>> Nina in the Banner>>

*Jessica's P.O.V*

It was mid November and the temperature had started to fall.

It wasn't easy to convince Nina about Max being a nice and perfect guy for me, but after few hours of little arguments, she finally gave in and accepted it. To acquiesce her, I decided to go to clubbing with her, which was obviously Max's plan. She was shocked for few minutes and literally faked a mini heart attack. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her childish behaviour. Although, it wasn't her fault. She was aware of my non-existent party interests and now I was the one who suggested it.

"Nina, I just want you two to get along. So it's a little celebration. Max also wanted to meet you. Now, please say, yes?" I begged her again but she just shook her head.

Ugh! It's so hard to convince this girl, I wondered how Jake was doing it so well! I didn't know why I had to be friends with someone who was more stubborn than me.

"But I'm not interested in his friendship,” she said in a stubborn tone and crossed her arms.

"Please, Nina. He is now my boyfriend and you are my best friend. You have to give it a try, for me. You will surely like him."

"Yeah, of course." She huffed.

"Nina." I scolded her.

"Fine, but don't expect much from me. I still can't believe you are dating that jerk." She shook her head.

"Neither do I," I mumbled.

"Did you said something?"

"Nothing. Now get ready, we don't have much time left."

She nodded, walking towards her room.

I sighed in relief. Half of the plan was successful now. I just hoped Max would do his part too. I didn't know what he was going to do today, but I knew whatever he had planned must have been solid and full-proofed. It was my natural trust in Max. He wouldn't disappoint me.

Absentmindedly, I grabbed a cream A-line knee length dress and paired it up with black designer tights. I put on some make-up and decided to leave my hair down. After grabbing my purse and phone, I locked my room and went towards Nina's room.

She opened it immediately, looking beautiful in a black short dress with natural make-up. She gave me a questioning look after glancing at my outfit. "Why tights?"

"I don't wear dresses." I shrugged.

"It's a dress, babe. But you made the wrong combination by putting on tights." She pointed out.

"I know." I sighed. "But I'm not comfortable wearing the single piece."

"You have a boyfriend now, so get used to it." She winked.

"What's with 'boyfriend?' He has to accept me the way I am." I scoffed.

She chuckled, "We'll see about that."

"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes.

"I mean," she pinched my nose and continued. "Very soon, you are going to come to me begging and pleading. You’re gonna need my advice for your dates and parties. As your fashion sense is zero, you will surely need my designing ideas," she said dramatically and grabbed her purse.

"Are you trying to insult me?" I faked a hurt expression and leaned against the door.

"I'm stating the truth, babe." She pinched my cheeks and ran outside.

"I'm going to kill you." I shouted and followed her.

******

When we reached the bar, everyone was practically drunk and lost in their partners.

"I still don't get the idea of celebrating in this bar. It's so down market," Nina said, making a disgust face.

"Meaning?" I asked confused.

"Just look at the crowd. It's just 10, and everyone is already drunk here. Jake will be so angry if he knew about this." She looked around.

"Why?"

"He knows about these types of clubs. It's not safe for girls and he doesn't want to see me in any kind of trouble."

"So you can't go clubbing?" I questioned.

"Of course I can, but only to decent places, and with his consent, so if there would be any problem, he can come rescue me." She smiled innocently, not getting Jake’s actual agenda behind this. It was clear now that he didn't want her in such clubs so he could do whatever he wanted to.

What a mastermind jerk!

"That's sweet of him," I lied.

She smiled and pointed at the counter, "Max's there, let's go." Without waiting for my reply, she walked towards his direction and stood in front of him, in all seriousness. "Hey."

Max looked surprised, "Hey, thanks for coming." He smiled genuinely and waved at me.

"Listen." She pointed at Max, "You break her heart and I will kick you in balls, then I’ll take a photograph and post on every social media. So don't you dare."

He put his hands up in surrender and his eyes flicked to mine, giving me smile. "She's really dangerous."

Nina rolled her eyes, making me chuckle.

"I'm serious." Nina crossed her arms.

"I know, I won't her hurt her, ever." He said the words with so much sincerity that I almost believed him, almost, but I didn't forget whatever happened in cafeteria and I was still angry at him. But it would be a lie if I said it didn't affect me.

We both stared at each other for few seconds before Nina cleared her throat, and I immediately looked away. I mentally slapped myself for forgiving him so easily.

I forgave him for the mess he created for me. It's hard for me to believe because he didn't even apologize for it, but I had.

I turned to face Max and whispered in his ear, "What's now?"

"You carry on with your dirty things. I'm going to get a drink." Nina scoffed, making me jump.

"Nina." I hissed, clearly embarrassed.

Max winked at me, "Sure. I don't mind."

"Shut up." I glared at Max then turned to Nina who was leaning against the counter, ordering something. "Get me a coke," I told her.

"What's with the coke?" Max asked but when I didn't reply, he continued, "You don't drink?" He nudged my shoulder.

I remained silent.

"Even, never tried?"

I shot death glares in his direction.

"C'mon, Jazz, live a little." He grinned.

"Don't act like Mahi." I hissed. "You can't replace her.”

"I know and I am not trying to either. I am just telling you to enjoy your life, while  you still have the chance to because you never know if we get tomorrow or not." He shrugged.

I stared at Max but said nothing. Nina finished her drink and went to the floor to dance. I looked at Max and asked about the plan but he gave me an assuring smile and pulled out his phone. He sent a text to someone and after a while when his phone vibrated, I noticed the corner of his lips twitching.

"He's here," He announced and winked. "With a girl."

My eyes widened. I immediately looked at Nina's direction and found her dancing. She was laughing and enjoying herself. My stomach twisted and I began thinking of plans to back out. I couldn't see her hurt. She was looking so happy, I shouldn't do this. I looked at Max who was already staring at me.

He shook his head, "Don't even think about it."

My lips pressed into a thin line and I sighed, "I'm just scared."

"You are doing nothing wrong." He squeezed my shoulder and I nodded. "Want to dance?" he asked.

I lifted my eyebrow at his stupid suggestion, "That's the last thing I want to do right now. We should find Jake first."

He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it when Nina bumped into me. I looked over my shoulder and saw her face, completely pale, her hand over her mouth and eyes were teary. I literally jumped from my position and grabbed her arm.

"What happened?" I asked worriedly. I didn't think she already spotted Jake here, the chances were slim, as he just arrived here, and we needed to do something to make him confess.

When she didn't reply, I pressed her hand a little and asked again, "Nina?" Instead of answering me, she pointed towards the couple that just showed up in front of us, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

I looked over to the guy and my hands tightened into fists. It was Jake with a blonde girl, they were completely lost in each other and making out shamelessly. I felt Max behind me and he squeezed my shoulder again, silently calming me down. But I ignored him and dropped the hand from Nina's arm, taking a step in Jake's direction. It was nothing I wasn't aware of, but I couldn't tolerate tears in Nina's eyes. He had no right to hurt her like this. It's time to teach him a lesson.

"Jazz, don't do anything stupid. He is not worth of it." Max tried to stop me, but I wasn't listening. I glanced at Nina again and my heart broke.

She was sobbing... her eyes were red now. She was looking so hurt and vulnerable. She kept looking at Jake who wasn't aware of her presence yet. My blood started boiling and I couldn't control it anymore.

Think twice before playing with a girl's feelings. Such bastards need a lesson!

Yes! I was saying this because I wasn't weak anymore. I learnt many things from my past, and now I wouldn't let him hurt her anymore. I took a few steps in his direction and picked up a cup of red beer on my way.

He had no right to hurt her like this. He took her virginity, told her that he loved her, when he was just fooling her. Enough was enough! I wasn't like this before but Nick taught me a very interesting thing. We shouldn't leave everything to fate or luck.

Sometimes, we needed to do something ourselves. Now, I didn't care if people thought this was stupid, but I don't believe in Karma anymore; I need to do this by myself.

So, taking a deep breath, I tapped on Jake's shoulder. He stopped making out and turned around with an annoyed expression on his face, which changed into shock as soon as he recognized me. "Hey." He tried to smile but failed.

I gave him a fake smile and brought my hand from behind my back to  throw the whole cup of beer in his face. He stumbled back, the front of his shirt and jeans already soaked.

His wet hair was dripping onto his face, getting stuck and sticky. He cursed aloud, wiping the beer out of his face with one hand, and looked at me with an angry expression on his face. The blonde girl was about to open her mouth to say something, but I sent her a death glare, which immediately shut her off.

Now, I thought about Jake. He was a bastard, a jerk, who was playing with my best friend's heart, but I never imagined him as cruel person who would hit a girl. So, I was shocked when he raised his hand to hit me, but I suddenly felt someone sliding in front of me and grabbing his hand.

I took a step back and saw Max in front of me. He was looking pissed. Jake stopped his hand when he noticed Max. "Get out of my way," he shouted at Max.

Max glared at him, not moving an inch. "Just leave," he said in a cold voice, one I have never heard before.

I didn't want him getting into a fight with Jake, so I grabbed his arm and said, "Max-"

Jake cut me, "Listen you little slut, go back to your whore of a friend and leave me alone."

I felt Max stiffen and his body getting tensed. His jaw clenched and eyes grew dark. "I dare you to call her slut, again."

Jake narrowed his eyes, "Are you going to fight with me because of this slu-"

Jake didn't get to finished the sentence before Max's fist connected with Jake's nose. Jake fell down, blood seeping down his face. Jake touched his nose and balled his fist. "You're going to pay for that," he hissed and stood up.

"Anytime," Max replied in same tone. After giving us one last glare, Jake stormed out of the club with blonde girl.

Max looked at me with concern, "Are you okay?" I nodded. "I warned you about this, didn't I?" he scolded, caressing my cheeks.

"But he deserved it." I pouted.

"I know, but guys like him are dangerous. Think before doing anything like that again."

"I don't care." I shrugged, earning a disapproving look from him.

Jake reminded me of Nick in certain ways, and I didn't want to waste this opportunity. When Nick cheated on me, I broke completely and locked myself in my room for several weeks. It was Mahi only who helped me a lot that time and changed my perception towards things. Nick was like a nightmare for me, one I never wanted to face ever again, but after my last encounter with him, when he looked really sorry and wanted me back, I felt better. I always wanted to confront him for the things he did to me, but never had the courage and chance. Now, by doing this little stunt with Jake, I was feeling proud to myself.

I looked around and noticed Nina's absence. I began to panic.

"Must be in the restroom," Max said reading my thoughts. He took my hand and squeezed it, lightly. "I'll wait here."

I nodded and rushed towards the restroom. I quickly opened the door and found Nina on the floor, crying and sobbing. She looked devastated. Her eyes were red and swollen. She saw me and hurriedly jumped in my arms.

"Sshh . . . relax. I am here." I caressed her hair.

She cried even louder and I didn't stop her. We stood there in the same position for another five minutes. I broke the embrace and looked at her, "Better?"

She nodded weakly. I pulled out tissue paper from my purse and handed it to her. She cleaned her tear-stained face and made a ponytail of her messy hair. After that, I handed her the water bottle Max gave me and she drank half of it.

"Is he . . .?" She didn't need to finish it because we both knew what she were trying to ask.

"He's gone. C'mon let's go. You need rest." I said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I . . . don't know . . . I was . . ." She stopped and sobbed.

"Nina, calm down. He is not worth it," I said softly and she nodded. "We'll talk later, Max is waiting for us."

It wasn't difficult to find Max as he was outside the restroom with a worried expression in his face. When he noticed us, his face softened and he looked a bit relaxed. "All okay?" he asked me, looking at Nina.

"Yeah, we are going back to the dorm," I replied.

"No, wait. Can I talk to you for a minute?" He lifted his eyebrow.

My eyebrows furrowed, "Max, not now."

"It's important."

I turned to Nina and gave her a slight nod. Then went to a corner with Max and stood there, crossing my arms. "You are not going to the dorm," he stated.

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"Because I have other plans," he said casually.

"Max," I hissed. "Nina needs me."

"I know and I have plans for her, only." He smiled.

My jaw dropped. "You have plans for Nina?" I asked, surprised. "Since when did you start caring for her?"

"I don't care for her," he denied, quickly but I knew he was just lying.

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. So what's the plan?"

"Girl's night in at Lily's place." He winked.

"Lily? You told her about our plan?"

"Of course not." He scoffed, "I told her whatever happens here."

"Oh, okay." I nodded.

"Let’s go. I will drop you there."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, getting suspicious.

He sighed, "I know how it feels, Jazz. We can't leave her alone, right now. We need to distract her and I am doing this because . . . I feel bad for her."

I nodded and said nothing. I wanted to ask him more, but the situation wasn't appropriate. I know this feeling because I also suffered from the same situation, but Max? Was he... no, he was a himself a player and a heart breaker. Then why did he say that? What happened with him?

Those were the questions playing in my mind when we reached Lily's house. Jelline was the one who jumped out first from the car as if she couldn't breathe in the same air as Max. Yes! She was going with us too, and it was also Max's idea. Bad, right? It was becoming really hard to understand this guy.

He planned the whole thing by himself whereas I just asked him to help me a little. He again showed his concerned side by not leaving her alone in the dorm and planned this girl’s night in. He even invited Jelline, despite their differences and awkward situation. I didn’t expect this, really. It was just too much to digest.

I dragged Nina outside the car as she didn’t wanted to go anywhere except her room. As soon as Jelline knocked at the door, it burst open. Lily immediately ran to hug Nina. After a while, they took her inside while I waited outside to talk to Max. He was leaning against the car, looking at me with a concerned look on his face.

"Thanks for everything," I said softly.

"I'm happy to have helped." He ran his hand through his hair. "Jake was a bastard. He didn't deserve her."

"Yeah, but I don't expect that it would be solved so easily. Thanks to you. You are really very sweet." The words slipped from my tongue.

He looked surprised and gave me a nod. His eyes flickered at the house and said, "You should go inside, Nina needs you."

I nodded and turned around but he grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards him. "I have completed my part of the deal, but yours is not over, yet." He smirked, kissing my left cheek and drove away. I stood there completely frozen and stunned, touching my left cheek where he just left his imprint.

What the hell just happened?

*****

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