Not So Bad After All (BWWM)(EDITING)

Chapter Eight

Not So Bad After All
Book One
Chapter Eight
Rose's Pov
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Sunday had completely flown by, causing Monday to arrive too quickly... I was seriously not looking forward to school. All I wanted to do was stay in bed and binge-watch Vampire Diaries.

The real world is shit! I love just escapism that living through supernatural shenanigans give me. But my mom had other plans, of course.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty! The gators are gone!" She had said from my doorway, shattering my blissful slumber.

As I walked into school this morning, I already had already predicted that today was going to be a disaster. The hallways felt like everyone was watching me, whispering about me... Sure, it could just be my paranoia but, I'm pretty sure I can hear the rumor mill already churning.

And then, like a scene from a cheesy teen movie, these two guys popped out of nowhere. One had this weird, choppy haircut, and the other was covered in freckles. They grinned at me, holding up a twenty-dollar bill.

"Wanna dance?" The haircut guy said, sounding all smug through his lisp.

Be so fucking for real!

I barely held back an eye roll. The entire school must have been talking about what happened at the party. It was so predictable... A girl does one stupid thing, and suddenly, she's the new joke of the week. And of course, it had to be me...

So now I'm a stripper because I danced with Jayden? Please!

I clenched my jaw, forcing down the irritation bubbling up inside me.

Not worth it, Rose. Don't lose your shit. Count backward from a hundred. Hum a song. Walk away.

Yeah, we want the same one Jayden got," the freckled guy chimed in, laughing like it was some kind of joke.

I inhaled sharply, plastering on the fakest, sexy smile I could muster.

Okay. You wanna play with me? Let's play.

"Sure," I said, trying to sound all mysterious and seductive.

Their faces went from smug to surprised. "What? You serious?" The haircut guy stammered.

I took the money, slipped it into my bra (because why not?), and watched their eyes widen. "Go play in traffic," I said, smirking. "But thanks for the money."

I brushed passed them and sauntered down the the hallway.

My heart pounded, not from nerves, but from pure frustration.

I expected this. The lingering stares. The whispers. The guys who will I'm a slut because I was seen with Jayden But it doesn't make it any easier. I can't handle the stares. The weight of them pressed down on me, suffocating. Assuming and judgmental.

My fists clenched at my sides. Why did people always have to make everything a thing? It wasn't like I had planned any of it. I didn't even know what the fuck I was doing! But no, once a rumor starts, it spreads like wildfire. And now, I'm forever the girl who grinded  all up on Jayden...

I should've just stayed home...

And you know what they say, speak of the devil, and he shall appear...

Jayden was leaning casually against a locker, watching chaos unfold. The moment I locked eyes with him, that all-too-familiar devilish smirk appeared on his face.

I felt a knot tighten in my stomach, my pulse quickening, and I swallowed hard to steady myself. There it was again—anxiety creeping up my spine. It wasn't just his smirk; it was the way he looked at me like we shared some unspoken understanding. And despite the anger swirling in my chest, I could feel my body betraying me, almost like an electric buzz under my skin.