Chapter 10

“Omg, Mima, I totally have a stalker!”

Jemima looked up from the stack of love letters she was skimming through to see Zoe standing slumped with her back against the lockers and a frown on her face.

“Which is so weird because I’m the least liked of us three… I’m like, the opposite of liked!”

“That’s not true, people love you…you just scare most of them away,” She slowly told her, once again trashing the stack of letters. “But tell me about this ‘stalker’ you have.”

“So like,” Zoe began and Jemima took in a breath, knowing that it was about to be the most dramatic story she had ever heard.

In fact, it probably wasn’t even that big of a deal, but knowing Zoe, she was going to be so extra about it.

“Not that I’m back to my old one night stand ways, but I had a one night stand last week-”

Jemima face palmed at her words but didn’t say anything and let her continue.

“-and this total loser of a man just won’t get the fucking hint and leave me alone already! Like, what part of ONE night does he not understand? He’s been calling me non stop, even after I blocked his number, he’d call me with a new number and ask to meet up, we take the same classes so you can already imagine how annoying that is, and last night he showed up to my apartment-”

Jemima stood up straighter at this, the bored expression on her face being replaced by one of worry, “wait Zo, he showed up at your apartment?”

Zoe threw her hands up in the air to show how exasperated she felt, “I know right? Which is so creepy because I have never once given this guy my address!”

“That’s… that’s actually very concerning, you should talk to the cops about this, who knows what that creep is capable of,” she told Zoe, suddenly concerned for her friend’s safety.

The girl already had enough on her plate with classes and the cheer team, she didn’t need to add dealing with a creepy stalker to the equation. The fact that the creep showed up to Zoe’s door- without her ever telling him the address- had Jemima seriously worried for her, who knew what he was capable of.

Jemima had read so many real life stories about women falling victim to stalkers and every single story ended tragically, she couldn’t imagine something like that happening to someone she loved so much.

Zoe sighed, “trust me this is a lesson learned, no more one night stands with hot strangers…for real this time.”

Jemima rolled her eyes, “that’s what you said the last three times.”

“Yeah well, I wasn’t dealing with creeps then,” her friend scoffed, her normally relaxed and nonchalant face scrunched up in a worried grimace.

It was rare seeing Zoe showing actual worry about anything, that too very expressive, she must have been in serious distress over the situation. Jemima couldn’t blame her, she too would’ve been shook to the core if some creepy nobody showed up at her door, especially after making it clear that she didn’t want to have anything to do with them.

“Did you tell your cousin about it?”

“I don’t want to bother him, he’s working out of town and only coming back on the weekend, I’ll tell him then,” Zoe ran a distressed hand through her silky dark hair, “I really don’t know what to do for these next three days Mima, I don’t feel safe at my place.”

“Hey,” she put a hand on her shoulder, “you can come crash at my place until the weekend, I don’t mind the extra company.”

“Oh can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Pleeease?” And the normal Zoe was back.

“Can we what?” Vanessa walked up to the two, her hair in a high ponytail swaying behind her with every step she took. Her face had on light make up which enhanced her beauty, she wore baggy high waist distressed blue jeans with black stilettos, and an open back green and red crop top, which was in the style of a giant butterfly covering her front and held together by thin straps that went over her shoulders and around her back.

“I’m going to live with Mima for the rest of the week!” Zoe squealed and Jemima nearly regretted giving her the offer.

“Oh me too!! I’m so going to eat all your food!” The Ethiopian girl did a little dance, “ugh and that giant ass shower head you have in your bathroom is calling my name!”

“Forget about the shower, that hot-tub wants me as much as I want it!”

Jemima stared off into space, regret in her eyes, “why did I do this to myself?”

“So,” Vanessa nudged her, “talk to your man yet?”

Jemima exhaled, “no. I didn’t even get a ‘good morning’ text from him,” she scoffed.

“And how much you wanna bet he sent the new girl a sweet text wishing her wonderful morning?”

“Vanessa, are you trying to make me feel worse than I already do?”

“And speak of the fucking devil,” Zoe spat venomously, folding her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowed on someone behind Jemima.

Jemima turned just in time to see her boyfriend approaching them with his signature carefree boyish smile.

“Hey baby,” he came for a hug with open arms, but before he could get any close, Vanessa and Zoe stood in front of Jemima, blocking his way.

“Oh look who finally remembered he has a girlfriend,” Vanessa looked him up and down.

“Uh…?” His confused eyes bounced between the two girls who looked really angry at him, then shifted over to his girlfriend who stood behind them, an unreadable expression on her face.

He raised an eyebrow at her as if asking for an explanation.

Zoe clicked her fingers in front of his face to get his attention, “aye, don’t look at her, we’re the ones talking to you.”

“Look, I don’t know what game you think you’re playing with our friend, but I’m telling you now, you’re going to lose.”

“And pray to God for protection because if I see even a single drop of tear fall from her eyes, I’m delivering you to that new girl in a bodybag,” Zoe said with a finger pointed in his face.

Kaden took a step back.

“Girls,” Jemima put a hand on Zoe’s shoulder, “I’ll see you both after classes.”

Vanessa turned to her, her sour face softening with concern, “forget what I said last night, you don’t have to talk to him.”

“He’s my boyfriend Nessa, we have to talk to understand each other,” she smiled at both of them, wide and fake, “I’ll be fine.”

Zoe looked at Kaden one last time, then turned to Jemima, “remember, all you have to do is say the word.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes at Zoe, the girls group hugged before the two walked away from the couple.

Kaden cautiously stepped forward.

“Pretty sure your friends just threatened me.”

Jemima didn’t respond, just turned to her locker and began pulling out a couple books, ignoring his presence.

So much for talking things out.

“Okay…why do I have the feeling I did something wrong, I mean there’s a reason why I’m getting threatened and now the silent treatment.”

Is he serious?

Jemima forcefully shut the locker, the metal clanging loud enough to turn a few heads in the hallway.

“So, all that big head and you have absolutely no idea on what it is you did wrong?” She asked, slowly turning to face him. Her voice was calm, but it was the kind of calm that came before a storm. Her eyes were sharp and cold, nothing like the soft warmth she usually reserved for him.

Kaden scratched the back of his head, a trait he did when he was nervous or uncomfortable. “If this is about how our date ended, I’m sorry but I had to take her home. What kind of person would I be if I left her all alone in an empty street?”

She let out a laugh. A dry humourless sound.

“Oh Kaden, ever the perfect gentleman Kaden, you just have to save all the cute little damsels in distress, huh?”

“Jem-”

“But,” she cut him off, “instead of dropping her home like you said you would, you decided milkshakes with the new girl after getting rid of your girlfriend was the way to go!”

His mouth opened, then closed again. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Oh?” She folded her arms, “then what was it like? Enlighten me.”

He sighed. “She was really down, and doesn’t know anyone yet…I thought maybe- since it’s her first week- I could show her around a little and cheer her up. Be nice, y’know?”

“Nice?” Her eyes narrowed, “what are you? The welcome committee?”

He frowned, “it was just milkshakes Mima.”

Jemima stepped away from his arms when he mad a move to hold her. “Just milkshakes at our spot?”

“I didn’t think it would be a big deal,” he muttered, scratching the back of his neck again.

“You know what makes it a big deal?” Her voice cracked at the end, just a little, and she hated it. She swallowed down the emotions clawing at her throat and took a deep breath.

“The fact that you lied about taking her home, and then went out with another girl. You made me feel like I was a box to check off before you moved on to something- or someone- found more interesting…that’s what makes it a big fucking deal.”

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