Campus headlines and the Quarterback

4

When we walked out of the office, Carter suddenly turned to me. "So... are we an official team now?"

"It seems so," I nodded, then hesitated. "Listen, about last night... in the library..."

"Our secret?" Carter winked. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you're actually soft-hearted."

"I'm not—"

"Emma Green has a soft side," Carter pretended to announce into an invisible microphone. "Exclusive news!"

I made a move to hit him, and he laughed and dodged. In that moment of chasing, I realized something strange: I was starting to look forward to the time I spent working with Carter Wilson. And this discovery was more terrifying than any exclusive news.

"One more time! Cut in from the shot of the robotics club, and then switch to the interview with Sarah."

I rubbed my sore eyes. The clock in the media room showed it was 11:15 p.m. Carter and I had been in this enclosed space for nearly six hours, repeatedly editing the first video, "The Poet Behind the Equations: Sarah, the Robotics Captain's Baking Life."

Carter leaned closer to the screen. His blond hair had a soft luster under the blue light of the computer. "The transition is still too abrupt. Can we add a cross dissolve effect?"

"You even know the editing terms?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at him, my fingers already tapping on the keyboard.

Carter shrugged, the corner of his mouth curving into a smile that made my heart skip a beat. "Self-taught on YouTube. My dad thinks watching TV is a waste of time, but he never said anything about not being able to learn video editing."

I stared at his focused profile and suddenly realized that we had been almost inseparable for the past week. From interviews to shooting and then to editing, Carter Wilson had changed from the "annoying football star" to the person I most looked forward to seeing every day. This realization made my stomach tighten in a strange way.

"Okay, try this." I pressed the play button, deliberately ignoring the warmth where our arms were touching.

The video started to play smoothly: Sarah's heroic figure in the robotics competition, switching to her focused expression while making French macarons in the kitchen, and then the interview clip where she said, "Both programming and baking require precision and creativity." The whole video perfectly showcased the unknown artistic side of the STEM genius.

"Perfect!" Carter cheered and suddenly reached out to pull me up and twirl me around. "We made it, Green!"

I was startled by his sudden action and instinctively grabbed his shoulders to steady myself. Carter then realized what he had done and immediately stopped, but we were still standing very close, so close that I could count the number of his eyelashes. His eyes were a deep blue under the light, like the ocean before a storm.

"Uh... sorry," Carter let go of his hands and took a step back. The tips of his ears were clearly red. "I was just too excited."

"It's okay," I quickly sat back in my chair and pretended to sort out the documents to hide the heat on my face. "We should save the file and then..."

Just then, a flash of lightning split the night sky, followed by a deafening thunderclap. The lights in the media room flickered a few times.

"A storm?" Carter walked to the window and opened the blinds. The rain was pouring down like a waterfall. "The weather forecast didn't say there would be rain tonight."

I frowned. "I left my umbrella in the dormitory."

"I'll walk you back," Carter said immediately. "I have an umbrella."

"Don't bother. When the rain gets a little lighter, I'll—"

Another bolt of lightning struck, accompanied by the sound of the power going out. The whole media room was plunged into darkness. Only the backup power of the computer was still emitting a faint blue light.

"Okay," Carter's voice carried a hint of amusement in the darkness. "Now you really need my escort, Green."

By the light of our mobile phone flashlights, we packed our things and locked the media room. Carter took out a folding umbrella from his backpack and opened it at the door of the corridor. "Are you ready?"

I hesitated for a moment, looking at the torrential rain outside, and then sighed. "Okay, thank you."

We huddled under the same umbrella and rushed into the rain. Carter put his arm around my shoulder to keep me from getting wet. Despite the downpour, I could clearly smell the scent of his citrus body wash mixed with the smell of rain. His body heat came through his thin school uniform shirt, making me feel inexplicably safe.

"This way," Carter raised his voice above the sound of the thunder. "The sidewalk is flooded."

He led me onto a small path but accidentally stepped into a puddle. In the moment of losing his balance, he instinctively hugged me tightly. We stumbled a few steps before regaining our balance. Our bodies pressed closely together and our rapid breathing made the atmosphere suddenly feel strange.

"Sorry," Carter said in a low voice but didn't let go immediately.

The rain dripped down from the ends of his hair, sliding down his straight nose and stopping on his slightly parted lips. My heart was pounding so loudly that I thought it could drown out the sound of the thunder. I wasn't sure if he could also feel this strange tension.

"We... should keep going," I finally said, my voice hoarser than I had expected.

Carter nodded and readjusted the position of the umbrella, but this time he carefully maintained a distance. We walked in silence for the rest of the way, with only the sound of the rain filling the void.

When we reached the porch of the girls' dormitory, we were both soaked. Carter was in a worse state because he had tilted most of the umbrella towards me.

"Thank you for walking me back," I said, standing under the eaves, not sure how to end this strange night. "Your jacket..."

Carter looked down at his soaked T-shirt and smiled indifferently. "It's okay. I need to wash it anyway. See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow," I nodded, and then suddenly added as he turned around. "Carter?"

He turned back, the rain dripping down from his blond hair. "Hm?"

"You... go back and have something warm to drink. Don't catch a cold," I said clumsily. "The team needs you."

Carter's expression softened under the light of the dormitory hallway. "Yes, Miss Reporter."

Watching his back disappear into the rain, I put my hand on my chest, trying to calm my wildly beating heart. This wasn't right. It was very wrong. I shouldn't have these feelings for Carter Wilson. This must be an illusion caused by lack of sleep.