Exchange - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The more she “helped,” the worse my grades got. The worse my grades got, the more brilliant she looked. She hadn’t always loved shellfish. That started after I had a severe allergic reaction, my face and body covered in hives.

Jessica aced biology. She knew a severe reaction could be fatal. She didn’t care. I knew why she hated me. Every single boy Jessica ever liked, liked me instead. It was the one and only, completely useless perk of being pretty.

Take, for example, the new kid, Ethan Miller, the school’s resident heartthrob, and Jessica’s current obsession. She pursued him relentlessly, giving him my milk at breakfast, bringing him towels and water bottles at basketball practice, skipping math competitions to watch his games.

Even the school janitor knew Jessica was head–over- heels. Kids whispered behind her back, calling her a delusional social climber. Ethan’s family was loaded. His dad had donated several buildings to the school. My family was solidly middle–class.

Jessica, red–faced, shoved a love letter into Ethan’s hands and waddled away. Ethan crumpled it up, tossed it in the trash, and said, “Your sister’s… not my type. Too… much.” He leaned closer to me, his breath hot on my ear, a smirk playing on his lips.

“You, though… I might be persuaded.”

Jessica’s academic prowess failed her for the first time in her life. I didn’t like Ethan, but I wasn’t about to reject him either. I just smiled sweetly. “Maybe you should write me a love letter.”

“I bet you get a lot of those.” Ethan tapped his desk, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Tell me, what would it take to make you like one from me?” His voice was almost a purr. I looked up at his ridiculously handsome face, a surge of malice rising within me. “Have my sister deliver it. Then I’ll consider it.”

He blinked, surprised. I batted my eyelashes, feigning innocence. “My sister really likes you. I don’t want to hurt her feelings. But if we’re going to be together, she needs to know. You should be the bad guy. It’s better that way.”

Ethan ruffled his hair, hiding a mischievous glint in his eye. “You’re the first girl to ever give me demands.” He flicked my forehead. “Consider it done.”