COMPLETED // i don't want to hurt anymore - enoch o'connor x reader

Chapter 21: Jealous

(Y/N)'s P.O.V

I hopped down the stairs excitedly, choosing to ignore all the bad things that Enoch had told me about the Portman family, despite how realistic and true they sounded. I suppose you could say that I like to give everyone a chance at making a good first impression, and, anyway, you can't judge a book by it's movie, or in this case, a boy by his grandfather.

The peculiars and Miss Peregrine stood clustered around the doorway, almost buzzing with energy. I joined the group and stood on my tiptoes to try and see over Horace's head (who, for someone who stopped aging at around 13, was considerably taller than me), searching for Jacob.
Then I saw him, standing just in front of the door, drenched and shivering. He looked about as shell-shocked as I did when I first arrived here, and Miss P was trying to hustle him through and away from the crowd of children. I backed away, and smiled as he walked past. He simply stared back, looking frightened. The Headmistress bundled him into her office, and he was gone.
Uproar broke out between the children.
"What d'you think he's like?"
"How do you think he is?"
"What year was he from, again?"
"Will he be staying for ever?"
"Quiet, everyone!" That was Emma, shouting over the din of voices to get everybody's attention. "We don't want to scare him off, do we? I'll bet he can hear us from Miss Peregrine's office."
Everybody quietened up, before Enoch spoke. "Well, if he's as much of an ass as his grandfather was, I'll be happy to scare him off - " He was cut off by Emma slamming him against the wall, her fingertips ablaze with flames.
"Emma, no!" I yelled.
"If you say one more word about Abe, one more word, I can guarantee that you will have no face left," she hissed, her fingers getting ever closer to his head. I pushed through a couple of children and grabbed her right arm, and pulled her back off Enoch, while shooting a glare at him. "Don't listen to him," I whispered to Emma, "He's talking nonsense."
Enoch straightened himself, and started to make his way back up the stairs angrily.
"Stop right there, Mr O'Connor!" The Headmistress' voice rang out from down the hallway, and Enoch stopped in his tracks.
"Mr Portman would very much like to meet you all. I suggest we go through into the living room."

Our peculiar group assembled awkwardly and clumsily in the living room, Jacob sitting on Horace's usual chair, and everybody else gathered around on the various sofas and armchairs. I was sitting far away from Enoch, having scolded him for being so horrible about Jacob and Abe, and him being in a strop with me. However, I could still feel his gaze on me from across the room.

I stopped looking at him and instead peered over at Jacob. Thankfully, he looked slightly less shell-shocked and a bit more excited. I smiled at him again and, this time, he smiled back.
Miss Peregrine stood up. "Jacob, these are my wards, the peculiar children, and, children, this is Jacob."
We went around the room listing off our names, and our various peculiarities. After a particularly intense experience (for Jacob, at least), in which Emma demonstrated her peculiarity, we were down to me and Enoch.
"Hi, Jacob, I'm (Y/N). Nice to meet you!" I stuck out my hand and he shook it. "Nice to meet you, (Y/N). Miss P said you aren't much older in loop days than me..."
I laughed. "Yeah, it will be nice to be able to talk to someone who knows what a selfie is, at least..." We laughed together, and, for some reason, I looked over at Enoch guiltily. He was as white as a sheet, glaring so hard at Jacob that I was surprised Jacob couldn't feel it, and clamping his fists together at his sides.
Jacob turned to Enoch to introduce himself​, but Enoch didn't say a word. He simply continued glaring. Jacob's excited expression wavered slightly, but he plastered a smile back on his face. "Hi, I'm Jacob... Um... Nice to meet you?"
"Mr O'Connor, introduce yourself, if you would be so kind," the Headmistress scolded.
Eventually, Enoch stood up from his armchair and paced towards Jacob threateningly, pulling himself up to his full height and setting his jaw intimidatingly.
"Nice to meet you, Jacob," he said sarcastically, and said, before sending a sideways glance to me, "I'm her boyfriend."



(Enoch's expression)