It became routine.
Talk for projects. Pass papers. Short conversations. Small smiles.
But that was it.
Mandy was always surrounded.
"Mandy, can you help me?""Mandy, do you know the answer?""Mandy, can you check this?"
She was always there for everyone—except… no, Liam corrected himself. She was kind to him too. But not special. Just the same.
And that's when it hit him.
"This is all I'll ever get."
He was just another classmate.