Chapter 4

Jenny’s POV

“Let me walk you home."

I froze, my fingers clutching the strap of my worn-out backpack. Rex stood there, hands casually shoved into his pockets, looking at me as if he hadn’t just turned my world upside down with a simple request.

“What?” I stammered, glancing around nervously.

“I said,” he repeated, his lips twitching into that infuriatingly confident smirk, “let me walk you home, Jenny.”

“Why?” I asked, more defensive than I meant to be.

He shrugged, his smirk softening into something almost sweet. “Because I want to.”

It became our routine after that. Every day, Rex would wait for me by the school gates, ignoring the whispers and stares from our classmates. He didn’t seem to care about the rumours and the way people nudged each other when they saw us together.

At first, I tried to refuse him. “You don’t have to do this,” I told him one afternoon as we walked down the quiet streets leading to Aunt Lucy’s house.

“I know,” he said simply. “But I want to.”

There was something about the way he said it, something that made me stop questioning his intentions. And as the days turned into weeks, I found myself looking forward to those walks. They were the only moments in my day that felt light, free of judgment or fear.

On Thursday, as we reached the corner near my house, Rex stopped abruptly.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, confused.

He looked at me, his expression unusually serious. “I was thinking… what if we made this more than just walks home?”

I blinked at him. “More?”

“Yeah,” he said, a teasing smile creeping onto his face. “Like, a date. You and me. Ice cream. After school tomorrow.”

My heart skipped a beat. “You’re asking me out?”

“That depends,” he said, stepping closer. “Are you saying yes?”

I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. “I guess I am.”

The next day, I found myself nervously adjusting my hair in the bathroom mirror, debating whether or not to wear lip gloss. It wasn’t a formal date—just ice cream—but it felt monumental.

Rex showed up at the shop exactly on time, looking effortlessly cool in a plain black t-shirt and jeans. He greeted me with a crooked grin and a casual, “You look nice.”

The date itself was simple, but it was perfect. We talked about everything and nothing, laughing over melting ice cream and teasing each other about the ridiculous fflavourswe’d chosen. For the first time in years, I felt like a normal teenager.

As we walked back to my house, the air between us grew quiet, charged with something unspoken.

“Jenny,” Rex said suddenly, stopping in his tracks.

I turned to face him. “Yeah?”

He hesitated, looking almost… nervous. It was such a rare sight that I almost laughed, but then he reached for my hand, his fingers brushing against mine.

“I like you,” he said, his voice low but steady. “I mean, really like you. And I’m done pretending I don’t.”

My breath caught. I’d dreamed of hearing those words, but now that they were here, I didn’t know what to say.

“I… I like you too,” I admitted, my cheeks heating.

His smile widened, and for a moment, he looked like a little boy who’d just won his favourite toy. “Good. Because I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend.”

I stared at him, my heart pounding. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious,” he said, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

And just like that, my world shifted.

Dating Rex was like stepping into a whirlwind. He didn’t believe in half-measures or subtlety, and he made sure everyone at school knew we were together.

“Rexford Blankson and Jenny Walker? Never saw that coming,” I overheard someone whisper in the hallway.

“They’re so cute together,” Vanessa gushed during lunch. “I mean, you’re like Beauty and the Beast, but in a good way.”

Despite the attention, Rex remained protective of me. He’d walk me to class, carry my books, and glare at anyone who so much looked at me the wrong way.

But while school felt like a dream, home was still a nightmare.

Aunt Lucy didn’t know about Rex, and I intended to keep it that way. She would never approve, not that she cared much about my life outside of cleaning and cooking.

One evening, after a particularly gruelling day, I vented to Vanessa over the phone.

“All am waiting for is my scholarship to the university, so that I can get out of here.” I admitted, my voice thick with emotion. “If I didn’t need to graduate, I wouldn’t stay here another second.”

“Jenny…” Vanessa began, but I cut her off.

“I just want to remain invisible,” I said. “It’s easier that way.”

But Rex made it impossible to be invisible.

One Monday morning, I found a single rose taped to my locker, along with a note in Rex’s messy handwriting: For the prettiest girl in school. Meet me by the bleachers after class.

The gesture made me smile, but it also made me nervous. Rex’s affection was overwhelming, and I wasn’t used to being the center of attention.

When I met him by the bleachers, he was waiting with his signature smirk.

“You liked the rose?” he asked, pulling me into his arms.

“It was sweet,” I admitted, resting my head against his chest.

“Good,” he said, pressing a kiss to my hair. “Because I’m not done spoiling you yet.”

As much as I wanted to enjoy the moment, a nagging voice in the back of my mind wouldn’t let me.

What happens when this ends?

Could I really trust Rex with my heart, knowing his reputation ?