Jordan Pope stopped in his tracks near the side of the crowded hallway at Napa Christian High School.

Jalen turned his head forty five degrees and sure enough, Nimari was standing near Noelani, leaning his side against the beige top locker adjacent to Noelani's open locker.

The duo was conversing about something pleasant, both wearing a giant smile on their faces while she was putting textbooks away on the top shelf.

"He better not be on no cockblocking shit, bruh." Jalen groaned as the two walked closer to the duo.

"Yo." Jalen spoke up.

Nimari and Noelani turned their heads towards his voice.

Jalen came up behind Noelani and wrapped his arms around her neck, placing his chin on top of her hair.

"What's up, kid? Hey, Jordan." Noelani mused as she flipped through a medieval history textbook then added it to the growing stack of textbooks.

"Sup, Noel?" Jordan responded.

"You need a ride home?" Jalen asked.

"Nah, I drove. Plus I told Nimari I would take him home today," Noelani nodded towards Nimari.

Jalen turned to spot Jack Wetzel further down in the hall and gave him a cocky grin as he wrapped his arm a little tighter around Noelani's upper body.

Jack scowled a little and Jalen let his grin grow a little at the clear irritation on his face.

When Jalen turned back to Nimari and Noelani, he saw that Nimari had caught the exchange, the look of slight disgust on his face.

When Nimari realized that Jalen was looking at him, he rolled his eyes and turned his gaze towards the blue and white sneakers on his feet.

Noelani's phone vibrates in her locker with a text lighting up the screen and she picks it up with a groan, "Ugh, Sydney just texted, she needs a ride too. Let me go find her."

Noelani removed Jalen's arms from around her, closed her locker then took off down the hall and around the corner, the hair gathered in her high ponytail swinging slightly, the smell of her passion fruit and vanilla conditioner wafting slightly in the air and Jordan Pope on her heels.

Nimari started to walk off but Jalen placed his right hand on Nimari's shoulder, forcing the other boy to stop in his tracks.

"You didn't tell her right?" Jalen voices.

Nimari pushes Jalen's hand off of his shoulder and continues walking away.

"Aye! Nimari!" Jalen calls out.

A few people glanced up at Jalen at his outburst but Jalen ignored them.

Nimari stopped then turned halfway around to face Jalen again, "What, bruh?"

"You didn't tell her about the bet right?" Jalen enunciated.

"No, I didn't tell her about the bet," Jalen lets out a sigh of relief at Nimari's words.

"But you know that you doing this is super shitty, right?"

Jalen rolled his eyes, "It's only for a couple of months. After homecoming, you can spend as much time as you want trying to fix her broken heart."

Nimari scoffed at his words and Jalen continued, "Please don't act like you wouldn't do the same. It's a band."

Nimari cocked his head towards an empty classroom then went without checking to see if Jalen had followed.

Jalen looked around the hallway then strode into the classroom and closed the door behind him.

"What?"

"She's... Going through a lot right now. She doesn't need this dumb ass bet." Nimari sighed.

Jalen stared at him for a minute, blatant nonchalance etched onto his skull, "She doesn't even know anything. And she's not gonna find out, even when it is over."

Nimari closed his eyes in irritation.

"We're friends right?" Jalen asked.

"Yeah... Yeah, I guess." Nimari shrugged.

"Then act like it, Mari."

"That's the problem... I'm friends with her too. She's a really good person with a good heart. I don't want to see you hurt her. Coleman agrees with me."

Jalen rolled his eyes, "Blah, blah, blah."

Nimari gave him another disgruntled look, "Aight bruh, whatever. Be that way, you're not getting far with her anyway. I'm making sure of it."

Nimari pushes past Jalen on his way to the closed brown wooden door.

Jalen whirled around, "And what the fuck does that mean?"

Nimari turns to him, "It means that I'm Cockblock Sr. And that Coleman is Cockblock Jr. We friends and everything, Jalen but... I'm not about to let you play one of my best friends like a damn game of uno."

Jalen scoffed, "'Best friend'? You've only known this girl for a month. Barely that!"

"Yeah, she's my best friend. I-." Nimari's phone rang with a call, interrupting the boy mid sentence.

Jalen could faintly see Noelani's name light up his screen and Nimari quickly answered the phone.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm on my way. Give me five minutes. Aight, bye." Nimari ended the call then slid his iPhone into the pocket of his black joggers.

"So what? You like her or sumn?" Jalen asked, his brows furrowed.

Nimari sighed, "Imagine if someone else was trying to do what you're doing to Noelani, to Jurnee. Would you not be hella overprotective?"

Jalen stayed wordless, huffing a little annoyed at the truth Jalen couldn't ignore in Nimari's words.

Nimari made a slightly awkward face then left the classroom.

Jalen licked his bottom lip in contemplation.

Nimari does have a point.

But then the image of Jack Wetzel's smug expression as Jalen handed him the money popped into Jalen's cranium.

But I can't lose.

Not to him.

Not like this.

Jalen left the classroom, letting the door close with a slam.

y'all this book has almost 900 reads but seven comments... if y'all don't fuck with how I'm writing this please lmk 😭

vote & comment, porfa!