CHAPTER 8: Why they call me JK

As Chris approached me, my heart began to racing and my mind went blank. I stood there, unsure of what to say or do, as he caught up to me. "Hey, Zoey," he said, his voice low and smooth. "We need to talk."

I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "I don't think that's a good idea, Chris," I said, attempting to sound firm. But Chris just kept coming, his eyes fixed on mine. "Come on, Zoey, let's just talk," he said.

I lost all sense of reasoning and shouted, "Fine! You want to talk? Fine, let's talk. But I'll do the talking, and you'll do the listening! You left you fucking asshole, without a word, no explanation, no nothing! You fucking left without as much as a text or call, I had called and texted but no replies.You left me wondering if I had done something wrong, if I had offended you in some way, " I was fighting back tears, trying to hold them in. I had forgotten that we were outside, and my outburst had drawn attention from nearby students.

I paused, taking a deep breath, and continued, my voice taking on a lower tone. "If you had shown up three months ago, I would have asked you why. Why did you leave? Why wasn't I good enough for you? Why didn't you choose me?" I was getting tired, my mouth shaking from the cold, and I could feel the stares of the students around us. But I didn't care; I was tired of caring.

I looked at Chris, seeing a glimpse of what looked like guilt in his eyes, but I ignored it. "I'm not going to ask those questions now because I'm trying to be a better version of myself, not just physically, but mentally. And trying to find closure from someone who clearly doesn't care about anyone but themselves is not going to help me. Forget relationship, you were my friend, someone I had considered a good friend but it seems I was the only one that thought that." I shook my head, feeling a sense of determination. "Just do me one favor: stay away from me and my friends. If possible, don't even show up in front of Sarah or me again. You've already done enough damage."

My hand flew to my chest, rubbing it soothingly as I felt my heart break into a thousand pieces. I loved this man, but he had broken me once, and I wasn't going to let it happen again. I thought Chris would agree, but I had underestimated how cruel he could be.

As I turned to walk away, Chris spoke up, his voice taking on a calm and dangerously low tone. "Do you think you have a choice here?" I turned back to face him, seeing an arrogant smirk plastered on his face. Chris looked like a handsome devil, ready to play with his puppet and have fun doing it.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. Chris's smile grew wider as he said, "What I mean, little Zoey, is that I don't care if Sarah finds out about our past, but you seem to care about her feelings a lot. So why don't we make a little deal? I won't tell Sarah about us, and you'll do as I say."

I was taken aback by his audacity, and my anger boiled over. "Have you no shame?" I exclaimed, my fist balled in anger. Desperately wishing I could connect it to his face.Chris just smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh, that? It's been sold a long time ago."

I was exasperated, and my voice rose in frustration. "What do you want from me, Chris? Why are you doing this?" Chris paused, looking like he wanted to say something, but then changed his mind. "You'll know with time," he said, his voice dripping with menace. "Just don't ignore me when I call, or else, darling... you'll know why they call me JK."

With that, he turned and walked away, joining his friends, who waved at me as they drove off. I watched them go, feeling a sense of relief wash over me, but also a sense of trepidation. What did Chris want from me? And what did he mean by his ominous warning?

As I stood there, trying to process what had just happened, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Chris's words had left me with more questions than answers, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was in danger. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, and began to walk away, wondering what the future held for me and Chris.