The cafeteria buzzed with leftover energy from lunch, but the main building's hallway was quiet. Too quiet. Skylar adjusted the strap of her bag, her fingers tightening slightly as her footsteps echoed. It was already past dismissal, and she was supposed to meet Mia by the lockers.
But no Mia.
Instead, Lucas.
He leaned against the row of blue lockers, arms crossed, eyes staring straight ahead like he was thinking of a thousand things at once.
"Hey," Skylar called out softly.
Lucas blinked and straightened up. "Oh. Hey, Sky. Mia’s inside. She’s grabbing something."
"Cool," she said, glancing around. She had no idea why, but a weird chill ran down her spine.
Before she could say anything else, Lucas spoke up. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure?"
He hesitated, then lowered his voice. "Do you... ever feel like someone's watching you here? Not like, in a cute someone’s-crushing-on-you way, but...something else."
Skylar blinked. "What?"
Lucas looked like he was going to laugh but didn’t. He just shook his head. "Never mind. I think I’m just being dramatic."
"You and Mia are rubbing off on each other," she teased.
Just then, Mia popped out from the classroom door with a loud, "Boo!"
Skylar yelped. Lucas grinned. And Mia beamed proudly.
"Girl, you should’ve seen your face," Mia cackled.
"You’re evil," Skylar said, still laughing.
"Anyway," Mia said, slipping between them and hooking her arms through both of theirs. "Let’s go. I heard there’s a new strawberry frappe at Bean Hour."
"We just had lunch," Skylar said.
"And I still have a separate stomach for dessert," Mia replied.
Lucas chuckled. "I’ll go with you guys. I’ve got time."
---
Later That Evening at Bean Hour
Skylar had the counter, apron tied loose, earbuds in only one ear. The playlist Mia made for her—called "main character energy"—played softly. The café wasn’t too busy, but a few customers lounged with books and laptops.
Lucas and Mia took their usual spot by the window. Mia was retelling some horror story she heard online, throwing in dramatic hand gestures, while Lucas tried to follow her chaotic storytelling.
Skylar smiled watching them. They were funny. Natural. A vibe.
Then, the bell dinged.
Aiden.
He didn’t even glance around. Just walked straight to the counter, his expression unreadable.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey," Skylar replied, instantly adjusting her posture.
He slid a folded paper toward her.
"Bianca gave me this," he muttered. "Said you need to hand it to the student council room."
"Why didn’t she give it to me herself?"
He shrugged. "Maybe she’s too busy being terrifying."
Skylar narrowed her eyes. "You okay?"
He didn’t answer. Not right away. Then he muttered, "Yeah, just...confused."
Before she could say anything else, he turned and walked out.
Lucas, who had watched the entire thing from his seat, leaned over to Mia. "Do they always communicate in cryptic one-liners?"
Mia smirked. "Yes. It's their love language."
Lucas grinned. "You think he likes her?"
"That boy would jump in front of a train for her," Mia said without hesitation.
Lucas raised a brow. "Do you like him?"
"Aiden? Pft. No. Too brooding for me."
Lucas leaned back in his chair and gave her a look. "What about me then?"
Mia almost choked on her frappe. "Excuse me?!"
Lucas smiled. "Nothing. Just checking."
---
Later That Night
Skylar was lying in bed, scrolling through memes Mia sent her, when her phone buzzed with a call.
Aiden.
She blinked, sat up, and answered.
"Hello?"
Silence.
"Aiden?"
A soft sigh. "Hey. Sorry. Did I wake you up?"
"No, I was just scrolling. You okay?"
Pause.
"You ever feel like... the more you avoid something, the more it finds a way to stay around you?"
Skylar frowned. "That’s a deep question for 11 p.m."
"Sorry. I just— never mind."
"Aiden," she said softly.
He groaned. "Okay. Fine. Look. Don’t freak out. But... I think I’m catching feelings."
She froze.
"For someone, I mean," he added quickly. "And it’s annoying. I hate it. I hate her. I mean, I don’t hate her. But she makes me so... stupid. Like today. I just saw her talking to Jace and suddenly I wanted to punt him across the campus."
Skylar let out a small laugh. "Is this your way of confessing something?"
"No! I mean—maybe. I don’t know. Why am I like this?" Aiden groaned dramatically.
Skylar bit her lip to keep from laughing harder. "You're being ridiculous."
"Tell me what to do."
"Talk to her," she said.
"She’s clueless," he said quickly.
Skylar raised a brow. "Oh?"
"Very clueless. Like brain-in-the-clouds kind of clueless."
Skylar smiled to herself. "Then be patient with her."
Aiden paused.
"Yeah. I think I will."
The line went quiet, but the silence felt warm. Comfortable.
Then—
"Goodnight, Skylar."
"Goodnight, Aiden."
---
Meanwhile
Somewhere, in the empty student council office, a light flickered.
A shadow moved.
Bianca stood in front of a corkboard filled with notes, photos, documents. Red strings connected pieces together—students, names, clubs, events.
Her eyes narrowed on one photo in particular:
Skylar.
A knock came from the door.
She didn’t flinch. "Come in."
Jace entered.
"It’s starting, isn’t it?" he asked.
Bianca nodded once. "Let’s see if they’re ready."