The next morning, Ava woke up with the memory of the hallway kiss still burning in her mind. Every nerve seemed to buzz with it — the feel of his chest against hers, his lips brushing hers, the way he had held her for just long enough to leave her reeling.
But when she checked her phone, there was nothing. No message, no text, no explanation. And that, she realized with a sinking feeling, was very Nicholas-like.
By the time she arrived at school, he was already there — leaning casually against the lockers with his friends, laughing at something one of the girls in his group said. That girl, Ava noticed with a pang, was tucked close to him, smiling up at his every word.
Nicholas didn't look at her once.
Her stomach twisted. She tried to remind herself she had no claim to him, that she had no right to feel this way. But it didn't help.
She moved to her locker, pretending to busy herself with books, but her ears picked up every laugh, every flicker of movement from him. He was so close, so impossibly near, and yet he acted like she didn't exist.
"You look… distracted," a voice said beside her.
Ava jumped slightly and turned to see Ethan, one of the new guys in her class, leaning against the locker next to hers. He had dark eyes that were sharp and kind at the same time, and a smile that made her chest flutter — even when she didn't want it to.
"I'm… fine," Ava said quickly, forcing a smile.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Really? You don't seem fine. You're… tense."
"I'm fine," she repeated, softer this time. She wasn't fine. Her chest felt tight, and her mind kept replaying Nicholas — the hallway, the kiss, the way he had looked at her.
Ethan didn't push. He just smiled and walked with her to class, chatting lightly, and for a few minutes, Ava almost forgot — almost — until she passed the quad and saw him.
Nicholas.
Leaning against the fountain with that same girl from before. Laughing, hands brushing hers, the easy confidence that had always made her blood run hot. He didn't see her. Or maybe he did, and he just didn't care.
Ava's jaw tightened. Her stomach churned with a feeling she couldn't deny anymore: jealousy.
All through the day, she noticed it. Every time Nicholas passed her in the hallway, he was with someone else. A glance here, a laugh there, a touch that made her pulse spike in a way it shouldn't.
And worse — he didn't look at her. Not once.
By lunch, she found herself sitting alone, poking at her sandwich, heart racing, mind spinning. Ethan slid into the seat across from her.
"Still thinking about last night?" he asked casually, voice teasing just enough to make her cheeks warm.
"What?" Ava looked up sharply.
"Come on," he said, smirking. "You can't hide it from me. I saw the way you kept looking toward the fountain. That guy — he's got you all twisted, hasn't he?"
Ava's eyes widened. "I— I don't know what you mean."
Ethan leaned back, smiling knowingly. "Sure you don't."
Her stomach sank. She did know. And it hurt more than she expected. Not because she had kissed Nicholas, not because it had been amazing, but because now… now he acted like it meant nothing.
And he seemed to be enjoying watching other people notice her.
By the end of the day, Ava was frazzled. She couldn't focus in class. Her friends noticed she was quiet, distracted. Emma gave her a pointed look during lunch.
"Talk to me," Emma said softly.
"I can't," Ava admitted finally. "It's… Nicholas. He's… ignoring me. And he keeps acting like he doesn't care — and now he's…" She trailed off, voice tight.
"Now he's what?"
"Flirting with every girl he meets," Ava muttered.
Emma frowned. "Oh. You mean the jealousy thing?"
Ava groaned. "It's not funny."
"It's very funny," Emma said. "But more importantly… it means he wants you. Even if he won't admit it."
Ava blinked. "You really think so?"
Emma shrugged. "Trust me. He's too arrogant and too smart to just ignore someone he cares about. This? It's the player act. Don't fall for it, but don't pretend it doesn't sting."
Ava chewed her lip, staring out the window at the schoolyard. The truth was clear, whether she wanted to admit it or not: Nicholas had shaken her world, and now he was making her pay for it by being distant and impossible.
And every laugh she heard from him with other girls only made her blood burn hotter.
By the time she left school, her mind was spinning. She didn't know whether to chase him or walk away. All she knew was that she couldn't stop thinking about him.
And, somewhere deep down, she realized with a jolt: she didn't want to.