Mud Puddles [Jim Hawkins x Reader]

Chapter 14

(Y/N) thought she heard him in the common room. But when she looked for the owner of the familiar voice, it was a just a second year cadet talking with his friends.

The common room was the destination for cadet hangouts and on-campus parties, or 'intimate gatherings' as the faculty liked to call them. There was a well-used pool table, a few leather couches, and a circle of armchairs by the fireplace which only burned in the depths of winter. Jim's group of friends were always invited to all of the parties, and practically lived in the common room. Because of that reason alone, (Y/N) had spent very little time in that room. But there had been a few exceptions.

(Y/N) was sitting by the fireplace with Julie and Sarah. It was Hallowe'en, and as per tradition, all of the first and second year cadets had crammed into the common room for a party.

"C'mon, give me a good dare." Jim said to his friends as he took another shot of spiked punch. It was his eighth of the evening, and whilst his friends were absolutely drunk, Jim was just bordering tipsy.

"O--kay Jimmy, hmm..." Quentin slurred. He frowned and pressed fingers to his temples dramatically, face quickly turning red with exertion.

"I got one," Petar hiccuped. "I dare you to--to sit on her--her lap!"

Petar giggled like a schoolgirl and shakily pointed across the room to the girls around the fireplace. Though Petar didn't name anyone, Jim immediately knew which girl he was meaning. He grinned evilly.

The seventeen-year-old sauntered across the room. His eyes were fixed on her face glowing in the hazy firelight.

The girls' quietened when he stopped beside them. Without warning, he flopped over the armrest of (Y/N)'s chair and landed in her lap.

"GET OFF OF ME YOU OAF!!" She screeched and shoved at him. A few heads turned just in time to see Jim hit the wooden floor.

The memory ended to the sound of Jim's drunken cackling.

~~~

He wasn't in the library either. Not that that was anything unusual -- (Y/N) rarely ever saw him in there. But there was one time in early spring she had caught him.

(Y/N) was on her way to her favourite place at Port Ivy: the library. With her favourite classic in hand and rain beating hard upon the massive windows, she desperately looked forward to some much needed relaxation.

But her perfect morning screeched to a halt when she turned down the last isle. The spot -- her spot -- was occupied. Not even that; her favourite spot in the entire academy was occupied by her least favourite person in a thousand parsecs.

"You're in my spot." Jim briefly looked up at her words before turning back to his book. The said book was a worn copy of 'The Adventures of Captain Flint', spelled in golden letters with the spine dangerously torn.

"Too bad. I got here first." He shrugged. His eyes never left the page.

"You don't come here enough to be able to steal a veteran reader's seat, Hawkins."

"Well, if it annoys you so much, maybe I should come here more often." Jim folded the corner of his page and dropped the book on the floor, purely to annoy her. It did. Then, to rub salt into the wound, he reclined back into the seat and pretended to fall asleep.

(Y/N) hastily exited the library to stop herself from tearing him to shreds. Not for his sake, but because she would hate to damage any books that might get caught in the crossfire.