I keep my head down in the hallway, backpack slung like armor, notebook clutched tight against my chest. The chatter of lockers slamming and sneakers squeaking on tile feels louder than usual today—maybe it's because I can sense them again: the ones who make school feel like a battlefield.
"Watch it, Four-Eyes!" someone sneers as my books almost slip from my grip. I mutter a quick apology, not daring to look up.
My nerd squad—Lila, Sam, and Theo—is waiting for me at the far end of the hall, their own corner of safety. Lila waves, her grin as chaotic as ever. "Earth to Tammy! Survived another morning, or did they finally succeed?"
I snort quietly. "Barely. But hey, I've got my daily dose of humiliation done before second period. Productivity, right?"
Sam laughs, adjusting his glasses. "You make it sound heroic."
Theo nudges me. "Or tragic."
And there he is. Elliot, leaning against the lockers by the stairs, nose buried in a physics textbook. I freeze. My heart does that stupid fluttery thing that makes me feel 15 all over again. He doesn't know I exist—at least not in the way that matters—but in my little nerdy universe, he's the sun. And me? Just a planet awkwardly orbiting in silence.
I duck into the corner with my friends, trying to pretend I'm immune to his gravity. Lila notices.
"You're blushing."
I glare. "I am not."
She snorts. "Sure. Totally not. You look like
a tomato about to explode. Just admit it, Tammy. You've had a crush since forever."
I groan, hiding my face behind my notebook. "Can we not talk about this?"
"Not when he's right there," Sam whispers, nodding discreetly toward Elliot, who is now stacking his books carefully, completely unaware of our whispered chaos.
But secrets have a way of sticking in this school—like gum under the desks or rumors that spread faster than Wi-Fi. And mine? My secrets are heavier than homework, darker than detention stories, and more complicated than the latest quantum physics problem Elliot is probably obsessed with right now.
I glance at my friends, my safe corner in a storm of judgmental eyes. Soft laughter bubbles up despite everything, and I remind myself: maybe being quiet isn't weakness. Maybe it's just patience.
And maybe, just maybe, today will be the day something unexpected happens.