Aria's POV
We walked into the History class just as a few students were still settling down. The walls were lined with tall windows that let in soft morning light, and the desks were neatly arranged in rows. The low buzz of conversation filled the room, but it wasn't too loud just that mix of voices that meant the day hadn't really started yet.
Liam walked a little ahead of me, hands tucked in his pockets. For a moment, it almost felt normal until a voice called from across the room.
"Liam!"
I turned to see Vanessa sitting near the front. Her hair fell perfectly over one shoulder, her expression confident the kind of girl who seems to always want attention where ever they go. She gave a small, knowing smile and gestured toward the seat beside her.
"Come sit with me," she said lightly.
He hesitated for a second, his eyes flicking toward me. Then, without a word, he started walking in her direction.
I looked around and chose a spot farther away, closer to the middle rows.
As I pulled out my notebook, I caught a glimpse of Vanessa leaning slightly toward him, laughing at something he said. A moment later, her arm rested casually along the back of his chair.
I looked down quickly, focusing on my pen instead.
A few minutes later, the door opened again, and Noah walked in, his backpack hanging loosely over one shoulder. His easy grin appeared the second he spotted me.
"Hey," he said, stopping by my desk. "This seat free?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"Good," he said, dropping into the chair beside me. "At least I won't have to sit next to someone who's half-asleep."
I laughed quietly. "You mean like everyone else here?"
"Exactly," he said, grinning. "Guess that makes us the only two actually awake."
The conversation came easily little jokes, light comments, nothing forced. I found myself smiling more than I expected to.
Somewhere across the room, Vanessa leaned in a little closer to Liam telling him something. But when I looked up again, I caught Liam glancing in my direction just for a second before turning back to his desk.
And even though I tried to ignore it, that single glance stayed with me.
The classroom quieted down as the door opened and Mr. Cole stepped in a tall man with a crisp shirt and a voice that carried without effort. He placed his tablet on the desk, scanning the room briefly before beginning the lecture.
"Alright, everyone. Let's start with the early civilizations we'll be covering this term…"
His tone was calm but engaging, and soon the soft rhythm of his words filled the room. Pens scratched against paper. The sound of typing echoed from a few laptops. I tried to focus, but my attention drifted sometimes to the window, sometimes to the front of the class, where Vanessa still leaned ever so slightly toward Liam, whispering something only he could hear.
Noah nudged me once when he caught me zoning out, passing me a small note that simply said: "You look bored already."
I tried not to laugh, biting my lip as I scribbled back, "I'm not bored… just distracted."
He smirked when he read it, shaking his head like he knew exactly what I meant.
By the time the class ended, most students were already packing up before Mr. Cole even finished his last sentence.
"Alright, that's it for today," he said. "We'll continue with Mesopotamia tomorrow."
The room filled with the scrape of chairs and chatter. I slung my bag over my shoulder and turned toward the door only to find Noah waiting.
"Hey," he said. "You in a rush?"
"Not really. Why?"
"There's this spot near the east courtyard. They make the best drinks on campus promise you'll love it. You up for it?"
His smile was easy and genuine, the kind that made it hard to say no.
"Sure," I said. "Lead the way."
We walked side by side down the path that curved around the main hall, sunlight filtering through the tall glass panels above. The air smelled faintly of coffee and something sweet maybe cinnamon rolls from the café nearby.
When we reached the small shop tucked near the courtyard, Noah grinned. "Told you. Best smoothies here. I always get the mango blend it's kind of a tradition at this point."
He ordered for both of us, and we found a small table outside beneath the shade of an old oak tree.
He leaned back in his chair, his smile easy. "So, tell me about your family," he said, stirring his drink lazily.
I hesitated for a second, unsure how much to share. "Well," I began, "it's just my dad and my two brothers. They're both older and very protective." I gave a faint smile. "Sometimes too protective."
He chuckled softly. "Sounds like a full house." Then, his tone gentled. "And your mom?"
The question lingered in the air for a moment. I looked down at the table, tracing the rim of my cup. "She passed away," I said quietly.
His expression softened instantly. "I'm… I'm really sorry, Aria. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's okay," I murmured, offering a small smile. "It was a long time ago."
For a few seconds, silence settled between us not awkward, but soft, almost understanding. Then in his usual bright tone said, "Well, for what it's worth, I'm really glad you're here. Most people take months to warm up to me."
I couldn't help but laugh a little. "You're not exactly hard to like, Noah."
He grinned, tapping his cup against mine in a mock toast. "I'll take that as a compliment."
The afternoon breeze carried a faint chill as Noah and I walked side by side down the stone path that curved behind the main courtyard. The campus looked softer under the sun students lounging beneath trees, laughter echoing faintly from the sports field.
I hadn't expected the day to end this way light, easy, with someone who made me forget how new and out of place I still felt.
He was telling me a story about his younger brother sneaking into his room one night just to hide a frog in his shoes. I tried to hold in my laughter, but failed miserably.
"That's evil," I said, laughing so hard I had to clutch my stomach.
He grinned proudly. "He says it built character. I say it built trust issues."
I shook my head. "You're impossible."
"And yet," he teased, "you're still walking beside me."
"Only because you offered free entertainment."
"Fair. I'm a bargain," he said, chuckling.
There was something easy about him no arrogance, no need to show off. Just simple, genuine warmth. It was the kind of comfort I hadn't realized I'd been missing.
As we neared the dorms, the crowd thinned. The late sunlight turned golden, stretching shadows across the path.
Noah slowed down near the girls' wing and stopped. "Guess this is your stop."
"Yeah," I said, glancing toward the entrance. "Thanks for the walk."
He nodded, then pulled his phone from his pocket with a grin. "Hey, in case I need someone to complain to about my brother's next prank… maybe I should get your number?"
I smiled, pretending to think. "Hmm, depends. Do you prank back?"
"Only when provoked."
"Then you might need it."
We exchanged numbers, his fingers brushing mine briefly as he handed the phone back.
"See you tomorrow, Aria," he said, his voice soft but sure.
"See you," I replied, watching as he walked away the faint laughter between us lingering in the quiet air.
—-
"Hey, where have you been?" Aubrey asked as soon as I entered the room. "You didn't show up for lunch."
I smiled faintly, dropping my bag near the desk. "I met someone."
Her curiosity sparked instantly. "Oh really? And who might that be?"
"A guy I met at the party, Noah," I said simply.
Her expression changed, surprise flashing across her face. "Noah? Wait there's only one Noah in this school that I know of tall, brown hair, kind of quiet but funny when he wants to be?"
I nodded, smiling at how accurate that was. "Yeah, that's him."
She let out a soft laugh. "Well, that's interesting. We actually know each other. Our families are close. It used to be me, him, Vanessa, Liam, Caleb, and Ethan. We all grew up together because our parents did business with one another."
"Oh," I said, a little surprised. "That's a lot of history."
"Yeah," she replied, her tone softening. "It was fun, back then."
I tilted my head slightly. "Speaking of Ethan," I said, remembering the way I'd seen them interact earlier. "I noticed how he has been staring at you in the cafeteria ."
Her lips curved into a small smile. "Yeah. Ethan and I have been in a relationship for some months . He's always been kind, even when things got… complicated."
"Complicated how?" I asked carefully.
She sighed, sitting up a little. "Vanessa," she said. "She used to be my best friend. But she changed. She started acting like she was better than everyone else—arrogant, controlling, always needing attention. Liam was her boyfriend back then, and honestly, he treated her better than she deserved. But she cheated on him. That's why they broke up. And not long after, she ended up with Ethan."
I frowned. "That's awful."
"Yeah," Aubrey said bitterly. "And what made it worse was how she acted afterward like she was proud of it. She'd walk around pretending nothing happened, smiling that fake smile of hers. I couldn't take it anymore. So I stopped being friends with her."
Her voice wavered slightly at the end, and I could see the pain beneath her calm tone.
"I know how that feels," I said softly. "To watch people you trusted turn into strangers."
She looked at me, eyes warm but sad. "You've been through something like that too?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. My best friend and my boyfriend. They lied to me for months. When I found out, I just… stopped letting people pretend to care."
She smiled faintly, a quiet understanding passing between us. "Guess we share the same kind of scars."
"Maybe that's why we get along," I said.
"Maybe," she murmured. "It's strange, isn't it? How pain finds people who understand it."
The room fell silent after that, but it wasn't uncomfortable. For the first time since I came here, I felt like I wasn't completely alone.