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 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 “Hurry up!! You’re going to be late for your flight!” I heard my mum yell from the kitchen. Taking one final look at my room, I dragged my baggage out to the passage way. Although it had only been two months since we moved here, I was still going to miss my tiny room. I meant our tiny room since I shared the room with my little brother, Dustin whenever he came home from boarding school for holidays. There were only two rooms in the house. As I closed the door behind me, I walked down the tiny passage into the living room. Dad was sitted, leg crossed as if he wasn’t moved by his daughter going thousands of miles away for senior year.He glanced at me as he spoke, “Good Morning, Jenna,” he said, more blandly than I had hoped. I had already crossed my fingers for a laugh, or a hair rustle, or a hug, but they never came, or at least not yet. I was still hoping.“How was your night?” I asked trying to ignite some sort of conversation.“Fine.” He replied dryly.I was
Jenna Brooks’s POV Fox Lane, home for the wealthy, the powerful and the both. It was a town in Houston but It was like a world onto itself where the rich and powerful resided. When we were little, Auntie Laurel would gather the kids together; Conrad, Jamie, Jeanette and I and tell us stories about how Fox Lane originated. How it used to be a fox reserve for some years until a crazed local poisoned the foxes and the reserve was renovated to a residential area.Finally, the limo zoomed into the big luxurious house. It was surrounded by green gardens and tall trees. The house looked really fancy with its special decorations made of strong stone. It had large windows that let in lots of sunlight, and these windows had beautiful designs in colorful glass that sparkled.The roof of the house was shaped in interesting ways, like triangles pointing up to the sky. The roof had a shiny material that reflected the sunlight, and it looked like it was made of silver.A nice path made of smooth st
Jenna Brooks’s Pov There it was. What Jeanette had wanted to say to me the moment she got downstairs. She probably wanted to complain about my pajamas, my Disney princess pajamas which I was just realizing was too childish, even for me. I should never have worn it in the first place.“I know, I should have thought about how ridiculous I would look” I replied, my head down.I could hear some whispering, probably Auntie Laurel telling Jeanette to apologize because that was what she did after the whispering stopped.“Sorry, Jenna. I just can’t handle a fashion disaster” she replied halfheartedly and I nodded.The rest of the dinner was quiet, mostly because Auntie Laurel had told Jeanette not to say anything so she wouldn’t end up saying something offensive.After the quiet dinner, Conrad still wasn’t back. I wanted to ask after him but decided not to because I didn’t want to sound too persistent. Later, Jeanette pulled me up to her room and I couldn’t help but be awestruck by the si
Jenna Brooks's POVI felt my heart sink in disbelief at Conrad’s words. He was asking me who I was? How could he not recognize me when I recognized him even without looking at him twice? I felt a wave of betrayal wash over me at the fact that he failed to recognize the girl he had once shared countless childhood adventures with.How could he do this to me? How? Had he forgotten about me so quickly? At least he remembered this used to be my room. "I... I am Jenna. Jenna Brooks."I watched as surprise flickered across his face, followed by a cold indifference that sent a shiver down my spine. He spoke with an apologetic tone that somehow felt hollow, "I'm sorry for not recognizing you, Jenna."With those words, Conrad turned and walked out of the room, leaving me standing there. There was a lot, literally a lot wrong with what had happened just now. First, Conrad had never for once called me ‘Jenna’ when we were kids. He’d only called me shortstuffs and shortie because I was a lot more
I couldn't tear my eyes away, feeling like an intruder in this private moment. My mind raced with questions, doubts, and a profound sense of betrayal. What had happened to the childhood friend I had known? And who was the girl in his arms?As I stood there, hidden in the shadows, I couldn't help but wonder if the chasm between Conrad and me had grown too wide to bridge, and if I was truly an outsider in this new world I had entered.My heart pounding like a drum in my chest, I attempted to make a hasty retreat, silently cursing my curiosity for leading me into this uncomfortable situation. I took a step back, trying to blend into the shadows, but my attempt to sneak away was sabotaged by a clumsy mishap.In my haste to escape, I inadvertently bumped into a precarious pile of plastic chairs. The deafening clatter filled the hall, reverberating off the walls, and my heart seemed to skip a beat.Panicked, I watched as one of them approached the light switch, the sudden illumination e
Conrad Declan’s POV “I’m never going to date you, Conrad.” Oliva said to my face and walked away leaving me standing in the hallways.I smirked as I watched her catwalk back to the class room, the kind of catwalk that screamed I-really-want-you-but-I-gotta-play-hard-to-get-first. Yes, that’s Oliva. A girl I hated, to say the least. I’ve always thought of Olivia as a slutty and manipulative person. She had a reputation that preceded her—kind, gentle, pretty, caring blah blah blah but in reality she wasn’t any of those things. She messed with most of the seniors when we were juniors and sometimes I had always wondered how someone from such a rich family could be so petty. But then again, besides the designer clothes and bags she carried, there was nothing else to prove that she was indeed from a rich family. No one has ever been to her house or seen her parents who she claimed were abroad. We can’t be sure she’s not getting all that money from selling her body.Olivia’s had a
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