Small Town Sinners

The hallway was stuffy and crowded, the kind of heat that pressed against Emily’s skin and made the air feel too thick to breathe. She walked alongside Elle, who was chatting with a few kids Emily recognized from the “Artsy” table. At the end of the hall, they split ways, and Emily made her way to math class.

The moment she stepped inside, she saw her again.

JJ sat toward the front of the classroom, surrounded by a few friends—Derek, Spencer, and someone Emily didn’t recognize from the cafeteria. Her presence hit Emily like a sudden gust of wind, knocking something loose inside her chest. A prickling heat crept up the back of her neck, and she hated the way her body reacted to her, like some involuntary reflex she couldn’t control.

JJ looked up in her direction, except this time, it wasn’t a passing glance—it was an inspection. Her gaze dragged over Emily, slow and deliberate, a slight crease forming in her brow. It was assessing, almost as if she were trying to figure something out.

Emily caught her stare, and something inside her sparked.

Don’t look away, Emily. Don’t give her that satisfaction.

Adrenaline shot through her veins, but she refused to break first. Their eyes stayed locked, tension stretching between them like a thin wire ready to snap. But then, just as quickly as it started, JJ turned back to her conversation, leaving Emily to sit with the leftover charge still buzzing under her skin.

She exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and took her seat.

The lesson started, but focusing was impossible. The weight of JJ’s presence lingered, filling the air between them like smoke. From where she was sitting, Emily had a perfect view of her. Every time their eyes met, something in her pulse stuttered. Was it curiosity? Disdain? She wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, it was undeniable.

Her mind refused to cooperate. Everything about JJ was distracting—the way she ran her fingers through her hair, the way her lips curled at the corners when she laughed at a joke, the effortless way she leaned back in her chair like she owned the space around her. Emily wanted to look away, wanted to force herself to focus, but she couldn’t.

The bell rang too soon, and class was over before she could even process it. She had barely touched her assignment. Gathering her things, she moved toward the door, weaving through the mess of students, but just as she stepped forward, she collided with someone.

“Hey!” JJ turned back, her expression hardening the second she saw who it was.

Emily barely had time to react before JJ’s voice cut through the noise.

“Watch it next time.”

And then, just like that, she was gone, disappearing into the crowd.

Luckily for Emily, she was in JJ’s next class. And the one after that.

The only break she got was fourth period, and by then, the whole day had already drained her. She barely got any work done, too busy feeling JJ’s gaze on her—or catching herself looking first. It was exhausting.

After school, Elle suggested they hit the library to catch up on work, and Emily agreed, figuring she might actually be productive for once. But the second she stepped inside, she spotted a familiar figure at one of the tables.

JJ.

It was like some cruel joke, a ghost haunting her everywhere she went.

JJ looked up almost immediately, her eyes locking onto Emily’s like she’d been expecting her. There was something sharp in her expression, a challenge maybe, but Emily wasn’t one to back down. She held her gaze, leveling her with one of her own before turning away.

She and Elle found a table, setting up their books and pretending to study.

Elle leaned in, voice low. “What’s up with her?” She nodded toward JJ, who was sitting with Penelope a few tables away.

Emily shrugged. “No idea, but I don’t think she likes me very much. She’s been staring at me all day.”

Elle raised an eyebrow. “And don’t you have, like, every class with her?”

Emily exhaled, rubbing her temple as if that would somehow fix the problem. “Yeah.”

Elle snickered but didn’t push, and they eventually fell into a comfortable silence. With no distractions—except for the occasional glance in JJ’s direction—Emily finally managed to get some work done. But about an hour in, Elle had to leave, leaving Emily alone in the near-empty library.

Alone with JJ.

The air felt different now, heavier.

Emily could feel JJ’s presence even without looking. And judging by the way JJ’s voice suddenly cut through the silence, she had noticed too.

“Are you following me or something?”

Emily looked up, raising an unimpressed brow. “You wish. But I don’t waste my energy on people who can’t keep up.”

“That’s cute,” JJ mused. “We’ll see how long you can keep that attitude.”

Emily couldn’t help but smirk. JJ was challenging her. “You think you know me, but you don’t.”

JJ’s eyes narrowed slightly, intrigued. “I guess I’ll have to figure you out then.”

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, the tension between them lingering in the air. A few seconds later, JJ turned and walked out of the library, leaving Emily alone.

Emily sat there for a moment after JJ left, gripping her notebook like it might steady her somehow. The library felt hollow now, in a way that had nothing to do with how empty it was.

I guess I’ll have to figure you out then.

The words kept echoing in her head. Why had JJ said that?

Emily exhaled sharply, shaking her head and gathering her stuff, stuffing it into her bag with way more force than necessary.

This whole situation was ridiculous. JJ was ridiculous. Emily wasn’t supposed to let people get to her like this.

And yet, as she drove home, the cool fall air rushing in through the windows, her mind kept drifting back to dark blue eyes and golden hair. To the way JJ’s gaze had narrowed whenever she studied Emily, like she was some kind of puzzle that needed solving.

Emily wasn’t angry. Or, not entirely. But there was something else, something that had settled under her skin and refused to leave.

She hated it.

Well… she kind of liked it.

As much as she wanted to convince herself that this would end—that JJ would stop staring and that she’d stop caring—she knew that wasn’t what would happen.

Every class they had together, every day in the same school, any time they were in the same room… it wouldn’t go away.

JJ barely made it to the front steps of the library before she exhaled, running a hand through her hair.

She didn’t know why she had walked over to Emily. Why she had talked to her.

Something about Emily got under her skin, pressing all the wrong buttons. Or maybe they were the right ones.

There had been new students before. Why was Emily any different?

JJ shook her head, agitated.

Emily Prentiss was the new girl. She didn’t belong. And yet, she already felt like something familiar. Like a storm rolling in, full of restless energy.

JJ couldn’t ignore her.

Worst of all, she didn’t want to ignore her.

Something about Emily was just… intriguing. Maybe it was the way she dressed, or the way she carried herself. Whatever it was, JJ wanted to know more.

She wasn’t sure if the feeling would stop—if it could stop.

But one thing was certain: Emily wasn’t going anywhere.

Weeks would pass, and she’d still be there, sitting beside her in every class, ready to get under JJ’s skin.

JJ wasn’t sure she’d ever figure her out.

Not yet, at least.

Neither of them knew it, but this was the beginning of something greater.