Living with the Player

Chapter 11

Why am I doing this? Do I really care that much about Brian that I'm suddenly changing up how I look? I mean, I like it but maybe I should change. Doesn't changing how I dress mean I didn't like how I was before? Am I overthinking this? I'm overthinking this. I mean, it's just clothes-

"Can I come out already?" Nico's voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I open the closet door for him to step out. His eyes scan over me and his lips lift into a smile.

"Not bad, Cho," he says approvingly. "Ready to have guys falling all over you?"

"Yup," I say unconvincingly, my eye twitching.

He gives me a look that makes it obvious that he doesn't believe me. After thinking a bit, he crosses his arms and sits on my bed.

"Stay standing," he says as I move to sit next to him. He's way taller than me so it's weird to be the one looking down at him for once. "Ok, now tell me one thing you love about yourself," he says.

"What?" I ask, blinking.

"You heard me. Just one thing."

"I... why?" I ask, slightly weirded out at the thought of listing it out loud.

"The point of the clothes was to make you feel more confident. It's pointless if you feel worse inside. Now hurry up so we can leave."

Why does he like these weird things? "I like my art. Can we go now?"

His face distorts in a way that admittedly makes me feel defensive. "That's your answer?"

"Sorry it didn't satisfy you," I reply sourly.

His face softens immediately and he reaches for my hands. "Hey, I'm sorry. Here, I'll start." He lets go. "I love how real you are. There's a lot of fake people out there who will pretend to be your friend. It might be hard for you to accept people into your circle but when you do, it's genuine and that's pretty damn rare."

I'm left speechless. I can't remember the last time someone straight-up complimented me. Part of me is waiting for him to go back to his usual self, yell sike, and make a joke, but he doesn't. I search his eyes but I can't find any insincerity.

"Ok, your turn," he says. "And I said love, not like. There's a difference."

I pause, suddenly feeling like I'm naked. Then I take a breath. "I... I love how independent I am. Even though my parents aren't around, I take good care of myself. Always have, always will." My cheeks are on fire and I'm staring at the floor.

He looks proud when he stands up. "Look at me," he says so I lift my gaze. "Straighten your back. Lift your chin." I straighten my spine and tilt my chin up, suddenly aware of how close my chest is to his. "You're a fucking catch, Jennie. So go to class and start a conversation with whatever fool is lucky enough to talk to you. You have nothing to be nervous about."

I feel my face break into a smile and I nod. "Thank you, Nico," I say and I genuinely mean it.

His eyes don't leave mine as he grins. "You got this."

---

I don't got this. I repeat: I don't got this.

I honestly could care less whether the dumbasses in this school like me or not but, for some reason, my heart is beating so fast that I can feel the thumping in my entire body as I make my way to physics.

Sliding into my seat, I don't even think about it and turn to my right. My brain struggles for something to talk about and is suddenly blank. I'm about to give up when my eyes land on a sticker.

"You watch Naruto?" The words slip out before I can even think about them.

Theo Pereira looks up from his phone lazily. He's one of the few seniors in my class and his friends aren't here yet. For a second, I feel like he's going to ignore me but all he says is, "Yeah, you?"

"I've watched every episode," I say. "The animation is amazing."

"Those fight scenes go hard," he agrees, eyes scanning over me. "I'm Theo, by the way."

"Jennie," I say as if we haven't been sitting next to each other for the past month.

"Oh yeah. Samaya's friend, right?" His friends start to walk in but he ignores them.

"No, just Jennie," I say, slightly annoyed.

He seems to catch my tone and backtracks. "My bad. Samaya and I are cool." His eye contact is unusually strong. "I wonder why we haven't met before."

"I wonder."

The teacher starts the lesson and when she asks us to pair up, Theo turns to me. "Partners?" he asks and I nod.

"Guess you're stuck with me."

The edge of his lip quirks up. "It's an honor to work with you," he replies. A slightly grateful smile turns up on my lips.

When I open up my textbook, he scoots his desk next to mine so that they're touching. I guess I don't despise him yet.