The Boy in my dreams

chapter 3 : The jealous rival

The next day, I walked into the school with a strange mix of excitement and dread. Liam had been unusually quiet during classes yesterday, but I caught him glancing at me from across the room, and my heart had done a little happy dance.

I wasn’t ready for the storm that awaited me.

By the lockers, a girl I had vaguely noticed before—blonde hair, sharp eyes, and a smirk that screamed trouble—was leaning against the wall, whispering with her friends. And then she saw me.

Her gaze sharpened, and a mischievous grin spread across her face.

“Well, well,” she said, loud enough for me to hear. “Look who’s walking next to Liam Cole these days.”

I froze. My stomach dropped. Was she trying to start something?

Liam appeared beside me just then, his hand brushing lightly against mine as if claiming the space. I felt heat rush to my cheeks.

“She seems fine to me,” Liam said smoothly, not breaking eye contact with the girl. “No reason to gossip.”

The girl’s smirk faltered for a second, but she quickly recovered. “Oh, I see. You’re the quiet one everyone’s been whispering about.”

“I’m not trying to be,” I mumbled, wishing the floor would swallow me whole.

Her eyes narrowed. “Well, I guess we’ll see how long that lasts.”

And just like that, she turned and walked away, leaving me shaking with a mix of fear and anger.

“Don’t worry about her,” Liam whispered, his voice calm and steady, though there was a hint of amusement in it. “She’s just… dramatic.”

“I know,” I said quickly, though I didn’t really feel that way.

Throughout the day, I kept noticing her eyes on me. Every glance, every whisper, made my stomach twist. Why did high school have to be such a battlefield?

Liam, meanwhile, seemed completely unaffected, effortlessly moving through his friends and classes. And yet, every so often, he would catch my eye and give me that small, knowing smile that made my heart skip.

During lunch, I found myself sitting alone, trying to eat while replaying the morning’s events in my mind. How was I supposed to handle a rival, the boy I had dreamed about my entire life, and the embarrassment of becoming the center of attention—all at once?

“Mind if I sit?” Liam’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I looked up, startled, and nodded. “Sure.”

He sat across from me, casually leaning back with that perfect, confident posture. “You know,” he said, “most people would be freaking out if someone was trying to get between them and me.”

“I’m not most people,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

He smirked. “Good answer.”

For the first time since all of this began, I felt a little spark of confidence. Maybe I could handle high school after all… as long as Liam was around.

But deep down, I knew this was only the beginning. The whispers, the jealousy, the rivalry—it was all just starting. And somewhere, in the back of my mind, I realized that dreams could be tricky. Sometimes, they didn’t just come true. They came with challenges I wasn’t ready for.

And I wasn’t sure if I was prepared.