BAD INFLUENCE
Bad Influence - Episode 33&34
(•Tainting Her Innocence•)
GENRE: College romance
By, Mide L.
✧༺✰༻✧ ✧༺✰༻✧ ✧༺✰༻✧
✮{...THE MOVIE DATE...}✮
"Come with me to somewhere tonight, will be waiting" he patted her shoulders before walking away.
Jessa stood frozen, staring at Xavier’s retreating figure, her fists clenched at her sides. Rage and humiliation boiled in her chest. She couldn’t believe he had just shoved her like that—like she was nothing.
Hailey glanced sideways at her.
"You okay?" she asked.
Jessa scoffed, brushing invisible dust off her shoulder.
"That guy needs to be put in check"
Hailey didn’t respond. Her mind was still spinning from Xavier’s words, his touch, and most of all, the way he looked at her.
Why did he always have that effect on her?
"Are you seriously thinking about going with him?" Jessa’s voice snapped her out of it.
Hailey blinked. "I didn’t say I was"
"You didn’t say you weren’t either" Jessa crossed her arms.
"He’s dangerous, Hailey. He doesn’t care who he hurts"
Hailey hesitated, looking down at her shoes.
"He didn’t hurt me"
"Yet" Jessa added.
That one word lingered in the air like a threat.
Hailey looked up again, her brows furrowed. "Why do you care so much?"
Jessa’s jaw clenched.
"I just do" she muttered. "I care. Is that so hard to understand"
Before Hailey could reply, she spoke up.
"We’re gonna be late" she mumbled, turning to walk ahead.
But as they moved toward class, Hailey couldn’t help but glance back—toward the direction Xavier had gone.
•••
CORY KING HIGH SCHOOL*
The final bell rang, and the hallway filled with the familiar chaos of students pouring out of classrooms, laughing and chattering.
Lucy stepped out of the just concluded class, her bag slung over one shoulder, her brows slightly furrowed. The day had dragged, and her thoughts were still stuck somewhere else.
As she descended the steps toward the school’s main exit, her eyes caught sight of Cory.
He was across the parking lot, keys in hand, about to get into his black car. His hair glinted in the fading sunlight, and he looked as calm and collected as ever.
Lucy slowed down for a second.
A part of her wanted to rush over, stop him, say something, anything... but her feet froze.
What would I even say?
Her grip on her bag strap tightened. She watched as Cory opened the driver’s door, tossed his bag in, and slipped into the car without noticing her.
She exhaled slowly, letting the moment pass.
Turning away, Lucy walked out through the school gate, ignoring the row of school buses waiting for students.
She chose to walk instead... needing the air, needing to clear her head.
As the wind tugged at her hair and the sounds of school faded behind her, Lucy shoved her hands into her pockets and kept walking, silently hoping the ache in her chest would ease with every step.
'And I hate that everyone has seen everything about the one person I actually like, It’s frustrating… and painful'
She remembered Cory exact words to her early this morning.
He said he liked her.
But why did it feel like he also hated that he did?
She hated the way her chest tightened thinking about it. Hated that she couldn’t just let it go like she did with every other guy who tried to act like they mattered.
Because Cory King wasn’t just any guy.
He saw too much. Spoke too little. And yet, the one time he did speak… he’d left her unraveling.
'I don’t pay for things that come for free'
'...It’s frustrating… and painful'
Her fingers curled tighter into the strap of her bag.
Suddenly, a sharp honk pierced through the air behind her.
She froze.
Another honk—shorter this time, but unmistakably directed at her.
Heart thudding, Lucy turned slowly, squinting against the late afternoon sun.
A black car was parked a few feet behind her. Engine running. Windows tinted dark.
She recognized it immediately.
Cory’s.
Still, her brows furrowed in doubt. Maybe he just happened to drive past. Maybe he was just—
The driver’s window lowered with a quiet hum.
And there he was.
Cory.
One hand on the steering wheel, the other resting against his jaw, his eyes locked on hers—unapologetic, unreadable… and yet, intensely focused.
He didn’t wave. Didn’t call out. Just waited.
Her breath caught in her throat.
She swallowed and looked away for a second, trying to gather herself. But the pull was magnetic. She found her gaze drifting back toward him, searching for something in his face.
An explanation. A reason. Anything.
But as always, Cory didn’t offer answers.
He just was.
And now she had a choice to make.
Keep walking.
Or walk toward the boy who confessed his feelings indirectly towards her this morning.
She started to turn away but...
"Get in" he said.
The firmness in his tone made her pause.
Her brows drew together. She hated how much it sounded like a command.
Still, she found herself moving—reluctantly but surely toward the car. She pulled the door open and slid into the passenger seat, shutting it with a soft thud.
She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it.
"Ignore what I said this morning in class" Cory said, staring ahead.
Lucy’s chest tightened.
She turned to look at him, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Why?"
But he didn’t answer.
"Then I’m not ignoring it"
He turned his head slowly, surprised.
"You said… ‘And I hate that everyone has seen everything about the one person I actually like.’ What did you mean by that?"
"Explain it" she added. "Because it’s been driving me insane all day"
Cory exhaled, leaning back slightly. He stared out through the windshield for a long second.
Then his voice came.
"I meant what I said"
"Which is?"
"I like you, Lucy. And I hate that… you’re not just mine to see" He paused.
"Everyone else already has. Your photos, your body, your laugh, your smartass comments—guys talk, girls gossip… you’ve been everywhere and nowhere at the same time"
He glanced at her.
"And I don’t like sharing" he added almost in a whisper.
Lucy blinked, stunned into silence.
She hadn’t expected that kind of honesty. Not from Cory. Not so plainly.
Her throat tightened, but she forced herself to keep her gaze steady.
"You think I belong to everyone?" she asked quietly.
"No. But you gave pieces of yourself away"
She flinched.
Cory looked straight ahead, jaw tight.
"I’ve heard the stories, Lucy. I’ve seen the screenshots passed around. Don’t act like I don’t know"
Her stomach twisted. Shame curled in her chest like smoke.
"I needed money, I didn’t have a choice"
"I’m not judging you, but it messes with me"
She turned to look at him, eyes stinging.
"Then why do you care? Why do you say you like me if all you see is what I did?"
He finally looked at her, and there was no mockery in his gaze. Just raw, restless emotion.
"Because I don’t see just that. That’s the problem, I see you. The real you. And I hate that every guy in school thinks he’s seen you too"
Her heart pounded.
"I hate that they talk about you like you're some kind of souvenir. Like you were ever theirs to begin with"
Lucy swallowed hard, blinking back the burn in her eyes.
"I’m not proud of it" she said quietly.
"But I needed to survive" she added.
"And maybe that’s what pisses me off the most. That they took advantage of you when you were desperate. That they still brag about it like they earned something"
Silence settled between them again... heavier, but no longer cold.
"I can’t undo what I’ve done, but I’m not that girl anymore" she said cracking slightly.
"Lucy, there are millions of ways to survive, why choose that?"
"I'm not proud of it either. My mom died when I was little and my dad… he’s barely around. He drinks all the time and forgets he even has kids. Asher, my brother has been doing everything for us. Working himself to the bone just to keep a roof over our heads, trying to give us a life"
Cory stayed quiet, watching her, listening.
"I couldn’t just sit back and watch him kill himself trying to do it all alone. I wanted to help. I needed to help. So I did what I thought I had to"
She looked down, a wave of shame crawling up her spine.
"I didn’t do it because I wanted to. I did it because I felt like I had no other choice"
Cory was silent for a moment, absorbing her words. Then, in a voice so soft, it was almost a whisper, he spoke, his gaze not leaving her.
"You’re stronger than you think, Lucy"
She blinked, caught off guard by the tenderness in his tone.
"You didn’t choose that life because you wanted to, but you did what you had to. That takes a kind of strength most people don’t have" He paused, his hand tightening slightly on the steering wheel.
"I don’t know if I could’ve done it... been as strong as you are"
Her heart skipped a beat at his words. She didn’t expect him to understand, to see beyond the mistakes she made. But there it was, the raw, unspoken understanding in his eyes.
“I’ve always seen you as more than what everyone else talks about. You’re not just what they say. You’re you”
Lucy felt something in her chest loosen, her heart aching with the weight of it. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words didn’t come. Instead, she just held his gaze, something tender blossoming in her chest.
For the first time, she felt seen. Not for what she’d done, but for who she was.
And it was enough.
Lucy couldn’t hold it in anymore.
Her eyes shimmered, glossed over with emotion she didn’t even try to hide. The way he looked at her, the way his words wrapped around all the broken pieces inside her—it was too much. Too real.
Without thinking, she reached over and pulled him into a hug.
Cory froze at first, caught off guard. But then his arms came around her slowly, carefully—like he was afraid to break her. Her face pressed against his shoulder, and he could feel the soft tremble in her breath.
She held him tightly, like she’d been waiting for someone to catch her for a long time.
"I needed to hear that" she whispered.
Cory didn’t say anything—he didn’t need to. He just held her like he meant it.
And for the first time in a long time, Lucy didn’t feel alone.
•••
NIGHT*
Hailey stepped out of her dorm room wearing a soft lilac hoodie that slipped off one shoulder, paired with black leggings and white sneakers. Her hair was pulled up in a loose bun, a few strands framing her face. She looked effortlessly pretty, without even trying.
Jessa’s breath hitched the moment she saw her.
She stood by the bottom of the stairs, phone in hand, trying not to look like she’d been anxiously waiting. Her eyes trailed from Hailey’s face to the tiny sliver of exposed collarbone… and then quickly back up.
"You look cute" Jessa said, more casually than she felt.
Hailey smiled. "It’s just a hoodie"
"Still cute"
Hailey didn’t catch the undertone—how Jessa’s voice dipped just a little, or how her eyes lingered too long.
She only shrugged. "You ready?"
"Definitely. I even brought snacks. And before you ask—yes, I picked only the sweet ones you like"
Hailey laughed softly. "You know me too well"
"I try"
As they walked side by side down the pathway leading to the school cinema hall, their shoulders brushed. Hailey didn’t pull away. But Jessa’s skin tingled at every little contact.
She snuck a glance at Hailey’s profile, illuminated by the streetlights—soft lips, long lashes, that absentminded expression she always wore when she was thinking too much.
God, she was beautiful.
Hailey turned suddenly, catching her looking.
"What?" she asked, a little amused.
Jessa blinked. "Nothing. Just… glad you came out with me tonight"
Hailey grinned. "Of course. I needed this"
Jessa swallowed the words she really wanted to say: I need you.
Instead, she just smiled and held the door open for her as they stepped into the dimly lit theater, popcorn in one hand and a secret tucked in the other.
The movie had only been playing for twenty minutes, but Hailey couldn’t focus.
Jessa sat beside her, quietly munching on popcorn, their knees brushing every now and then. The scene on-screen was supposed to be funny, but her chest felt too heavy for laughter.
Hailey leaned toward Jessa. "I’ll be right back. Restroom"
Jessa looked up. "Want me to come with?"
Hailey shook her head with a soft smile. "I’ll be quick"
She slipped out of the theater, the muffled sound of the movie fading behind her. But instead of heading straight for the restroom, her feet took her somewhere else... anywhere else.
Within minutes, she found herself standing outside again. The cool night air kissed her skin, but it wasn’t the chill that made her shiver.
It was the ache.
The ache of missing him.
Xavier.
That walking contradiction... ruthless yet captivating, reckless yet careful with her in his own twisted way.
She didn’t know why she missed him so much. Why her heart beat faster at just the thought of his voice, his smirk, the way he looked at her like he knew how to break her... and still wanted to.
'Maybe I’m just losing my mind'
With trembling fingers, she pulled out her phone.
She stared at his name for a long time—XAVIER in bold, unreadable letters. She finally saved it and it's no longer "UNKNOWN NUMBER"
Don’t do it, a voice in her head warned.
But her thumb hovered over the call button anyway.
Then...
A shadow crossed her path.
Hailey’s breath caught as she looked up.
And there he was.
Xavier.
Leaning against the old railing by the parking lot like he’d been waiting all night. A cigarette dangled from his fingers as usual, half-burned, but he wasn’t smoking it. His eyes were already on her.
He didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Just looked at her like he’d appeared from her thoughts and stepped into her reality.
Hailey’s mouth parted, her phone slipping slightly in her grip.
"You miss me that bad, princess?" Xavier asked.
Her heart stuttered.
"I—" she faltered.
He pushed off the railing, walking toward her slowly, the kind of slow that made your knees weaken and your brain forget how to think.
"You were gonna call me" he said, stopping a breath away from her. "Weren’t you?"
She stayed silent.
He tilted his head, his eyes scanning hers, reading every little crack in her wall.
"You didn’t think I’d show up, did you?"
His smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes… his eyes burned.
With danger.
With want.
With something darker than either of them could name.
"Why are you here?" Hailey finally whispered.
"I thought i made it clear this morning, you're coming with me to somewhere"
He reached out, slow, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I don’t like being missed, princess. Makes me soft. But I don’t like you missing me either… not when I’m right here”
Her breath hitched.
He leaned closer, his lips almost grazing her ear.
"Next time, just come find me"
Without thinking, she found herself moving closer and before she could second-guess herself, she tilted her head up and kissed him.
It was soft at first, tentative—almost like testing the waters. But then his hand found her jaw, his fingers brushing against her skin as he deepened the kiss, pulling her closer. It was urgent, heated, as if the moment demanded it. Her heart pounded against her chest, her mind spinning with the suddenness of it all.
Xavier didn’t pull away. He kissed her back with a hunger that matched her own. The world around them seemed to blur, the crowd of students, the noise, the whispers—all of it faded into the background as they stood there, locked in a kiss that felt like it could unravel them both.
And then, from somewhere in the distance, there came a sharp gasp—a ripple of shock that cut through the air.
Hailey pulled away, breathless, her face flushed. Her heart raced, and she glanced around, her mind catching up to the reality of what had just happened. The students around them were staring, wide-eyed, their mouths open in surprise. Whispers spread like wildfire, and for a moment, she felt like she was on display.
Xavier, on the other hand, was unfazed. He stood there with that same smug, dangerous smirk on his face, as though the kiss had been a simple, inevitable thing. He didn’t look at anyone else. His eyes stayed locked on her, as though daring anyone to say something.
Just then, the sound of footsteps grew closer, and Hailey turned to see Jessa emerging from the theater. Her face was tight, her expression unreadable, but the fury in her eyes was unmistakable.
Jessa stopped in front of them, her jaw clenched. She didn’t say a word at first, just stood there, taking in the scene. Her gaze flickered between Hailey and Xavier, disbelief, hurt, and anger all in one.
"I love you Hailey!" She bursted out.
Hailey stood frozen, as Jessa's words echoed in her mind. Her eyes searched Jessa's face, trying to make sense of what she had just heard.
"I love you, Hailey" Jessa repeated, her voice trembling now.
"I brought you here to tell you that... but seems you have other plans. You're here with Xavier instead of me"
The air between them thickened with a tension that left Hailey breathless. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She wanted to say something...anything, but her mind was a jumbled mess, caught somewhere between shock and confusion.
Jessa turned away, storming off with quick, angry strides.
Hailey felt her heart twist in her chest, a strange, gnawing emptiness filling the space where words had failed her. She wanted to call out, to stop Jessa, but the sight of her walking away in tears made Hailey’s own eyes burn with a feeling she couldn’t place.
What just happened? Hailey thought.
___
💕TBC💕
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