Kaia Rivers sat on the edge of the bleachers, pretending to sketch while stealing glances at Nova Martinez, who stood across the gym like she didn't owe anyone a single damn thing.
Nova's black tank top clung to her like it had secrets, sweat dampening the curve of her collarbone as she leaned against the wall, licking cherry-red lollipop lips with zero shame. Her roller derby bruises peeked out under ripped shorts and there was a glitter smear across her knuckles like she'd gotten into a fistfight with a drag queen and won.
Kaia's pencil trembled in her fingers. She hadn't drawn anything in twenty minutes, just the illusion of motion, graphite scratching the same damn corner of the page over and over while her eyes followed the girl who never seemed to notice her-until she did.
"You gonna keep watching or take a picture, Rivers?" Nova's voice carried like smoke, lazy and low, not loud enough to mock, just enough to humiliate.
Kaia blinked hard, heart slamming against her ribs. A few students laughed. Nova didn't even look over again. She'd already gone back to joking with her friends, twisting her braid around her fingers while Kaia tried not to drown in the floorboards.
That night, Kaia couldn't get her out of her head. She painted her in silence-Nova's shoulders, her throat, the curve of her hip peeking out above her waistband, skin smeared in bruises and confidence.
She didn't paint her face. She never painted faces. It was safer that way. But her hands shook when she dipped the brush into the red, and by the time she finished, it was almost midnight and her legs ached from pressing them together too long.
She stared at the image she'd made, chest rising and falling like she'd just run a mile. And then she let her hand slip under the waistband of her pajama shorts, mouth pressed to the inside of her wrist to muffle every sound as she imagined Nova's hand instead of her own.
It didn't take long. Shame never did. Afterward she lay there in the dark, sticky thighs and damp pillow, eyes wide, heart hollow, the painting staring back at her like a confession she hadn't meant to say out loud.
Monday came. Kaia barely made it through first period without bolting. At her locker, Nova slammed hers shut just as Kaia reached for her sketchbook.
"Jesus, Rivers. Do you ever blink?" Her eyes flicked down-Kaia didn't know where. Lips? Neck? She couldn't breathe.
"You're always staring." "I'm not," Kaia said quickly, too quickly.
"Sure you aren't." Nova leaned a little closer. She smelled like body spray and sweat and something sharp. "You're not subtle." Then she turned and walked away.
Kaia didn't go home after school. She wandered the library stacks, palms sweating, fingers tracing the spines of books she wouldn't read, her mind spinning with what she should've said. Nova had looked at her. Looked. Not laughed. Not rolled her eyes. Not ignored her. Kaia didn't know what it meant. She just knew her body still buzzed from it.
By Wednesday, Nova was waiting at Kaia's locker. Leaning, casual, bored.
"Skate night. Friday. You coming?" Kaia blinked.
"Skate night?"
"Queer Skate. Velvet Rink. You know what that is, right?"
"I don't skate."
"You don't have to." Nova's lips curled into a smile that looked more like a dare.
"Unless you just want to keep staring from the bleachers." She walked away before Kaia could respond, and the heat that bloomed in Kaia's chest felt dangerous.
She didn't tell anyone. Not her mom, who thought "gay things" were a phase kids caught like the flu. Not her sister, who had her Bible and her fiancé and no time for girls who liked girls. She said she was going to the library. She took the bus to the rink alone, wearing black jeans, a shirt she never dared wear at school, and a dusting of glitter across her collarbone like armor.
The Velvet Rink glowed under purple lights and the music was loud and unapologetic. Queer kids skated hand-in-hand, kissed against the walls, laughed too loud, and Kaia wanted to cry because none of it felt real.
Then she saw Nova, moving like sin across the rink floor, sweat glistening, lips slightly parted. Kaia didn't skate. She didn't even try. She just watched. And when Nova skated toward her, eyes soft now, lips shiny, cheeks flushed, Kaia froze.
"Didn't think you'd show," Nova said, pulling off one glove and tucking it into her pocket. Kaia swallowed.
"Didn't think I would either." Nova held out her hand.
"One lap." Kaia looked down at it. At her. Then nodded. Just once. Nova pulled her onto the rink floor slowly, Kaia stumbling but staying up, gripping Nova's fingers like they were the only thing keeping her from falling. Nova laughed, not mean, not loud, just there, close. And in that moment, Kaia didn't care who was watching.
Kaia's legs trembled as Nova guided her around the rink, slow, steady, hand gripping hers like it wasn't a big deal. But it was. It was everything. They passed a couple kissing by the corner rail, a trans boy in a skirt skating backwards with his arms wide, laughter echoing off disco lights. Nova pulled Kaia gently, not too fast, eyes flicking over every time she wobbled, the tiniest smile tugging at her mouth.
"You're not terrible," she said.
"You're a liar," Kaia muttered. Nova laughed-warm, open-and for a second Kaia's knees nearly gave out, not from skating, but from the sound. They looped around once. Twice. Kaia stopped counting. Her heart was too loud. Her thoughts were a tangle of want and terror. When Nova finally slowed them to a stop, she was still holding her hand.
"See? You didn't die."
"Not physically."
"Not yet," Nova said, leaning a little closer, voice low enough that Kaia's stomach flipped.
"But I could kill you if I wanted."
"That's a weird way to flirt." Nova smirked.
"You think I'm flirting?"
"Aren't you?" Kaia asked. Nova didn't answer. Just held her gaze a second too long, then walked off toward the snack bar, braid swinging. Kaia stood there breathless and half-wrecked, thighs sore, palms sweaty, chest tight. She didn't know what the hell that meant. But she knew she'd be replaying it for the next seven nights.
The week after skate night was hell. Nova didn't text. Didn't talk to her. Didn't look at her. Kaia watched her in the cafeteria with a girl from the volleyball team-tall, loud, thigh tattoo peeking from under her skirt. They laughed. Touched. Shared fries. Kaia couldn't eat. Couldn't sleep. Her sketchbook pages filled with Nova's neck, her teeth, her hands gripping Kaia's. She hated how obsessed she was. Hated how the hunger lived just under her ribs, gnawing every time she heard Nova's name.
Thursday after class, Kaia found herself by the vending machines near the art wing, pulse jittering in her throat. She didn't mean to wait there. Not really. But when Nova appeared, alone, headphones around her neck, phone in hand, Kaia's mouth opened before she could stop it.
"So that's it?" Nova looked up.
"What?"
"Skate night. You flirt with me. Touch me. Then ignore me like nothing happened."
Nova blinked. "Damn. Dramatic much?"
"You're the one who held my hand like it meant something."
"Maybe it did. Maybe it didn't." Kaia felt heat flood her chest.
"You're such a fucking-"
"Careful." Nova stepped forward.
"You want me to be honest? It meant something. But I don't do clingy. I don't do girls who fall apart over a look."
"I'm not falling apart." "You're literally cornering me next to a vending machine."
"Because you touched me like you meant it," Kaia snapped.
"Then looked through me like I was wallpaper." Nova stared for a long second.
Then, without a word, she grabbed Kaia's face and kissed her.
It wasn't soft. It wasn't slow. It was teeth and tongue and desperation. It was Kaia gasping as her back hit the vending machine, hands clutching Nova's hips like she was drowning. It was Nova tasting like soda and cinnamon gum and heat. Kaia moaned-actually moaned-into her mouth, and Nova swallowed the sound like a secret.
Then she pulled away, biting Kaia's bottom lip as she went. "Still think I don't mean it?"
Kaia couldn't speak. She just shook her head.
"Good." Nova's breath was warm against her jaw. "Then stop acting like a fucking poem and start acting like you want me." Kaia didn't remember walking home. She just remembered the ache. The wetness between her legs that didn't go away. The shame and thrill twisting together in her belly. She wanted Nova. Badly. Recklessly. And she didn't know how to survive that truth.
The next night, Kaia touched herself again, but this time she didn't cry after. She bit her lip and whispered Nova's name and let herself come with her hand shoved deep between her thighs, heart racing like a sin she didn't want forgiven.
On Monday, Nova passed her a note in homeroom. Locker room. Lunch. Come alone. Kaia nearly dropped it.
At noon, she walked in and locked the door. Nova was already there, leaning against the mirror, chewing gum like she wasn't about to destroy her.
"Close the blinds," Nova said. Kaia did. Then turned. "Why here?" "Because I want to hear you when you scream." "That's-" Nova stepped forward, cupped her face, kissed her again. And this time, it wasn't angry. It was deep, slow, tongue dragging, hips pressing together. Kaia whimpered. "You wore the glitter again," Nova whispered, fingers brushing her collarbone. "You knew I liked it." "I didn't-" "You did." Kaia's breath caught as Nova's hand slid down, fingers grazing under her shirt. "Tell me to stop." "I don't want you to." "Say it." "Don't stop."
Nova pulled her close, and this time Kaia let her. Let her hand slip lower. Let her mouth find her neck. Let her push her against the cold tiles of the locker bench and kiss her like they were starving. Kaia's shirt came off. Then her bra. Her nipples pebbled instantly under the air. Nova's mouth found one and Kaia bit her fist. "Fuck, Nova-" "That's more like it." Fingers dragged over the waistband of Kaia's jeans, then inside. Kaia bucked. Nova smirked. "So wet. You've been thinking about this since skate night, haven't you?" Kaia gasped as Nova slid two fingers inside her, curling slow. "Yes. Fuck, yes-" "Good girl."
Kaia came with a soft cry, body shaking, hand in Nova's hair. After, she sat breathless against the lockers, shirt unbuttoned, glitter smeared across her chest like war paint. Nova kissed her again-slower this time-and whispered, "Don't fall in love with me, Rivers." Kaia's throat was raw. "Too late."
---
Kaia had never been touched like that before. Not just the sex-though that had been dizzying, wet, overwhelming-but the intimacy. The way Nova had whispered to her, looked at her after like she was made of something more than skin. But Monday ended and Tuesday came, and Nova barely glanced her way in the hallway. No texts. No notes. Just silence. Kaia spent most of the day pretending she didn't care, replaying every second in her mind like a fever dream, thighs clenching under the table in English class because her body still remembered how Nova's fingers felt, how her voice dropped when she said good girl.
Wednesday, Kaia tried to talk to her after school, caught her by the stairwell near the photography lab. "Hey," she said, soft, awkward. Nova didn't stop walking. "Hey," Kaia repeated, louder. Nova turned, eyes cold, expression unreadable. "Don't catch feelings, Rivers. That wasn't the deal." Kaia flinched. "You didn't say there was a deal." "Exactly." Nova turned and kept walking, braid bouncing with every step. Kaia stood there stunned, throat tight, face burning. For the first time, she hated that she had ever said yes. Hated how fast she let her walls down. Hated how easily Nova had stripped her-literally and emotionally-and then vanished like she'd never meant a thing.
She didn't cry that night. She painted instead. Over the old canvas she'd made of Nova. Red strokes. Black slashes. Sharp corners where there had once been softness. Her whole body felt like a blister-tender and tight and waiting to burst.
Thursday in art club, she sat beside a boy she barely knew. Jay Kim. Trans. Theater kid. Always had his earbuds in and his sleeves rolled up, scars peeking out like secrets he didn't bother hiding. "You okay?" he asked without looking up from his sketch. Kaia blinked. "What?" "You're vibrating. Like your whole soul's on fire or some shit." Kaia blinked again, unsure whether to laugh or run. "I'm fine." "You're lying." He turned his sketchpad around. It was a charcoal of a mouth screaming. "I get it." Kaia looked at him, really looked. His eyeliner was smudged, his nails chipped, his jaw clenched like he was always holding something back. "Thanks," she said quietly. "For what?" "Not pretending I'm not falling apart." "It's kind of obvious," he said with a half-shrug. "Wanna scream into a locker together after this?"
She smiled. For the first time that week.
Later, they sat behind the theater stage, throwing paper planes into the air and watching them nose-dive. "Who broke you?" Jay asked casually. Kaia hesitated. "Nova." "Shit." He winced. "That's your first mistake." "You know her?" "Everyone knows her. She's like a fire. Looks good from far away, but if you touch her-burns." "Yeah. I noticed." "Did she kiss you like she meant it?" "Yes." "Fuck." He tossed another paper plane. "That's the worst kind."
Kaia leaned back against the wall. "You ever been kissed like that?" Jay looked away. "Not yet. Closest I got was Rowan Ash almost holding my hand once when we were both high on NyQuil and playing Mario Kart at three a.m." "Rowan?" "The golden boy. Math genius. Closet case. His family's rich and terrifying. But he stares at me in Chem like he wants to swallow me whole." "So what's stopping him?" Jay looked at her. "Boys like him don't date boys like me." "What kind of boy are you?" Jay grinned. "The kind who'd let you scream into a pillow while I hold your hand."
Kaia laughed. Loud. It startled her.
By Friday, Nova still hadn't said anything. Kaia deleted the text she'd written five times. After school, she went to Whisperwood Park alone. Sat on the swings. Listened to some girl with purple hair blast Billie Eilish through a Bluetooth speaker. She didn't realize she was crying until someone handed her a tissue. A tall, freckled girl with piercings and a skateboard under her arm. "Breakup?" she asked. Kaia nodded. "Kind of." "Love sucks." "Yeah." "I'm Rae." "Kaia." "Wanna come skate with me? Not like, date. Just skate." "I don't skate." "Even better. You'll make me look good."
Rae was ridiculous. Loud. Awkward. Crashed into a trash can five minutes in. Kaia laughed so hard she snorted. For a minute, she forgot Nova existed. She even let Rae hold her hand to steady her as she tried not to fall on her ass.
That night, Kaia got a DM. U still mad? From Nova. Just that. No punctuation. No apology. Kaia stared at the screen. Didn't answer. An hour later, another message. I miss your mouth. Kaia's thighs clenched. She hated how her body still reacted. Another text: You want me. Stop pretending you don't. Kaia typed: You hurt me. Deleted it. Typed again: Maybe I still do. Deleted that too. In the end she just turned off her phone and rolled over in bed, clutching a pillow and hating how empty it felt.
Saturday night, Jay texted her: Park? Weed + bitching + bubble tea? Bring a blanket. She went. They lay on the grass, passed a joint, and ranted about everything. Kaia told him everything. Jay didn't judge. He just listened. "You still want her, huh?" "Yeah." "But she's bad for you." "I know." "Still gonna fuck her again if she asks." "...yeah." Jay grinned. "Welcome to the club."
As they sat under the stars, a shadow approached. Nova. "Thought I'd find you here," she said, eyes on Kaia. Jay looked between them, then stood. "I'm gonna disappear. Don't murder each other."
Nova sat beside her. Close. Not touching. "You didn't reply." "You didn't say anything worth replying to." "I'm not good at this shit." "Then don't do it." Nova bit her lip. "I think about you." "When?" "All the time. Especially when I'm touching myself." Kaia swallowed. "That's not fair." "It's true." "You want me or not?" "I do." Nova turned, eyes softer now. "I just don't know how to not ruin things." Kaia stared at her. "Then ruin me gently."
They kissed again. Not like last time. This was slower. Hungrier. Full of apology and need. Nova's hands slid under her hoodie. Kaia moaned. They fumbled with buttons, zippers, breath sharp. Nova's fingers found her again. Kaia gasped into her neck. "Fuck-Nova-" "Shhh, we're in public." "Then stop making me feel so fucking good." Nova laughed. "You're the one dripping already." "Don't stop." "Wasn't planning on it."
Kaia came with her face buried in Nova's shoulder, teeth grazing skin, thighs clenching. After, they lay under the stars. Kaia breathing hard. Nova tracing circles on her hip. "What are we?" Kaia asked. Nova didn't answer. Just kissed her again.
Quick question, what do you guys think Kaia and Nova are? Are they sex buddies or something else? Comment your thoughts.