Chapter 14: The Jealousy Game

Jiko, on the other hand, felt like a cornered cat. His gaze darted nervously between Julie and the others, his face flushing deeper by the second. "Uh, guys?" he ventured weakly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I think we're getting a little off track here…"

But his attempt to defuse the tension went unnoticed. Sumaiya crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "And what makes you think I'd want him, Julie?" she asked, her voice cool but with a hint of challenge. "I was just joking, you know."

Julie's lips curved into a small, knowing smile, though her gaze didn't waver. "Maybe you were. But if not, consider this a reminder."

This time, Sumaiya decided to stir the pot even further. "Huh," she said, drawing out the word with a knowing look, "I know girls like you. Girls like you want to keep the guy around, but they'll never actually date him themselves. And they definitely won't let any other girl get close either. I really don't like girls like that." She crossed her arms, her expression pointed.

Julie's playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a serious, almost defensive look. "Why do you think I'm like that?" she asked, her voice cool and even. The playful atmosphere had completely evaporated, replaced by a tense silence.

Sumaiya shrugged, maintaining her pointed gaze. "That's just the impression you're giving off right now," she replied, her tone implying that it was obvious to everyone.

The standoff was palpable, and Jiko felt the weight of every glare in the room. Rafsan, sitting quietly in the corner, adjusted his glasses and muttered under his breath, "This is getting ridiculous."

Fahim finally broke the silence, his voice tinged with nervous laughter. "Okay, wow. This just escalated. Jiko, man, what did you do to deserve all this attention?"

Jiko looked at him helplessly, as if begging for a way out. "Nothing! I didn't do anything!" he protested, holding his hands up as though to ward off the figurative fire aimed at him.

Anika cleared her throat, her calm voice slicing through the tension. "Can we just… get back to studying? This isn't helping anyone."

Nila walked in from the kitchen, carrying a tray of extra snacks and drinks. Her eyes darted from one amused face to the next before landing on Jiko, whose flushed cheeks betrayed his discomfort. "What's going on here?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, setting the tray down on the table.

"Nothing," Jiko mumbled quickly, burying his face in his notebook. "Just… studying."

"Studying his emotions, maybe," Riya quipped, earning another round of laughter. Nila looked at her friends with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Okay, okay, leave them alone," she said, waving a hand. "We've got finals to crush, remember? Save the matchmaking for after we're done passing."

Jiko smirked at Nila's attempt to reel everyone in. "Thanks for the rescue, Nila," he said lightly. Nila replied, "Although I'm starting to think we've become the entertainment instead of the tutors."

"Pretty good entertainment," Riya chimed in, tossing Julie a sly grin. "You should charge admission."

"Oh, I'd pay for front-row seats," Fahim added, leaning back with a theatrical stretch. "This is better than half the rom-coms I've seen. Jiko, man, you're the leading man!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jiko shot back, trying to sound casual but failing miserably as he scribbled aimlessly in his notebook. "Maybe if everyone opened their books instead of their mouths, we'd actually learn something."

The room quieted for a beat before Anika, in her soft voice, chimed in. "He's got a point. We're already behind schedule." She flipped open her textbook, her no-nonsense demeanor cutting through the banter like a hot knife through butter. "If you all want to pass, we should probably start now."

The group collectively groaned but followed suit, books opening and pens poised. The chatter settled into focused murmurs as they divvied up chapters to cover. Occasionally, someone cracked a joke, but they stayed mostly on track.

Halfway through the session, Rafsan, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke up. "Julie," he asked, pointing at a particularly tough equation, "how do you simplify this part?"

Julie leaned over to glance at his notebook, explaining the steps with calm precision. As she did, Fahim whispered, just loud enough for Jiko to hear, "Man, even Rafsan's shooting his shot now."

Jiko shot him a withering glare, which only made Fahim grin wider.

By the time they wrapped up, the group had made decent progress, though the air was still tinged with the lighthearted energy from earlier. As they packed up their things, Riya gave Jiko and Julie one last cheeky grin. "Same time next week, right? Don't be late—you know how much we depend on you two for… inspiration."

Jiko groaned, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. See you guys next time."

Julie, her tone effortlessly composed, said, "Don't worry, Riya. We'll bring our A-game."

As the group dispersed, Nila caught up with Jiko and Julie at the door. "Don't mind them," she said with a chuckle. "They're just jealous of how well you two get along."

Jiko glanced at Julie, whose amused smile hadn't left her face all evening. "Yeah, maybe," he muttered, feeling a strange mix of embarrassment and something else he couldn't quite name.

Julie looked at him as they stepped out into the evening air. "You handled that pretty well," she said, her voice light. "Though you do get red way too easily."

Jiko laughed, his earlier tension dissipating. "Maybe next time, I'll let them think what they want."

Julie raised an eyebrow, her smile widening. "Next time?"

"Yeah," Jiko replied, shoving his hands into his pockets as they walked down the driveway. "Can't let them scare me off. I am not that easy guy.

However, the study group wasn't the only thing making Julie feel uneasy. She'd also noticed the sudden surge of attention Jiko was getting, and it was stirring up confusing feelings inside her—feelings she couldn't quite put her finger on. At first, it was just a small twinge of annoyance whenever she saw another girl giving him a flirty smile in the cafeteria, or when she overheard someone mentioning his name in the hallways. But little by little, that annoyance grew into something more intense—something almost possessive. She found herself constantly watching anyone who dared to talk to him, finding ways to interrupt conversations or subtly move closer to him whenever they were together, as if marking her territory..