Chapter Five — The Note I Can't Ignore
I woke up with the note still lying on my nightstand, mocking me.
That stupid little piece of paper with his even stupider words.
"Hate is never a forever."
Who writes stuff like that? Mark Keifer Watson, apparently — the same guy who's made a full-time career out of annoying me since freshman year.
I roll out of bed and stare at the ceiling for a minute too long. My brain's already spinning. What did he even mean by that? Is he just trying to get into my head? Because congratulations, he's doing a great job.
By the time I drag myself downstairs, Mom's already at the table with her coffee.
"Good morning, sweetheart," she says, not looking up from her laptop. "You're up early."
"Couldn't sleep," I mumble.
Aries, sitting across from her, smirks. "Still thinking about your boyfriend?"
I nearly choke on air. "Excuse me?!"
He grins like the menace he is. "Keifer, right? You've been glaring at your phone all morning like you're waiting for him to text you."
"I was glaring at the wall, Aries. Not everything is about him!"
Mom raises an eyebrow. "Who's Keifer?"
"No one!" I blurt, too quickly.
Aries snorts. "Yeah, sure. 'No one.'"
I grab my bag and storm out before they can say anything else. Brothers should come with a mute button.
---
Maya's already outside school when I get there, waving like the excited puppy she is.
"Morning, tornado girl!" she chirps.
"Morning, caffeine fairy," I say, taking the coffee she offers.
"You look... bothered," she says after a beat.
"Do I?"
"Yeah. You've got that 'I'm overthinking about a boy I hate' face."
I groan. "It's not that."
"It's exactly that."
She's right, obviously. I end up telling her about the note as we walk to class, and by the time I'm done, she looks like she's about to explode.
"He wrote you a note? Jay, that's like—classic rom-com level drama."
"Maya, it's Keifer. He probably meant it as some ego boost."
"Or he meant it as a confession."
I shoot her a look. "You've been watching too many romance movies."
She grins. "And you've been living in one."
I don't answer, because I honestly don't know what to say to that.
---
English class passes in a blur. I can feel Keifer behind me — his gaze, that lazy confidence radiating from him like he owns the world. I don't turn around, but somehow I know he's smirking.
During group work, Mr. Daniels starts pairing us up. I pray — literally pray — that the universe will have mercy on me.
"Mariano and… Watson."
Of course.
The class groans. Someone actually says, "Good luck surviving that one."
I glare at the ceiling. "You've got to be kidding me."
Keifer strolls over, casual as ever. "Guess we're partners, Mariano."
I cross my arms. "Don't sound so happy about it."
"Who said I was?" he teases, sliding into the seat next to me.
"Mr. Daniels," I say loudly, "I'd like to file for academic divorce."
The class laughs. Keifer smirks. "Too late. You're stuck with me."
---
We start working, and for the first five minutes, it's awkwardly quiet.
Then he leans over, pointing at my notes. "You missed a comma."
I glare. "I'll miss your face if you don't stop talking."
He laughs under his breath. "Still charming as ever."
"Still irritating as ever."
But as the minutes pass, something strange happens.
We actually… work well together.
He listens when I talk, doesn't interrupt. Sometimes he adds something smart — annoyingly smart — that makes the project better.
It's weird.
This version of Keifer isn't the one I'm used to fighting with.
When the bell rings, I start packing up, pretending I didn't notice how close he leaned in at one point, or how his voice sounded softer than usual.
"Hey," he says suddenly.
"What?"
"About the note."
I freeze. "What about it?"
He shrugs. "You read it, right?"
"Unfortunately."
His lips twitch. "Good. Then I meant it."
I blink. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He gives me that half-smile — the one that's more real than his usual grin, the one that almost looks… sad.
"It means I don't hate you as much as I used to."
And before I can even process that, he's gone.
---
Later that night, I find myself staring at the note again.
Hate is never a forever.
Maybe he's right.
Maybe hate isn't forever.
But whatever's replacing it? That's scarier.
Because if I'm not careful, I might start to like the boy I swore I'd never fall for.
-
Chapter written by Ayesha