the bag and twirled it between his fingers, casually glancing over his shoulder to his friends, while Jenny put up a fake smile hoping for a positive response, at least if no words could come out, her smile could do a little trick.
"What's the fuss about?" His tone was flat.
He had a cold demeanor, as if he couldn't care less about why she was there. It stung more than it should have.
Jenny's mind raced, and the words she had practiced in her head, quick and to the point…. vanished.
She opened her mouth, but the words were stuck somewhere in her throat.
The classroom noise had faded into a dull hum around them, but it felt like everything in that moment was centered on her.
Then, before she could even think, Jeremy bent down.
Her eyes widened in surprise as he leaned toward her, closer than she expected, and in a single swift motion, he flicked the candy wrapper toward her face, letting it sail through the air like it was the most casual thing in the world.
Did he just….?
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