the next morning hit sara like a notification she didn't ask for. school felt different — not louder, not busier, just… aimed at her. eyes flicking toward her and turning away too fast. whispers shifting around the hallway like smoke.
great. perfect. exactly the vibe she didn't need today.
she opened her locker, trying to mind her business, but her stomach tightened. something was off.
"hey. morning."
leo's voice behind her. calm. warm. confident like he woke up with the sun personally thanking him.
sara didn't turn. "why are you talking to me like we're friends?"
leo snorted softly. "i thought we graduated from being sworn enemies on the rooftop yesterday."
she slammed her locker door and glared at him. "graduated? leo, nothing happened yesterday."
"oh?" he stepped closer, leaning slightly. "you're right. absolutely nothing. we absolutely didn't sit on the rooftop talking like… normal human beings."
sara's heart jumped — not romantically, but because she didn't want anyone hearing this. "shhh!"
leo smirked. "why? you don't want people thinking we're—"
"don't finish that sentence."
but leo didn't get the chance.
a group of girls walked by, whispering just loud enough:
"that's her."
"i heard she was on the rooftop with him."
"no way, they're totally—"
"she's probably just trying to get close to him."
sara froze.
her blood went cold first, then hot.
rumors.
of course.
she didn't know whether to scream, cry, or bury herself under the nearest desk.
leo realized what was happening at the same moment. his playful smirk softened instantly. "hey… ignore them."
"i can't," she snapped back. "they're talking about me like— like i'm chasing you or something."
leo tilted his head. "and that would be bad because…?"
sara clenched her jaw. "because it's not true. that's why."
the hallway felt like it was tightening around her. the whispers wouldn't stop. another pair of students stared as they passed.
leo stepped just slightly in front of her — not blocking, but shielding. "c'mon. let's get out of here."
"i'm not running away."
"you're not. you're walking away. with style."
"leo—"
"trust me," he said quietly.
for some stupid reason, she did.
---
they ducked into the empty art room.
sunlight streamed across the desks. paint stains dotted the tables. it smelled like turpentine and old creativity.
sara paced like a storm cloud. "why is this happening? we didn't even— we didn't do anything."
"i mean…" leo leaned on the table, arms crossed. "we did spend almost an hour together on the roof. alone."
she glared. "leo!"
"hey, i'm just saying what the rumor mill likes to chew on."
his tone was calm, joking, but his eyes held something steady — something real.
"do you want me to say something?" he asked.
"like what?"
"like… tell them to shut up?"
she blinked. "like you care."
leo's expression flickered. "i didn't say i didn't care."
the room suddenly felt warmer.
"leo… this isn't funny anymore."
he straightened, dropping the teasing tone completely. "i know. that's why i'm asking. do you want me to deny it? do you want me to act like we never talk? pretend we hate each other again?"
the words hit her harder than she expected.
pretend we hate each other again.
she swallowed. "that's not— i don't know—"
leo stepped closer, slow and careful like she might run. "sara. breathe."
she did. reluctantly.
"people are always gonna talk," he said softly. "whether we talk, whether we don't. whether we breathe near each other. trust me, i know."
"yeah, because you're leo. you're used to attention."
leo huffed. "attention isn't the same as being understood."
the sentence hung in the air like a confession he didn't mean to let slip.
he looked away, jaw tightening.
sara didn't know why her heart did a weird flip at that.
---
the bell rang, slicing the tension.
sara grabbed her bag. "i have class."
"sara—"
"i'll be fine."
she left before he could follow. the whispers were quieter now, but every glance still felt sharp.
---
lunch break.
sara sat alone under the big mango tree behind the sports building — the one place nobody ever cared enough to go.
she stabbed her rice with her spoon like it insulted her family.
and then a shadow dropped in front of her.
leo.
of course.
he plopped down beside her like he had owner privileges. "hi."
"go away."
"nope."
"leo—"
"if i leave, people will think we fought."
"we DID fight."
"yeah but only we know that."
she sighed, defeated.
leo looked at her lunch. "you're stabbing your food. it's worried."
"i'm worried."
he nudged her shoulder gently. "about the rumors?"
"about everything."
leo's voice softened. "you don't have to deal with it alone."
she looked at him. really looked at him.
he wasn't smiling now. he wasn't teasing. he was just… here.
"leo," she whispered, "why do you care?"
he opened his mouth — then closed it.
his jaw moved like he was choosing a version of the truth he could actually say.
"because," he said finally, "i don't like seeing you upset."
the words landed in her chest like a soft punch.
he looked away like he regretted saying it.
sara's heart was doing some kind of acrobatic performance she definitely did NOT approve of.
"leo," she said quietly, "this is all getting too—"
"real?" he finished for her.
she froze.
leo didn't smile. he didn't tease. he just waited.
like the answer mattered more than he wanted to admit.
sara swallowed hard. "yes."
"good."
"good???"
leo leaned back against the tree. "because real means we're not pretending anymore."
her breath hitched.
and for the first time, sara didn't run from the feeling.
she just sat there, letting the silence wrap around them.
not enemies.
not exactly friends.
something dangerous.
something in-between.
something that felt a lot like the beginning of a story neither of them were ready for — but both of them were already in too deep to escape.