ARISTA'S POV
If someone had told me a simple rain walk with Devin Lee would turn into school-wide gossip, I would've stayed soaked alone.
I walked into the corridor and boom— half the class was staring at me like I'd come from a Netflix drama shoot.
Meera pounced immediately.
"SO," she dragged the word, "you walked home with Devin yesterday… in the rain… with no umbrella…"
Zoe gasped dramatically.
Sana leaned in.
Advi almost dropped her water bottle.
I hid my face. "Oh my god, stop."
Meera crossed her arms. "No. YOU stop hiding things."
"It wasn't a date," I argued.
Zoe: "But it wasn't NOT a date either."
I groaned.
Because the whole time my friends were teasing, someone else was staring at me from across the hallway.
Kaelor.
Expression unreadable. Jaw tight. Eyes following me like he couldn't help it.
But the moment our eyes met, he looked away.
Something inside me twisted.
---
KAELOR'S POV
Why does rain smell different today?
Why does it feel like everything is shifting out of my hands?
I walked into class and saw Arista laughing with her friends, rain droplets still visible on the edge of her backpack.
Devin entered behind her.
And suddenly my whole body tightened without permission.
Why was he with her? Why didn't she tell me she wasn't okay?
But I forced myself to look away, eyes on my desk, hands cold.
Because I didn't have the right to ask.
Not yet.
---
ARISTA'S POV
As if universe wanted maximum discomfort, Mr. Hayes announced:
"Group 3, your discussion is today after lunch."
Group 3. Me.
Kaelor.
Derek.
Devin.
Of course.
Sana whispered, "Tell god I said hi. He clearly listens to me more than you."
I kicked her under the table.
---
The four of us sat around the table.
Tension: 99% Productivity: 0%
Devin gave me a tiny smile. Kaelor looked like he was trying not to kill someone. Derek leaned back, studying me with that same unsettling smirk.
Devin started gently, "We can divide the work—"
Kaelor cut in. "I'll handle the research."
Derek snorted. "You? Please. You couldn't research your way out of a paper bag."
I flinched. Kaelor's expression changed instantly.
Sharp. Cold. Dangerous.
But he didn't react.
Instead, he turned to me. "What part do you want to do?"
The way he said it—quiet, respectful—made my heart skip.
But Derek interrupted again. "Why don't you let her choose without staring at her like that?"
My breath caught.
Suddenly Devin stepped in. "Derek, enough. She's uncomfortable."
Derek shot him a death glare.
Kaelor's jaw flexed like he was barely holding back.
Me? I wanted to evaporate.
---
ARISTA'S POV
We wrapped the meeting in thirty minutes of pure chaos.
When I exited the room, Devin followed me.
"You okay?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for stepping in."
He gave a shy smile.
"That's what friends do."
And then— he ruffled my hair.
Ruffled. My. Hair.
I froze like a statue.
From behind us, I heard something drop.
I turned and saw Kaelor standing near the door, a pen on the ground, his expression turning blank, like he had just swallowed disappointment whole.
He picked the pen up, turned, and walked away without a word.
Something in my chest tightened painfully.
---
KAELOR'S POV
I didn't mean to drop it.
I didn't even know I was holding it.
But seeing Devin touch her like that— so easily, so comfortably—
Something inside me twisted, ugly and sharp.
I walked away before I ruined everything.
Because the truth was simple:
I didn't want her with anyone else. But I didn't have the right to say that.
Not yet.
---
ARISTA'S POV
At home, I kept replaying everything.
Devin's softness.
Derek's creepiness.
Kaelor's silence.
And the pen.
Why did that pen fall so loudly in my mind?
I stared at the ceiling and whispered to myself—
"Why does everything feel like it's changing?"