Rejected At First Sight (Spinoff Series)

23

Ash

"Hey." Jay says sternly as he corners me at my locker.

I take out the prescription bottle of painkillers from the doctor and pop one in my mouth, swallowing it dry. Finally, I draw my eyes up to look at him. "You've made your feelings to me clear. Whatever it is that your friends put you up to... you can shove it."

A confused look briefly crosses his face. "They haven't put me up to anything. And they're not my friends."

I look at him skeptically as I put my history text back in my locker. "Yeah well you can still shove it." I slam my locker shut.

He looks thoughtful for a second. "What is it going to take for me to show you that I'm not the dick you think I am?"

His words catch me by surprise. "What?"

Jay sighs, frustrated. "What can I do? To show that you can trust me?"

"Trust you?" I snorted. "Look I don't know where this is coming from, what revelation you've had, or bad shroom trip, but you can't show me anything. I've already seen you, Jay Julian."

His eyes scrunch closed, his expression reading sorrow. "No no it's not a bad shroom trip, please Ash. Listen to me."

I roll my eyes and shift my weight to one leg, placing a hand on my hip. "Talk."

Jay blinks at me once before launching into a sorrow speech that I saw coming from a mile away. "I know I've made a lot of bad choices, I push people away I know that."

"Yeah, that's a real metaphorical push isn't it?" I say, watching the dots connect in his eyes.

Instead of digging himself deeper like I expect him to, he pauses, a sad smile brushing over his lips. "Sage did say you were fiery."

Narrowing my eyes at his casual mention of Sage, I try and pretend it doesn't bug me. "A lot of people do. It's a very common opinion."

Jay studies me. "I'm not as bad as you think I am."

"I'm not as persuadable as you think I am."

He chuckles quietly. "Trust me, in no part in this conversation did I once think you were easily persuaded."

"Then why try?" I narrow my eyes, taking my turn to study him.

His eyes search mine as he says, "It's worth it."

I fight to keep the neutral expression on my face as he speaks those words. The very words I spoke that morning.

Before I could do anything else, the bell rang and the class doors simultaneously opened, students flooding the halls. I broke eye contact with Jay and began to walk away, leaving him by my locker.

I tried to ignore the racing of my heart, the elevated intakes of air I was inhaling.

My defense mechanisms weren't at all active around Jay, my walls not standing tall but rather wavering in his presence. It was like I had expected in the first couple days of being here. He was a good person. Something bad just surrounded him.

Some sort of trauma. Or maybe it was his friends.

No matter the reason for what he had done, it didn't change the fact that he had hurt me. On purpose. Countless times. He had let his friends torment me.

I was so lost in thought as I trekked through the halls that I didn't notice Kayleigh's presence getting closer to me. Her fist connected with my gut and sent me doubling over, wheezing in air as she laughed in front of me, stopping to watch me fight for breath. My legs nearly failed me as I sucked in air against the pain in my hips.