Chapter Seven — Roses
My morning alarm went off again. Same time. Same torture.
I hit snooze five times before Aries started banging on my door.
"Jay! If you make me late, I'm telling Mom you're secretly dating Watson!"
That got me up real fast.
"Aries, I swear—"
But he was already laughing on his way downstairs.
I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed, and stared at my reflection. "It's just another day," I muttered. "No Watson drama. No note. Just peace."
I was wrong.
---
By the time I got to school, Maya was already waving from near our lockers. Two coffees. Same routine.
"Morning tornado girl!" she chirped, handing me one.
"Morning coffee fairy," I said, yawning.
She gave me a suspicious look. "You look tired. Late-night texting with a certain someone?"
"Don't start."
"Okay, okay. Just asking."
We both laughed as we walked to our lockers, but then I froze.
Because my locker… wasn't normal.
It wasn't empty. It wasn't its usual slightly dented self. It was… decorated.
Inside was a single red rose. And a small box of chocolates.
Maya gasped. "Oh. My. God."
I blinked. "What the—"
"There's a note!" she squealed, snatching it before I could.
"Maya!"
She read it out loud before I could stop her.
> For the girl who swears she hates me — you look prettier when you don't glare.
My jaw dropped. "No. No way."
Maya grinned. "Jay… you have a secret admirer!"
"Or a stalker," I muttered, taking the rose. "Who even writes this stuff?"
"Someone who's in love with you!"
I shot her a look. "You think it's Keifer."
She gasped dramatically. "You think it's Keifer too!"
"I did NOT say that!"
"You didn't have to!" she said, shaking me by the shoulders. "Jay, come on! He totally likes you. Roses? Chocolates? The note literally screams Watson energy!"
I groaned. "It screams delusional energy."
Still… as I looked at the rose, something warm and stupid bloomed in my chest. I hated that I didn't immediately throw it away.
---
Classes went by weirdly fast. I kept waiting for some sort of clue — a glance, a smirk, a smuggled look from the back of the room — but Keifer didn't act any different. He was calm, quiet, even polite when Mr. Daniels called on him.
That made it worse.
By lunch, Maya was basically vibrating with excitement.
"Did he look at you?"
"No."
"Did he talk to you?"
"No."
"Then it's definitely him."
"Maya—"
She leaned in. "Jay. I'm telling you. He's trying to court you."
I nearly choked on my water. "What century are you from?!"
She giggled. "The romantic one."
"Unsubscribe me immediately."
But even as we laughed, I caught myself glancing around the cafeteria. Keifer was sitting across the room, talking to his friends. He didn't look my way once.
And somehow, that bugged me.
---
After school, I opened my locker again — and nearly dropped my bag.
Another rose.
Another chocolate box.
Another note.
This one said:
> If hate is forever, why do you keep smiling at me?
My breath caught.
Because I had smiled earlier — in English class, when he said something under his breath that made even Mr. Daniels laugh. I thought no one noticed.
But he did.
"Girl," Maya whispered, appearing behind me like a ghost. "Don't tell me—"
"There's another one," I said softly, showing her.
She squealed so loud I swear the lockers shook. "Jay! This is so romantic! You're being courted! Like—full-on secret admirer!"
"I'm being terrorized by love letters," I muttered.
But my fingers brushed the rose again, and for a split second, I couldn't help but smile.
---
That night, I placed both roses in a cup of water on my desk. I told myself it was just to keep them from wilting.
But deep down, I knew it wasn't that simple.
Because for the first time in a long time, I wasn't just annoyed at Mark Keifer Watson.
I was… curious.
And that scared me more than anything.