Herbert clamps a sweaty hand over my mouth, pushing me to the ground. I start to call every name I know: Brooke, Keira, (Ashton, even) and especially my fake boyfriend. But there's no point, anyway. Even if Luke hears me, what can he do? Throw a math textbook at Herbert's face and solve quadratic equations?
"Jade Thornton. What a catch, huh?" Herbert grumbles, pinning my arm under his body.
"Let me go, you asshole!" I bite the hand over my mouth as hard as I can, and he screams. He loses focus for a split second, so I take that chance to knee him in the stomach and slip out under him.
But as I'm crawling away, Herbert grabs the bottom of my dress and pulls, hard. My jaw smashes against the ground as he starts to reel me in by my ankles.
When he's got me in his arms again, Herbert shoves a hand into my dress. I feel his fingers scrambling to pull it off, but the way I'm squirming against him makes it hard. He grunts in frustration, pinning me sideways against the wall for support.
Then, that bastard crushes his slimy lips against mine. And by the time he shoves his tongue inside me, I break away just barely to scream Luke's name.
And to speak of the devil.
"Jade?!" Luke questions, opening the door by a crack. Blinding light pours into the room and shines on Herbert the Pervert, catching him red-handed. The top of Luke's head is backlit like a ring of halo.
"What the hell?!" He exclaims, eyeing Herbert on top of me and my dress riding up my thighs.
For a second, Luke doesn't do anything, just stares at us stupidly while I attempt to kick Herbert's testicles.
Sweat rolling off my forehead, I give Luke a little push full of sarcasm and yes, despair. "Hey there, Luke. Some help would be appreciated."
And he finally seems to know what to do, like a switch went off in his brain. Luke crosses the room in three strides and tackles the pervert off my body. I take that chance to lean against the wall, smoothing the dress over my legs and catching my breath.
Herbert isn't too strong, after all.
Luke has him crushed under his weight, then lifts a shaking fist in the air, bringing it down once on his face. Nothing happens at first. Herbert throws a few punches at Luke, but is too weak from the encounter with me a few minutes before.
So Luke punches Herbert again, this time using all of his strength. Herbert makes a single sound of pain and surprisingly, passes out in one blow.
Luke yelps, blowing on his knuckles. Then he extends his other hand to me, pulling me up from the ground.
"Stay here," Luke warns, and walks back to Herbert. He pulls on his ankles and starts to heave him out through the doorway. Luke closes the door after him, and I'm left in the room all by myself, feeling dirty and misused.
The whole thing is just ridiculous.
My timid, nerdy boyfriend has knocked out the villain and rescued his damsel and distress, then disposed of the body by pulling him down the hallway by the ankles.
I can't help but let out a snort of laughter. Luke finds a way to surprise me again and again.
...
By the time I'd completely calmed down, the door opens again. I'm expecting Luke to come back for me, but it just turns out to be a girl. She stumbles into the room in a mess of sobs.
She keeps crying and never once notices me; so that I feel like I'm intruding on a private moment.
And I decide to clear my throat to let her know I'm there. Startled, I hear the girl jump back and smash an elbow against the door.
"Who's there?" She whimpers in the dark.
"Jade," I say for the second time today.
There's a short pause before she replies: "Jade Thornton?"
"Yeah, who are you?"
"Hailey Kent." Hailey Kent, now where have I heard that name before?
Right. Hailey Kent is Ashton's new 'girlfriend'. The one I caught him sleeping with. The one who writes the school 'blog' (more like, the gossip site) of Cedarwood High. Funny thing is, though, people actually read it. And they like it. I checked it out once, and it's got articles titled 'Janie Keegan receives brand new Mercedes for her 16th birthday' or 'Bradley Kim holding a party tonight'.
"Hailey," the girl in the room repeats, as if I don't recognize the name.
"Right. I know who you are," I deadpan. I have no business with this girl, whatsoever, nor do I want to talk to her. "I guess I'll get going now. I'm done here."
"Wait! Jade!" Hailey shouts, desperation in her voice.
"Please, stay. It's about Ashton."
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Project Publicity || l.h
Fanfiction[BOOK ONE] Jade and Luke have known each other since childhood. But as they grew older, Jade became glamorous and beautiful, while Luke stayed a loser. With time, the two of them drifted apart, never to speak again. This year, everything changes. A...
