Mr. Mendes | shawn mendes

twenty-two.

"Jules, can we talk?" Sasha asked me the next morning, her lips in a frown as I made my way towards the front door.

"Can't," I muttered, grabbing my keys before opening the door. "Got a meeting for a The Blaze."

I didn't bother to even say goodbye as I let the door close behind me. I made my way towards my car, slipping into the driver's seat before I pushed the key in.

I listened to the engine come alive, a sigh escaping my lips as I took a moment to sit in the silence and gather my thoughts.

Of course I'd eventually talk to Sasha and Caroline, but now, only 72 hours since Shawn left me, I was hurt. I was upset, and I blamed the two of them for being so nosy.

I felt anxious to go to school, knowing I'd have to see Shawn for the first time since Saturday. Mid-terms were this week, along with Thanksgiving next week, and I knew that he'd be joining my family for the holiday.

I shook my head, slapping my hands against my cheeks a few times. "Get it together, J. You're fine. Focus on school; boys are trash."

I began the familiar drive to East High, trying to ignore the pounding of my heart as I got closer and closer.

Once I had parked in my usual spot, I gathered my bag and things for The Blaze, then headed in the direction for the lounge.

"Morning, Jules." Liam, head of The Blaze, smiled as I walked in.

"Hey, boss." I teased, setting my camera and computer down before I made my way towards the coffee machine.

"Feeling better? Caroline said you were sick yesterday."

"Much better," I lied, forcing a smile as I poured myself a cup. "think it was just a little bug."

"Glad to hear, Ange." He smiled back at me, just as Annie walked in with a bag of muffins, causing me to blink slightly in surprise.

"Annie, hey!" I smiled at her, offering a wave with my free hand.

"Hey, Jules, I should've figured I'd run into you here." She laughed, her eyes crinkling as she hugged Liam.

My brows furrowed as he kissed her head, before I made a small "oh" noise.

"Yeah, Liam's my boyfriend. Long distance and all sucks, but I'm here for the holidays." She laughed, nodding her head before and setting the muffins down by the coffee machine. "Figured I'd surprise you all with some breakfast."

"She's the best," Liam joked, following her and grabbing a muffin from the bag.

"You two are cute." I nodded, the smile on my lips genuine for the first time in three days.

"Thank you," The two spoke in sync, causing all of us to laugh as one of the other reporters, Max, walked in.

"Hey, Jules," He nodded, waving over to Liam and Annie before turning back to me. "I'm gonna need you to cover teacher of the year."

"Yeah, that's cool." I nodded, sitting down and opening my laptop before glancing at Max. "Just an interview?"

"Yeah, and I figured since you're the best with photography, you could take some pictures of them? Then we could feature them in the yearbook, and it's gotta go to the city for the Seattle News."

"Sounds good." I opened my photography folder, gazing through my memory to make sure I had enough space left for the shoot. "Do we know who it is yet?"

"Yeah," Max hummed around a mouth full of muffin. "It's Mendes."

Of fucking course.

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