Tom's POV
"Hey, how come you never hang out with your friends anymore?" I asked, glancing back at her as I adjusted the books under my arm.
She blinked at me, clearly caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean?" she asked. "You are my friend."
I shook my head slightly. "No, I mean your normal friends. Your old friends," I said, making a vague gesture down the hallway.
She tilted her head, a teasing look creeping onto her face. "Are you not normal?"
"You know exactly what I mean," I said, rolling my eyes, though a small smile still managed to tug at the corner of my lips. "Now answer me."
She shrugged lightly, leaning her shoulder against the lockers beside mine. "To be honest, I'd much rather be with you," she admitted. "They can be super judgy and mean."
I glanced again toward the group of girls down the hall, still whispering and looking over every now and then.
"Don't tell my dad," she continued quietly, lowering her voice a little, "but I'm thinking of cutting them off. You and Luke are way better friends."
She said it casually, like it wasn't some huge fucking decision, like it was just another thing she'd been thinking about.
But I felt a small pang in my chest anyway.
Yeah.
Me and Luke.
I closed my locker with a solid clang, the metal echoing louder than it should've.
"What's your first period?" I asked, already shifting the conversation away from everything she just said.
"Algebra," she replied instantly, a small giggle slipping out. "Same as you."
"Right," I muttered, shaking my head. "Forgot you marked it on your timetable whenever we have class together."
I rolled my eyes, but there was still that small, stupid smile playing on my lips that I couldn't quite get rid of.
"Hey," I said, pulling my bag off my shoulder and handing it to her before I could overthink it. "Can you tell Mrs. Greene I'm gonna be late? I need to go take care of something."
She blinked, a little surprised, but nodded. "Yeah, of course."
"Save me a seat," I added, already stepping back, giving her a quick wave.
And just like that, I turned and walked away, leaving her standing there with my bag, heading down the hallway with no real plan—just the need to deal with the probability of Cassie starting today.
Imogen's POV
I walked into the classroom with Tom's bag slung over my shoulder, the strap digging slightly into my skin, but I didn't mind. If anything, I held onto it a little tighter than necessary.
"Hey, teach," I said as I approached Mrs. Greene's desk, trying to sound casual. "Tom Fisher said he's gonna be a bit late for class. He got held up by something."
She looked up at me over her glasses, gave a small nod, and went right back to whatever she was writing like it wasn't a big deal.
I turned and made my way to the back of the class, weaving through rows of desks until I reached our usual spot. I placed Tom's bag carefully on the chair beside me, almost instinctively.
And then it hit me.
He trusted me.
Enough to just hand me his bag and walk off like it was nothing. Like I was… safe. Reliable.
A small, stupid smile tried to creep onto my face, and I had to fight it back, pressing my lips together as I sat down. Get a grip, I told myself.
"Hey, Imogen."
I looked up to see Luke walking toward me, smiling like he always did—easy, calm, a little too observant for my liking.
"Hey," I replied, offering him a soft smile.
"Where's Tom?" he asked, glancing briefly at the empty seat next to me.
"He's gonna be late," I said. "He had something he needed to take care of."
Then something clicked. I tilted my head slightly. "Wait… you have Algebra this morning?"
"Yeah," he said, nodding as he adjusted his bag. "They finally set a timetable for me."
"Oh, that's nice," I said, then shrugged lightly. "Although… not really, because the timetables are gonna change again for everyone next week."