An Arranged Marriage to a Jerk

Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Sweet Humiliation

"That is so unfair!" KIm shouts as she grips my arm down the hallway. Sarah and Nikki push people out of the way in front of us and Mark is walking briskly behind us.

"I know! I can't believe he's being so mean!" I respond. I toss my hair and try to move on. 

"Well, you really shouldn't have kicked him out, but..."

"Mark, shut it!" 

"Well, he's right; you overreacted a little," Nikki cuts in. I give her a look and she faces the front again. The freshman see my face, full of anger, and they quickly ran to the side. I feel kinda bad, remembering how mean the seniors were to me when I was a freshman, but I brush it off. There are more important things at hand.

We walk outside and head to the fountain. It sounds corny, but a few years ago a large fountain was put behind the school for the seniors. It's a great place to chill during classes. And only the seniors can go there. It, in my personal opinion, is awesome. 

We sit on the edge where the wind is not blowing. Sarah sits next to me and leans on my shoulder. I smile and close my eyes. With my friends around me at the peaceful fountain, I finally feel at peace.

That's when he walks in the courtyard.

Connor is wearing sunglasses, which is ridiculous in late September. His tie is loosened so he looks like a lame Jay Cruz model. But the girls are eating it up. He walks over to our spot and pulls Sarah up. She lets out a screech but he ignores her. He grabs my hand and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hey, girl. What's up!"

I force myself to smile. I have no choice. "Hi, honey. How have you been?"

He grins back. "Just great. Here, I have surprise for you." He pulls me up and drags me to the center of the crowd that's now watching us. The girls have their mouths hanging open like fish and the guys are nodding at Connor appreciatively. He reaches into his messenger bag and pulls out a black box. 

I hold my breath. He opens it to reveal a diamond bracelet. "Oh!" I sigh. "It's... stunning! Thank you!" He pulls me into a hug and I dig my nails into his back. I can feel him flinch and I dig in harder. "What are you doing?" I whisper. 

He stands straight. "Just wanted to show my fiancee how much I love her!" There are some gasps throughout the crowd.  

My smile disappears ."Excuse me?"

He's laughing now. "You can move your ring now. I think it's clear that everyone knows our little secret now!" He pulls my ring off my right hand and places it on my left. It looks so foreign. Then the stampede of jealous girls hits my and clutches at my hand to confirm it with their own eyes. There are exclamations of "Ohmigosh, it's so cute!" and "Awh, I am so jealous!"

The guys are clumped around Connor, patting him on the back. He's smiling, and when our eyes meet, I send him a death glare. But he just smiles back and looks away at his friends. 

All of a sudden, I see Kim's face. It's bright red. She glances at Mark and he steps back. She suddenly sprints through the crowd toward Connor. My mouth hangs open as I watch her push Connor. He takes an unsteady step back and some random guy pushes Kim back. Then it's a full on fight between the guys and the girls. Mark has now run up to Connor who is standing in front of me, watching. He yells something that Connor can't make out. Then there's a struggle that I can't see and then it happens.

Connor hits me by surprise and I am pushed backward. There's a sense of terror as i'm falling and then I hit the water. 

Then it gets quiet.