AARON
The next morning, Aaron woke up before his alarm.
He lay in the dark, listening to Charlie snore, listening to the fan grind its teeth. His phone was cold against his palm. He had not slept well; every time he closed his eyes, he saw Ese's face. She's sleeping with Oliver.
He needed proof. He needed to see it himself.
But first, he needed to act normal.
He got up, made tea, and stared at the photo on his wall. The four of them; smiling, invincible. He wondered how many of them were lying.
THE BOYS: LUNCHTIME
The cafeteria was chaos.
Charlie had decided that today was the day he would finally talk to Cynthia. Cynthia was a quiet girl who sat near the window, ate alone, and had absolutely no idea that Charlie existed. Aaron watched from their usual table as Charlie marched across the room, chest out, chin up, a flower in his hand that he had definitely stolen from the botany lab.
"This is going to be a disaster," Wesley said, not looking up from his phone.
"Give him a chance," Oliver said. He was smiling. He always smiled before someone fell.
Charlie reached Cynthia's table. He said something. She looked up. Her expression was not impressed.
Charlie gestured wildly. The flower waved like a flag of surrender. Cynthia shook her head. Charlie's face went red. He said something else; too loud, too desperate. Cynthia stood up, picked up her tray, and walked away without looking back.
Charlie stood alone, holding the flower.
The cafeteria didn't go quiet; but a few people laughed. Oliver laughed the loudest.
Charlie walked back to the table, his ears burning. "She's shy," he said. "She'll come around."
"Sure she will," Oliver said. "Maybe in the next life."
"Shut up."
"Or maybe when pigs fly. Or when MU freezes over. Or when—"
"I said shut up."
Aaron put a hand on Charlie's arm. "Forget her. She's not worth it."
Charlie looked at him; grateful, humiliated, furious. "You're right. She's not."
Wesley looked up from his phone. "Rose said yes."
Everyone turned.
"To what?" Oliver asked. His voice was casual. Too casual.
"Coffee. Tomorrow."
The air changed. Aaron felt it; the shift, the tightening. Oliver's smile didn't waver; but his eyes did. Something cold flickered behind them.
"Bro code," Oliver said.
"She's just a friend."
"She's not just a friend and you know it."
Wesley shrugged. "Then maybe you should have asked her out when you had the chance."
Oliver stood up. The table shook. "Wesley."
"Oliver." Wesley didn't stand. He didn't flinch. He just looked up, calm as still water.
Aaron stood too, wedging himself between them. "Not here. Not now."
"Why not?" Oliver said. "You want to be the peacemaker again? Always the peacemaker."
"Someone has to be."
Oliver stared at him for a long moment. Then he laughed; a short, sharp sound. "Fine. But this isn't over."
"It never is," Wesley said.
Oliver walked away. Nelly, who had been watching from the next table, stood and followed him without a word. Her eyes met Aaron's for a second; cold, knowing. She saw everything. She said nothing.
Charlie was grinning now. "Wesley. You have balls. I'll give you that."
Wesley picked up his phone. "I don't need your approval."
"You're going to get yourself killed."
"Maybe." Wesley stood up, stretched, and walked away. "Maybe not."
Aaron sat back down. His tea was cold. His hands were cold. Everything was cold.
THE GIRLS: VICKY'S DORM
Vicky's room smelled like coconut oil and fresh bedsheets.
She sat on her bed, braiding her hair in front of a cracked mirror. Zuru was sprawled on the floor, scrolling through her phone. Ese sat in the corner, reading a novel she wasn't actually reading. Zizi was painting her nails; a deep red, the color of dried blood.
"Zuru, stop staring at my phone," Vicky said without turning around.
"I'm not staring at your phone. I'm staring at Aaron's contact photo. There's a difference."
"You're pathetic."
"I'm persistent. There's also a difference."
Zizi laughed; a sharp, bright sound. "She's not wrong, Vicky. You've been dating him for months. When do we get to meet him properly? Not just in passing?"
"You've met him."
"In passing. I want to see him squirm."
Ese looked up from her book. "Why would he squirm?"
Zizi shrugged. "Because I'm intimidating."
"You're not intimidating. You're just loud."
Zizi threw a pillow at Ese. Ese caught it without looking. The room filled with laughter; easy, warm, the kind of laughter that made you forget that nothing was actually easy or warm.
Vicky smiled at her reflection. "You'll meet him properly at the party. This weekend. The off campus one."
"The one Oliver is hosting?" Zuru sat up, her eyes glittering. "The one where everyone gets drunk and makes bad decisions?"
"The same."
Zuru grinned. "I can't wait."
Vicky's smile faded. She knew what Zuru meant. She knew what Zuru wanted. She just didn't know how to stop it.
THE AFFAIR: EMPTY CLASSROOM, LATE AFTERNOON
The door was locked from the inside.
Zizi sat on the teacher's desk, her legs swinging. Oliver stood between her knees, his hands on her hips. The sunlight through the blinds painted stripes across their faces; prisoner stripes, zebra stripes, the kind of light that made everything look like a crime scene.
"Nelly can't know," Zizi whispered.
"She won't."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
Oliver kissed her neck. She closed her eyes. She told herself she wanted this. She told herself it was just fun. She told herself a lot of things.
Outside the window, hidden in the shadow of the stairwell, Ese stood perfectly still.
She watched.
She waited.
She did not blink.
AARON: THE DORM, NIGHT
Aaron sat on his bed, staring at his phone.
He had Ese's number now; she'd slipped it to him after the meeting, pressed into his palm like a secret. He hadn't texted her. He didn't know what to say.
Follow me sometime. Tomorrow night. You'll see.
Tomorrow was tonight.
His phone buzzed.
Ese (9:14 PM): Science block. Midnight. Don't be late.
He stared at the screen. Then he looked across the room. Oliver was on his bed, scrolling through Instagram, laughing at something. Wesley was reading. Charlie was doing pushups on the floor, counting under his breath.
None of them knew.
None of them knew anything.
Aaron typed back: I'll be there.
He put on his hoodie and waited for midnight.