A lot of you had a guess at who that jealous girl is who was plotting MWAHAHAHA!!!!! And they were all the same person! And guess what? You are right! It's that blonde girl who Jessica talked to that day and Drew hates. Oh, what's going to happen? What's that devious little jerk planning? I'm not sure! We'll see… but you are going to have to read it… By the way, I need to give credit to everyone who's idea I might be using in this chapter. I'm not able to look up the user names right now, but if I use your idea, ITS ALL YOURS. I OFFICIALLY GIVE YOU CREDIT.
Here you go!
The school bell rang it's loud, shrill ring out of nowhere. Drew and Jessica were snapped out of their trance at the sound. That's when Jessica realized, with horror, that they were being watched by almost the entire student body. Except for those few that actually cared about class, everyone stayed exactly where they were, staring. No, glaring was more like it. Many of the guys rushed by, trying not to take notice, and the girls just stood there, feeling like they'd just been told they'd never be allowed to wear makeup again.
Yep, Jessica thought fearfully, knew it. They are all wanting to kill me right about now.
Drew, however, took a five-second notice of the crowd and turned back to Jessica. He honestly didn't care. They needed to see this and accept that there was only one girl he wanted. But after further thought, he decided that he'd better speak before they were frozen like that all day. With regret, he released Jessica and turned to the crowd of heartbroken ladies. He raised his hands in front of himself, in a sign for them to calm down.
"Ladies," he addressed them in a business-like fashion, "I want all of you to take a deep breath."
Predictably, they all obeyed. Then, out of nowhere, accusations and heart wrenching cries echoed throughout the hallway. No one could particularly understand them. Drew only caught things like, 'how could you do this to me?', 'I'm so much prettier!', 'Who is she?', and 'I thought we had something special!'.
"Girls," he said collectively, "quiet, please." Everyone was instantly silent. "I'm not intending to break anyone's heart here, or provoke you in any way. I can't help it who I fall in love with. If I think about it, it's not really my choice." Muffled sobs rang into the air at the fateful word they'd all hoped someday Drew would say to them.
"But… but… how could you like her?" one brunette cried. "No one even knows who she is! She's so… so… not me!"
"Yep, she's not you," Drew said, sounding relieved.
"How in the world could you want her? Come on, Drew, you have such a large crowd of good-looking girls at your feet, and you go with that?" a familiar voice asked him. With a pang of hatred, Drew easily picked the girl out of the distressed crowd. It was that idiotic blond, Kelley.
"You really want to know?" Drew asked, a harshness in his voice reserved just for Kelley. "She's different from all of you. She's real. She's nice. She's not superficial and self-absorbed."
"But, still…"
"She didn't fall all over me and stalk me like the rest of you! In fact, she tried to ignore me."
"All the more proof that she's crazy," Kelley said obviously. "Open your eyes! Do you not see her?! You could have someone so much better." She flipped her hair over her shoulder.
"So, you like her because she ignored you?" one short, stubby girl asked.
"That might have played a part," Drew shrugged.
Almost every girl in the crowd folded their arms over their chests and turned their backs to him. Some satisfied sniggers escaped the group.
Drew rolled his eyes. They were so desperate. "I'm not going to fall in love with you just because you are pretending to ignore me!" The girls turned back around slowly, looking defeated. The bell rang again as a warning.
"Now, we'd all better get to class," Drew hissed, "so run along."
The whimpering crowd faded at his command, turning different ways and disappearing. However, Kelley stayed planted firmly to the ground.
"What do you want?" he growled. She observed him, her eyes flickering back and forth between him and a bewildered-looking Jessica who was still leaning against the wall.
"Oh, nothing," she said casually, crossing her arms and turning away. "Just remember, Drew, when you get tired of her, I'm always available." Drew muttered swears under his breath and turned back to Jessica. He rolled his eyes.
"Can you believe them?" he asked incredulously. "Especially that dumb blond. There's so much hot air in that head of hers, I'd be surprised if she didn't just float away one afternoon."
Jessica tried to smile convincingly. That had scared the living daylights out of her. Her careful ears had heard things that Drew's hadn't. She'd heard a few verbal threats issued her way, and a few physical ones, too. But what frightened her most of all was the devious twinkle in Kelley's eye. She didn't like the way Kelley had been looking at her. Not at all.
"Ha ha," she laughed half-heartedly. "I know, right? Totally ridiculous." Drew easily picked up the worry in her voice. He returned to her side.
"You aren't scared, are you?" he asked. "They're just jealous, that's all. It's not like they are gonna hurt you."
"I don't know," Jessica said uncertainly. "I caught a few things they threw my way. And that Kelley… she looked a little too smug to be upset…"
"She always looks smug," Drew muttered. "She's such a--"
"You two, get to class!" someone yelled behind them. They turned to see their principal staring at them. "Oh, Mr. Hitley! I didn't see you. And, Miss Kramer! Hello, there! Well, uh, sorry if I interrupted something." She looked vaguely curious.
"No, no, you didn't interrupt anything ," Jessica said quickly, feeling her face becoming hot. "We were just on our way to Literature."
"Alright, then," Principal Truman said, eying them suspiciously. She turned away and walked towards her office. The doubts Jessica had been trying so hard to forget were coming back. Truman was about the fiftieth person that day to look at them like she was seeing the strangest thing, and it was only eight o'clock in the morning. Jessica had thought these things for a while now. They were such an unlikely pair. Maybe they were so unlikely that they shouldn't be likely at all.
"What are you thinking about?" Drew asked suddenly, scrutinizing her face. Apparently the look on her face had given her away.
"Nothing."
"You are still as bad at lying as you were twenty minutes ago."
"It's just…" Jessica started hesitantly, "so many people think that your crazy. Are you sure that you aren't?"
Drew looked genuinely hurt. "Don't ever say that again. Don't you ever even think that again, okay?" When the look on her face didn't change, he pulled her close. "How many times do I have to tell you the intensity of my feelings for you before you believe me?"
She didn't say anything. Doubt was taking her over. "Come on," she said, pulling away, "we need to get to class."
"Fine," he said with the same level of unenthusiasm. He didn't care how many times she stalled by using the 'we need to get to class' card. He wasn't letting it go. What could he do to convince her once and for all that she was his one and only? He'd tell her, she'd accept it for a while, and then the second anyone said anything contradicting, she doubted again. What was he supposed to do? He could only think of one solution: kiss her.
Ms. Warren's class was as exciting as it ever ended up being. Drew sat as close to Jessica as he always did, but as usual, she chose to ignore him. Things ended up being the way they had a week ago, to Drew's dismay. Was she really that concerned about the whole thing? Were girls following him around and 'issuing threats' really bothering her that much? Well, one thing was for sure, and that was that Drew despised Kelley now more than ever. One thing that did not help matters at all was that every girl in the classroom took care to give Jessica a glare that was carefully practiced in the mirror. She sighed and rested her chin on her palm. Drew tried repeatedly to give her hand a reassuring squeeze, but she would always jerk away at his touch.
"Pssst," Drew whispered. She ignored him. They were, once again, reminded of their meeting. "Pssst!"
Jessica drew in a sharp breath through her nose and continued to try and pay attention to Ms. Warren. Ms. Warren, however, was paying careful attention to them without being noticed. Once or twice she gave a Jessica a 'talk to him' look, but Jessica ignored her as well. The teacher sighed to herself and took a red book out of her desk drawer.
"Class," she said briskly, "take out your copy of The Scarlet Letter and partner up with the person nearest you."
Jessica gave her teacher a death glare and turned to Drew reluctantly. He grinned. He would have to remember to thank her later. Everyone was obviously on his side. Why couldn't Jessica just be sensible and see things the way they were?
"Now that I have your attention," Drew smiled, "tell me what's bothering you."
Jessica gave him a swift glare and took out the copy of her assigned piece of literature. "We aren't supposed to be talking about that," she said, business-like. "We are supposed to be discussing our book."
"Since when do I listen to you or the teacher?" he asked, watching her playfully.
"Well, since when do I listen to you and not the teacher?" Jessica shot back, opening up her copy.
"Touché," Drew said sourly, "but still. You know me well enough to know that I won't let this go."
"Good for you."
"Jessica, I'm serious."
"So am I," she said casually.
That was it. Her stubborn attitude was starting to be less cute and more aggravating. Drew snatched the book out of her hands and placed it under his bottom. Jessica's expression was unfathomable.
"Good luck getting it now," Drew smiled, looking too smug. "Well, you can try if you want."
"That's disgusting," Jessica shook her head, scooting away from as much as her chair would allow--which wasn't much. "Also very mature."
"Since when I am mature?" he grinned. "Plus, don't give me that excuse. I've tried every other form of civilized communication with you but you won't listen. Time to go to extremes."
"Spray it with Lysol before you give it back," she muttered, defeated. She folded her arms over her chest and crossed her legs. He grinned the seductive smile that made her blush from head to toe.
"Alright, I'll do you that much," he shrugged. "Now, tell your boyfriend what's wrong." Jessica flushed but couldn't necessarily deny it. After Saturday and that morning she didn't have any room to be in denial about that particular subject.
"I told you in the hall."
"And I answered your question with another question. You didn't answer."
"Maybe I didn't want to answer."
"Maybe I want you to," Drew replied, his sapphire eyes soft. Against her will, he took her hand in his own. They heard a throat clearing behind them.
"You're supposed to be talking about the book," a familiar-looking stubby girl told them sourly.
"We are going over one of the scenes," Drew said rudely, turning his attention back to Jessica as the girl turned back to her partner, looking irritated.
"She has a point," Jessica tried to say convincingly.
"I don't care how many points she has. I am trying to get my point across," Drew fired back, tightening his hold on her hand, but it was still gentle. "Just incase you're hard at hearing--which I think is quite probable sometimes--I will repeat myself. Jessica, do you have any idea of the extent of my feelings for you? How many times do I have to try and explain myself before you believe me?" She did not answer at first, not exactly sure how to respond.
"It's not you I doubt sometimes," she began, "it's just the situation itself."
"What about the situation?"
"I, um," Jessica stuttered, glancing at the glares different girls were giving her, "don't think it's meant to be."
"Why would you say that?" Drew asked, panic evident in his voice.
"Are you positive that you're in love with me? Are you sure it's not just a… very, very big crush or something? I think you are overestimating your feelings."
"No," Drew said, sounding incredibly frustrated. He knew for a fact that it was love. He'd never ever in his life felt even half of this way about anyone. "I know it. I've never been more sure about anything in my entire life."
"Your sure?"
"I'm sure that I'm sure," he said truthfully. "What is strange to me is how sure I can be but how unsure you can. How can I prove it to you? Name it and I'll do it."
"I am not sure you can."
"What?" Drew asked, crestfallen. "What--what do you mean?" His hand tightened on hers almost too much.
"Nothing," Jessica said quickly. The painful look on his face was almost too much for her to bear. "I'm just saying that I don't know. I can't think of anything at the moment. Relax, Drew." She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I'm not saying something like, 'I never want to see you again'."
"Good," he said, trying to sound more manly than he appeared, "you scared me there for a sec."
"Scared you? I thought Drew Hitley doesn't get scared."
"He doesn't," he said cockily. "But you're an exception to the rule. You're an exception to almost all of my rules. I've discovered that over the past few weeks."
"Yeah, well, I've sworn to never fall for you and look at where we are now," Jessica smiled, intertwining her fingers with his. They kept their hands under the desk, trying not to be too public, although every girl had a clear view.
"Odd how we are an exception to each other's rules," Drew said curiously.
"Yeah. Weird."
"All the more proof," Drew said, "that we should be…"
His sentence was interrupted by the ringing of the school bell. They both sighed, though Jessica in relief and Drew in frustration. She shared feelings for him, don't worry, but this was a little much. He was almost being a little too mushy about the whole thing. She liked the fact that he was honest, something that he never would have been a couple of months ago, but it felt a little… fast. Not fast, exactly. She wasn't sure if she could find the correct word, and she wasn't sure how to tell Drew to turn it down a little bit. She thought that most of the desire in her wish was coming from the glares she was receiving every time she looked away from Drew's face. Maybe she thought that if they toned it down that the glares would stop, or at least tone down in unison.
When Jessica asked him if he could maybe relax, he reacted in a way she hadn't been expecting. The sudden show of that emotion was almost staggering.
"You what?" Jessica asked, too surprised to say much more.
"I completely agree with you," he said again, lifting and dropping his shoulders in a shrug. "I'm used to most girls wanting the whole 'mushy-gushy' thing. But then again, you aren't like other girls, are you?" When he received a glare, he fixed his mistake. "No, I mean that in a good way!"
"I know," she laughed, "just kidding."
"But I'm still allowed to do this, right?" he asked, taking her hand and squeezing it affectionately.
"That's acceptable," she said playfully. "I'm just concerned about Principle Truman getting onto us about PDA."
"Is that really the reason why?" Drew questioned, his tone suddenly serious. "Is it PDA or something else?" Jessica refused to meet his eyes. The staggering blue was too much for her at the moment. She would blurt out the truth like she often got too close to doing when his eyes came into play. She'd already told him her fears, but not the extent of them. She also had that certain nagging fear that was always present in the back of her head. Jessica especially feared this fear more than any others. She couldn't--she wouldn't ever tell Drew about this fear, frightened that she'd upset him. He'd already practically gone into hysterics the last time she'd mentioned it. He refused to listen to her and practically got on his hands and knees, asking what he could do to convince her otherwise.
That stupid, stupid nag in her head that doubted the whole situation. That dumb voice that thought Drew was only absorbed in the heat of the moment. That ridiculous voice that believed she was just another addition in his seemingly endless list of girlfriends. That despised voice that, regrettably, truly thought that she wouldn't be the last lady to be told that he 'loved' them. Why, oh, why, did she have to doubt everything? Why couldn't she let go of that fear of always being hurt and tossed away when things got old?
Well, she knew one thing. Only one person could shut the nagging voice up forever, and that was the boy who is the last person she could talk to about it. He was going to have to figure it out on his own, and no telling how long that could take.