Unforseen encounters

LEAH'S POV:

I woke up to the familiar sound of my alarm blaring, groggily reaching out to silence it. Monday had arrived, bringing its own set of challenges. As I clutched my stomach, I remembered that it was that time of the month again. I hastily got out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to get ready. Not feeling particularly enthusiastic, I threw on a cozy pair of green sweatpants and a comfortable white T-shirt. As I headed downstairs, Emily looked up from her breakfast and said "Hi!" with a cheerful smile. I just nodded curtly, not trusting myself to speak. But she didn't take offense, knowing all too well that my gruff demeanor was just a symptom of my monthly visitor. As we headed out the door to leave for school, I poured myself a cup of coffee, needing the caffeine boost to get through the day. Emily gave me a sympathetic nod and we walked out together, ready to face whatever the day had in store.

Classes dragged on, each one more uneventful than the last. I even dozed off in art class, earning me a close call with embarrassment when Mr. Elliot almost caught me. But time eventually sped up, and the lunch time arrived. I trudged to my usual spot, feeling uncomfortable and not bothering to eat. I needed to move to shake off the restlessness, so I decided to visit the library – a place I hadn't set foot in for ages. The silence was welcoming, and the emptiness was no surprise, not even the librarian was around. I browsed through the shelves, searching for new books to read, when I started hearing strange noises. Curiosity got the better of me, and I tiptoed towards the sound. That's when I stumbled upon Jake and Simone, making out intensely . Jake had Simone pinned against the bookshelf, which creaked and shook under their intensity.

Simone's shirt hung open, revealing a glimpse of her breasts as Jake's hands roamed her body. His fingers pressed into her flesh, his touch urgent and insistent. He kissed her neck with a fervor that left her gasping, her breath catching in her throat. The bookshelf creaked softly behind them, a subtle echo of their passion. Jake's hands moved with a bold intimacy, his thumbs tracing circles that made Simone's eyes flutter closed. Her gasps grew softer, her body arching into his touch.

I froze, my feet rooted to the spot, as I took in the intimate moment before me. My mind struggled to process what I was seeing, but before I could even think, Jake's eyes locked onto mine. His gaze was piercing, and for a moment, I saw something there that made my skin prickle - a flash of lust, a spark of desire that seemed to burn brighter as he looked at me. Our gazes met for a fleeting instant, and I felt a jolt of discomfort. I quickly spun around and hastened my retreat, not wanting to intrude further on their private moment. I was relieved that Simone remained oblivious, her attention still focused on Jake as he slowly backed away from her. I didn't dare look back, fearing what I might see. Instead, I picked up my pace, my heart racing as I swiftly put distance between myself and the awkward encounter.

I sighed inwardly, my mind still reeling from the earlier encounter with Jake. Why did I always seem to run into him at the most inopportune moments? I tried to shake off the distraction and focus on the lesson, but my brain felt foggy. Just as I was starting to drift off again, Mr. O'Connor's voice cut through my reverie. 'Hey, Miss Timmins, can you explain the term inertia?' he asked, his eyes expectant. I hesitated, my mind racing to recall the definition. 'Uh, inertia...is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion,' I said, hoping I was right. But then I added, 'For example, like when you're driving a car and you turn the steering wheel, the car will keep going straight because of inertia.' Mr. O'Connor's expression turned skeptical. 'Not quite, Miss Timmins. That's not the best example. Inertia would actually cause the car to keep moving in its original direction, but the steering wheel would change its direction. You need to work on your examples, and maybe stay focused in class.

After classes ended, I wasn't ready to head home just yet, so I delayed my pickup by two hours. I settled into the bleachers, soaking up the warm or as my mind wandered through a jumble of thoughts - my parents, my life, and the uncertainty of my future. I began scrolling through Instagram, and my eyes landed on a direct message from the guy I had flirted with earlier. His simple "hello" message took me by surprise, As I pondered a response, I sensed someone standing behind me, their presence snapping me back to reality.

looked back to see who it is but the person has already sat behind me,I turned around to find Jake , my eyes bulged out and I gave him a confusing look, I didn't want to talk to him and I didn't want him to get the impression that I'm avoiding him so I decided to stay for 2 more minutes as my heart raced , I was still on my phone when he said how much of what happened did you see

I looked back to see who it is but the person has already sat behind me,I turned around to find Jake , my eyes bulged out and I gave him a confusing look, I didn't want to talk to him and I didn't want him to get the impression that I'm avoiding him so I decided to stay for 2 more minutes as my heart raced , I was still on my phone when he said how much of what happened did you see

As I turned to see who was behind me, I was surprised to find Jake already sitting down, his eyes fixed on me. My eyes widened in surprise, and I gave him a perplexed look. I didn't feel like talking to him, but I also didn't want to give him the impression that I was deliberately avoiding him. So, I decided to stay for a couple more minutes, my heart racing with anticipation. I remained glued to my phone, trying to appear nonchalant, when Jake broke the silence with a question: 'How much of what happened did you see?

'Um, what do you mean?' I asked, trying to play dumb, but Jake just chuckled and said, 'Huh, funny. He gazed at me intently, making me squirm. 'Can you please quit looking at me?' I snapped, trying to sound annoyed. 'So, what are you doing here, right now?' he asked, his eyes still fixed on me. I shot back, 'Why? Why are you even talking to me?'

My stomach began to churn and twist, reminding me that I hadn't eaten all day. I clutched my stomach, feeling a wave of nausea wash over me. As I stood up to leave, Jake asked where I was going, and I admitted, 'I don't feel so good.' He asked to borrow my phone, and I handed it over without thinking twice about what he might do with it. But when I heard his phone ring and he ended a call he was making on my phone, I realized what he was up to. I burst out laughing and snatched my phone back, teasing him, 'Don't you dare call me!' Still chuckling, I turned to leave, but Jake caught my hand, his touch sending a spark through me.

"I spun around, and my eyes widened in horror as I saw that the spot where I had been sitting was smeared with blood. Jake's eyes locked onto mine, filled with concern and alarm. I felt my head start to spin, and my vision began to blur. My legs gave way beneath me, and I collapsed to the floor, tears welling up in my eyes as I struggled to process what was happening. The shock and fear overwhelmed me, and I felt myself becoming lightheaded, my body trembling uncontrollably."

I had just finished a video chat with Ethan, and I couldn't help but feel a strong connection with him. We were still in the getting-to-know-each-other phase, but I was already developing feelings for him. He's in the second-year college , Fattu had warned me about him, but I couldn't shake off the way he made me feel. He was so caring and attentive, which made me feel special. However, I couldn't help but wonder if he was genuinely interested in me or just wanted to take advantage of me since he's three years older. I sometimes regretted commenting on his post, which led to us talking. We had plans to meet in two days, on Sunday. As I lay on my bed, lost in thought, my phone rang, and to my surprise, it was Jake on the other end.

I answered the call, and Jake said hello. I replied, 'Hey Jake, Leah,he replied.' He asked why I left early today, saying he had looked all around for me but couldn't find me anywhere. I responded, 'Yeah, I wasn't feeling so good. Sorry.' Then, he said, 'Yeah, okay... let's talk.' I was unsure what he wanted to talk about, so I asked, 'About what?' He replied, 'I don't know, I just wanted to listen to your voice.' I felt myself blushing at his sweet words, and quickly turned off the phone to compose myself. Jake has been really nice to me lately, always flirting with me, which I have mixed feelings about - I enjoy the attention, but also feel uncomfortable at times.

Jake was incredibly supportive when I experienced the sudden period mishap .As I collapsed to the floor,he rushed to my side, helped me up, and escorted me to the nurse's office, staying with me every step of the way. His kindness made me feel special, and he continued to be exceptionally nice to me throughout the week – though I did ask him to keep a distance in Simone's presence.

...

I wore a hoodie, tight pants, and sneakers, and rushed downstairs after oversleeping on a weekend morning. Assuming Emily was out, I grabbed breakfast and went to greet my dad. When he didn't answer my knocks on his sitting room door, I entered to find Maria inside. I was shocked, but my dad was on the couch, awkwardly using his laptop, while Maria stood by his bookshelf. "What are you doing here?" I asked Maria, but my dad quickly intervened, "Oh, sweetie, I asked her to get me a book I wanted." I pushed aside my doubts, trusting my dad wouldn't lie to me, and noting Maria's young age of 22 made a relationship with him unlikely. "Where are you headed, sweetie?" my dad asked, and I replied, "The food bank." I then asked Maria where she kept the food.

After finishing my shift at the food bank, I was disappointed to miss Sophia, as I had been looking forward to spending time with her. Feeling bored, I decided to reach out to her later in the day. In the meantime, I headed to Centennial Park, where I received a message from Jake. I was unsure if I should invite him to join me, but I went ahead and asked him to hang out.

As I was on my phone, I saw Jake's car pull up and waved him over. I was really happy to see him and grateful for our new friendship. He came over, and we exchanged a fist bump before he sat down next to me.

"What's up?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Not much," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"So, what brings you to the park?" he asked, glancing around at the lush greenery.

"You know the food bank around here, right?" I just came back from there. "I volunteer there."

"Oh, really? That's amazing!" he exclaimed. "I've always wanted to get involved in something like that."

We chatted for a bit about the food bank and our shared passion for helping others. Then, he asked, "So, let's get to know each other. What's your favorite hobby?"

I rolled my eyes, laughing. "That's way too cheesy. I'm not falling for that."

He chuckled, a deep, throaty sound that caught me off guard. "Okay, okay. I deserved that."

I teased him, "I've never seen you laugh before. What's gotten into you?"

He quickly regained his composure, but I could see a hint of a smile still playing on his lips. "Shut up."

I pretended to be stern, but couldn't help giggling. "Um, I felt a lump in my throat... I remember, you took those pictures of me. Why did you do that?"

He looked sheepish, "Oops, yeah... I didn't actually take any pictures. I just wanted you to think I did, so you'd talk to me."

I raised an eyebrow, "And why would you want me to talk to you?"

He shrugged, "You're always alone in school, and I thought you seemed interesting. Plus, I wanted to prove that I could get a rise out of you."

I laughed, "Well, I guess you succeeded."

We talked some more, and I discovered that he wasn't as bad as I thought. In fact, he was quite charming and witty. As the sun began to set, he offered to drive me home.

"Thanks, I'd like that," I said, smiling up at him

"Give me a minute," I said, excusing myself from him and quickly stepping away to call Mrs. Jenkins. I let her know that I'd be staying over at her place with a friend, and she told me where to find the spare keys since she wasn't home.

As we drove, we chatted briefly, and I mentioned that I had a date planned for the next day. He seemed slightly put off by the news.

When we arrived, we got out of the car and he waved goodbye. "Come in," I offered, but he declined. "No, I really need to get back to work," he said. I teased him, "You're lying, you probably have the day off, don't you?" My instincts proved correct, and he smiled.

Once inside, he complimented the house, saying, "Your place looks nice." I replied, "Thanks, I guess."