Crazed Minds | ✔️

eight

"Super rich kids with nothing but loose ends."
-Super Rich Kids, Frank Ocean
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After Math, which I have with Louise, I walk with her to the dining hall. It's already fairly full, since our teacher let us out late, but we spot the rest of the group sitting at the normal table.

I'm about to follow Louise over, but someone's hand meets mine, pulling me down onto a chair at their table. I jerk my hand away and get ready to bolt, but when I see those piercing blue eyes I stop, relieved.

"Someone's jumpy," Jasper says, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorr-" I stop, and correct, "Not sorry."

"You're learning," he remarks cheerfully.

The other kids on the table are around the same age as Jasper, but they don't have the same alluring look in their eyes. There are two girls, one with long blonde hair with golden highlights, and the other has a brown pixie cut, both of which are extremely pretty with their make-up and designer clothes and fancy nails. Apart from Jasper, there are three boys. All of them are wearing fancy clothes, the kind on TV adverts or store windows that never get bought because they're so ridiculously expensive.

They're all having their own conversations, so I turn back to Jasper and start, "Earlier on, when me and Jacob were arguing, you said to him that you'll speak to him later." I notice how Jacob isn't anywhere in sight, even though I know for a fact that him and Jasper are friends.

Jasper's chair is close to mine, and he's leaning in to hear me over the noise of the dining hall. "What about it?"

"Are you the leader of the Socios or something?" I ask, gazing into his perfect blue eyes.

He laughs. "I guess so."

"Wow, that's an achievement," I say through a chuckle. "How did you get the title?"

Jasper's hand inches to my thigh and his finger slowly creeps up my leg. He leans in close and murmurs seductively into my ear, his warm breath sending pleasant chills up my body, "Maybe I did the worst thing imaginable to get in here."

And despite everything, I find this even more tempting, drawing me in further. I've spent my whole life being the perfect good-girl, and I've only changed recently because of the incident. Maybe that's why I'm attracted to Jasper. Because I'm probably just as dangerous as he is.

"Hi there."

I turn away from Jasper to see the pixie-cut girl smiling back at me. To my dismay, his hand drops from my thigh.

"Hi," I say, uncertain if her reaction to me is going to be as bad as Jacob's.

"It's nice to see a fresh face on the table, I'm getting bored of this lot and it's only my first semester," she says with a light giggle.

I turn back to Jasper, who is shaking his head at her. "Molly, you don't have to sit at this table."

She chuckles again. "Of course I do. This school is about survival of the fittest, and this table is my key to success," Molly replies in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Just ignore her, she turned her house into a swimming pool. Drowned her poor mum," Jasper explains in a smooth voice, eyeing Molly sceptically.

"Oh."

"Stepmum. And she deserved it, the bitch," she says through another light laugh, like she was talking about something other than drowning her stepmum.

"What's your name then?" she chirps, making Jasper roll his eyes.

"Olivia," I respond.

"Olivia, I'm not gonna lie, I like you," Molly says, leaning forward in her seat and clasping her hands together, elbows on the table.

"I'm guessing that's a good thing?"

"At this school, it's life-saving for people to like you," she explains. "Literally."

"Well, you're a first," I joke, even though I'm really not joking.

The blonde girl runs her fingers delicately through her hair, glares at me, and then stands and walks away. I realise that she was the one who was glaring at me in English Lit today.

Jasper follows my gaze, and says reassuringly, "That's Lydia. Don't worry about her."

"It seems like everyone here doesn't seem to like me," I admit.

"If it makes you feel any better, I like you. A lot. And in this school, that counts for something."

I smile weakly, and sigh, beginning to stand. "I better go. Louise will think someone kidnapped me."

He grips my hand, stopping me from leaving. "Meet me outside after last period? We can chat."

I smile and nod, before turning to leave.

And the butterflies still flutter around my stomach when I remember what he said. I like you. A lot.