Episode 9: First Signs of Jealousy

Hello Little One

Episode 9: First Signs of Jealousy

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A Normal Morning… Until It Wasn’t

Ivy swore she wasn’t staring.

She swore she wasn’t paying attention to Elena at all.

But her traitorous eyes kept flickering toward the other side of the library, where Elena was sitting—legs stretched out, leaning back in her chair like she owned the place, her usual confident smirk in place.

The problem wasn’t Elena.

The problem was the girl sitting across from her, laughing a little too much at something Elena had said.

Ivy’s fingers tightened around her book.

She had never seen this girl before. She was tall, blonde, effortlessly cool in an oversized hoodie that she somehow made look stylish. And the way she was looking at Elena? With that flirty, half-lidded smile?

Ivy’s stomach twisted.

She was being ridiculous.

It’s none of your business, she told herself.

But that didn’t stop her from watching as the girl leaned in a little closer, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. Elena—who teased everyone—grinned back at her, saying something that made the girl laugh again.

Ivy hated how that sound grated on her nerves.

What the hell is wrong with me?

She tore her gaze away and tried to focus on the textbook in front of her.

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The Moment That Made It Worse

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Ivy was doing her best to ignore Elena completely.

And then—

The girl touched Elena’s arm.

Ivy snapped her pen in half.

Camila, who had been quietly reading beside her, jumped. “Whoa, what the hell, Ivy?”

Ivy stared at the broken pen in her hands, completely horrified. “I—uh—”

Camila grinned. “Oh, this is interesting.”

Ivy quickly stuffed the broken pieces into her bag. “It’s not interesting.”

Camila’s grin widened as she followed Ivy’s gaze. “Oh my god. Are you jealous?”

Ivy scoffed. “What? No. Absolutely not.”

Camila smirked. “Uh-huh. Sure. So you totally didn’t just snap a pen like a crazy person over Elena flirting with someone else?”

“I did not snap it because of that,” Ivy said, voice way too high.

Camila hummed like she didn’t believe her at all.

And just as Ivy thought this couldn’t get any worse, Elena finally looked over.

Their eyes met.

And the moment Elena saw Ivy’s expression, her smirk shifted.

Like she knew.

Like she had figured something out.

Ivy panicked and immediately buried her face in her textbook.

Camila laughed.

“Oh, you’re so screwed,” she whispered.

Ivy groaned.

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Later That Evening…

Ivy thought she had escaped the situation.

She thought she had avoided making a fool of herself.

She was wrong.

Because the moment she stepped into the dorm lounge later that night, Elena was waiting for her.

Lounging on the couch, legs crossed, wearing that damn smirk.

Ivy froze.

“Oh, Little One,” Elena said, her voice way too amused.

Ivy knew that tone.

It meant trouble.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Ivy said immediately.

Elena’s smirk only widened. “Really? Because I feel like we definitely need to talk.”

“No, we don’t.”

Elena tutted. “Oh, Ivy, Ivy, Ivy… I saw you.”

Ivy’s stomach dropped. “Saw me what?”

Elena leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. “Saw you glaring at that girl in the library.”

Ivy’s face went hot. “I—I wasn’t glaring.”

Elena grinned. “So you weren’t staring daggers at her? Weren’t practically burning a hole into her head with your eyes?”

“I was not,” Ivy said, horrified.

“Oh?” Elena tilted her head. “Then why’d you snap your pen?”

Ivy wanted the earth to swallow her whole. “How do you even know about that?”

Elena chuckled. “Camila told me.”

Of course she did.

Elena stood up, slowly approaching Ivy. “You do know it was just a casual conversation, right?”

“I don’t care,” Ivy blurted out. “You can talk to whoever you want.”

Elena’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, but see… I think you do care.”

Ivy backed up. “I don’t.”

Elena took another step forward. “I think you got jealous, Little One.”

Ivy hated how that stupid nickname made her heart skip a beat.

She crossed her arms to hide how flustered she was. “You are so full of yourself.”

Elena grinned. “And you are so bad at lying.”

Ivy scowled. “You love messing with me, don’t you?”

Elena pretended to think. “Mmm. Yeah. I do.”

Ivy groaned.

Elena laughed. “Aw, don’t be mad, Little One.”

Ivy’s blush deepened. “I hate you.”

Elena smirked. “No, you don’t.”

Ivy stormed off.

Elena watched her go, shaking her head, the teasing smile still lingering on her lips.

But as she sat back down on the couch, stretching lazily, something lingered in her expression.

Because, if she was honest?

She liked the fact that Ivy had been jealous.

She liked it a lot.

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