The next morning, I hesitated at the front doors of Westbridge High, backpack heavier than I felt like carrying and stomach twisting in that same first-day way. Rose waved from the steps, already in mid-conversation with a friend I didn't know, and I forced myself to step forward.
I had survived one day. Surely, I could survive another.
First period passed in a blur—notes, textbooks, teachers' voices blending together. I stayed in the background, exactly where I wanted to be. But in the back of my mind, I couldn't stop thinking about yesterday: Jason's smirk, his gaze, and the way my face had burned when he'd called my name.
By the time lunch rolled around, I was more aware of my surroundings. I followed Rose to the cafeteria, trying not to look out of place. That's when I saw him—Simon.
He sat alone at a table in the corner, glasses slightly slipping down his nose, book open, completely absorbed. There was something about him that felt… familiar, like someone I might understand without needing to talk.
I couldn't help but glance at him more than once.
That's when I felt it—Jason.
He had chosen a table across the room, leaning back in his chair, and his eyes were sharp. I caught him looking in my direction, then noticing my repeated glances at Simon. His expression shifted just enough for me to see it: a flicker of something—jealousy, maybe even irritation.
I felt a knot form in my stomach. Jason wasn't subtle, and he didn't like sharing attention.
"Focus on your lunch, Laura," Rose whispered, following my gaze. "He's gonna notice if you keep staring."
I nodded, but I couldn't fully look away. Simon didn't even know I existed. Yet Jason's eyes were like fire whenever they landed on me.
The rest of the cafeteria felt heavier after that. Jason's attention was constant, subtle but impossible to ignore, while Simon remained quietly on the sidelines, absorbed in his own world. My chest felt tight, like I was standing between two magnets pulling in opposite directions.
By the time the final bell rang, I had survived lunch, math, and science without tripping over my words or drawing unwanted attention. I walked down the hall with Rose beside me, talking about homework and upcoming tests, but my thoughts kept returning to the subtle tension I'd seen at lunch—the jealousy in Jason's eyes and the quiet pull of Simon sitting just across the room.
I didn't know how this was going to work with just these two. And somehow, I had a feeling this was only the beginning.