High Life | ✔️

24

"Because it's mostly girls who do it?"

"Nah. You gotta dig far into mankind's animalistic instincts. I say this in the most cautious manner possible. In an ideal heteronormative society, males are engineered to chose a female to mate with to ensure continuation of our species. So it's not exactly a male's job to look good. The media discounts outliers these days. But for majority of society, same animalistic instincts apply."

"Wow," was all I managed to muster. "And you told me off for using jargon."

"Jargon?" He mused. "That's not jargon. I explained myself very well. I can still go on, in fact."

"I think I get your point."

"You think you understand a lot of things."

I chewed on my bottom lip, unsure how to respond.

"Let's just call it a night," Jaxon said as he began collecting his scattered books to place them into his backpack. I did the same, wordlessly.

"You're taking advantage of the factional system, aren't you?" I asked.

"I wouldn't say something like this in public," he warned. As an afterthought, he added, "but yeah, I'm doing this to spice up my personal statement."

"Wow, same," I said under my breath.

He turned to look at me. "Come again?"

"Nothing."

When we entered the classroom two hours ago, there were other students who were discussing school unrelated topics. But they seemed to disperse upon realizing that some dumb bitch  was being tutored for Calculus. I made my way to the exit of the classroom with Jaxon trailing behind.

I inhaled and I exhaled.

"Hey, Jaxon, can you... keep a secret?"

I'd halted in my tracks, causing him to walk into me (he had his attention fixated on his cellphone). He blinked a few times. We were close, too close for comfort. He'd placed both hands on my shoulders to steady either himself or myself. Time became a foreign concept as we stood there, face to face. Gotta create space. I backed away until I felt the comfort and the sturdiness of the classroom's wall.

Jaxon, to all appearances looked like he just wanted the day to end. It was late, after all. But then my eyes met his chocolate ones. It ignited something within the both of us - our animalistic instincts. Out of thin air, there was sexual tension. Electrifying, sizzling and fizzling. He breathed. I mirrored him.

"What is it?" He finally asked.

"A bad secret." I said under my breath. He drew close, caging me against the wall with arms on both sides.

"But you're not the only one with bad secrets, friend," His warm breath fanned against my neck.

I resisted the noise at the back of my throat as he leaned closer. The sound of my own breathing, shallow and short, was a manifestation of my racing heart. Heat pooled in between my legs, I reveled in the rasping familiarity of said sensation.

"What secrets are you hiding?"

"I sleep with the Calculus teacher for good grades."

"Wait, what?" I shoved him away, all lustful thoughts forgotten. "That's NOT FAIR."

He fell a few steps back. He doubled over in raucous laughter. I wasn't used to this side of Jaxon, the side with a sense of humor. It was a different kind of humor from Elias's, that's for sure. I stood there watching him laugh at his own joke for ten seconds before he regained composure.

"Should've seen your face," he wheezed out.

"You would be worried if your Calc tutor told you that," I scowled.

He shook his head. "Nah, that wasn't worry on your face. It was jealousy."

I pulled a face. "Why would I be jealous of someone banging that sack of skin in five inch heels?" I asked incredulously.

"Hey, its 2017, dude. No kink-shaming."

Cold air met our faces the moment we stepped out of the classroom. I asked him a question the same time he asked me one. There was a tense silence following the awkward moment.

"You go first," he finally said.

"Did you really sleep with Ms. Elliot for good grades?"

"God, no," Jaxon almost sounded disgusted at the idea. "Even if my grades were shit I would never stoop to that level."

I was silent for a while. "I would."

He gave me a weird look.

"If she was hot."

"Fair enough," he said. "Coming from someone who accused half the population of being shallow."

I gritted my teeth, before deciding to let the subject drop. Because this wasn't something I could win at. "So... What were you going to ask?"

There was a beat of silence.

"Out of curiosity, how did you get involved with someone like Elias?"

"You think I'm not good enough?"

"You just don't peg me as his type of person, again I say this cautiously. I don't think any person is subpar to anyone. Incompatible, perhaps. Never subpar."

"He was my lab partner."

"I see."

"You so think he's better than me."

"Because he's physically attractive? Nah. Looks aren't everything."

"So you think I'm ugly?"

He shot me an exasperated look.

"Sorry. You know behind every attractive female there's an insecure little kid who wants emotional validation."

"Says the person who called half the population shallow."

"Why would you use my words against me when I would NEVER do the same to you? Oh well, I try so hard to be your friend - and maybe someday that will happen!"

"Did you just quote Donald Trump?"

I scowled. We were nearing the female dorms now. It took me several seconds to realize that Jaxon had walked me back to my dorms. The male dorms were on the other end; the thought made my heart flutter. He walked me back holy shit.

"Never mind, I'm just surprised you can quote him word for word." Jaxon continued.

"The fact that you know I'm quoting him word for word doesn't put you in a better position, friend."

"Fair enough. Goodnight, friend." He said when we arrived at the lobby.

"Goodnight to you too, friend," I returned with a smile - something he didn't reciprocate. I didn't know when this began, but I was starting to notice small things about Jaxon. Like how his smiles were far and few in between. A lot like myself, actually.

"Thanks for everything."

He nodded before turning to leave.

-

i luv chapters like this cause dialogues are really just me speaking to myself... lol