chapter 19

Jessica's POV. 

Initial indignation turned to a little bit of worry because I was sure enough to know that when people push others away it was because they were so keen on making sure that they didn't catch a glimpse of them that they had hidden from the public.

"I am not trying to act like a therapist or try to solve all your problems but I would also advise that you get your head out of your ass. Courtesy of your father anyway, but I guess I understand what he's trying to say."

"Are you saying I return to my flirting ways? Because I know that you had a problem with that so that you cannot come here and start acting like you suddenly don't." He retorted.

On a normal day I would have loved to see him smile and work his charm but today I wasn't even in the mood for nonsense and I wanted him to understand that. 

"While some people would be thrilled by your joke I am certainly not and I think that you should relax a bit especially when handling stuff like this. You don't need to be mean to people just to prove your point that you are angry. Everybody already knows it." I returned in a matching tone.

He raised a perfectly arched eyebrow that made my heart skyrocket. 

"Oh, is that even true? I could bet that if this sibling situation wasn't between us you would be one of the people drawn to my dark enigma." 

I couldn't even deny that but we were moving past that. "That is a low blow for even you, Nate. We are yet to begin our projects. I told your father that I am committed to making you become more interested in school work."

He raised his brows higher, "you what now?"

"I did that, and I expect you to be grateful because now it's going to put you in a good light. You are a wonderful skater but you do not really have the brains for school, or better put, you have refused to use your god-given brains, so I am here to take you out of your misery. If you were anything short of grateful you should be rolling at my feet and pleading that I do not let you go." 

I didn't know where I got the burst of confidence, but I did anyway. 

A wave of silence passed through us and I watched Nate smile. 

He freaking smiled at me!

He wasn't even faking it. He was truly amused by meat pointing out what I believed was true. 

"Let's just say hypothetically that you are right. How do you intend to help this wayward boy who doesn't have anything upstairs to offer the world?" 

I didn't know if he was still joking around or he had become playful but I knew that there was a charged undercurrent moving through us all. 

My eyes made the mistake of roaming over his face and settling on his lips, causing a thrill to run down my shoulders. 

I should have known that even looking at him was going to be a disaster but something inside of me wanted to rebel. 

It wanted to prove that it could also do something tangible behind anyone's notice. 

It wasn't entirely bad but I could see myself spiraling down a deep hole that was going to leave me scarred. 

I also had the idea that nobody would be able to save me because of the path that I had chosen for myself, and nobody else. 

"You should be very careful about all the assumptions that you make because they can come back and bite you in the ass and nobody will be able to save you. I kind of understand it when you always want to come closer and see what you can know about me. It is just what every woman does." He twisted the situation to suit his own narrative. 

My eyes narrowed in anger. 

"You shouldn't be shy to need help. You can ask for help without making the person trying to help you look like a fool because I don't think you would like it to be done to you." I stopped him.

There were many things that I was, but not a wicked person and as much as I would have loved to just go ahead with my life I refused to allow myself to be subjected to such ridicule. 

I had many things on my mind but one of them that was going to stay forever was the fact that he had decided to become very angry at the world at large. 

"Speaking from the place of privilege and expecting everyone to jump simply because you have managed to crack a theory. How rich." His judgmental tone cut through me like shards of glass. 

Of course I expected him to react that way because he was very committed to making sure that there will never be a difference. He was very concerned about how long he wanted to stay and how long he wanted another person to leave his life. 

"You need therapy, the only difference between you and I is the fact that I admit that I truly need help, but you don't." I spoke to the insufferable man. 

He was used to everybody falling at his feet and it was evident in the way he carried himself which wasn't necessarily bad because of his looks but at the same time, did he expect me to also fall at his feet? 

"You pride yourself in being able to crack people's codes because you do not want to also be subjected to scrutiny. I know people like you and how they behave and it's fine. I would be surprised if you had not done this. You should also understand that I have a lot of things on my mind and as much as I would have loved to indulge you, I need some space. I'll figure out everything on my own." 

If this wasn't a subtle split, then I didn't know what was.