Ella had been crushing on Keifer for months. Not a casual crush—this was the kind of crush that made her stomach flip whenever he smiled, the kind that made her laugh at every one of his jokes even when they weren't funny, the kind that had her daydreaming about him at the most inconvenient times.
But today, standing just outside the library, she felt a strange twist in her chest. Keifer was laughing, leaning closer than necessary to someone she didn't recognize at first. Jay. The junior. And the way she looked at him—the smile, the sparkle in her eyes—Ella felt her stomach tighten with a mixture of jealousy and disbelief.
"Wait… what?" Ella muttered under her breath, stepping closer.
Jay laughed softly at something Keifer said, her hand brushing his as they exchanged papers. It was casual, innocent—or at least it should have been—but Ella could feel the sharp pang of possessiveness gnawing at her.
Ella had always thought she had a chance. She had flirted, smiled, leaned in whenever he was near. She had noticed the way he sometimes glanced at her, and in her heart, she had convinced herself that maybe, just maybe…
But now? Seeing them together, so easy, so natural, so connected, something inside her tightened. Her fingers curled around the strap of her bag, knuckles white.
Jay wasn't just a junior. She was someone Keifer genuinely liked. Ella's mind raced. Every little thing—the way Jay leaned toward him when he spoke, the quiet laugh that made his eyes crinkle, the subtle touch of her hand—made Ella feel like an outsider watching a world she didn't belong to.
Ella took a step back, trying to calm herself. "It's fine," she muttered. "It's nothing. He likes me too… he probably just… likes her as a friend."
But the rational part of her mind didn't soothe the jealousy crawling up her spine. She could feel her pulse in her ears, sharp and insistent, every beat reminding her of how clearly Keifer and Jay belonged together.
Ella lingered outside the library longer than she should have, watching from a distance as Keifer bent closer to Jay, talking softly, his hand brushing hers lightly as he passed over a stack of notes. The casual intimacy made Ella's stomach knot painfully.
She turned away, pacing slightly, trying to shake the frustration and the heat of envy that burned behind her chest. "It's fine," she whispered again, biting her lip. "I can… I can deal with this."
But deep down, Ella knew she couldn't ignore it. Seeing them like this, so effortless together, made every crush she had on him feel fragile and insignificant. She had been dreaming about being the one he smiled at that way, the one he leaned in toward, the one whose hand he brushed lightly. Not Jay. Never Jay.
Her phone buzzed in her hand, snapping her out of her spiral. A message from a friend, nothing important—but she didn't even read it. She just gripped it, her jaw tight, and stole one last glance through the glass doors.
Keifer laughed at something Jay said, the sound warm and effortless, and Ella felt the sharp sting of reality. The senior she had liked so desperately… was already in Jay's orbit in a way she could never compete with.
And yet… even as jealousy throbbed through her, Ella couldn't tear her eyes away. There was something magnetic about the way they moved together, something undeniable. Something she hated and, secretly, couldn't help but admire.,