Wrapped up for My Guy

Joey sat at his desk, his backpack slumped against the chair leg, fingers drumming lightly against the surface. The room was still half-empty; the hum of pre-class chatter buzzed softly in the background, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Thoughts that kept circling back to her.

The walk to school with Madison had been nothing short of surreal.

She had been waiting at the edge of his driveway like a scene ripped straight from a movie—sunlight catching in her dirty blonde hair, causing it to look golden, her lips curled into an eager, playful smile. The spaghetti strap crop top and short shorts she wore were designed to be noticed, clinging to her in all the right places. "It wasn’t just hot, it was intentional. Purposeful. She wanted to make sure he saw her exactly the way she wanted to be seen.

And then she had reached for his hand. No hesitation, no second-guessing—just a smooth, confident movement as her fingers laced through his, gripping tight, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

And maybe, for her, it was.

Joey had barely been able to focus on forming sentences. He had stammered out some half-baked observation about the weather, The sun’s bright today? but Madison had just giggled, her attention fixed solely on him, as if every single word that left his mouth was gold.

He had tested it, just to be sure.

Made a passing joke about how weirdly long his algebra teacher’s nose hairs were. Madison died laughing, squeezing his hand like he was the funniest person alive.

Mentioned how he had barely studied for a quiz. She had cooed in sympathy, offering to help him cram, anytime.

It was intoxicating.

And when they reached the school, she surprised him again.

Madison slowed, dropping his hand only to tug open her backpack. Joey watched as she pulled out a baggy hoodie, soft, well-worn, and slipped it over her head, drowning her curves beneath the oversized fabric. The shift was jarring, transforming her from the undeniable center of attention to something far more subtle, muted.

She caught his look and smirked.

He had blinked at her, confused. "Getting cold?"

She had grinned, adjusting the sleeves, "Not really. I just don’t feel like sharing today."

Joey had frowned, "Sharing?"

Madison reached out, tugging playfully at the collar of his shirt before stepping in closer, lowering her voice. "You know, like candy. I’m your sweet treat, not something for everyone to grab out of the communal bowl. Gotta keep the goods wrapped up for my guy."

My guy.

She thought of him as her guy. Joey had never been someone's guy before. And to be Madison Ashford's guy? It wasn't something he'd ever dreamed possible.

He had barely recovered when Madison leaned in, still holding the collar of his shirt and pulling him down into a kiss.

His entire body tensed as her lips pressed against his, soft but insistent, her body warm where it pressed against his. It wasn’t a peck, wasn’t casual. She wanted people to see.

And they did.

A few feet away, a group of students had frozen mid-conversation, eyes locked onto them. Someone let out a low whistle. Someone else muttered, No way.

Joey felt it—the weight of their stares, their shock, their admiration, their envy.

A week ago, he would have died if this had happened. Public displays of affection? In front of an audience? He would have shoved his hands into his pockets, mumbled something about needing to get to class, and bolted.

But now?

Now, it fueled him.

He could feel their opinions shifting, their perception of him changing in real time. The whispers, the stolen glances, the way people were now regarding him with something that felt close to respect.

He wasn’t just Joey Granger anymore.

He was Joey Granger, the guy who was with Madison Ashford.

When she finally pulled away, she looked up at him through her lashes, a satisfied little smirk playing on her lips. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

Joey nodded, struggling to find words.

She turned, sauntering off into the crowd, and just like that, she was gone. But the looks remained.

People were still watching him.

And instead of wanting to disappear…

Joey's heart pounded loudly in his ears. He didn't want to hide. Not anymore. Not from other people, at least.

But from himself? From his guilt?

He had tried again that morning to fix things with his mother, to pull back the damage he had done. Very quickly, though, it became clear that there was no undoing his influence. He could add, stack changes on top of changes, but he couldn't erase anything. And that meant Madison, like his mother, was stuck this way.

The difference was, with Madison, he wasn’t sure he wanted to fix it.

If he removed the fact that he had stolen her consent, which he had most certainly done, there were no obvious public complications from a relationship with Madison, no lines being blurred that shouldn’t be. They were both students, there was no uncomfortable power dynamics or legal ramifications. With his mother, with Miss Matthews, Joey would have to be careful. Both of those relationships could land him in some serious hot water. But with Madison there was no risk in any of that. Besides, Madison Ashford, beautiful, popular, and unattainable to guys like him, seemed to be happier than he'd ever seen her before. Wouldn't it be wrong of him to take that away from her?

Aside from the fact that he had used his power to **** her into it.

And, for the first time, people were noticing him. Not just noticing—acknowledging, respecting. He wasn’t invisible anymore. His phone had buzzed multiple times with messages from Nick, from other guys he barely even talked to before. His name was suddenly in people’s mouths in a way it had never been.

For once, Joey Granger wasn’t a nobody.

He knew this wasn’t right. He knew he should at least try to fix it, to figure out a way to undo it all.

But if he was being honest with himself… he didn’t want to.

Not yet.