Lola woke up to the alarm clock going off. She rubbed her eyes and stared at the wall opposite the bed. Melissa left yesterday after about an hour. She was in a hurry to leave and tossed a quick bye when she was already out the door.
Lola dreaded going back to school now, even if part of her was just happy to get out of the house. However, she wouldn't have her best friend. A surge of determination blew through her, and she aggressively ripped the cover away.
"If I'm stuck here, I will sure as hell at least have my best friend," she seethed as she pulled out the last shirt she had and a pair of jeans. She looked at her clothes, the little she had with her, and her head fell back in a desperate sigh.
She dressed and washed her face. She put her hair up in a high ponytail and grabbed her bag. Lola opened the door. Her eyes fell on the package placed outside her door. There was a red satin bow around the box and a note attached to it. She looked down the hallway, but no one was there. She grabbed the box and put it on the bed.
As she opened the lid and saw what was inside, she gasped in shock. A MacBook Air. There was a picture of the computer on the box's lid. It was wrapped in a thin layer of plastic. Brand new.
She reached down, about to pull it out, when she stopped and let the box fall back down.
Lola put the lid back on and left it on her bed.
She couldn't be against everything she had been forced into and then reap the gifts. She refused to be bought. There had to be a way for her to make enough money to buy her own computer. Maybe she could return and work at the café if she hadn't already been fired. Lola hadn't reached out to Ellen, nor had she answered the numerous texts and calls. Ellen had probably hired someone else by now.
Lola closed the door and pushed the gift out of her mind. Jax waited for her downstairs. He held the car keys in his hand, and his bag hung over his shoulder.
"You're going back to school too?" she asked when she reached him.
"If you are, I am." He grinned.
She thought about his answer. Was he going back just to keep an eye on her?
School was supposed to be her time to breathe away from all of this. She didn't expect to bring her problems with her. Nevertheless, Lola smiled, and they walked to the car.
* * *
Walking in with Jax Blackwood sticking to her side resulted in the last thing Lola wanted right now-attention. Everyone's eyes immediately locked down on them. Every emotion swirled in their looks: jealousy, confusion, anger, and loathing. All of it was directed at Lola.
On their way to class, Jax made a B-line for his locker, and Lola went to hers to grab the books.
She looked up and saw Melissa walking down with one of the girls from her class. Lola raised her hand and stepped away from the locker to say hi but never got a chance. Melissa forced a smile but kept walking. The girl on her arm looked over her shoulder and glanced at Lola. It was filled with the same emotions as all of the others. She slammed the locker shut when her body swelled with anger.
It was unfair that she would lose the one person she had gotten close to over the past years.
On her way to class, she wondered, more than anything, if she had truly lost Melissa, and if so, had she lost her for good?
Everyone in class turned their heads when Lola walked in. Some girls leered at Jax, who tossed his head when he saw her. He was already sitting behind a desk. He pulled out a chair for her using his foot. It was the seat in front of him. Lola saw another empty seat in the back corner and walked past all the seats, ignoring the looks as she made her way to the back.
She was stopped just as she walked past Jax's table. He reached out and grabbed her wrist. With a slight nod and a silent message, he gestured for the seat in front of him. Lola didn't want to make a scene. Seeing as all the attention was already on them, she didn't want to make it worse.
She put her books down on the table and sat down. The teacher started discussing the different states of the human brain when they underwent the effects of narcotics. Lola wasn't a psychology major, but she always found it fascinating how the human mind worked, and therefore, she decided to enroll in a psych class. However, right now, she found herself unable to focus on anything the teacher was saying.
She felt something poking into her shoulder blade.
"Psst."
She shrugged and repositioned herself, ignoring Jax's attempts to talk.
A few seconds later, she felt another poke.
"What?" she hissed and turned in her chair.
"Do you wanna have lunch together?" he asked and flicked his pen against the book.
Lola furrowed her brows and scoffed. She turned in her seat and shook her head.
"No," she hissed as she turned around.
Jax leaned back, slightly baffled and surprised. He looked around the room. Had he thrown that invitation out to the class, he'd have more than one lunch partner.
A girl cleared her throat behind Lola. She didn't acknowledge it.
"Hi," she said, talking to Jax.
"Hey." Jax turned an inch to greet the girl.
"I don't think we've met," she whispered.
Lola clenched her jaw. She bit down until she heard her teeth grating against each other.
"I know," Jax said.
The girl giggled. Thinking that he was playing hard to get, she doubled her efforts.
"I'm Lina," she said sweetly and reached out her hand. Jax glanced at the back of Lola's head and raised a brow. He pushed his foot out and hooked it with Lola's chair. He pulled it back, causing her chair to fly back onto his desk. Lola yelped so loud that it caught the professor's attention.
"Ms. Graves, is everything all right?" Professor McClain asked.
Lola nodded and shifted in her seat. "Yes, I'm sorry. I- I was moving the chair and thought I tipped over," she explained through clenched teeth.
The professor shook his head.
"This isn't preschool, ms. Graves. Sit up straight and pay attention."
She nodded and pursed her lips.
Jax leaned over the table and put his hand on her shoulder. "If you color the book any harder, you're going to leave marks on the table," he whispered.
She couldn't see him, but she heard him speaking through a smile.
Lola looked down at the clutter in the notebook and the pen that she was squeezing in her hand. She hadn't even realized what she was doing.
"Leave me alone." Lola put the pen down and pulled her chair in. Jax leaned back. A flush of contentment washed over him, and he smirked at the back of her head.
"Hello?" Lina said, trying to get his attention back.
Jax looked over. "Hi," he said in a monotone voice and turned back around, focusing on the professor.
His eyes softly lowered to Lola's hands, relaxing on the desk. He noticed her jaw wasn't as stiff, and he smiled.