-----
-----
"Feeling pretty cocky lately, huh? Think you're hot stuff just 'cause you're dating Annie?"
A blond guy suddenly showed up in front of Jasper on Monday and threw that line at him.
Jasper blinked, then realized—Annie had told people she was his girlfriend. So this dude must've had a thing for Annie but got cut off because of him. Now he was bitter and here to stir trouble.
Honestly, Jasper thought the guy was being dumb. Acting like this wouldn't win Annie back—it just made Jasper think less of him.
Jasper looked at the guy and said calmly, "Annie's really cute."
The blond kid immediately thought Jasper was provoking him. Of course Annie was cute—he knew that already. When he first heard she was dating Jasper, he thought it was a joke. April Fools or something.
But his friends' serious reactions said otherwise. That's when the truth hit him—a truth that shattered his heart.
Why would Annie fall for some Asian dude? Just because he's good-looking?
The guy stared at Jasper, itching to throw a punch.
And right when the tension was getting thick—Annie showed up.
She walked straight to Jasper, stared at the blond guy, and said coldly, "Rick, don't make me start hating you."
Rick opened his mouth, about to speak, but before he could get a word out, Annie grabbed Jasper and pulled him away.
As they walked, Jasper looked over at her and said, "You're pretty popular, huh?"
Annie smiled. "I get by. Anyway, I've gotta go. Later!"
She let go of Jasper's hand and quickly walked off.
When Jasper got to class, he noticed most of the students were watching him—but he was used to that by now.
As soon as he sat down, Peter Parker walked over and said, "Rick's gonna be in our gym class this afternoon. I've got a feeling he's gonna try something to embarrass you. Just be careful."
Jasper tilted his head slightly, then said, "Got it."
Peter could tell Jasper wasn't taking Rick seriously at all.
And why would he? Jasper was better looking, and he had superpowers on top of that. No wonder he didn't see Rick as a threat.
Still… Peter couldn't help but be jealous. Annie, a girl that pretty, was his girlfriend?
Peter returned to his seat, low-key envious.
That's when Ned leaned over and said, "Man, Jasper's hot! Tall, handsome, with that cool, quiet vibe—he's like a lead character straight outta a drama!"
"Is he that impressive?" Peter said, surprised. It felt like everyone was hyping Jasper up to superhero status.
Time passed, and gym class rolled around.
Rick was doing everything he could to show off, but Jasper didn't spare him a single glance. That only made Rick more frustrated.
Eventually, Rick walked over to Jasper, dribbling a basketball.
"Play me one-on-one!" he challenged.
Jasper looked up, confused. "You mean… a fight?"
Rick's face twitched. "Basketball," he clarified.
Jasper shook his head.
Rick pressed on, "What's wrong? Scared? Worried you'll lose? Embarrassed?"
His words were sharp.
Jasper thought for a second, then replied, "Why would not playing basketball be embarrassing? I barely even know the rules. You wanna challenge me in something I've never practiced, like you're taking a test with the answers from the teacher, while I'm answering with stuff I learned in elementary school. You think that's fair?"He looked Rick dead in the eyes. "If anyone should be embarrassed, it's you."
Rick's face turned bright red. He never thought someone wouldn't even play basketball. It was such a fun game, after all.
"Whoa~! Jasper looks so cool right now!" a cheerleader whispered excitedly.
Rick gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. Just try to get past me and score. If you do, you win. If you don't, I win. Deal?"
Jasper sighed, then said, "Alright. Let's do it."
"Ohhh~!" The crowd buzzed with excitement, quickly clearing space for the showdown.
Rick tossed the ball to Jasper with a confident smirk. "Bring it on."
He even made that squinty-eye gesture—something that made a few boys snicker, but most of the girls frowned. They knew that gesture was mocking Asian people.
The cheerleaders started disliking Rick. I mean, how could anyone make fun of someone as handsome as Jasper?
Jasper's face darkened.
He bent down, started dribbling the ball, and closed in on Rick.
Rick quickly reached for the ball.
But in the next second, Jasper popped the ball up in the air.
Behind him? Rick spun around to check—But bonk! The ball landed squarely on his head.
Jasper said with a deadpan face, "Oh, you like catching balls with your head?"
"Pfft—HA!" A few of the girls who already didn't like Rick burst out laughing.
Rick's face was burning. He glared at Jasper and got into a defensive stance.
Jasper bounced the ball a few times, then charged right at him.
Rick was bigger and bulkier than Jasper, so a head-on clash didn't look good for Jasper.
But then—boom!—Jasper slammed into him and sent Rick flying, then leapt over him and slammed the ball into the hoop with a monster dunk.
Jasper had been a little pissed, so he didn't hold back much. The backboard shattered.
"Oh my god! He must be super strong!" a cheerleader squealed. "I really wanna try him out!"A hot guy and that kind of body? Total heartthrob.
Rick sat on the floor, stunned. He felt like a complete clown.
Jasper dribbled the ball, looked down at him, and said, "Happy now?"
He meant it as a question—but obviously Rick was not happy.
Rick cursed under his breath, got up, and swung a fist at Jasper.
Jasper narrowed his eyes. He really didn't like this guy—so he decided to give him a little taste of pain.
He dodged the punch and kicked Rick straight across the gym.
Rick couldn't even get back up.
A few minutes passed before Rick finally staggered to his feet, and that's when the other students realized things were getting out of hand. They rushed over to pull Rick back.
The cheerleaders, meanwhile, swarmed Jasper. Some pretended to hold him back too—but their hands were wandering, touching the muscles under his shirt.
They lit up the moment they felt his physique.
Jasper's expression twisted. He shoved them away and said, "I'm not gonna hit anyone."
We will!!! the girls screamed internally.
"....."