The next morning, Rhaine's routine felt heavier than usual.
Her alarm blared at 6:30, but she stayed in bed until the second snooze. She couldn't shake the image of Sam's eyes from yesterday the quiet sincerity in them when she said anytime.
It had been a simple moment. Ordinary, even. But it stuck in Rhaine's chest like a thorn.
She got ready faster than usual, hoping that keeping herself busy would keep her thoughts from circling back to the same place. It didn't.
---
At school, she slipped into her seat before the first bell rang. Maya was nowhere in sight yet, but Sam was leaning casually against the window, flipping through her notebook.
Rhaine's pulse jumped before she could stop it. She immediately bent over her own notes, pretending to be too absorbed to notice Sam glancing her way.
When Maya arrived moments later, her energy filled the room like always. "Ugh, traffic. I nearly died," she announced, plopping down in her seat.
"You look alive to me," Rhaine said dryly, grateful for the distraction.
But the relief didn't last.
---
Halfway through their first class, the teacher announced a surprise group activity. Four people per group. Rhaine felt her stomach knot when she realized the numbers in the class meant…
"Looks like it's you, me, and Sam again," Maya said brightly, already dragging Eli's desk over to theirs.
Sam moved hers without hesitation, and soon the four of them were squeezed together.
The task was simple plan a short skit based on a given scenario. Their group got "confession gone wrong."
Rhaine wanted to laugh at the cruel irony.
"We can do something funny," Maya suggested, "like a mix-up where the person confesses to the wrong crush."
"That could work," Eli agreed.
Sam tilted her head, looking directly at Rhaine. "Or… it could be more subtle. The kind where the person says what they feel, but the other pretends they didn't hear so it's left hanging."
Something in her tone made Rhaine's chest tighten. She forced herself to keep her expression neutral. "Either way's fine," she said quickly.
Sam didn't look away. Not immediately.
---
The activity went smoothly enough, but Rhaine could feel the edges of her composure fraying. Every time Sam's hand brushed hers when they passed notes, every time she leaned closer to point something out, it felt like her skin was buzzing.
She hated that she noticed.
She hated that she didn't want to stop noticing.
---
By lunch, she was desperate for air. Maya and Eli had gone to buy food, leaving Rhaine alone in the quiet classroom. She thought she could have a moment to breathe until Sam walked back in.
"Forgot my pen," Sam said, picking it up from her desk. She didn't leave right away.
Rhaine kept her eyes on her own desk. "You're missing lunch."
"I'm not that hungry." Sam leaned lightly against the edge of Rhaine's table. "Are you avoiding me?"
The question landed like a stone in her chest.
"I'm not," Rhaine said too fast, too defensive.
Sam's eyes softened, but there was something sharper underneath. "You don't have to tell me what's going on. But… I hope you're not avoiding something just because it scares you."
Rhaine's breath caught. She wanted to say she wasn't scared, but the word felt stuck in her throat. Instead, she gathered her things and stood. "We should go before they wonder where we are."
Sam didn't stop her, but Rhaine felt her gaze follow her all the way to the cafeteria.
---
That night, Rhaine sat at her desk, homework open but untouched. Her pen hovered over the page, unmoving.
The truth was simple. She didn't know if she was avoiding Sam or avoiding herself.
And the more she tried to keep her distance, the more she realized she didn't want to.