Vanessa remained by the stairwell long after Lina and Adrian had left the rooftop.
The door slowly swung shut behind them.
She didn't move.
Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag as she replayed every word she'd heard.
You see me.
This isn't just a phase for me, Lina.
Then don't.
And finally—
We will.
Vanessa's jaw tightened.
She had expected Adrian to eventually get over Lina.
She had expected the distance between them to grow.
Instead, it had done the opposite.
Whatever had been standing between them was slowly disappearing.
And Vanessa didn't like that.
Not one bit.
She turned and walked down the stairs, her heels tapping against each step.
By the time she reached the hallway, her expression had returned to normal.
Calm.
Perfect.
Untouchable.
But inside, something had shifted.
She wasn't angry at Lina.
Not exactly.
She was angry at the situation.
Because Adrian had never looked at anyone the way he'd looked at Lina.
And Vanessa had noticed.
She had always noticed.
---
Lina walked beside Adrian toward the main building.
Neither of them said much.
But this silence was different.
It wasn't uncomfortable anymore.
Every now and then, their hands almost brushed.
Neither of them moved away.
Lina caught herself smiling.
Adrian noticed.
"What?" he asked.
She quickly looked ahead.
"Nothing."
"You're smiling."
"I'm allowed to smile."
"I didn't say you weren't."
She glanced at him.
"You're annoying."
"And yet you're still walking beside me."
Lina rolled her eyes.
"Unfortunately."
Adrian laughed softly.
For the first time in days, it felt normal again.
Almost.
As they reached the classroom, Clara appeared from nowhere.
Her eyes immediately moved from Lina to Adrian.
Then back to Lina.
Then to Adrian again.
"So..."
Lina groaned.
"Don't."
Clara grinned.
"I haven't even said anything."
"You don't have to."
Adrian chuckled.
"I'll leave you two to this."
He started walking away.
Clara watched him go.
Then she turned to Lina.
"Okay."
"No."
"You don't even know what I'm going to say."
"Yes, I do."
Clara grabbed Lina's arm.
"Did you two talk?"
Lina hesitated.
"Yes."
"And?"
Lina looked down, trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile.
"And we're okay."
Clara stared at her.
"That's it?"
"What do you mean, that's it?"
"I mean—did he say something?"
Lina's cheeks warmed.
"Maybe."
Clara's eyes widened.
"Oh my gosh."
"Clara."
"What did he say?"
"Nothing."
"Lina."
"Nothing important."
Clara folded her arms.
"You're terrible at lying."
Lina sighed.
"He just said we would figure things out."
Clara's expression softened.
"That's actually really sweet."
Lina nodded.
"Yeah."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Clara's expression changed.
"Wait."
"What?"
Clara looked past Lina.
"Isn't that Vanessa?"
Lina turned.
Vanessa stood at the opposite end of the hallway, talking to Ethan.
The moment their eyes met, Vanessa smiled.
A perfectly polite smile.
Then she turned back to Ethan.
Lina frowned slightly.
"Why was she watching us?"
Clara shrugged.
"Maybe she wasn't."
But her tone suggested she didn't believe that either.
---
Across the hallway, Ethan noticed Vanessa wasn't paying attention to him.
"You okay?"
Vanessa blinked.
"Of course."
"You've been staring at Lina for the past five minutes."
Vanessa smiled.
"I wasn't staring."
"Right."
Ethan studied her face.
There was something different about her.
Something calculated.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"You sure?"
Vanessa looked at him.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Ethan shrugged.
"Because you look like someone just stole something from you."
For a second, her smile disappeared.
Then it returned.
"You imagine too much, Ethan."
"Maybe."
He leaned against the wall.
"But I'm usually right."
Vanessa said nothing.
Ethan glanced toward Adrian.
Then toward Lina.
Then back at Vanessa.
"Oh."
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"I get it now."
She stared at him.
But Ethan didn't explain.
He simply smiled.
"Interesting."
---
The rest of the school day passed faster than Lina expected.
For the first time in days, she wasn't constantly wondering where Adrian was.
She wasn't afraid to see him.
She wasn't trying to avoid his eyes.
And when the final bell rang, she packed her books with a strange sense of relief.
Maybe things really could be different.
Maybe she had spent too much time worrying about losing something she hadn't even allowed herself to have.
As she stepped outside, she saw Adrian waiting near the school gate.
He was leaning against the fence, hands in his pockets.
Waiting for her.
Lina smiled.
"You waited?"
Adrian shrugged.
"Maybe."
"You have a strange definition of maybe."
"Come on."
"Where?"
"Walk with me."
She hesitated for half a second.
Then followed.
They walked down the street together.
The evening sun had begun to disappear behind the buildings, painting the sky in soft shades of orange and pink.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Adrian broke the silence.
"Can I ask you something?"
Lina looked at him.
"Sure."
"Are you still scared?"
She knew exactly what he meant.
"A little."
He nodded.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah."
She frowned.
"That's all you're going to say?"
"What else should I say?"
"I don't know."
He smiled.
"Then I'll just walk beside you."
Lina looked at him.
Something about that answer made her chest ache in the best way.
She smiled.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For not giving up."
Adrian's expression softened.
"I wasn't planning to."
Their eyes met.
For a moment, the world seemed to disappear around them.
Then Lina's phone buzzed.
She looked down.
A message.
From an unknown number.
Her smile faded.
Unknown: You should be careful who you trust.
Lina stared at the screen.
Adrian noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
She locked her phone.
"Nothing."
He stopped walking.
"Lina."
She looked at him.
"Really. It's nothing."
Adrian studied her carefully.
He knew she was hiding something.
But he didn't push.
"Okay."
They continued walking.
But Lina's mind was no longer with him.
Someone had her number.
Someone was watching.
And suddenly, the peaceful feeling she'd had all afternoon disappeared.
---
That night, Vanessa sat alone in her bedroom.
Her phone rested on the desk in front of her.
She stared at the screen.
A message thread was open.
There was only one message.
Vanessa: I need you to find out everything about Lina Hart.
She waited.
A reply appeared.
Unknown: Everything?
Vanessa typed slowly.
Vanessa: Everything.
She paused.
Then added:
Vanessa: Her family. Her past. Her secrets. Anything that could make Adrian walk away.
She stared at the message for several seconds before pressing send.
The reply came almost immediately.
Unknown: I can do that.
Vanessa leaned back in her chair.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"Let's see how long this lasts, Lina."
But Vanessa didn't know one thing.
Someone else had already begun watching her.
And unlike Vanessa—
They weren't interested in destroying Lina.
They were interested in exposing Vanessa.
The game had officially begun.