The Green-Eyed Monster

Kenzy's eyes were still fixed on her phone, her mind replaying their conversation like a broken record. She had thought she was done with Alex, that she had finally managed to shut him out of her head. But now, as she stared at the screen, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was still lurking, waiting for his next opportunity to strike. The minutes ticked by, and her phone remained eerily silent, until suddenly, it buzzed again. Alex's next text made her heart skip a beat: "why jake? what does he have that i don't?" Kenzy's fingers hovered over the keyboard, tempted to respond with a witty remark or a cutting insult. But something about Alex's message made her pause. It was almost as if he was genuinely curious, genuinely interested in understanding her feelings. She thought back to their conversation, to the way he had probed her about Jake. There was something there, something beneath the surface that she couldn't quite put her finger on. As she pondered her response, Kenzy's thoughts drifted back to Jake. What was it about him that had drawn her in? Was it his kind smile, his easygoing nature, or something more? She couldn't help but wonder if Alex was truly interested in understanding her feelings or if he was just trying to get under her skin. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn't really know. All she knew was that, for some reason, Alex seemed to care. Kenzy took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. She couldn't let Alex get to her, not now, not ever. But as she typed out a response, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was waiting for her to slip up, to reveal some hidden truth that she wasn't even sure about herself. Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard, hesitant to respond, as she thought about the possibilities. She decided on a simple, straightforward response: "nothing, alex. just drop it." She hit send, and waited. The minutes ticked by, and her phone remained stubbornly silent. Kenzy let out a sigh of relief, thinking that she had finally managed to shut him down. But as she looked at the screen, she realized that she had only just begun to play with fire. Alex's response, when it came, was immediate and infuriating: "don't play dumb, kenzy. i know you." Kenzy's eyes narrowed as she read the text. What did he mean by that? Was he trying to threaten her, or was there something more sinister at play? She felt a shiver run down her spine as she realized that she was in this now, whether she liked it or not. The question was, how far was Alex willing to go to get what he wanted? And what exactly did he want?