Semua Bab Dare To Love The Chubby Nerd : Bab 41 - Bab 50

CLARA'S POVWe stayed and watched from the sides. They let go, and Gabriel gave her a forehead kiss; then they both went through separate doors. Maria turned to check if anyone was watching, and as her head spun toward us, we ran back inside."What was that?" Maya whispered."I told you, life at the Kings' is crazy," Becca said.I remembered the incident from that night; the wine with glasses, Gabriel in shorts. I wanted to tell the girls, but Maya needed to go. We headed to the gate once the coast was clear and said our goodbyes.JAXSON'S POVI was driving in when Maya's father's truck pulled out of the lot. She was lucky I didn't catch her here. It was past noon; how many minutes did a bread delivery actually take?I parked and walked straight into the house, still turning it over in my head, and Maria met me at the door before I even got my bag off my shoulder."Master Jaxson," she said. "Your mother called earlier. She asked about Lily's fever."I stopped walking. "What?""She kno

CLARA'S POVThe crowd around us gasped and started laughing out loud. Sloane just stood there with a cruel smile, holding her empty red cup while everyone stared at me."Maybe next time you’d know when to shut up," Sloane said loudly. The girls standing behind her giggled, the cafeteria scene replayed in my head, and I felt like the ground should open and swallow me whole. I wiped the sticky fruit punch from my chin. I shivered as the freezing cold liquid soaked through my purple dress."What the hell is wrong with you?" Maya yelled, shoving her way through the circle of guests. She shoved the cups at some random guy standing nearby and stepped toward Sloane."Oh look, the silly friend is here again," Sloane mocked loudly. "Two paupers make a bunch, I guess."The crowd laughed much harder, and Maya stepped right up to Sloane's face. "You did that on purpose! You are a pathetic, miserable bully!"Sloane didn’t flinch. "Watch your mouth, Maya. You don't belong here either. This isn't S

CLARA'S POV "Yep, that's her," Maya said proudly."You look completely different; I almost didn't recognize you," Charles said.We took a few photos together, me, Maya, and the boys; James put his arms around my shoulders for some. Then Charles's girlfriend called him from across the room, and he took off with a quick wave.Maya pulled me toward the photo booth James had set up near the back, and we took picture after picture, some silly, some serious, Maya insisting on getting a few just of me alone."For you," she said, showing me the little printed strip. "So you remember tonight."JAXSON'S POVI still stood at the top of the stairs, watching everybody swarm around Clara. I couldn't believe my own eyes. Every guy in the room was looking at her. Miller, James, Charles — they were all taking pictures with her, laughing with her, complimenting her.I felt a deep discomfort in my chest the whole time, and I couldn't figure out what it was. I wasn't jealous. I didn't do jealous. But I

CLARA'S POVThe red dress hugged my figure perfectly. I didn’t look like the invisible housekeeper anymore. I grabbed Maya's red lipstick she'd left in my purse, reapplied it carefully, and grabbed my phone. I took a few selfies in the mirror, turning slightly for the angle, actually smiling at my own reflection for once instead of picking myself apart.I opened my photo gallery and scrolled happily through the dozen pictures Maya had airdropped me from the photo booth, the whole strip from the booth, plus a few candids of me laughing with James. We looked so happy together, and I felt truly grateful.I didn't bother changing my dress; it was tight, but I liked the way I felt.I grabbed my sketchbook off the desk and flipped it open, meaning to jot down some ideas while they were still fresh in my head.As I flipped it open, a loose piece of paper slid out and fluttered onto the messy sheets. I picked it up slowly. It was the detailed sketch I'd drawn the other day, the one that looke

CLARA'S POVI was frozen, staring blankly at the screen. Someone had caught the whole thing on video, and it was already everywhere, comments piling up faster than I could read them. The video already had over ten thousand views. Hundreds of students from Sterling Heights had already liked it, shared it, and commented on it. One comment called me a pathetic charity case. Another person asked why James would ever let someone from the underworld into his house. The cruel words blurred together on the small screen, my hurt so hard I went blank for almost a minitue. It was trending everywhere, and I didn't know how to react.My phone buzzed again. Maya's name popped up. “Clara, pick up! Call me!”I couldn't do it; I just couldn't. I was tired of it, of everyone feeling sorry for me, like a true charity case. My fingers felt totally numb; I swiped the notification away, put my phone on DND, tossed it onto the nightstand, and pulled the blanket over my head.I cried so hard my pillow soak