Once again, I'd like to thank LaRascasse for editing this story and providing thought-provoking feedback.
To the readers, thank you for all of the invaluable feedback on Part One of this story. I hope it helped me create a better sequel. Every comment, like, and rating were truly appreciated.
All characters in this story are 18. This is a work of fiction; any similarities to real people are unintentional.
Please, enjoy!
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Pulling up to the school, Jake sat in his car, watching the droves of students as they flooded through the doors. It had been a brutal few days of suspension. His dad had made sure of it. The guys in the group chat had let him know that today's practice would be equally grueling. He stared at the brick building, contemplating his next move. It would be easy to ditch like he had done countless times, but today he had a reason not to.
Gathering his backpack, Jake joined the trek toward the school doors. Students noticed his presence and immediately greeted him as he entered. Girls smiled, giving flirtatious waves, while the guys nodded toward him. It was like this every day. People he really didn't care to know were acting as if they were his friends. Jake moved past them, giving half-hearted responses as he walked through the crowd.
His teammates always gathered in the center of the action around the Warriors logo in the foyer. People moved around them as they roughhoused and flirted with the girls in the school. He hadn't seen them since his suspension and knew some of them had animosity toward him for missing the game.
"Edwards!" Josh Felding nodded toward him with a wide grin on his face. "You're alive!"
"Thought for sure your dad would send you to your grave," Aaron Mageo agreed.
"He tried," Jake laughed, acknowledging his friends. Still, he kept walking. "I'll catch y'all in class."
"Where are you going?" Josh shouted behind him. Jake didn't reply; he turned the corner and continued towards his destination.
During his suspension, he had only thought of one thing while pulling doubles at his dad's shop. Right now, she was shifting through items in her locker, oblivious to the world around her. Though the fall day was warm, she still wore a short sleeve baby blue turtleneck sweater that hugged her slender neck. Black skinny jeans completed her outfit, and her red hair was braided down her scalp on both sides, with each braid sloping over her large, suppressed breasts. Jake took her in, smiling as he leaned against the locker next to hers and watched her rummage through the contents.
"You looking for something in particular?"
"Oh, my God!" Mabel gasped, standing straight up and turning towards the deep voice that startled her. "You scared me!"
"Sorry." He couldn't help but smile at her reaction. Her eyes narrowed in defiance before softening as they landed on him.
"What are you looking for?"
"I..." Mabel laid a hand against her forehead, looking at her locker again. "I can't find my Trig book."
"Well," Jake said as he joined her in scouting the small area. It seemed more like a library than a locker. Books were precariously stacked on the bottom and towered all the way to the center. Notebooks, binders, and novels lined the top shelf. "I can see why."
"It's not that bad," Mabel jokingly nudged him.
"Looks like you stole half the library."
She grinned, shaking her head. "Only a couple of books are from the library."
"A couple, huh?" Jake reached over her and pulled a novel from the top shelf, scanning over the cover. "What's this?"
"The Pillars of the Earth; I'm in the middle of that one and a few others."
"A few others?" He repeated, thumbing through the pages. He was still amazed at how intelligent she was. He wouldn't even want to begin a book this thick. Shaking his head, he moved to put it back before seeing a textbook tucked behind the binders.
"Is this it?" he asked, pulling the book out from the top shelf.
"You're a lifesaver!" Mabel sighed, relieved, as she took it. "Thanks!"
"No problem, Miss Mabel." Jake looked down at her. Deep dimples cut into her cheeks as she smiled up at him. God, she was gorgeous.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mabel shifted her weight.
"Like what?"
Jake towered over her. His large build made her feel smaller than she was. Mabel bit her lip, tentatively taking him in. He ran a hand through his blonde hair. The playful smirk on the corner of his lips failed to hide the way his deep ocean-blue eyes consumed her. It was a look that sparked memories of Friday.
"Like, you're starving, and I'm an entree or something."
Jake chuckled at the analogy while watching the redhead squirm beneath his gaze. Is that how he looked at her? He couldn't help it.
"I could eat," he replied, pressing closer. It had been four days since he'd seen her, but it felt longer. Having Mabel here mere inches away was irresistible. Slipping his hand around her slim waist, he dipped his head to kiss her.
Mabel's eyelids fluttered as her full cherry lips parted. Without thinking, she moved closer, guided by the strong hand on her hip. It took a moment before she came to her senses. Smacking his hand away, she retreated.
Jake stood upright, pulling his hand back. The slap didn't hurt, but her reaction stung. What did he do?
"What's wrong?"
"We're not..." Mabel said anxiously, scanning the sea of students around them. "Together."
Her words smacked him. "We're not?"
"No," Mabel said as she turned to close her locker. "I don't want to be your girlfriend."
"Really? I didn't get that impression," he replied, running a hand through his hair. Friday crossed his mind. The shy girl, naked beneath him, screaming his name as she came on his cock. "Mixed signals, I guess."
"It's justโ" Mabel sighed. "I don't think it's a good idea after everything that happened. I feel like it would make things here worse ."
Jake thought about the humiliating video, trying to quell the anger that surfaced at the memory. He hated that Tonya was still interfering with his life, but mostly he despised her for putting Mabel through this.
"Ok," Jake nodded, "that's alright."
"You're ok with that being a one-time thing then?"
A one-time thing? Jake tilted his head and slid his eyes over her frame. He could picture every inch of her without those clothes on and knew he wouldn't be settling for an inconspicuous fuck.
Tucking his hands in his pockets, he bent to whisper in her ear.
"You really want that to be a one-time thing, Mabel?"
Mabel's breath caught. She could feel the warmth of his body. The smell of his cologne melted her brain, and her skin still tingled from when he had touched her hip. Memories from Friday flooded her consciousness. It would be easy to end it here. Maybe she could regain control of how her body reacted to him if she did. His proximity filled her with a burning need that she hadn't experienced until recently. Still, she couldn't deny the truth.
"No." The word came out in a breath.
Relief spread through Jake as he pulled away, meeting her gaze. There was no way this would be a one-time thing. He had too much of her left to explore. Damn, he had really wanted to kiss her.
"Me neither. So, what do you wanna do, Mabel?"
"I..."
She couldn't think straight with these feelings swirling inside her, confusing her brain. But mostly, she couldn't concentrate on anything but his burning blue eyes as they watched her make a decision.
"How about at school, for now, we go back to the way things were? No kissing in front of anyone. No touching. I won't call you babe. I'll leave you alone."
Mabel thought about what he said; her mind struggled to rationalize his words.
"But after school," Jake continued, "I want you to myself, Mabel."
Mabel took a shaky breath, biting her lip. She thought she had prepared for this moment. All week, she told herself that Friday was a fluke and that he'd be done with her now that they'd fucked.
This possibility would have allowed her to just slip back into the shadows of the school again and wait out the storm caused by the video. She hadn't considered that he would want to continue seeing her.
"You said, for now?"
Chuckling, he nodded. "You caught that?"
"I'm not your girlfriend." Mabel reiterated her statement.
"Yeah, not yet." Jake agreed. "But you will be."
Mabel paused briefly; she hadn't expected this, and it unsettled her. What would happen if people found out? A wave of apprehension caused her chest to tighten. She thought of Tonya; she was even angrier after being suspended for what happened in the bathroom. Dating Jake would only inflame that. She needed to keep him out of this.
"Um, I need to think about it."
"Alright." Jake tried not to let her words get to him, but his brain spun. He thought Friday had been the beginning of their relationship, not the end. Still, he didn't push it. "I'll see you in class, Miss Mabel."
"Yeah," she nodded. "Bye Jake."