The morning sun spilled across the schoolyard, too bright for Rhaine's mood. Her long strides carried her past clusters of students already laughing, gossiping, and swapping notes. She kept her head down, hair falling like a curtain beside her glasses, as though she could block the world out if she just walked fast enough.
She was tired—not physically, but mentally. Tired of the cycle. Of the whispers, the teasing, and most of all, the way fate seemed determined to shove her and Sam together no matter how much she resisted.
She reached the classroom door, and before she could slip in unnoticed, Maya's cheerful voice rang out.
"Rhaine! Over here!"
Maya waved from her desk near the windows, Eli sitting beside her with a half-smile that already looked suspicious. Rhaine sighed but walked over anyway.
"You're early," Eli remarked, raising a brow.
"Couldn't sleep," Rhaine muttered, dropping her bag onto her chair. She hoped that would be the end of it, but Maya leaned forward, eyes twinkling.
"Couldn't sleep, huh? Don't tell me you were up all night thinking about our favorite group partner."
Rhaine froze. "Excuse me?"
Maya grinned mischievously. "You know who I mean."
Rhaine shot her a glare sharp enough to cut glass. "If you're implying what I think you're implying—"
Eli chuckled. "She's implying exactly that."
Rhaine groaned and rubbed her temples. "Why is it always like this with you two? Every time there's a group activity, it's the same joke."
"Because it's true," Maya sing-songed, her tone teasing but harmless. "It's like destiny has decided you and Sam are academic soulmates."
"More like academic jailmates," Rhaine muttered under her breath.
Eli leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Don't act like it's the end of the world. Sam's not that bad."
Rhaine opened her mouth to snap back, but the classroom door swung open.
Sam walked in.
Her steps were calm, unhurried, her expression neutral as she made her way to her seat. Yet somehow, the atmosphere shifted—at least for Rhaine. Her chest tightened, and she quickly dropped her gaze to her notebook, scribbling nonsense just to look busy.
Maya nudged Eli with her elbow, whispering, but not softly enough. "See? She can't even look at her."
Rhaine's head snapped up. "I heard that."
Maya only grinned wider.
Sam, oblivious to the exchange, glanced briefly in their direction. Her eyes lingered on Rhaine for a second—just a second—but it was enough to make Rhaine's throat go dry.
She hated this.
Hated the way her body betrayed her, the way her pulse quickened when Sam looked her way, the way her mind screamed denials even as her heart skipped.
She was not like that. She was not.
The teacher entered, and class began, sparing her from further interrogation—for now.
---
By mid-morning, the dreaded words came.
"Alright, class, today we'll be working in pairs again."
A collective groan rippled through the room. Rhaine's stomach dropped.
Please not again, she begged silently. Please let it be anyone else.
But fate, cruel and laughing, had other plans.
"Sam and Rhaine."
The words echoed in her ears. She swore she heard Maya stifle a laugh behind her.
"Why is it always pairing?" Rhaine muttered, not realizing until too late that her voice carried.
A few students snickered. Sam, seated across the aisle, tilted her head slightly but said nothing. She simply gathered her books and walked over, calm as ever.
Rhaine stared at her desk, refusing to make eye contact. "Let's just get this over with," she muttered.
Sam took the seat beside her, setting her notebook down gently. "Sure."
They worked in silence at first. Sam's handwriting was neat, deliberate. Rhaine's was sharper, faster, as if she could outrun the situation with her pen. Every time their hands brushed while reaching for the same textbook, Rhaine jerked back as if burned.
Sam noticed, of course. She always noticed. But she didn't comment. She just adjusted, giving Rhaine space, her calm presence somehow both infuriating and soothing.
Maya leaned over from her seat, whispering loudly to Eli. "I swear, if they don't end up married by graduation—"
Rhaine slammed her pen down. "Maya!"
Half the class turned. Heat flooded Rhaine's face.
Sam blinked, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Rhaine snapped, too quickly. "Perfectly fine."
But inside, she was anything but.
---
By lunch, her nerves were frayed. She sat with Maya and Eli in their usual spot under the covered walkway, trying to tune them out as she picked at her food.
"Come on, Rhaine," Maya teased, biting into her sandwich. "Don't look so gloomy. Sam's not a punishment."
"She's not a punishment," Eli added smoothly. "She's a test."
Rhaine glared at both of them. "A test I never signed up for."
Maya smirked. "You're failing it anyway."
Rhaine nearly choked on her drink. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Maya said lightly. "Every time you're around Sam, you act like someone's threatening your life. It's suspicious."
"It's awkward," Eli corrected. "Suspicious implies you're hiding something."
Rhaine's jaw tightened. "I'm not hiding anything."
"Sure you're not," Maya sing-songed again.
Rhaine wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
Before she could retort, Sam passed by in the distance, heading toward the other end of the walkway. She glanced their way, just briefly, and gave a polite nod.
Rhaine's breath caught.
Maya and Eli noticed instantly.
"Ohhh," Maya whispered, grinning. "That look."
"There was no look," Rhaine snapped.
"There was totally a look," Eli countered.
Rhaine slammed her lunchbox shut. "I'm done eating."
She stormed off, ignoring Maya's giggles behind her.
---
The afternoon dragged on, each class another circle in the endless loop of denial. Rhaine kept her head down, avoided Sam as best she could, but it never seemed to matter. The universe pushed them together—passing papers, answering questions, even holding the same door.
Each time, her chest tightened. Each time, she told herself it meant nothing.
By the final bell, she was exhausted.
She waved off Maya and Eli's offer to walk home together, claiming she needed to stop by the library. Really, she just needed air. Space.
She walked slowly, the setting sun painting long shadows across the street. Her bag hung heavy on her shoulder, but not as heavy as the thoughts in her head.
She hated this cycle.
She hated the way Maya and Eli teased, because every joke hit too close to the truth she refused to admit.
She hated the way Sam looked at her—gentle, patient, as if she could see through every wall Rhaine built.
And most of all, she hated herself.
Because deep down, beneath all the denials, all the excuses, she knew.
She knew why her heart raced. She knew why her eyes lingered. She knew why she couldn't stop thinking about Sam.
But she refused to let herself believe it.
"I'm not like that," she whispered fiercely to the empty street. Her hands clenched into fists. "I'm not. I'm not."
Her voice cracked on the last word.
She pressed a trembling hand to her chest, as though she could calm the storm raging inside. But the storm only grew louder.
She was running in circles, chasing denial after denial, and the circle was closing in.
And for the first time, she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep running.