Chapter Text
“Wow, ‘imbecile.’ How intelligent. So intimidating. Such a biggy-big word from the wordy-word book.”
“Really? Wordy-word book?”
Once again, Hailey Austin and Jake Sterling were having yet another unexpected run-in with each other in the school library. One would have to live under several rocks to be unaware of the fact that an unplanned Hailey-Jake encounter, in no matter what location, would always mean bickering; the type of bickering that never failed to overflow with sass and bite and was almost certain to become rather potty-mouthed immediately.
And seeing as the only time their schedules overlapped was whenever the two of them just so happened to be at the library at the same time, it was definitely both a miracle and a mystery that the librarians still had yet to kick both of them out; in the same fashion as a convenience store manager kicking out a ragtag group of teenage shoplifters. Then again, if the librarians had even taken any notice in Jake and Hailey’s little meetings to begin with, they certainly never made it clear; they were probably too damn tired at this point to give even a shit about whatever went down between the bookshelves.
“Pfft. I don't know, but I just feel like ‘thesaurus’ is inherently less funny than ‘wordy-word book,’ Jacob.”
“Mhm. That’s interesting, Hannah, since it certainly seems to me that nobody is laughing.”
“Hannah?” Hailey scoffed. “That’s real funny, Sir Sterling. Real original. Such an arrogant prick, yet it seems like you throw a different ‘H’ name at me every time we talk.”
“Oh, trust me, I know your name perfectly well, Lady Austin . But if you're gonna keep calling me ‘Jacob’ whenever you so damn please, I should have the right to call you whatever the hell I want. I'd rather you not be such a hypocritical prick.” Jake stood up from his seat in the left wing of the library and snapped his book shut crisply. “Now go run along back to your little circle of hooligans, I have matters to attend to that don't involve dealing with your foolish antics.”
“What ‘ matters’ do you speak of? Reading the same two sentences over and over again in whatever that is that you’ve got there?”
“Alright, that’s it.” Jake turned on his heel and clipped off. “I'm not engaging.”
“You have literally been engaging for the past five minutes.”
“I’m disengaging.”
Hailey scoffed in amusement from behind him as she watched him leave, her arms crossed smugly against her chest.
“Pfft. Alright, Jacob . Whatever you say, dear,” she jeered as he began to turn a corner.
“Don't fucking call me that,” Jake snapped.
Despite her triumphant smirk, it appeared that Hailey had, for once, finally gained the wisdom to not ask him to specify which part.