𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒

just curious

"It was her chaos that made her beautiful. "

✉

The school hallway was a swamp of people cluttered all over the place, chatter so loud you could hardly hear your own thoughts. Though the crowd would part when Leo walked down, he kept his head ducked as he shoved his way past clusters of people.

"Hey," he heaved a breath when he stopped, having shoved more than one shoulder on his way over. "You're Jay. Right?"

Jay's eyes narrowed as he shut his locker and turned to face Leo. Now, why the hell is this guy talking to me? He briefly remembered Annie telling him about her interaction with Leo and was now more than conflicted, seeing Leo come up to him. He had never spoken to the guy before, and wasn't sure why it was happening now.

"I am. You know that already, I presume."

Unlike Annie, Jay was anything but intimidated by yet another jock who assumed he ran the school and everyone bowed at his alter. Jay didn't believe in or play into social hierarchies. He couldn't be bothered to partake in such nonsense.

Despite his lack of amusement by the ever-relevant "social ladder", Jay couldn't help but wonder what it was Leo was doing talking to him.

Leo, on the other hand, was worried his friends would spot him and come over to make some sort of commotion. He for one wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. As much as he hated to admit it, he did run in a social circle that tended to be rather... crude, stereotypical, and judgemental. A social circle that both beleived in, and played into social hierarchies.

"You're friends with Annie?"

Jay grew more suspicious. "I am." His eyes narrowed to pinpricks on Leo. "Why?" Leo's sudden interest in Annie was more than concerning to Jay. He knew what guys like Leo were like.

Leo glanced around. "What's she like?" What Leo really wanted to ask, was if Annie was okay. But he knew it wasn't his place, nor would he receive a truthful answer. Judging from her letters, there was evidence she was juggling enough and Leo didn't know how to up-right ask her himself. At least not without incriminating himself.

He was just worried she'd hurt herself.

He worried she was hurting.

"She's..." Jay shrugged, giving Leo a questioning look. He sighed. "Look, she's a good girl. She's-soft, and kind. She's shy, which I'm sure you've gathered. Now, I don't know what you want from her but while she may be defenceless herself, she's got enough people on her side to fuck you up if you plan on hurting-"

"I'm not!" Leo's eyes widened, hand's briefly shooting up in deference. "I'm not—trying to hurt her or—whatever you're implying." Leo shook his head, sighing. "Look, I just—I don't know. I just noticed her and I was curious and—well—she—I don't know." Leo ran a hand through his hair, shrugging.

Jay's eyes remained narrowed. "Well, I can tell you one thing. She's not like all the girls you talk to-so whatever it is you're after—"

"I was just curious," Leo said sharply, cutting Jay off. It enraged him; Jay implied Leo was out to hurt Annie or holding some sort of bad intentions—Leo didn't know why, but it enraged him. Leo shook his head as he began to turn away from Jay. "Whatever. Just, thanks. I guess." He paused. "Just don't mention I asked, alright?"

"Sure thing." Jay continued peering oddly at Leo, watching him walk away.

✉

Amani scoffed loudly when Jay filled her in on his conversation with Leo. "That doesn't make any sense. What does he want? He hasn't spoken to her, little less looked at her, in the three years that they've been going to school together so what's with the sudden interest?"

It was safe to say, Leo's sudden and abrupt interest in Annie was more than random and unusual. Her friends couldn't help but worry and suspect the worst. They didn't want to, but they really wouldn't put it past someone with Leo's reputation as the "bad boy."

Cliche as it may be, they only wanted the best for Annie and Leo was hard to trust.

"I'm asking myself the same things." Jay shrugged. "He told me not to mention it to her so I haven't. You know how much she overthinks anyway."

"Yeah," Amani nodded, agreeing. "It's probably best not to. Not right now, at least. Not until we know more about what it is he actually wants. Annie's only going to worry, as she always does, and I don't want to give her another reason to make her head spiral."

"You're right." Jay sighed as he plucked a fry off Amani's tray. "We hardly know anything about the guy. There's no point opening that door to Annie right now."

"I just don't want her getting hurt again." Amani stared down at her stale fries for a moment. "She's been through a lot as is." She glanced at Jay. "Have you spoken to her? I mean, like really spoken to her lately? Is she doing okay?"

Jay only shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "You know she's not one to speak much, especially about herself. God, I love that girl but—she's as closed a book there can be."

"Where is she right now anyway."

"Library."

Amani found her gaze travelling over to where Leo sat with the rest of his friends, "the predators", as Amani liked to call them. The ever-entitled "popular" kids, who lived under the belief that they were better than everyone else, which somehow gave them the right to treat everyone beneath them as terribly as possible.

Amani huffed a breath, her nose crinkling. "I don't want Annie getting caught up in that crowd. You know how crude they can be."

"Yeah but..."

"What?"

"Well—she has Jack. He's part of that crowd and he's a good guy." Jay tried to rationalize but even he was having a hard time feeling good about Leo and his newfound intrigue.

"I know Jack's not like the rest of them—but—well—I doubt that would stop the rest of them from tormenting Annie." Amani's eyes narrowed on Leo. The brunette flop of hair; sitting leaning back in his chair, he laughed alongside to something some of the other football players were saying.

"She has us," Jay said firmly. "We have her back."

"We sure as hell do."

✉