(Song of the Chapter)

I've never been one to crave attention so I'm very quick to run inside the school. I didn't get to school until 10 AM and this was our schools' free period. I didn't realize it until most people were staring at me.

Maybe it's the car. Jesse did drive a pretty expensive car which is expected since he lived in a freaking mansion for crying out loud. I will admit that the all matte black range rover with black rims and tinted windows can be a bit intimidating.

I met Paola and our mutual friend Whitney who was waiting for me at my locker. Paola had a huge grin on her face while Whitney looked a bit uneasy, making me feel even more uneasy than I already felt.

When I reached them Paola giggled loudly and started clapping her hands damn near squealing in the middle of the hallway, drawing even more attention to us. She was just as messed up as I am so I don't even know how she's so jittery and awake. "Can I please, please, please have my phone?" I quickly ask her and stops laughing and quickly goes inside of her purse and pulls out my phone.

When I check it, I see that I have missed messages and calls from my parents and I already know that I'm in so much trouble when I go home.

I sigh as I'm not even the least bit surprised.

My parents have always been helicopters and I knew that. I'll just deal with it when I go home.

Putting my phone in my own bag, I look up at both of them noticing that Whitney still looks uneasy and I ask, "What's up with you two?"

Whitney looks at me and asks, "So what happened with you guys last night?  I know things got pretty crazy but I barely saw the two of you."

"Girl! Let me tell you! I met the cutest boy known to man last night." Paola sighs dreamily resting her head on the lockers and smiles, "He told me that he's been feeling me for so long and that he just never knew how to tell me. We spent all night just talking." She pauses to think and moves her hands around, a common habit that she has, "Well he was doing all the talking I was just kinda listening but still! The only downside is that I didn't get laid or anything but, we'll get over that." she smiles widely and then motions to Whitney

"Well I was just concerned because I saw you, or someone that looked like you, being carried upstairs by Jesse Duran...and then you both never came down." She says slowly "Um actually, a lot of people saw it." she stops as she waits for me to answer. I open my mouth to do but Paola beats me to it.

She gasps loudly and whispers low with her eyes shifting back and forth looking at me, "You went upstairs with Jesse Duran!" she grabs my arm and shakes it, "Girl, do you have a death wish?"

"What? No! Well--I mean--yes he took me upstairs, but we-- I didn't do anything--" she cuts me off

"Now, Karma." she shakes her head, "You can't be laying on your back like a damn turtle while he's out here puttin' in all kinds of work." she looks at me with her mouth wide open, "Mama, doing the deed is like a group project, how are you gonna sit here and let him do everything while you get a good grade?" she says and I look at her in awe as Whitney snickers quietly beside her.

"Yeah, I made an analogy, and what about it?" she puts her hand on her hip and continues to stare at me all disappointed. "There is no 'you' in team...ok well there is because you and him make up the team so you are in there per se but like the letter 'U'--you know what? I know you both know what I mean."

"Paola." I pause, "We did not do anything like that." I shake my head.

"You expect me--" she points at herself "--me to believe that Jesse 'kitty destroyer' Duran took you upstairs to a forbidden part of his home and yall did what? The cupid shuffle? The Cha-Cha-Slide?" she tries not to laugh.

"I bet he Cha-Cha-Slid in that pu--"

"Ok! Paola! Yes! I expect you to believe it because that's what happened. I just slept in his bed."

She looks at me for a few and shakes her head, "You're not making this any easier for me to believe."

"Paola! I was drunk and he helped me by taking me up there to sleep. To sleep in his bed. By myself. He wasn't with me until this morning."

"Oh! So y'all had morning sex! You cant even get up in the morning for school most days how do you wake up with the stamina to--"

"Paola! I didn't lose it. Oh my God. We just slept. In different places."

She raises her hands in surrender and pretends to zip her mouth shut and throw away the key. "I just think it was a wasted opportunity." she huffs crossing her arms.

I look at Whitney and she finally stops laughing long enough to look at me. "I mean, I just brought it up because I've heard some things about him and I was just worried it was gonna end up like another episode of snapped, but the opposite." This causes Paola and I to jerk our heads back in unison as we look at her and then look at each other.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well I don't know I've heard these rumors for a while and I'm not sure if they're, like, true or anything but I've been hearing he's um...a bit of a..." she looks around and lowers her voice to whisper, "killer."

"Wait, what?" I say confused.

"I told you!" Pao points at me and stomps her left foot on the ground. "Even the whole school knows it." she smirks leaning her arm against the locker, "Certified Kitty-Kat Killer," she says doing hand signals she most likely got from TikTok or something.

I roll my eyes at the fact that she's bringing up sex again.

"No, wonder Whitney was scared! She thought one of you would get hypnotized--or should I say dickmatized--" she winks at us subtly. "--to the point that one of you would execute the other."

"No, Paola." Whitney giggles "I was worried because he's a genuine killer, well allegedly." Our mouths drop again

"Oh! So by killer you mean the ones that go--" she folds her hands into the shape of a gun "--pew pew." Whitney nods.

"Apprently his dad was the kingpin of the Wranglers and he died a couple of months ago. So I've been hearing that Jesse now runs it. So he's like one of the, if not the youngest, gang leader in the state of New York." she whispers quietly lowering her voice as people walk by.

I scoff and shake my head, "There is no way that a gang leader is just casually walking the halls of this school. I mean I know he's a bit standoffish but..." I trail off not knowing what to say.

"Nah. I can kinda see it. No one suspected Jeffrey Dahmer until after he got exposed. Not to mention he wasn't like bad or anything--y'all didn't hear me say that--but like it's always the fine ones that be the most demented." Paola nods vigorously hitting Whitney on the side of her arm.

Sometimes I can't believe half the things she says. Although Jesse is an asshole, I literally sat in a whole car with this man as he handed me a bottle of Tylenol and water because my head hurt. He also took me upstairs during a party knowing I was drunk just to let me sleep it off. He didn't even take advantage of me when I was so vulnerable.

But then again, this is Whitney's' thing. She's been a write and journalist since freshmen year so it would make sense that she'd have the scoop on someone like him. It's high school so everybody talks.

I feel like if he was a gang leader I would've been lookin' beat the fuck up by now.

The only person that might actually try to beat me is my mother when I come home after today. Something tells me I've already been caught and I have no way out even if I do try to lie.

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If I put you onto Sabrina Claudio, you're welcome.