By the end of the week, they were back at their grandmother's house. The familiar smell of warm tea wrapped around them the moment they stepped inside.
Lola dropped onto the couch dramatically. "I'm telling you, if this is true, it explains everything."
Medina, sitting cross-legged on the rug, looked up. "Explains what?"
Blue paused near the doorway, bag still slung over her shoulder. "Explains what?" she echoed.
Lola leaned forward, lowering her voice even though there was no one else around. "Ann and Adrian. They broke up."
Blue blinked. "What?"
Medina nodded. "Apparently, it happened before the game. Way before. Just… no one knew."
"That makes no sense," Lola said. "She was still acting like everything was fine."
"That's Ann," Medina replied. "She doesn't like losing control of the story."
Blue sat down slowly. "How did you even hear about it?"
"Annabelle," Lola said casually. "She was talking to someone else. Didn't realize I was there."
Medina added, "She said it wasn't dramatic at first. Just… tired. Like they were done pretending."
Blue stared at the floor, thoughts tangling. The rain. The way Adrian had looked disappointed, not angry. The silence afterward.
"And now?" she asked quietly.
Lola shrugged. "Now it's spreading. Slowly. But you know how school is. Give it two days."
Medina smiled faintly. "It's already turning into hot gossip."
Blue leaned back, exhaling. "I don't get it."
"You don't have to," Lola said . "It's not your mess."
But Blue wasn't so sure.
By Monday, the gossip had found its legs.
It strolled. Casual. Curious. Careful not to trip over itself just yet.
Blue heard it in fragments. A name here. A pause there. Someone lowering their voice like the walls had ears. She refused to give it weight.
At lunch, she sat with Elise, Asha, Mavin, and Alan, unwrapping her food like it was the most important task in the world.
Elise nudged her with her elbow. "So… are we allowed to ask, or no?"
Blue didn't look up. "If you're talking about Ann and Adrian, it's not a big deal."
Alan raised an eyebrow. "That's it? That's the statement?"
"Yes," she said simply. "People break up. Life moves on."
Asha tilted her head. "You're unusually calm."
"I'm choosing peace," Blue replied, finally glancing up. "Try it sometime."
Mavin chuckled. "She's right though. Everyone's acting like it's the end of the world."
Elise studied Blue for a second longer, then smiled. "Okay. If you say it's nothing, we'll believe you."
Blue nodded, grateful they let it drop. Even if her thoughts didn't.
Later that day, as she was closing her locker, someone cleared his throat behind her.
"Hey, Blue."
She turned to see James standing there, hands in his pockets, expression unsure but determined.
"Oh. Hey," she said.
He hesitated, then smiled awkwardly. "Can I ask you something?"
"Depends," she replied lightly.
James laughed under his breath. "Fair. It's about Asha."
That caught her attention. "Asha?"
"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was wondering if you could… help?"
Blue leaned against the locker. "Help how?"
"I want to talk to her. Like properly," he said. "But I don't really know how to start."
Blue blinked. Once. Twice.
"You're asking the wrong person," she said. "I don't do matchmaking."
"I'm not asking you to," he rushed. "Just… maybe introduce us? Or—"
She shook her head gently. "No. If you want to talk to her, you should do it yourself."
James frowned slightly. "So… nothing?"
She thought for a second, then sighed. "Fine. I'll give you her Insta ID. That's it. What you do after that is on you."
Relief washed over his face. "Really? Thank you."
She typed it into his phone and handed it back. "Don't make it weird."
He grinned. "I'll try."
As he walked away, Blue found herself wondering something she hadn't planned to think about.
Wasn't he at the party with a girl?
Sasha.
She frowned. She had never asked. Never brought it up. And James had never mentioned her again. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was everything. She decided it wasn't her business.
Asha found out later. Much later.
She burst into the classroom after break, eyes wide. "Why did James just message me?"
Elise, who was sitting beside her, froze. "Message you about what?"
Asha turned to Blue. "Did you give him my Insta ID?"
Blue raised her hands defensively. "He asked. I gave. That's all."
"You didn't tell me," Asha said, half shocked.
"You were out with Elise," Blue replied. "And it wasn't urgent."
Elise laughed. "So this is how secrets are born."
Asha sat down slowly. "He seems… normal."
"Congratulations," Alan said from across the room. "That's rare."
Asha ignored him, then looked back at Blue. "Do you think he's serious?"
Blue paused.
"I think," she said carefully, "you should talk to him and decide that yourself."
Asha nodded, thoughtful.
As the bell rang, Blue leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling for a moment.
Things were shifting again. Quietly. Gently. Like pieces on a board moving when no one was watching.
And she didn't rush to understand them.
It didn't take long for Blue to notice.
Asha wasn't around as much anymore.
She drifted. Slipped into the next class during breaks. Lingered by doorways that weren't theirs. At first, Blue told herself it was nothing.
She's just exploring, Blue thought. New people. New conversations. It happened.
Still, the empty seat beside her felt louder each day.
The staircase was crowded that afternoon, students pouring down in uneven waves, laughter bouncing off the walls. Blue kept her head down, one hand gripping the strap of her bag, moving at her usual quiet pace.
That's when the voices sharpened.
Ann didn't whisper. She never did.
"Well, look who it is," Ann said loudly, her laugh slicing through the air. "Walking alone again. How predictable."