Jayden's POV
"How's your tutor?"
That caught me off guard.
Almost instantly, I became suspicious.
These guys are definitely up to something.
They don't even know who my tutor is!!
"Uh... she's fine..." I muttered, eyeing them skeptically.
Jake's eyebrows shot up.
"Oh? She's a she?"
"...Yeah?"
Dylan leaned forward.
"Is it someone we know?"
I hesitated.
"...Maybe."
The moment that left my mouth...
They looked at each other.
Then slowly turned back to me with those stupid grins on their faces.
"...Mhmmm."
I frowned.
"Would you two stop doing that? You're creeping me out."
That only made them laugh even harder.
Jake finally caught his breath.
"Hey, Jayden..."
He pointed a finger at me.
"Your tutor is Olivia, right?"
Knew it.
I knew these idiots were hiding something.
I sighed in defeat.
"...Yeah."
"Ouuuuuhhhhhhh."
The two of them dragged the word out like a pair of kindergarten kids.
I rubbed my forehead.
"Oh, God..."
The laughter slowly died down.
Dylan's smile faded.
He suddenly looked... serious.
"Um... Jayden."
I looked up.
"There's something I think you should know."
The way he said it made my stomach twist.
"What is it?"
He exchanged a quick glance with Jake before looking back at me.
"I... think Olivia likes me."
...
What?
For a second, I just stared at him.
Waiting for him to laugh.
To tell me he was joking.
He didn't.
"What do you mean?" I asked quietly.
Dylan scratched the back of his neck.
"I don't know... maybe I'm just reading too much into it."
"But lately..."
"It kinda feels like she's been acting different around me."
"Different how?" I asked.
"Like..."
He paused, trying to find the right words.
"I catch her looking at me sometimes."
"When we're talking with everyone else, I look up and she's already looking."
"And whenever I notice..."
"She quickly looks away."
I stayed silent.
He continued.
"Then there was that day after class."
"It started raining."
"I only had one umbrella, so I told her we could share it until the bus stop."
"It wasn't even a big deal."
"But..."
"I don't know."
"It felt... awkward."
"She kept smiling."
"And she was quieter than usual."
Jake nodded beside him.
"I noticed that too."
Dylan sighed.
"Then yesterday she texted me."
"Nothing weird."
"She just asked if I'd gotten home safely."
"But..."
"She's never done that before."
"And now I'm starting to overthink everything."
He looked straight at me.
"I could be completely wrong."
"Maybe she's just being nice."
"I honestly hope I'm wrong."
"But if there's even a chance..."
"I thought it'd be better if you heard it from me instead of someone else."
...
Woosh.
It honestly felt like someone had punched straight through my chest.
My heart dropped.
"Look, bro," Jake said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"He isn't gonna pursue her or anything."
"So don't start imagining things, okay?"
"He just thought it'd be better to tell you."
I heard every word.
But they barely registered.
She likes Dylan...?
No...
Does she?
Then...
What about all those smiles?
The way she patiently explained everything.
The way she'd wait for me after class.
The little conversations we'd have.
...
Was I just... imagining it all?
"Gosh..."
Why does this hurt so much?
"...Jayden?"
I blinked.
Both of them were staring at me.
I forced out a smile.
"Yeah..."
"I'm alright."
"I'll be fine."
Neither of them looked convinced.
Neither was I.