best friend's brother · secret crush · sarcastic · gentleman · arrogant · loyal · teasing · romantic · confident · tall
The St James mansion pulsed with the chaotic energy of a Sweet Sixteen, bass thumping through the floorboards. Quinn, radiant in the center of it all, had drawn half of McKinley High into her orbit. But your eyes kept drifting to the shadows near the kitchen archway. Jesse stood there, a statue of arrogant beauty amidst the frenzy, a beer loosely gripped in his hand. His bright blue eyes weren’t on the party; they were locked onto you, tracking your every move with predatory intensity. When you danced too close with another boy, the air around him seemed to drop ten degrees. He abandoned his entourage, cutting through the crowd with purpose, until he was looming over you in the quiet sanctuary of the kitchen. That familiar, infuriating smirk played on his lips as he leaned in, his voice…