Stay Away from Him

CHAPTER 3

Kim's Pov

“Can I come babysit you tonight, Mr. Chris? I love the way you teach English, too.”

I let out a scoff, more amused than offended. “What? I was at the mask party last night. What makes you think I'll send you something like this? Someone must be playing a trick on you.”

“You mean I'm wrong about this?” He shoved his phone at me, a stream of filthy texts glowing on the screen.

“I swear, I didn't send those texts, Mr. Chris.”

“Then prove it. Show me your phone.” His voice turned sharp, almost barking.

“I can't. There are… private things in there.” I muttered, my stomach knotting.

“Or maybe you're just scared to show them to me. Come on, let's stop playing games and undress. I don’t have all day for this.”

“Mr. Chris!” My voice rose with fury. “I won’t let you disrespect me like that.” I stood, heading for the door.

But his hand clamped down on my arm, rough and demanding. My pulse spiked, and I pushed him back with all my strength, and to my shock, he stumbled and fell to the floor. Without thinking, I bolted out of the office and straight into Mitchell.

“You came late! Mr. Chris… Mr… he… he tried—” I stammered, my words tumbled out, breathless and broken as I tried to catch my breath.

Mitchell’s expressions tightened immediately. “He tried to touch you? And fake texts that you sent them to trap you?” Mitchell said almost immediately.

“What? You knew?”

“Well, he does that to get the girls in college. It's his game. Guess you're the unlucky victim for the week.”

My heart dropped. “Why didn't you warn me about that!?”

“You do not look like his type. I didn't think he would bother you.”

“Mitchell!”

She only shrugged. “What? By the way, have you seen Jason today?”

“No! Mitchell, I need to catch my breath—I was almost traumatized in there.”

---

"A party tonight, again? You should just let it go and find someone else now that Jason turned you down," Mitchell teased.

"I'm not interested, Mitchell. I have work to do, and my mum will arrive from New York soon."

She smirked knowingly. "You're overthinking. Mr. Chris doesn't mess with girls who are taken."

"That's not the point. Why is he still in college? What he does is practically a sexual assault!"

She gave a helpless shrug. "As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Chris has large connections in college, you know that too. So there is no easy way to bring him down when he's from the founder's family."

"And how do you know all this?" I asked, taking in the information.

"It's called being social, Kim. It's easier when you're not staying home all day."

I rolled my eyes at her words while she grabbed my hands, "Come on, you have to go to the party tonight."

With that, she looped her arm through mine and tugged me forward as we walked across campus.

"I don't have to do anything, I'm not leaving the house today."

She pulled me closer. "Kim, come on! It's Jason's birthday. This is the perfect chance to take him off your mind—and maybe find someone better who actually wants you."

I winced. "Wait—who told you that Jason turned me down?"

"Jett. He felt so sorry for you that he even offered to bring you home, even after you threw up on his body." She snickered.

My cheeks burned. "I did what? Shit!"

"It'll be fun. And if you feel guilty, you can just apologize to Jett tonight. Easy fix."

I opened my mouth to answer, but the words came out tangled. "I just… don't feel like it is the right thing to do. I can't get close to Jett when I haven't even gotten over Jason."

"Jett, uh? He's not interested in you." She brushed it off.

I looked away, unsettled.

Why was I hesitating? Jason had always been the one I liked—sweet, golden-hearted, talented. My teenage dream. But lately… lately it wasn't Jason filling my thoughts. It was Jett. Ugh.

"Fine," I exhaled deeply, pushing the thought aside. "I'll go."

"Great! It's at the Coach's house. Dress like you mean it." Mitchell waved and hopped into a cab, leaving me alone and standing.

That evening, I stood in front of the mirror in a fitted purple dress that clung to my curves like a second skin. My hair fell in soft curls, lips shimmering with a soft touch of gloss, and for the first time in a while, I wanted to look… unforgettable.

As soon as I walked into the Travolta house, the music hit me harder than I could have ever expected, the bass rattling through the floorboards. Was Mr. Travolta even aware that his sons had turned the whole house into a nightclub?

I found a quiet corner to hide my face and picked up a wine—until I saw him walk down the stairs.

Jett.

I froze, pushing the drink aside. My instinct was to walk away from him, who was obviously walking towards me.

But he wasn't. He leaned casually against the wall, the sleeves of his dark shirt rolled. And just beneath his collarbone, the faint curve of a mark peeked out.

My breath caught.

I tore my gaze away—only to lose my footing on the polished floor.

I slipped, and before I could crash, a strong arm caught me by the waist. It was Jett. His grip was steady as he held me by my waist, his scent maddeningly intoxicating. Our eyes locked, and suddenly his lips felt way too close.

I shoved him back. "Watch it."

He only smirked, that infuriating grin tugging at his mouth. "Of course." Then he walked away, still grinning like he knew something I didn't.

That's when Jason appeared and stood beside me. Out of the whole room rocking with music and laughter, he found nowhere else to stay except near me?

"This is the second party I have found you at," he said evenly. "And also the second one that Jett attends. Is that a coincidence?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Are you stalking me?"

He shook his head. "I'm not. It's just that I'm my brother's lookalike, and I definitely get mistaken for him all the time. And… it's kind of amazing to know that you have a crush on my brother."

I smiled, relieved that Jett hadn't said anything wrong to him about me…

But then, I paused and my smile faltered, "What? Jett told you I have a crush on him?"