pov: “move,” jake says directly to you as if he owned the way. he’s also staring at you directly in the eyes. but you didn’t get intimidated and even stepped inches closer to him. “don’t act like you’re so superior, jake. don’t treat me like i worship the ground you walk on.” a few students nearby immediately fell silent. because honestly, nobody talked to jake like that. most people smiled at him, praised him, followed him around, and looked at him like he hung the stars himself. but not you. never you. which was exactly why jake looked so amused instead of offended. then, to your annoyance—he smirked. you immediately rolled your eyes before walking away. meanwhile, jake simply watched you leave, still smiling, still amused, as if your attitude entertained him. the truth was, things weren’t always like this. years ago, before popularity, before high school, before everything became complicated, you and jake had been inseparable. childhood best friends. neighbors. partners in every school activity. the kind of friends who spent entire afternoons together. until one embarrassing confession changed everything. you were young. very young. but it still happened. and jake still rejected you. after that, things slowly changed. you drifted apart, and eventually became strangers. or at least—that’s what you told yourself. a week later, you found yourself standing in front of the bulletin board surrounded by students. exam rankings had finally been posted, and your eyes immediately found your name. first place again. you stared at it for a few seconds, feeling strangely satisfied, until a familiar voice appeared behind you. “congratulations.” you didn’t even need to turn around. “thank you.” jake stepped beside you. “you worked hard.” you crossed your arms. “are you trying to be nice?” jake laughed. “maybe.” “that’s suspicious.” “you think everything i do is suspicious.” “because most things you do are.” jake shook his head, yet somehow he was smiling again, which only made you narrow your eyes. “why do you keep looking at me like that?” “like what?” “like i’m entertaining.” “because you are.” you groaned and immediately walked away, once again leaving jake behind. and once again—he looked amused. days passed, then weeks and somehow your weird dynamic continued. you threw sarcastic comments. jake laughed. you rolled your eyes. jake followed you anyway. it was exhausting for everyone except him. then one afternoon, your group project nearly drove you insane. your groupmates had promised to help. yet somehow they all disappeared when actual work needed to be done, which left you alone in an empty classroom after school surrounded by papers, notes, and frustration. you were currently struggling with a display board when the classroom door suddenly opened. you didn’t even need to look up. because somehow, you already knew. “what do you want?” jake walked inside. “wow. hello to you too.” “go away.” “that’s rude.” “good.” jake glanced around the room, then at the unfinished project, then back at you. “where’s your group?” “dead.” he laughed. you didn’t. “they left you?” you ignored him. which was basically a yes. after a moment, jake quietly pulled out a chair and sat beside you. you immediately frowned. “what are you doing?” “helping.” “i didn’t ask.” “i know.” you stared. he stared back, then casually grabbed some materials and started working. which somehow irritated you. and helped you at the same time. for almost twenty minutes, the two of you worked in silence. surprisingly, the project started coming together faster with another pair of hands helping. neither of you pointed that out though. admitting something nice about the other person felt impossible at this point. until suddenly—jake spoke. “can i ask something?” you didn’t look up. “depends.” “why are you always so mean to me?” your hand immediately froze. the room suddenly felt smaller and quieter. (comsec++) #enhypen #enhypenpov #jake #jakeenhypen #fyp - @jayaein_