Hey Marshians!
(Lol! Readers of Marshy's book are called Marshians)
Author Marshy here, and guess what? I'm back, baby! I know I've been radio silent lately… but last week I was down for the count, so sick I couldn't even think straight, let alone write. It was so horrible!!!!!
But good news: I'm slowly (very slowly) getting better. I promise to make it up to you with new chapters, fresh vibes, and all the feels you love. So don't forget to vote, comment, and share if you enjoy. Your support makes Marshy's world go round ;)
Love you all,
Marshy
"Freddy is a nice guy. He's sweet, caring, and—"
"Kayla, I have a plan."
Nessa turned sharply, cutting her off mid-sentence.
Kayla blinked. "Plan? What plan?" she asked, confused.
Nessa grinned. "I'm gonna make Freddy jealous. How do you like that?"
"Oh-kay…" Kayla drawled, uncertainty written all over her face. She arched an eyebrow. "But how?"
"I'm going to flirt with that hot mechanic."
Nessa glanced at the guy and smiled mischievously.
Kayla, meanwhile, was not impressed.
"Hmm, Nessa, you sure about that?" She eyed the guy. "Yeah, he's hot and he'll definitely make Freddy jealous and uneasy. But… I have a feeling this won't end well."
"Oh, please, Kayla. You never support any of my ideas. You're always against them. Why?" Nessa sighed, exasperated.
"Because your ideas never go well as planned." Kayla folded her arms. "It is extremely hard for you to form a plan that doesn't end with somebody in trouble or harm."
Nessa took a sip of her soda and huffed.
"Kayla, I don't care if you're with me or not. I'm going to execute my plan, and it will definitely work."
Kayla sighed, shaking her head.
"Nes, I get that you want payback. Maybe Freddy is innocent… and I really don't think this plan will work out well."
Nessa flipped her hair sassily.
"Kayla, all my plans work out well. No guy can resist my charm, baby girl. I'm irresistible." She spoke proudly, bragging like always.
Kayla slapped a palm lightly to her face and released a tired sigh.
"Well… don't say I didn't warn you."
"Whatever."
Nessa strode toward the guy, adjusting her hair as her smile grew wide and flirty.
She stopped two steps away, keeping the perfect distance, just enough for Freddy to notice but not enough to look desperate.
"Hey handsome," she purred softly, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Freddy stepping forward, jaw tightening, but Adrien grabbed his wrist. Freddy turned sharply, glaring at him.
Adrien shook his head subtly, whispering something like, "Don't start."
Nessa nearly grinned. This is working!!
"Do you need some help?" she asked the guy, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I could offer you help, if you want."
The guy didn't even look up at her. Not even a glance. He kept tightening something inside the engine.
Nessa blinked, offended. "Um… hellooo?"
Not even a flicker of response.
Her brows snapped together. A guy had never ignored her before. People didn't ignore Nessa. Nessa ignored people.
She stepped closer to close the gap, and her foot caught on something.
"Oh—!"
She stumbled forward, barely catching herself. Her soda flew out of her hand and poured directly into the engine.
PSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!
Steam hissed violently, and everyone froze.
Nessa froze. Her eyes widened in horror, and her hand flew to her mouth.
"Oh no," Kayla whispered.
The guy slowly looked up, his eyes blazing into hers.
"What the fuck did you do?!" his deep voice roared, sharp and angry.
Molly, however, didn't notice a thing. She stood a little farther away with her phone pressed to her ear, face tight and serious as she spoke to whoever was on the line.
Nessa stiffened. "I—I didn't mean to!"
The guy raked a hand through his messy hair and let out a low, frustrated growl.
"You poured soda into the engine." He jabbed a finger toward the van. "Do you understand what that does?!"
"It was an accident, okay!" she snapped back defensively.
His jaw flexed. "No. That wasn't an accident. That was pure stupidity."
"Excuse me?" Her eyes narrowed into slits. "Did you just call me stupid?!"
"I'm sorry," he corrected bitterly. "Stupidity would be too kind. You're just careless and irresponsible. And what, exactly, were you even trying to do? Flirt? Distract me?"
Nessa's face turned a deep shade of red as she quickly said, "What?! I was not flirting with you!"
"Oh, please," he scoffed. "You walked over here like a peacock seeking attention. You think I didn't see you posing?"
"Could you just shut the fuck up, mister? Fix the damn car, that's why we called you here!" Nessa snapped angrily.
"Spoiled daddy's girl who has no future for herself," he muttered slowly, eyeing her.
"What did you just say?" Nessa spoke through clenched teeth.
"You heard me." He folded his arms, muscles bulging. "Spoiled girl who's never worked a day in her life. Thinks the world is supposed to adjust around her. Probably never touched anything dirtier than lipgloss."
Nessa's anger spiked. This guy was seriously getting on her damn nerves.
"Oh, wow," she said in a shaky laugh. "You think you know me, huh?"
He narrowed his eyes. "I know your type."
"And I know your type!" she shot back. "Rude, arrogant, jerk, and absolutely stupid!" She threw her hands in the air. "Geez, what's your damn problem?!"
"You," he snapped. "You're my problem. You and your ridiculous attitude. You think you can just bat your lashes and I'll fall at your feet?"
Nessa gritted her teeth, about to say something when the guy interrupted.
"Nope. I don't need you to answer."
"And for the record," he added, giving her an up-and-down look, "you're not my type."
Nessa glared daggers at him. No guy had ever talked to her like this. Her ego felt bruised, and she wanted to rip his head off that ridiculously hot body.
"You're not my type either! Who would even look at you? You suck, boy! No girl will ever look at you. And one more thing, just because you fix engines doesn't give you the right to insult me!"
He let out a humorless laugh. "No," he said coldly. "But pouring soda into an engine does give me the right to point out you have the brain of a decorative pillow."
Nessa choked. "A decorative pillow?!!"
"That's right. Pretty on the outside. Useless on the inside."
Nessa's scream echoed across the road.
Freddy, however, just watched the drama unfold, pleased that Nessa and the guy were snapping at each other. Kayla sighed tiredly. Milo smirked, clearly entertained. Tim's hand twitched, ready to step forward to save his sister, but Steven grabbed his wrist with a vice-like grip.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Tim. Let her handle it herself. She chose this," he said.
Tim sighed and nodded in agreement. Adrien laughed loudly,too loudly for Nessa to ignore.
"Awn, Nes, some guy isn't falling head over heels for ya. Ha! That means a guy can actually resist your so-called charm," Adrien mocked, and Nessa's blood boiled.
"Awn. That's so bad, Princess Nessa. Wanna cry to Momma?" he smirked, enjoying the chaos, until Kayla leaned over and gave him a solid nudge in the ribs.
"Could you shut up, Adrien? You're making things worse!"
"What?!" Adrien barked a laugh, unbothered.
Nessa could practically feel steam coming out of her ears.
"How DARE you?" she spat furiously at the mechanic guy.
"You're so conceited, vain, and… pathetic," he said smoothly.
That was the final straw. Nessa snapped. Her hand shot up and slapped the blond guy hard across the cheek.
Kayla gasped. Milo tried not to laugh, while Tim's jaw dropped in disbelief. Freddy almost choked on his saliva. Steven groaned, rubbing his forehead.
Nessa breathed heavily, her cheeks flushed with rage.
The guy touched his cheek, eyebrows shooting up in stunned disbelief, then… he burst out laughing. Loud, mocking, and completely infuriating.
Nessa blinked, utterly confused.
He stepped closer, until they were chest to chest. His height was intimidating, but Nessa refused to back down. She craned her neck and looked him dead in the eyes.
"You're a fool, you know that? Girls like you always stay stupid!"
Nessa lashed out again, slapping him hard across the other cheek.
The air sizzled with tension. Everywhere was quiet, except for the rapid breathing of Nessa and the guy. They glared at each other, rage burning in their eyes.
Molly, blissfully unaware, continued her phone conversation:
"Yes! I know. But the court said—" she paused, glancing over just in time to see Nessa and the mechanic guy, looking like they wanted to kill each other.
"I'll call you back later, Mr. Joe," she said slowly, hanging up.
She rushed over and shot a glare at Steven, Adrien, Tim, Freddy, Milo, and Kayla.
"What are you guys doing just standing there? Aren't you supposed to calm things down while I'm away?" Molly snapped.
"No, Aunt Molly. This is a free Netflix movie. No subscription needed! Haha!" Adrien joked, laughing loudly, earning a sharp glare from Kayla. Not that he cared.
Molly rushed over and separated Nessa and the guy.
"What's going on?" she asked, but her voice was drowned out by the guy's laughter.
"I'll keep saying it, bitch. You're pathetic. Stupid!" he shouted, amusement and anger mixing in his voice.
Nessa lunged forward, pointing fingers at him, her own voice shrill with fury.
Just then, the parents returned from the supermarket. Molly breathed a sigh of relief, but Rose's eyes narrowed at the sight of her daughter yelling at the guy.
The parents hurried over. "Enough, both of you!" Rose shouted, silencing everyone.
"Mom?" Nessa asked, glaring, but Rose shot her a sharp look.
"What's going on?" Rose demanded, eyes scanning the scene.
"Ma'am, your daughter here, who clearly lacks manners, slapped me. Not once, but twice," the guy said furiously.
"Yeah? And if you say another word, it'll be three times!" Nessa shot back, only to be cut off by her mother.
"Vanessa!"
The guy shook his head, clearly done. "I don't think I can do this anymore, Ms. Molly. I'm leaving." He started packing up his tools, ignoring the parents' pleas.
Nessa rolled her eyes, huffing. "Fine. Go. No one's begging you. We can find another mechanic."
"You're completely mannerless," he shot back.
Nessa was about to fire back, but Rose interrupted.
"Nessa, enough!"
"What?! No one's telling me what's enough! This guy literally insulted me!" she shouted, glaring at everyone around her.
Kayla jogged over and grabbed her arm.
"Nessa, come on. Let's go," she said firmly.
"I'm NOT leaving without giving him a piece of my mind! That guy is a jerk!" Nessa snapped, twisting her arm free.
Adrien laughed like the entire drama was his personal show. "Oh wow, Nes. The great Nessa, finally slapped a guy and lived to tell the tale. Epic!" Milo giggled beside him, shaking his head.
Everywhere was in a chaotic mess. Nessa ranted at the top of her lungs. The guy shot back insults, ready to leave. Passersby paused, glancing at them.
Kayla finally dragged Nessa away, but she was still fuming.
How dare that guy speak to me like that?! Nessa thought, her blood boiling.
She had never felt like this before. No guy had ever rejected her, she was usually the one turning guys down.
This guy has some nerve. Fuck his ass!
Words couldn't describe what she felt for the guy. She hated him.
No… that wasn't it.
She despised him. And she silently prayed she would never have to meet him, or anyone like him—again!