Jenna Brooks’s POV As I saw Conrad approach us, my breath hitched in my throat. Why was he here all of a sudden? What happened to ‘I think we should keep the distance for a while’?“I need to speak with Jenna.” Conrad said, turning to Liam who was still standing there. “But I’m talking to Jenna right now,” Liam replied.Conrad suddenly grabbed my wrist and my eyebrow’s furrowed in confusion. Why was he doing this to me? Why can’t he just tell me what exactly he wanted?“I need to talk to you, Jenna. Now.” Conrad said again, his tone intimidating.As he tried to take me away, Liam suddenly grabbed my other wrist, “I was here first!”Both of them were now holding both my hands and it felt like they were going to split me into two halves. Why not just do it now?!I yanked my wrist off Liam’s hold but Conrad’s grip was way too tight. He pulled me towards the quiet auditorium while I whispered ‘I’m so sorry,’ to Liam whose gaze followed us until we disappeared. Now in the quit
Jenna’s Brooks’s POV “What?” My jaws dropped.“Yeah. It looks like the real deal but it’s not. Where did you get it? Were you conned?” I really wish I was conned. I really wish Jeanette was mistaken. Olivia would never give me a knockoff bracelet. It’s not even about the price anymore but the fact that she lied about her parents getting the bracelet from Italy. Why would she lie to me? Was she not confident enough in our friendship? Did she think I would reject it if she told me she got it for a cheap price?“Yeah, I was conned. I paid a hundred bucks for it,”Jeanette grasped my hands in surprise, “You should have told me, Jenna. I could’ve gotten you the real deal for less.”“It’s fine, Jean. I like it.”“If you say so.”Jeanette went back to pressing God-knows-what on her phone while i pondered on why and how Olivia lied to me. Why wasn’t she honest about it? I thought about texting her but decided not to. It would be better to discuss face to face with her tomorrow at
Jenna Brooks’s POVNEXT DAY… Throughout last night, I pondered over the possibility that Pstar7 was actually a student of Fox Lane High. Then I tried to guess who could possibly be Pstar7. Who was smart enough to be him? When I realized the guessing was driving me nuts, I decided to drop a text in his Dm but he still hasn’t replied my text since last night.“Class…” Mrs Andrés voice statled me. She was standing in front of the class, waiting to get everybody’s attention.I glanced at Olivia’s seat again, she wasn’t in school yet. Why? She was usually the first to arrive and the first to leave. I texted her a while ago but there was no response.“Class, Olivia Downs is absent. Does anyone know where she lives?” Mrs Andrés asked.Everyone exchanged glances and it seemed like they were all confused. We all thought we knew Olivia but the truth was, we didn’t know her enough to know where she lived. How?!!!“No one?” Mrs Andrés asked again before her gaze landed on me. “Jenna?”I fu
Jenna Brooks POV “Olivia?”Immediately, she lowered her head, “Would you like me to get you anything?” She asked again.“I…”I still couldn’t believe my eyes. How could she be a maid? From what I’ve heard, she was from a wealthy family. Had she been lying to me all these while?“If you don’t need anything, I’ll take my leave now,” she added and turned to leave.I sprung up and quickly grabbed her wrist, “Wait, Olivia. You have some explaining to do.”She slowly turned to me, and as if on cue, she suddenly sunk to the floor and started sobbing. I was taken aback. ‘The’ Olivia Downs was sobbing.“This is all your fault, Jenna! You’re a terrible friend.” She said admist sobs.My eyebrows scrunched together and my head tilted to one side, almost like a puppy who heard a funny noise. How was it any of my fault?“I don’t understand Olivia,” I replied as I helped her up but she yanked my hands off.“A good friend would notice what the other friend is going through but you didn’t! You
Jenna Brooks’s POV “Exactly, Jenna. Olivia’s really manipulative.”How could Olivia try to gas light me? I thought we were friends! I pursed my lips and clenched my fists into tight ball. Try as I might, I could not contain my anger. Within seconds, I erupted like a volcano.“How could she be so shallow? How could she try to manipulate me? I thought we were friends? We had lunch together! We skipped PE together! We made fun of the art teacher’s bulging glasses together! I tell her literally everything! I stopped wearing glasses because she said I was way more pretty without them…oh my God! Was that a lie to?…”Conrad didn’t say anything. He just glared at me. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”“Let it all out, shortstuff.”I felt a familiar flutter in my stomach. He called me shortstuff? That was his nickname for me when we were kids. He hasn’t called me that since I came to Fox Lane and i thought he had forgotten about it. But I was wrong! I have never been more happy about b
Jenna Brooks’s POV It was a feminine voice, I raised my head to catch her gaze. The first thing I noticed were her sparkling eyes. She had a rare eye color I couldn’t quite describe.She had long blonde silky hair with extremely long lashes. Her hair was parked in a loose bun. She had full lips, and her golden skin was smooth and flawless. Her posture exuded some kind of confidence.“How do you know I’m desperate to join the drama club?” I asked her, furrowing my eyebrows.“I heard your conversation with Liam. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop or anything.” She replied slowly, her voice was smooth on every syllable.Shit! Did she hear me talking to myself? She probably thinks I’m weird.“You know, I also talk to myself once in a while. I have this tiny voice that actually resonates with me quite well.” She said to my surprise.Finally, someone that matches my level of weirdness.“Really?”“Yes. And sometimes, I’d rather talk to it than talk to people. One of the reasons I don’t h
Jenna Brooks POV What? No, no, no, no, no!!!I don’t wanna be Cinderella. Cinderella requires a lot of work, Cinderella has dialogues, Cinderella doesn’t just stand by the sidelines and make funny hand gestures. I don’t wanna be Cinderella. I want to be a tree, a freaking tree!!!“Congrats, Jenna.” Liam yelled, pulling me away from the crowd, “You got the lead role.”“What? I don’t wanna be the main lead, Liam. I want to be a minor character. For example, a tree.” I vented in a low tone.He leaned in, “What? Jen! You should be happy. You get to be a significant character! ““But I don’t wanna be significant!”“Cut the whining. I auditioned for the prince’s role and got casted as a mouse! A freaking mouse, Jenna!”I pouted, “So much for bad boy charm!”“I wonder who the male lead is.”“I don’t wanna know, Liam. I don’t wanna be Cinderella. Mouse also works. Let’s trade places.” I said with desperation.The thought of standing on stage and talking for too long was unbearable, t
Jenna Brooks’s POV How was it possible? How could Conrad be the prince? No, no, no, no, no! He’s not even the type to be interested in stuffs like this. Conrad being the prince was going to ruin my whole plan. With him as my prince, I would never want to ditch drama club after finding Pstar7. This is bad, real bad.My palms suddenly grew clammy and I took a deep breath, “I…I’m not even sure I’ll take the role.” He cocked his eyebrows, “Why? I think you’ll make a great princess.” he said, softer than I had expected.Why does he have to say it like that?!“I’ll think about it, Conrad.”“Alright, shortstuff.”********** At dinner, Jeanette was the first one to talk about the play to Auntie Laurel. Conrad wasn’t at the table to stop her, he had left minutes ago for a run but only he and I knew he does a lot more than running. How did Jeanette even find out about the play in such a short period of time? Auntie Laurel was excited to hear about it and now that she knew, it
Jenna Brooks’s POV As hugged Conrad tightly but he wasn’t hugging me back, I wasn’t sure why. I let my hands slip down to his waist and looked up at him but he wasn’t looking at me. It was like he don’t want to see me.I slowly let go of him and took a step back, searching his eyes. He didn’t say anything, instead, he held up his phone. My eyes widened in shock as I stared at the screen. It was definitely Liam and I at the theater. How did this get to Conrad’s phone? Who sent this to him? How long had he seen it? What did he think of me now? I had a lot of questions running in my mind. Questions I was just too afraid to ask because I was scared if what the answer might be."Someone sent this to me, Jenna. How could you lie to me? How could you be with Liam?" Conrad asked , his fists clenched as he took a step away from me.My face twisted in guilt. "Conrad, I..." I began, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’m so sorry. I should have told you about it. It meant nothing, it was f
Jenna Brooks’s POV"Sure, I'll be there in thirty minutes," I hesitated before finally clicking the send button on my phone.I placed my phone on my dresser and took one last look in the mirror. I was dressed in a tank top, jeans, and black high tops. My hair was thrown up in a messy bun.I grabbed my jacket and tucked my phone into my bag before leaving the room. Liam and I were going to see a play today, and he was already on his way to the theater.I had asked him not to pick me up from home because I didn't want him to see me. I had already lied to Conrad, telling him I was going to the library to avoid any potential issues.As I walked down the hallway, I paused in front of Conrad's room and opened the door, scanning the room with my eyes as I stood in the doorway."Conrad?" I called out softly, but there was no response. I entered the room completely and closed the door behind me.As I approached his bed, I suddenly felt hands wrap around my waist from behind. I recognized tha
Jenna Brooks’s POV"I... I don't know," I stuttered, and Liam smiled.I watched as he picked up his phone and stared at the screen for a moment before raising his head to look at me."The play is this weekend. If we go watch it, we can study the staging, characters, analyze the theme, set design, and performance history all in one go. That's like fixing ninety-five percent of the project in one day without burying your face in a book for days."It was a great idea, but I still had my doubts. Conrad was already worried about me being paired with Liam. He would flip if he knew we were going to watch a play together, which was more like watching a movie together."You're worried about Conrad?" Liam asked, setting his phone down on the desk with a smirk on his lips. "Don't you think you're overthinking? It's just a play. For a project. Emphasis on 'project.' It's not personal.""Alright," I replied, and I could see Liam's face light up.The play was the best option. It would save us time
Jenna Brooks’s PerspectiveI didn't like the way Liam glared at me when Mr. Bassett called both of our names, nor did I appreciate Conrad's annoyed reaction as he walked out of the class. It was unusual for him to be so angry out of nowhere. I wasn't sure if he was mad because I got paired with Liam or if it was something unrelated.As Mr. Bassett left the class, Liam slowly approached my desk and leaned in, placing his hand on it. He didn't say anything, as if he was waiting for me to speak."Hey," he finally whispered."Hi," I replied softly."My grades have slipped a bit, and I really need this project to improve them. Will you work with me?" He leaned in closer and smiled suddenly. "So, what do you say? Let's work together?"I stared at him for a moment before regaining my composure. This was too easy. I had expected him to make a big deal out of it, but he was ready to work together. Was there something I needed to be worried about?"Sure, let's make this work," I replied, and h
Conrad Declan's POV"I have no idea what to get my girlfriend for Valentine's Day," I said to Carter as I sat in a chair next to his bed.We were in the school nurse's office because Carter had indigestion and needed to lie down for an hour."Dude, you're only worried about Valentine's Day? What kind of friend are you?" he managed to say, trying to nudge me with his elbow but I dodged."Come on, you'll be up in no time. This is my first Valentine's Day with Jenna and I want it to be special," I said, tapping my foot anxiously.Being with Jenna was amazing. I loved her and wanted everything to be perfect on Valentine's Day. I wanted her to feel special because she was special to me."Relax, bro. I have an idea.""Really?""Yeah, but first, get me my phone," Carter said with a smirk."Where is it?""In my locker, I forgot to grab it."Sighing, I stood up. "I'm only doing this for Jenna."Carter smiled. "I know you're crazy about her. Now, go get it."Rolling my eyes, I left the nurse'
Jenna Brooks’s POVLiam was one of the few guys I knew that didn’t smoke but seeing him with a cigarette and thick smoke coming out of his mouth, broke me.When did he start smoking? Didn’t he know about the repercussions? He had never smoked, why did he suddenly pick up the habit now?A smirk curled up on his lips as soon as he saw me, “If it isn’t Conrad’s little girlfriend,” he said in a sarcastic tone and leaned against the wall.His words didn’t hurt me as much as the sudden change in him. He was the opposite of what he used to be and it saddened me. I didn’t want to see him like this, I didn’t want him like this.“What happened to you?” I asked as softly as I could as I took a step closer to him. He frowned, “What do you mean?”“You know what I mean, Liam. This isn’t you.” I said again. He took out the cigarette from his lips and tossed it aside.“I haven’t changed, it’s still me.”“No, Liam. It isn’t. Everything about you is different now. Your hair is different, your dressing
Jenna Brooks’s POVThe same Liam who told me he would never dye his hair now had golden hair, the same Liam who told me he hated tattoos now had a cobra tattoo on the back of his palm, and the same Liam who hated ripped jeans was wearing one. What happened to him?Finally, I was able to find a breath and filled my lungs with air. “Liam…” I trailed off.He smirked at me before taking his seat, unfortunately, the one in front of me.Conrad soon walked in and he was equally surprised to see Liam. He walked up to his chair and said, “It’s good to have you back, man,” and then they fist-bumped.How? They weren’t even that close but he could fist bump him and not me? Conrad sat next me me and asked if I was okay. I nodded. Class soon commenced and I shut the thought of Liam out of my mind.***“What do you think?” Conrad asked me as he put the necklace around my neck. It was silver with clear rhinestones. I loved it.The class had just ended and we had recess before after school study sess
Jenna Brooks’s POVConrad and I had been together for more than a week now and everything had been perfect so far. We had both dropped out of the prom king and queen race and now, our relationship was drama-free.Everybody knew about us, when I said everybody, I meant everybody. Auntie Laurel had been so happy when we told her about us, Jamie jokingly said I deserved better and Jeanette said she already saw it coming although she still hadn’t forgiven me for giving up prom queen after everything she had put into it.Everybody at school also knew about Conrad and I. Stig was disappointed when I told him about the whole change of plans but he forgave me after I found him another prom date. Toralei’s reaction was the most shocking one. When I told her Conrad and I were now together and we both were dropping out of the race, she only said ‘Cool’ and then she walked away.But I knew there had to be something up her sleeves. I made both of us lose the chance of becoming prom queen, I would
Conrad Declan’s POVI leaned against the car as I waited for Jenna to step out. As I saw her walking out of the house, I felt like I’d walked into a dream. My heart clenched, she looked beautiful in her sleeveless white gown.“Hey,” she said slowly, giving me a shy smile. I melted at the nervous look on her face but still, she had never looked this beautiful.“You look amazing,” I said and she smiled coyly and looked away. I pushed the button on the automatic locks and opened the car door for her. She sighed and sat down. I walked around the car and slid in next to her. Without saying anything, I pulled out of the driveway and turned on the radio. “How about we watch a movie?” I asked, glancing at Jenna before glancing back at the road.“Sure,” she said dryly and I frowned.“You don’t sound enthusiastic,” “No, we can do whatever you want,” she said. There was silence for a moment before she spoke again, “And, thank you.”I concentrated on the road, as I said, “For what?”“I would p