Ermelinda's POV
I didn't expect the confession.
It happened so fast — one minute I was closing my locker, the next, Jake was standing in front of me, face red, words rushing out like they'd been waiting forever.
"I like you, Ermelinda. A lot. I have for a while now," he said, eyes darting around like he was afraid someone might overhear. "Will you… go out with me?"
I blinked, my brain buffering.
Jake. The school's golden boy. Smart, clean-cut, polite. My dad would approve in a heartbeat. He probably had perfect grades and a five-year plan.
But he wasn't Elias.
Still, I didn't know what to say. My mouth moved before my mind caught up.
"I'll… think about it."
His face lit up. "Really?"
I gave a weak smile. "Yeah. I guess."
I should've known that wouldn't stay quiet for long.
By the time the last bell rang, I could already feel it. The tension. The way students whispered as they walked past. The buzz of something about to blow.
I turned the corner near the gym — and there it was.
Elias. Fists clenched. Blood on his knuckles.
Jake, on the ground, holding his jaw, eyes wide with shock.
"Elias!" I shouted, rushing toward them.
He didn't even look at me. His chest heaved like a dragon barely holding back another burst of fire. The crowd around them stared in stunned silence.
I grabbed his arm. "That's enough!"
He finally looked down at me. His eyes were wild — dark, hurt, furious.
Without another word, I pulled him away from the scene, dragging him through the school, out the back doors, into the old tree-lined lot behind the gym.
The silence out here wrapped around us. I pushed him to sit beneath the oak tree, then dropped my bag and yanked out the little first-aid pouch I always kept — thanks to work.
"Hands," I said, kneeling in front of him.
He looked up at me with a faint smirk. "Didn't know you liked me enough to patch me up, Red."
"I like not seeing you suspended more," I muttered, cleaning the blood from his knuckles.
"You looked like you were considering it." He raised a brow. "Going out with him."
I stayed quiet.
I was standing between his legs, close as I dabbed ointment on the scrapes. He flinched slightly, but didn't pull away.
"Jealousy looks bad on you," I muttered, focusing on his hand.
"I wasn't jealous," he said, smug. "Just… protective."
I snorted. "Sure."
He leaned in slightly, that cocky grin forming on his lips. "Besides, you're wasting your time thinking. You and I both know who you'd choose."
I looked up at him, unimpressed. "Oh really?"
"Mm-hmm," he said, tapping his uninjured finger to my forehead. "Me."
I rolled my eyes and smacked his hand away. "In your dreams."
He leaned back against the tree, eyes still locked on mine. "Every night, Red. Every night."
I hated how my face heated up. I hated it more that he knew it.
And still… I didn't move away.