Page 97 of Withered

“You know, whatever she said has got to be a fucking lie.”Was it, though?

Mrs. Rivers enters the class, distracting us. He must have connected the dots when he saw me and Olivia.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I ignore his gaze.

“Okay, Rose. Instead of making scenarios in that head of yours, just tell me what she said,” he hisses.

“It was nothing. She is who she is,” I say, keeping my eyes fixed on Mrs. Rivera, who gives me a warm smile.

“Yeah, she’s a fucking bitch,” Jake sneers and mumbles something that I don’t catch.

I return her smile and turn to Jake, whispering, “Can we talk about this later?”

Jake looks at me for a second, then nods unwillingly. Mrs. Rivera continues by explaining what we have to do today, which is a simple task. We will be given glass slides on which we have to write the names of the cells or organisms.

We get up and walk over to the microscope that has been assigned to us. Once Jake and I are done, I turn to go, but my foot collides with a nearby table, causing me to lose my balance.

I shut my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the impact that never comes.Did I die? Already?

My notebook falls to the ground, and I open my eyes slowly. Forest-green eyes stare back at me with fear and worry. Jake’s arm wraps around my waist, holding me in place. He puts me back on my feet, and I mumble a thank you.

Everyone has stopped and is now staring at us, even Mrs. Rivera. I mutter an apology, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Jake smirks at me and leans in closer to whisper, “I didn’t think you would fall so fast for me.”

I scoff and shove him in the chest.

“We all get your chemistry,” Mrs. Rivera says, “but this is a biology class.”

My cheeks burn more as the entire class boos.

Jake simply shrugs and glances at Mrs. Rivera, saying, “We have amazing biology too.”

My mouth hangs open, and his smirk widens at my reaction. I shake my head and take my seat quietly.This boy needs Jesus.

Jake calls me a few times, but I ignore him.

“C’mon, I was joking.” He’s not getting the point here.

The class now thinks I slept with him or something.I did, but I practically did not. Wait… what?

“Rose,” he calls again, but I don’t budge.

He grunts and tugs at my arm, making me look at him. Before I can stop it, a low shriek escapes my lips. Jake glances at me with confusion as he leaves my arm.

I shake my head, give him a tight smile, and place my hand on my lap beneath the desk. I glance at him from the corner of my eye, and he is still watching me.

He puts his hand under the desk and pulls on my wrist while not paying attention in class.

I don’t give in easily, but his death glare tells me that I’m losing this anyway. He places my right hand on his left thigh and gently pulls my sleeves up.

I close my eyes for a second to prepare for the hit, then return my gaze to Jake, who is now staring down at all the small scratches on my arm.

His jaw tightens, and he looks right into my eyes, forest green turning almost black, and if this wasn’t serious, I would’ve laughed at him. Instead, I withdraw my hand and pull my sleeves down.

He doesn’t say anything, so I speak up. “It’s fine.”

“Yup, it fucking looks that way.” His palms are tight in a fist, making his knuckles white.

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