professor » jack gilinsky

seventeen

"amaya." i breathe, my eyes widen from being scared and getting caught. "this is not what it looks like." i hold my hands up, cautiously looking in jack's direction.

"this is exactly what it looks like." she narrows her eyes at me, but not in disapproval and then smiles. "you finally hooked up with your hot professor." she singsongs. "go mercedes!"

my eyebrows raise in surprise, "what?" i ask, it feels like the wind was completely knocked out of me.

"i'm so proud of you." she feigns a crying mother. "you finally did it. accomplished your goal."

jack's lips turn up into an amused smile, making my cheeks heat up. also to my surprise, i don't feel guilty or hate myself for kissing him back now.

"so, you're going to keep your mouth shut?" jack asks her and she nods her head.

"of course i am. i don't spill beans." she replies and i mentally thank her. "plus, i wouldn't want my best friend to get kicked out of the university." she adds, referring to me.

"i should get back... they're going to wonder where i am." Jack awkwardly tells us before heading back to the field.

amaya's eyes dart to me and she squeals. i shush her, laughing along. for a moment, i thought we actually got caught and it made my heart beat faster than it ever has. it would have been the biggest mess ever.

"you have to tell me everything!" she shouts and i quiet her down.

"i'll tell you later."

"no! now!" she screeches and i huff.

"fine." i say, going into every little detail.

i tell her about when we hooked up in the men's locker room, those little moments in the classroom after class, today, which she saw, and other things.

"he likes you." amaya blurts and my eyebrows flinch together.

"what?" i snort.

"he likes you, mercedes. you have him wrapped around your finger. just by hearing how you explained things, it seems like you like him too."

but before when i told her that i liked him, i was just joking.

"that is not true." i emphasize, though i don't understand why that makes me feel all happy and tingly.

"it's so true. even a blind person would realize this." she dramatically adds, causing me to smile a little. "but what are you gonna do about max?"

my eyebrows knit together, "just because you said jack liked me, doesn't mean i'll completely turn my feelings that i have towards max."

"ooo, jack?" she smirks and then nudges me. "i thought he was mr. gilinsky to you."

"amaya, stop." i laugh. "but about max, he kind of snapped at me. i just told him that i got jack to go easy on him."

"he doesn't want you to decrease his manhood and manliness." she tells me. "he wants to prove to you that he isn't weak."

i roll my eyes, "that's stupid."

forgetting about wanting a warm drink, we both head back onto the field. i touch my swollen lips, being sure that they aren't bad and where no one can notice them. the attraction towards jack is inevitable.

maybe i am starting to develop actual feelings for him.

"he seems sweet." amaya says out of the blue and i look over at her, confused.

"who?" i ask.

"jack. you should definitely give him a chance." she responds and i cringe from her words.

"i have max." i tell her and she narrows her eyes at me.

"do you really?" she raises an eyebrow. "jack is more mature and how long is it gonna be until you realize that max is just a college crush?."

"jack's also more mean." i chime in. "max is not just a college crush."

i'm a terrible liar.

"are you gonna keep saying negative things about him?" she scoffs, referring to jack. "try it out and if you don't like it, go back to max. you can blame me for wasting your time with jack."

"but max can't just be my rebound." i state, trying to turn her idea around.

she clearly doesn't think before she speaks. she doesn't realize that it isn't that easy to go from someone to someone else. i want to be committed to one person and not whore around like i did with nate.

"he won't be your rebound. you're just experimenting." she shrugs.

damn you, amaya.

i sigh, "i'll see."

we both sit down on the bench and jack gives me a bright and cheeky smile. amaya nudges my side, noticing his smile too. i smile back at him because now that i've let amaya know about everything, it changes what i think about him.

"ask him out." she whispers to me and i look at her with a bewildered expression.

"are you insane?" i quietly exclaim.

"just a little. i'll pay you."

"no! you will not bribe me into asking my professor out! i don't need your money." i tell her and she grins at me.

"come on. it's just an experiment, remember?" she clarifies, using odd hand gestures.

"i don't want to." i huff.

"just do it." she pushes me up from the bench and i glare at her.

it's just an experiment. nothing more. i could just be seeing if he has feelings for me or if he just wants me for my body.

"jack." i say, being mindful that amaya is watching my every move.

he turns to face me. god damn he's so good looking. i shake off the immediate thought and continue on with my words.

"yes?" he grins. "just now realizing how much you need me?"

"please don't start now." i briefly close my eyes and punch the bridge of my nose.

when i open them back up, he's curiously gazing at me and i feel like chickening out right on the spot. he tilts his head to the side and chuckles a little because i'm not speaking.

"would you consider going out with me sometime?" i spit out, scared of his reaction, but he smiles.

"of course." he shoves his hands into his pockets. "but i should've been the one to ask you. it's a guy type of thing."

what's up with men and their manly reputations?

"sexist." i mutter and his eyes widen.

"no, no, it's not like that." he rushes. "i was just saying-"

"chill out, mr. gilinsky." i laugh. "so we're going to go out sometime?"

"yes." he replies, smiling once again.

what if this experiment turns into something much more...

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