Thrown to the Wolves

Jess had survived a lot in the past few weeks. She had learned how to navigate campus as someone entirely new, endured the horror of her first period, and was even getting used to guys staring at her like she was some kind of prize. But nothing—nothing—had prepared her for Hannah and Olivia’s relentless mission: Operation: Make Jess a Proper College Girl.

It started small.

“Come on, let me do your makeup,” Olivia begged one afternoon, sitting cross-legged on Jess’s bed.

“No,” Jess said flatly, flipping through her physics notes.

Hannah pouted. “Why not? You have such a pretty face—”

Jess shot her a look. “Because I don’t want to.”

“Ugh, you’re impossible,” Olivia groaned, falling back onto the bed dramatically.

That should have been the end of it. But they were persistent.

Next came operation wardrobe intervention. Jess had been fine wearing jeans and hoodies, but apparently, that wasn’t acceptable.

“You have so many cute clothes, and you’re wasting them!” Hannah huffed, flipping through Jess’s closet.

“Maybe I don’t want to dress like that,” Jess shot back.

Hannah spun around, hands on her hips. “Look, I’m just saying—you’re young, you’re gorgeous, and people notice you. Why not have a little fun with it?”

Jess frowned. “People already notice me more than I want.”

Hannah softened. “I get that. But maybe you should try owning it instead of hiding from it.”

Jess groaned, rubbing her temples. “Fine. One outfit. One.”

That was a mistake. Within minutes, she was stuffed into a fitted top and skinny jeans, standing in front of the mirror while Hannah and Olivia admired their work.

Leanna, who had been watching from her desk, finally spoke. “You look uncomfortable.”

Jess scowled. “Because I am.”

Leanna smirked. “Then take it off.”

Hannah shot her a glare. “Leanna, don’t ruin this.”

Leanna shrugged. “I’m just saying, if she doesn’t want to do something, she shouldn’t have to.”

Olivia waved her off. “She’s just being stubborn. Jess, you need to embrace the attention you’re getting. Speaking of which…”

Jess stiffened at Olivia’s mischievous grin. “What?”

Hannah grinned, too. “Somebody asked about you.”

Jess narrowed her eyes. “Who?”

Olivia practically squealed. “Mark Davidson.”

Jess blinked. “Who?”

Hannah gaped at her. “Seriously?!”

Jason definitely knew who Mark was. They had played football together.

Jess replied alarmed, “Football team?”

“Star wide receiver,” Olivia confirmed. “And gorgeous.”

Jess immediately shook her head. “No. Not happening.”

“Oh, come on!” Olivia whined. “He’s so into you!”

Jess scoffed. “He doesn’t even know me.”

“That’s the point of a date,” Hannah said. “To get to know each other.”

“I don’t want to get to know him.”

Hannah folded her arms. “You don’t even want to try?”

“Nope.”

That should have been the end of it. But somehow, the next day, Jess found herself staring at a text from an unknown number.

>>Hey Jess, heard a lot about you. Let’s get dinner Friday.
>>Mark.

She turned to Olivia, who was way too pleased with herself. “You gave him my number?”

Olivia grinned. “You’re welcome.”

Jess groaned. She was officially screwed. She tried everything to get out of it.

“I have plans,” she declared.

“No, you don’t,” Olivia shot back.

“I’m sick.”

“You will be if you don’t go,” Hannah threatened.

Even Kevin was no help. “Dude, it’s one date,” he said when Jess called him in a panic.

“Kevin, it’s Mark Davidson.”

Kevin snorted. “Okay, yeah, I see the problem.”

Jess groaned. “He’s one of our guys! What if he figures it out?”

“He won’t.”

That locker room felt a lifetime ago, but Jess could still hear the inside jokes, the nicknames, the way they talked about girls like her. It was one thing to walk across campus. It was another to sit across from someone who used to be her friend—and not flinch.

Jess sighed, rubbing her temples. The worst part was Leanna—the one person who could have backed her up—just watched the whole thing unfold, amused but silent.

Jess turned to her in desperation. “You know this is a bad idea, right?”

Leanna just smirked. “Oh, definitely.”

Jess exhaled in relief. “See? Thank—”

“But,” Leanna continued, “I also think you should go.”

“You’re playing the long game, right?” she added. “Blending in, staying invisible? Sometimes you do that better by being seen.”

Jess gaped at her. “What?!”

Leanna shrugged. “Might as well see what all the hype is about.”

Jess groaned again. She was really screwed.

—--------------------------------

Friday night arrived way too fast. Jess stood in front of her mirror, staring at herself in the outfit Hannah and Olivia had forced on her. It was a casual-but-flirty dress that felt way too short.

Leanna leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Nervous?”

Jess scowled. “No. Just trying to figure out how to fake a stomach flu.”

Leanna smirked. “Relax. Worst case, he’s an idiot, and you never see him again.”

Jess sighed. “Worst case, he figures out who I really am and tells the entire football team.”

Leanna shrugged. “Guess you’ll just have to be convincing.”

Jess groaned. She really, really didn’t want to do this, but there was no backing out now. She was about to go on a date with a football player.

Jess swallowed hard. Thrown to the wolves was starting to feel like an understatement. ut wolves, she reminded herself, weren’t the only ones with sharp teeth.