Sparks Of Jealousy

It's been a full week since the freshmen mixer. Seven days of Adrian's absence, with our last encounter still lingering in my mind like a favorite song on repeat. Classes had officially begun, and the once buzzing energy of St. Bellamy's had settled into more structured chaos with students walking across the glossy marble floors of the west academic wing. 

Sloane and I strolled side by side, our iced lattes in hand, the morning sun catching the soft gold in her brunette curls as we chatted about absolutely nothing of importance. 

"Did you see the way Professor Langston literally dragged that dude out of class yesterday? I mean... iconic," Sloane laughed, bumping her shoulder gently into mine. 

I smirked. "Honestly, I live for the drama. This school needs it." 

Just as we rounded the corner toward Lecture Hall B, I felt a jolt. A light crash, not even enough to spill my drink, but jarring enough to pull me out of the moment. I looked up, and of course... Alexander Vaughn. 

"Seriously?" I snapped, blinking in disbelief as his tall, broad frame adjusted in front of me, again, like some déjà vu I never asked for. "Not you bumping into me again." 

"Oh, wow," he grinned, totally unbothered. "Hi, again." 

Sloane blinked at him, amused. "Okay, wait. Alexander? Like, the Alexander Vaughn? He's the clumsy stranger?" 

Before I could say anything, Alexander extended a hand to her. "Alexander Vaughn. Sorry for the clumsy intro, I guess I have a knack for catching your friend off-guard." 

Sloane took his hand politely. "Sloane Ramirez, roommate and only friend. Damage control. I've heard the hallway version of your meet-cute." 

I rolled my eyes. "More like meet annoying." 

Alexander glanced back at me, still smiling like I hadn't just insulted him. "It's good to see you again, Kimberly." 

I folded my arms. "You seriously need to stop bumping into me. It's starting to look intentional." 

He shrugged. "Maybe fate's just trying to get your attention." 

I scoffed, grabbing Sloane's wrist. "Don't flatter yourself. Stay out of my way, Vaughn." 

Dragging her past him, I didn't even glance back. But I could feel his eyes on me, and yet, for some reason I couldn't explain, my chest was tight with heat I didn't want to name. 

"Okay, wow," Sloane whispered beside me as we walked faster. "You were really mean to him." 

"I'm not mean," I muttered, lips pressed tight. "He's just irritating." 

Okay, let's be real. He isn't irritating, that's just me saying that to excuse the fact that I was indeed mean to him. 

Sloane yanked her arm out of my grip the moment we were out of earshot, glaring at me like I'd committed a crime. 

"Fine. What the hell was that then?" she hissed. 

I kept walking. "What do you mean?" 

She caught up to me. "Don't play dumb. You did not tell me that Alexander freaking Vaughn was the guy you ran into. The Alexander Vaughn. Tech royalty. Billionaire baby. Future GQ coverboy!" 

I groaned. "Oh, please. He's just another trust fund baby with a big last name and no sense of direction." 

"Aren't we all trust fund babies?" she shrugged, her brows furrowed. "There are just levels to this, and that guy right there. Woah!" 

"Oh, please. I couldn't care less about him anyway." 

Sloane stopped again, arms folded. "You're kidding, right? You seriously don't see the way he looks at you?" 

I turned to face her, my patience thinning. "He doesn't look at me, Sloane. He crashes into me. There's a difference." 

She rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might stick. "You're so blind, it's honestly tragic. The guy is clearly into you. He smiled like you were the damn sunrise." 

I scoffed. "He smiled like he had a concussion. Don't romanticize clumsiness." 

Sloane just laughed, shaking her head as we entered the lecture hall. "Delusional and in denial. This is gonna be fun to watch." 

I muttered under my breath as we slipped into our seats near the back. "You need new hobbies." 

Our Business Administration class began promptly with Professor Elena Wycliffe walking in, all sharp angles and expensive perfume. Her presence silenced the entire room faster than the slam of a gavel. 

"Welcome to Strategic Business Foundations," she began, heels clicking as she paced in front of the massive touchscreen board. "Some of you are here because you want to run Daddy's companies. Some of you are here because you want to take them down. Either way, I don't care. What I care about—" she tapped the screen sharply "—is whether you can think like a leader and survive this class." 

Sloane and I exchanged wide-eyed looks. I could already see she was going to be my favorite kind of terrifying. 

For the next hour and a half, I let my mind drift in and out of focus, balancing half-hearted notes with half-distracted thoughts. Professor Wycliffe's voice was sharp, but my head felt like static. I kept replaying my last moment with Adrian, and I loved how it made me feel things. 

Halfway through a lecture on market positioning, Sloane slid a note over to me on her tablet: "You're still thinking about him, aren't you?" 

I rolled my eyes and tapped back: "Which 'him'? The clumsy tech heir or the guy I shouldn't even like?" 

She snorted quietly, typing: "Both. And you're hopeless." 

I didn't argue. 

The sun had shifted lower, painting gold across the walkway as Sloane and I stepped out of the building. The campus buzzed with students making their way to the next class or lounging in the courtyard. I was mid-sentence, half joking about our professor's obsession with touching her ears, when I saw them. 

Adrian and Genevieve. 

Walking together, arms casually draped around her waist. His body angled just a bit toward hers like he was protecting something precious. My chest tightened so suddenly as though I'd stopped breathing. 

They walked straight toward us, too close to avoid, too real to ignore. 

"Kimmy!" Gen beamed, the picture of calm grace and picture-perfect lipstick. "There you are." 

Sloane stood still beside me, stunned into silence. 

Gen laughed softly. "You okay?" I must've stunned you with my presence." She winked playfully. 

"She's just... shy," I muttered quickly, elbowing Sloane, who still hadn't recovered. "This is Sloane, my roommate and friend." 

"Hi, Sloane. I'm Genevieve, Kim's sister," Gen said as she turned her attention back to me. "So? How are classes treating you? First official week. Feeling like a real St. Bellamy's student yet?" 

"Yeah. It's... good," I replied, eyes glued to the space over her shoulder. Anywhere but at Adrian. Because he was staring at me. Intently. A subtle smirk tugged at the edge of his lips. Like he knew something no one else in the world did. 

My pulse throbbed. His gaze didn't waver. 

"Well," Gen said, glancing up at Adrian with a warm smile. "We're off to grab a late lunch before I head back to my apartment. Text me if you need anything, alright?" 

"Sure," I said, barely able to breathe. 

Adrian's eyes lingered as they walked past us, his hands still low on her back. He looked over his shoulder at me one last time before they disappeared around the corner. 

Sloane turned toward me slowly. Her expression was unreadable at first, but it quickly shifted into something unmistakable. Disappointment. 

"You've got to be kidding me," she said quietly. 

I ignored her. 

She blinked like she needed to rest her reality. "Is that her?" she asked, voice strained. "The mystery girl Adrian's dating? The one who's standing in your way of getting the guy of your dreams? The one you wouldn't tell me about?" 

I swallowed hard, the weight of it pressing in on my ribs. 

Sloane took a slow breath. "That's your sister, Kim?" 

I nodded once. 

She took a step back from me, as if she couldn't process it up close. "You let me think this was some random complicated crush, or that he was just another messed-up hottie. Come on, if this was like, an old friend's boyfriend or something, even though that's wrong, it's still more preferable than this. That's your sister. That's who he's with? And you're still..." 

Her words trailed off, not because she didn't know what to say, but because maybe she didn't want to say it out loud. 

I looked away. 

"I didn't ask for this," I whispered. 

Sloane ran her hands through her hair, shaking her head. "No, you didn't. But you're in it now. And I don't know what scares me more. The situation... or how deep you're willing to go." 

But I didn't say anything to her. I just rolled my eyes and continued walking until we got to the parking lot. 

The afternoon sun reflected on my BMW Z4, casting long shadows as Sloane and I made our way across the parking lot. I could feel the heat rising from the pavement, but it was nothing compared to the fire twisting in my chest. 

I couldn't get the image of Adrian's arm around Gen out of my head. The way his fingers brushed against her hip so casually, like it was second nature. Like, I wasn't just standing right in front of him. 

"Kim! Wait. Hey!" 

I turned, blinking in surprise. 

Alexander jogged up behind us, slightly out of breath but still wearing that infuriatingly charming grin. His tousled hair caught the breeze, and his backpack was slung carelessly over one shoulder. 

"Wow," Sloane muttered under her breath, clearly not over the fact that this gorgeous tech heir was running after me. 

Alexander stopped a few feet away, slightly breathless. "Hey. I, uh... I know this might be pushing it a little, but I really want to get to know you, and as funny as it's been, I know we're both tired of bumping into each other. So, I was wondering... could I get your number?" 

I hesitated, my gaze instinctively drifting across the lot. And there they were. 

Adrian and Genevieve. Standing by his sleek black McLaren. He was pulling her into a kiss. My stomach knotted. 

I looked away, forcing my attention back to Alexander, whose eyes were still hopeful, but not pushy. He didn't deserve my bitterness. At least not yet. 

I reached for my phone. "Sure," I said softly, tapping in my number before handing it back to him. 

His face lit up. "Thanks. I'll text you." 

And then he was gone. 

I turned back toward the car with Sloane beside me. She opened her door, and I paused, hand on the handle, but something made me glance back. Adrian was standing beside his car, alone now. Gen was probably already in the passenger seat. His gaze locked on me. Expression unreadable as usual. He stood still, watching. 

Did he see me give my number to Alex? I thought to myself. 

My throat tightened as I dropped into the driver's seat, fingers gripping the wheel harder than necessary. My heartbeat was louder than the sound of my engine starting.