The bus ride didn't take long, but the shift in energy was immediate as they stepped off at the stop just outside the gates of Jason's old school. From a distance, the fair looked like a bubble of noise and color, streamers hanging from trees, pop music blaring through cheap speakers and the distinct smell of popcorn and fried food drifting through the air.
Bella took it all in with a raised eyebrow. "Well. You weren't kidding about the noise."
"Told you," Jason said with a grin. "This place has a personality disorder during alumni weekend."
They passed a booth selling caramel apples, a dunk tank manned by a surprisingly enthusiastic science teacher and a face-painting station already surrounded by kids. Jason pointed out old landmarks as they walked, where the tennis courts used to be, the bench that somehow still had his initials scratched into it.
Bella didn't say much, but she listened closely, her eyes moving over the place with quiet interest.
Then, near the field where the games were set up, a shout cut through the noise.
"Jay!"
Jason turned, instinctively smiling as two guys jogged up from across the lawn. One of them was tall and lanky with a mop of curly hair and the other wore mirrored sunglasses that didn't belong anywhere near a school campus.
"Eli? Kyle?" Jason blinked. "No way."
The three of them exchanged half-hugs and shoulder slaps like it hadn't been years since they last saw each other.
"I thought you moved to the coast," Jason said.
"Back for a visit," Eli replied. "Mom guilt-tripped me into it. You know how it is."
Kyle gave Jason a once-over. "Still playing tennis like your life depends on it?"
"Captain now," Jason said with a small shrug.
Kyle whistled. "Man of responsibility. Look at you."
Jason glanced back at Bella, who was standing just behind him, sipping a lemonade she must have picked up while they were talking.
"Oh, uh, this is Bella," he said. "Bella, these are Eli and Kyle. We went to school together."
Bella gave a small wave. "Hey."
"Nice to meet you," Eli said, offering her a friendly smile. "Jason never brought any girl anywhere before."
Jason coughed. "That's... not relevant."
Kyle grinned. "It's definitely relevant."
Bella glanced at Jason, amused but didn't press it. She just took another sip of lemonade and said, "So what's the least rigged game here?"
They all laughed and before long, they were at a ring toss booth, then a dart game. As the afternoon wore on, Jason's friends gradually peeled off to mingle with other alumni. Just before leaving, Kyle slowed his step, throwing Jason a quick glance. No words this time, just a raised eyebrow, the smallest smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth and a look that said everything without saying a thing.
Jason didn't react but the message lingered as Kyle turned and disappeared into the crowd.
As the fun fair faded behind them, a blur of warm lights and leftover laughter, Jason and Bella stepped onto the nearly empty bus. The seats were cold from the late evening air and the sky outside had darkened into that quiet blue that comes just before night fully settles.
They slid into a seat near the back, side by side, their bodies gently rocking with the rhythm of the road.
Bella leaned her head against the window and let out a small, tired sigh. "That was fun," she murmured.
Jason smiled, watching the reflection of her face in the glass. "Yeah. It was."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the city roll by. The bus wasn't crowded, just a few passengers tucked in corners, half-asleep or scrolling through their phones. It felt peaceful. For a moment, Jason thought about letting the moment pass. But something in him said now or never.
Jason glanced at Bella out of the corner of his eye. Part of him wanted to leave things as they were. But the words had been building all morning and if he didn't say them now, he knew he might never.
He shifted slightly in his seat.
"Hey," he said, keeping his tone casual, though his fingers fidgeted with the seam of his sleeve. "Can I tell you something weird?"
Bella turned to him, curious. "Sure."
He hesitated for a breath, then smiled a little, eyes on the seat in front of him.
"I think I've got a bit of a crush on someone. At school."
Bella's face lit up, not in the way he hoped, but in the way a friend does when you share a juicy secret. "What? Seriously? Since when?"
"A while," Jason said, smiling despite himself. "It kind of crept up on me."
Bella shifted in her seat, visibly excited. "Do I know her?"
Jason looked at her, then gave a small nod. "Yeah. You do."
"Ooooh. Okay, give me a hint or something," she said, nudging his arm playfully. "What's she like? How does she look? Who is she?"
Jason hesitated, just for a second. Then, slowly, he began. "She's got this way of focusing on things, like when she's studying or watching a match. It's like the rest of the world disappears. She's quiet, but not shy, more like… deliberate. She says just enough to make you want to listen closer."
Bella smiled, resting her chin on her hand. "That's kind of poetic. You've really thought about this, huh?"
"Yeah," he said, softer now. "She always carry a tote and wears dresses under these loose jackets which somehow looks cool without trying. Her laugh, " He stopped for a second, as if the words caught in his throat. "It's rare. But when it happens, it feels like something you earned."
Bella's smile began to falter.
She blinked. Once. Twice. A strange flicker passed through her expression. She didn't move, but the energy in her body changed, stiffening slightly, like a thread had pulled tight.
Jason didn't notice. Or maybe he did and kept going anyway.
"I guess I like being around her because she makes things feel... lighter. She has a cute pixie haircut, big questioning eyes…"
Bella's mouth opened, then closed. Her pulse thudded in her ears.
"…Jason," she said quietly, her voice suddenly small.
He turned to her, finally meeting her eyes and that's when she knew for sure.
The girl he was talking about wasn't someone at school.
It was her.
Her face went pale.
The realisation hit like a jolt, sharp, sinking, awful. Everything in her body screamed no but the words wouldn't come. She swallowed hard, heart thudding unevenly in her chest.
Jason's voice was soft now. "It's you, Bella. I like you."
There was a silence that didn't belong between friends.
Bella's breath caught. She didn't know where to look. Her gaze flicked to the window, the seat ahead, the floor, anywhere but his eyes. "Jason…" she said again, almost a whisper.
He heard the hesitation in her voice. Saw the panic she was trying to hide.
"You didn't know," he said, quickly, backing off. "I get it. I didn't mean to put you in a weird spot."
But it was too late.
Bella felt like her entire chest had clenched. She wanted to say thank you, or you're amazing, or I don't want to hurt you, but all that came out was, "I didn't… I didn't realise."
He gave a small, pained laugh. "Yeah. I kinda figured that out mid-sentence."
"I'm so sorry," she said, finally meeting his eyes. "You're one of my favourite people, Jason. But not like that. I never… I didn't feel that."
Jason nodded, but his smile didn't reach his eyes anymore. "You don't have to explain. It's okay."
It wasn't.
The rest of the ride stretched out in heavy silence. Jason sat on the aisle seat, leaving Bella pressed against the window with nowhere to shift or escape. The narrow space felt tighter than before, like the walls were inching closer around her.
She felt trapped, caught between the closeness of Jason's presence and the widening gap between them, a strange tension that made the silence feel even heavier and more awkward.
By the time the bus stopped near their neighbourhood, the distance between them felt miles wide, even though they were still sitting side by side.
They walked down the street together without speaking. When they reached the corner where they usually split off, Bella turned to say something, anything but Jason just gave a small nod.
"See you around."
And then he walked away.
Bella stood there for a long moment, arms crossed tightly over her chest, the cool night air doing little to calm the ache in her stomach.
The evening had started like something out of a memory. And ended like something she wished she could forget.