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 neared 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 shout 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 was leaning 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.
Jenny stood there for a moment, breathless, feeling her heart race faster than her sprint had. She had shouted his name—really shouted his name—and now she was here, standing in front of him, clutching the envelope and the little bag from Ashley.
But Jeremy didn't speak. 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?
She tried to ignore the sharp sting of awkwardness creeping up her spine. She was overthinking this. It was just Jeremy. 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, waiting for something—anything—from 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.
"What's the fuss about?" His tone was flat, almost disinterested, 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—?
Her breath caught. The cool breeze of the hallway swept across her cheek as the wrapper skimmed just inches away from her face. She could feel her skin burn with humiliation. Was this a prank? Was he making fun of her?
Before she could react, he straightened up, his eyes now distant. His expression was blank, as if this had all been nothing more than a brief distraction for him. He slipped the envelope into his pocket without a word, his hand brushing hers as he did.
And then, without so much as a glance back, Jeremy tossed the candy bag at her chest in one smooth, effortless motion.
It hit her with a soft thud, and her body jerked slightly from the unexpected impact. Her mind froze for a moment—was this really happening? She looked down at the bag in her hands, at the slight dent in the Her heart pounded, and a sick feeling curled in her stomach. But all she could do was stand there, dumbfounded, while he walked off. His friends followed in tow, laughing, not bothering to look back.
The hallway felt suffocating now. The noise seemed to return in full force as if the world had snapped back into place, leaving her standing in the middle of it all—alone.corner where it had landed.
Did he really just treat her like this? Was she nothing but the delivery girl for some stupid message?
Her heart pounded, and a sick feeling curled in her stomach. But all she could do was stand there, dumbfounded, while he walked off. His friends followed in tow, laughing, not bothering to look back.
The hallway felt suffocating now. The noise seemed to return in full force as if the world had snapped back into place, leaving her standing in the middle of it all—alone.
Jenny stood frozen, the bag still pressed against her chest. Her fingers clenched around it without realizing. The moment was over, but her body hadn't caught up. Her cheeks still burned, and her heart felt like it had shrunk to the size of a marble, rolling around uselessly inside her ribcage.
He didn't even read the letter.
She looked down at her hands. The envelope was gone—stuffed carelessly into his jacket pocket like it meant nothing. Maybe to him, it did mean nothing. Just another silly note from another girl, handed off by someone too invisible to matter.
And that someone was her.
She blinked hard, forcing the sting behind her eyes to back off. No. She wasn't going to cry in the hallway. Not over this.
Just walk. Just move. Pretend you don't care.
Jenny turned sharply and began to walk the opposite direction, her footsteps stiff and robotic. Her mind raced as she imagined what Ashley would say when she found out. Would she ask what happened? Would she even care? Or would she just laugh and brush it off like everything else in her charmed life?
Jenny knew one thing for sure: she wasn't doing that again. Not for Ashley. Not for anyone.
The echo of running water filled the tiled bathroom, harsh and sharp. Jenny stood by the sink, gripping the edges of the porcelain as if it could anchor her to the floor. She kept her gaze down, watching the droplets from the faucet trail into the drain like tiny little exits she couldn't take.
The door creaked open.
"Oh my god, there you are." Ashley's voice was unmistakable—bright, sharp, and a little too loud.
Jenny didn't look up. "Hey."
Ashley clicked across the floor in her heeled boots, her reflection suddenly appearing beside Jenny's in the mirror. She fluffed her hair and pulled a lip gloss from her pocket.
"So?" she asked, swiping the wand across her mouth with practiced ease. "You gave it to him, right?"
Jenny nodded stiffly. "Yeah."
Ashley beamed at her own reflection. "Ugh, finally. I was dying waiting. What did he say? Did he smile? Did he look surprised?"
Jenny hesitated. "He… didn't really say anything."
Ashley paused mid-swipe. "What do you mean?"
"I mean… he took it. That's all." Jenny forced a shrug, pretending it didn't bother her. "He didn't read it. Just pocketed it and left."
Ashley made a face. "Huh. Weird." She capped the gloss and leaned in to inspect her eyeliner. "Well, whatever. He's probably just trying to act cool. Guys do that. They don't show how they really feel."
Jenny didn't reply. She just kept staring into the sink, feeling smaller by the second.
Ashley turned and gave her a quick once-over. "Thanks, by the way. You were, like, perfect for this. No offense, but you've got that whole harmless vibe. Makes it less awkward, you know?"
Jenny bit the inside of her cheek.
"Anyway," Ashley said, already halfway to the door, "text me if he says anything. Or if he writes back. That'd be kinda hot."
And just like that, she was gone.