"Did you finish the summer packet?" Kayla asked as we walked to class.
I groaned. "Barely. I finished it at like, midnight last night. The last two pages are basically scribbles. If I fail math, it's on Mr. Simmons for assigning summer homework."
Kayla laughed. "You're so dramatic. At least you finished. I didn't even start mine. And I bet half the class didn't either."
"You're insane."
We turned the corner and there was Josh, leaning casually against a locker, laughing with a couple of guys. One of them rolled his eyes and walked off, clearly annoyed.
Josh spotted me and lit up. Smile wide. Arms open. Like he'd been waiting all morning just to see me.
"There she is," he said, pulling me in for a hug. "Missed you, babe."
I smiled back, caught in the moment. He always knew exactly what to say.
I smiled back, caught up in the moment. He always knew what to say. But over his shoulder, I caught one of the guys shaking his head and muttering something as he walked away.
Weird.
"It's so nice to finally see you again, but I gotta go. Bye, babe!" Josh said, pulling away quickly.
"Bye babe" I said before he gave a kiss on the cheek and went back to talking to his friends.
Still, I couldn't stop thinking about that weird energy from before.
Kayla nudged me gently. "You okay?"
I shrugged. "Yeah. Just...first day nerves, I guess."
The bell rang, and we groaned in unison as we headed to class.
When I slid into my seat, I noticed someone sitting across from me — someone I didn't recognize. He had rich blue eyes and messy blonde hair. Already laughing, already chatting. Like he belonged.
"Who's that?" I whispered to Kayla.
She glanced over. "No clue. Transfer, maybe? He wasn't here last year."
I tried not to stare. I really did. But something about him — the way he fit in so fast, like he'd always been here — pulled my attention like a magnet.
By the time third period ended, my brain felt fried, like I'd already taken the SATs. Kayla and I made our way to the cafeteria.
"I swear, if I have to sit through one more syllabus speech, I might actually lose it," Kayla muttered, pushing the doors open.
I laughed. "At least lunch doesn't come with a grading rubric."
The cafeteria looked exactly the same — tables, noise, tray clatter — and yet something about it felt... different. Maybe it was just me. Or maybe it was the fact that I hadn't stopped thinking about the new guy all morning.
We grabbed lunch and found our usual spot near the windows. Josh was already there with his friends. He stood when he saw me, pulling out the chair next to him like a scene from a rom-com.
"Here you go, babe," he said with a grin.
I forced a smile and sat down — only to watch him immediately go back to his phone like I wasn't even there.
"You'd think he'd wait until you finished eating," Kayla whispered from across the table.
"He's probably just checking football scores or something," I muttered, brushing it off.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the new guy enter with a tray, laughing at something a girl beside him said. He looked... comfortable. Effortlessly confident. And then, for a moment, his eyes met mine across the cafeteria.
I looked away too fast.
What am I doing? I thought, panic prickling. Why am I thinking about him? I have a boyfriend. Josh is right here. The thought of looking at anyone else feels wrong. Still, I couldn't shake it. That one look — it kept circling my thoughts like it meant something when it absolutely shouldn't.
I focused on my tray, determined to erase him from my mind.
But no matter how much I told myself to forget about it, that one lingering look kept circling in my mind. What was it about him?
I need to stop thinking about the new guy, he is just some stranger. Nothing more.
But every time I glanced up, my eyes found him again. Laughing. Smiling. Like he belonged here more than I did.
I didn't realize how long I'd been staring until Isa nudged me again. "You're doing it again."
I blinked, feeling my face heat up. "What?"
"You're staring at the new guy. Again."
"I wasn't," I mumbled, but I could feel the heat creeping into my cheeks.
She was right. I had been. And I hated how my heart seemed to beat a little faster every time I looked at him.
Kayla raised an eyebrow. "Sure. So what's his name?"
"I don't know. I think he's new. Maybe a transfer?"
"Right," she smirked. "You sure you're not more interested in what's behind those blue eyes?"
"Stop," I groaned, even though my heart seemed to be racing again at the thought. "I have a boyfriend."
That's when I realized Josh wasn't sitting next to me anymore. Wait. When did he even leave the table? And even when he came back, he didn't say a word. Just sat there, glued to his phone, fingers flying across the screen like I didn't even exist.
"You seem to be ignoring Josh for some guy you don't even know," Kayla said, teasing but not entirely joking.
I ignored Kayla's question on focussed on Josh.
"Maybe he's just... distracted," I muttered, trying to defend him. "It's just the first day back. He's probably busy with his friends or whatever."
Kayla tilted her head. "Sure. But doesn't it bug you? The whole 'I'm too busy to even talk to my girlfriend' thing?"
I didn't want to admit it, but yeah. It bugged me. A lot more than I was ready to say out loud. But I wasn't sure I even knew what to do with that feeling yet.
"Let's just eat," I said, pushing the thoughts away.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about that lingering look. That one second of eye contact with someone I didn't know. Someone who saw me.
And how, for just that second...
Everything else disappeared.