What. The. Heck."
"Why's he holding her hand like she's his whole world? Ugh, stop it, Jenny….don't jump to…"
SLAM!
Jenny grabbed her bag, locked her locker with a bang, and walked off, calm on the outside but burning on the inside.
"Jenny! Wait up!" Maya called, hurrying to catch her before she disappeared into the crowd.
"Wait, is she the one now?" students whispered, eyes wide, piecing together the hallway drama.
Jeremy strolled in with Ashley, their fingers laced and smiles locked, like they were the main characters in some romance novel.
At one point, they even did that nose-rub thing, that kind of cute, before parting ways to their classes.
Maya eventually caught up with Jenny, who was already planted in her seat like nothing had happened.
Maya tilted her head, cautiously. "You good?"
Jenny flashed a wide, too-sweet smile. "Oh I'm totally fine," she said, voice soaked in fake cheer, the kind that dares you to question it.
Maya didn't press. She just held out the bag. "Wanna dose of sugar therapy?"
She'd brought a sweet stash from home and figured now was the perfect time to bust it out.
"I don't need sugar therapy. Seriously, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?" Jenny said, a little too fast.
Maya knew better than to push.
"I knooow, you're fine, this is totally not emotional damage control or anything…I just brought it for you this morning!"
Jenny grabbed one and gave a tiny nod, gratitude hiding behind a tight smile.
She slipped into her seat just as the bell rang; composed on the outside, stormy on the inside.
Mr. Delroy walked in right after, arms full of notes and that familiar caffeine-fueled energy that meant a pop quiz might be incoming.
Across the room, Jeremy was already in his seat.
He didn't look at her.
But as Mr. Delroy started talking, their eyes met.. just for a second.
And they both looked away.
*
*
*
The last bell of the day rang, dragging everyone into Mr. Jack's literature class like sleepy cattle.
Jenny slid into her seat near the window, her expression neutral but tired.
Her book from lunch still sat in her bag, unread.
Mr. Jack shuffled in with his usual flair..lopsided tie, a tote bag full of papers, and a tired but amused look on his face. He dropped the bag by his desk and clapped his hands once.
"Alright, my favorite hormonal tornadoes, let's talk literature."
A few groans.
He grinned. "Today's topic: unreliable narrators. Also known as every single one of you when your parents ask how school's going."
That earned a few laughs. Even Jenny blinked a little slower, almost like a smile had tried to show up but got lost on the way.
Mr. Jack grabbed a chalk marker and scribbled on the board: Truth, Lies, and the Gray In-Between.
"See, sometimes the story you tell isn't the real one. Sometimes, it's just the one you're ready to hear."
He turned to the class, arms crossed. "Ever told someone you're fine when you were, in fact, the exact opposite of fine? Raise your hand."
Half the class raised their hands. Jenny didn't, but she did glance at her desk.
"Exactly," Mr. Jack said, nodding. "Even our boy Holden Caulfield couldn't tell you what was eating him half the time. Just a whole lot of sarcasm and dodging real feelings."
Jeremy tapped his pen against his notebook, eyes flickering toward Jenny just once..long enough to notice her stillness, how her hands stayed clenched in her lap the whole time.
"Perfect," he whispered under his breath. That was exactly the reaction he was fishing for from Jenny.
"Don't go thinking you matter to me… at least now you know," he mumbled again, bitterness curling in his voice.
"What was that?" Kyle asked, casually turning from his seat beside Jeremy.
Jeremy threw him a sideways glare, caught off guard.
"Yo! Do you sharpen those ears every morning or what?" Jeremy grumbled, genuinely baffled at how Kyle always caught his muttering.
Kyle chuckled. "Lived with my grandma for a year,... had to develop ninja-level hearing just to survive. Old ladies whisper everything."
"Dude, keep that super-hearing away from me, alright?" Jeremy pulled a face, scooting a bit farther like Kyle had a contagious illness.
Kyle just grinned and turned back to the front of the class like nothing happened.
Mr. Jack continued,
"The point is, people aren't always good at telling their own truths. That doesn't make them liars. Just... complicated."
A pause.
The class was quieter than usual.
Then he added with a smirk, "And if any of you try to write your essay in emoji, I swear I will mail it to your grandparents."
That earned a full laugh, even from Maya. Jenny let out a quiet breath. Not a laugh, but something close.
*
*
The bell blared.
Finally, lunch time had arrived.
The cafeteria buzzed like a hive on fire, especially that day . with hot gossip flying around faster than spilled tea.
BREAKING: JEREMY AND ASHLEY ARE OFFICIALLY A THING. The rumor mill was working overtime.
Jenny and Maya stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the counter, eyeing the food.
"I want that, oooh…and that… and yep, throw that in too!" Maya said, pointing like she was building a masterpiece on her tray.
"What about you?" Maya asked, glancing at Jenny…who looked like her mind was out on a coffee break.
"Whatever you're having," Jenny mumbled, totally checked out from the lunch drama going on.
"She's with me..double up mine for her," Maya told the chef, throwing him a wink.
"Let's grab that table over there," Maya said, balancing her tray.
At the far end of the cafeteria, right by the entrance, Jeremy and Ashley made their grand entrance just as Jenny and Maya slid into their seats.
Hand-in-hand and all lovey-dovey, Jeremy and Ashley strolled to the counter, smiling like they were shooting a toothpaste ad, pulling every pair of eyes in the room.
Some folks cheered them on silently, others were green with envy.
Jenny chomped into her burger with a little extra force as she kept her eyes glued to the happy couple.
She chewed like her burger owed her rent, forcing every bite down like it had wronged her entire bloodline.
Maya, of course, caught all of Jenny's expressions.
"I'm telling you, this whole romance act is one big joke," Maya said, sipping her juice and side-eyeing the duo with detective-level intensity.
********
"What do you wanna eat?" Ashley beamed like she'd just won the boyfriend lottery. Her everyday dream had finally come into reality.
Jeremy didn't answer. His eyes were busy scanning the room looking for a target.
Ashley snapped her fingers inches from his nose.
"I said, what are you getting?"
"Who gave you permission to snap at me like I'm your butler?" Jeremy asked, throwing her a quick glare.
Ashley's smile deflated. She sulked a bit, then turned back to the chef.
"Whatever. Just give him what I'm having," she muttered.
"Yesss," Jeremy whispered like a villain –he'd found Jenny's table.
"I got our stuff. Can we go now?"
"Oh, totally, let's roll," Jeremy smirked, rubbing his hands, then he waltzed off toward Jenny and Maya's table, ditching Ashley with both trays.
"What the…?" Ashley whispered, blinking.
Halfway there, Jeremy realized he'd abandoned Ashley with the trays.
He realized it was time to stage the perfect act—a romantic stroll with the "girlfriend."
"Oh wow, look at you being all strong and independent! I did ask to carry them earlier, remember? But nope, you insisted, now I gotta save you, huh?" Jeremy said with those fake-sweet eyes, snatching the trays from her.
Ashley blinked in pure confusion but rolled with it, too stunned to challenge the weird role she'd been handed.
He practically projected his voice, making sure Jenny heard every saccharine word.
"Huh?" Ashley mumbled, side-eyeing him, as she couldn't place his change of gesture.
Jenny kept her eyes locked on her tray, refusing to so much as glance in his direction.
Jeremy chose his seat right in front of Jenny and Maya, dead-on visual.
He went full romance mode; feeding Ashley like they were in some sappy K-drama, all smiles and fake giggles.
Jenny tried to play it cool, but something inside her, she couldn't shove down.
Get a grip, Jenny, what's your deal? she scolded herself, fists tightening on her fork.
"Pssst…Maya," Jenny hissed, while Maya was totally invested in the Jeremy Show, making her own commentary faces with every flirty spoon moment.
"Huh? What?" Maya blinked, eyes still glued to the couple.
"Chomp faster..we're ditching this soap opera," Jenny muttered under her breath.
"Oh… alright," Maya mumbled, snapping out of her trance and suddenly speed-eating.
A few bites later, trays cleared, they stood up and ghosted the scene without a word.
Jeremy was mid-spoon-air, aiming at Ashley's mouth, when he caught sight of Jenny and Maya leaving.
The moment they were out the door, he dropped the spoon like it burned him, leaving Ashley frozen with her mouth wide open.
Ashley, eyes closed and mouth ready like she was expecting a romantic movie moment, peeked open, only to find the seat across from her empty.
Jeremy was gone.