High Life | ✔️

31

IT WAS OFFICIAL, I was back in middle school.

I couldn't even remember the last time a kiss remained a peck instead of a full blown make-out session which would later lead to sex.

One had to have steel-hard self control to be able to say 'no' in the face of a horny, drunk teenager in a small black dress begging to be fucked. I groaned into my pillow. Jaxon didn't even attempt to take advantage of me. He just patted me on the head before ordering some girl to have me sent to my room.

It could only mean one thing. There was only one logical explanation - he didn't like me. He thinks I'm dumb and unattractive.

The realization was more painful than I was used to.

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Monday afternoon felt foggy and dream-like, I'd attended Calculus and scored full marks on my test, then I'd floated through the rest of my classes, paying little to no attention to what the teachers had to educate.

During lunch, major grapevines informed us we'd be holding our first student general meeting in the semester to commemorate the election of our new student body president. I didn't feel like attending. However, the compulsory attendance clause promised disciplinary actions upon law unabiding students.

I arrived at the venue five minutes late, just in time to hear the final part of a speech by the advisory teacher. The auditorium was filled with what I assumed to be all 716 students and 30 faculty members.

My eyes roamed the students seated near the stage, and I caught sight of the back of Jaxon's head. It made my heart flutter. I blinked and cleared my head just in time for the advisory teacher to inform us that voting period was over and that a new president and vice-president had been elected in light of Chelsea's departure and Elias's resignation.

"I'm going to hand the mic over to your new student council President now. Put your hands together for Jaxon Ortega. Such a close tie between Jaxon from Faction Five and Callie Hernandez from Faction One."

The latter part of her sentence was muffled with applause from the student body that ricocheted off the walls. I sat frozen in my seat, finding it a tad hard to believe that so much had been happening whilst I'd been holed up in my room worrying about my own problems.

Jaxon tapped the mic to call for our attention. It felt wrong. I couldn't reconcile the person standing onstage with the person who'd pressed such a chaste kiss on my lips before telling me I was drunk, and that I 'probably wouldn't remember anything the next morning'.

I casted my gaze downwards. I didn't need to live with this embarrassment, I told myself, grow up.

"Good afternoon and thank you for showing up. First of all I'd like to give my thanks to Mrs. Hale, who was present through the council's thickest and thinnest. I'd also like to thank my team of elves who made all of this possible," Jaxon's entire speech eluded charisma, dissimilar to the measured and sometimes deadpanned voice he took with me.

Not once did I glance upwards as Jaxon espoused his views on the importance of righteousness, respect, responsibility and religion.

Jaxon then summoned the newly elected VP so she too, could give a speech. One needn't brains to realize that things would no longer be the same, not anymore.

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That night, my phone buzzed with persistent calls from an unknown number. I couldn't pick up, however, due to the condition of my screen. I did have a stinging suspicion that it may be the money-lenders.