Across Three Time Zones

The gymnasium smelled of powdered sugar, warm ozone, and faintly sour sweat, lingering beneath the heavy scent of cheap gardenia corsages. Overhead, swaths of silver tulle drooped under the metal rafters, shimmering and shuddering whenever the bass kicked through the floorboards, sending vibrations up through the soles of Maya’s shoes. She stood by the bleachers, clutching a plastic cup of punch that was turning lukewarm against her palm, the sugary liquid cooling to a dull mess, forgotten. Her fingers trembled slightly as she smoothed down the front of her dark green velvet dress for the tenth time, the fabric catching the scattered light like forest shadows. It was her first high school dance, and every moment felt like stepping across a floor paved with shards of thin glass—fragile, sharp, and precariously slippery underneath her trembling feet. Across the crowded gym, beneath a flickering yellow emergency exit light, stood Leo. He had his jacket slung over one shoulder, the stark white of his shirt faintly rumpled at the collar, eyes shadowed by the sharp lines of his jaw. Even in this room of thrumming music and bright flashing lights, his posture was one of detached arrogance. He leaned casually against a bank of lockers, tossing sarcastic comments like stones into the air—at Maya, invariably. For two months, Leo had treated Maya’s presence like an offense. He’d picked apart her answers in biology class, cornered her in the cramped library annex demanding she move her seat, and never missed an opportunity to make her feel small, awkward, and thoroughly a freshman. And yet, something dangerous had shifted in the last two weeks. When he sneered at her, his eyes lingered a second too long. When he cornered her in corridors, his breath hitched unexpectedly. Worst of all was the suffocating secret she silently guarded: her pulse spiked every single time Leo crossed her field of vision. A splash of blue tore through her gaze. Sam, her best friend since third grade, skidded to a halt in front of her. His chest heaved beneath his untucked shirt, tie askew and hair ruffled from what looked like a mad dash across campus. “Maya,” he whispered, voice thick with breath. His eyes shone wide with urgency. “We have a problem.” Maya blinked. “Did someone spike the punch?” Her voice was tentative, trying to force humor into the nerves slicing through her. “Or did chaperones catch the usual crowd behind the bleachers again?” “No. Worse. Way worse.” Sam grabbed her wrist, almost dragging her deeper into the shadows beneath the bleachers. The air grew colder, the noise muffled into a distant thrum. “I need you to promise—don’t freak out. Don’t laugh. Don’t kill me.” Sam’s desperation and unease were palpable. “Sam, you’re literally sweating through your collar. Spill.” Swallowing hard, Sam glanced nervously toward the double doors. “You know how I’ve been acting weird for the last month, like I’m hiding something?” “Yeah. I thought it was because Leo’s friends were hassling you.” “No,” he whispered, cheeks flushing darker. “It’s Elena.” Maya blinked, absolutely baffled. “Elena? Leo’s older sister? The senior class president who crashed her Jeep into the hedge last week?” Sam shook his head quickly. “She didn’t crash. Just grazed a shrub.” He winced at his own defense. “Anyway... we started talking by the student council booth outside the gym—not about anything serious. Colleges, the music, how ridiculous this whole setup looks. Then she smiled at me—the kind of smile that spreads and grabs hold—and told me she’s been waiting all semester for me to say something.” Maya opened her mouth but no sound came. “Sam... she’s a senior. She is Leo’s sister. The sister of the guy who shoved my sketchbook into the fountain!” “I know! I didn’t plan it.” Sam’s grin was helpless and slightly guilty. “Which brings me to the second half. She told me why Leo’s been acting off all semester.” Maya couldn’t meet his eyes. “What do you mean?” He leaned in, voice dropping. “He doesn’t hate you.” Maya’s chest tightened. “He literally told me my shoes looked like orthopedic wedges.” “Because he’s trying to be an i***t! Elena said he’s been obsessed with you since orientation. Talks about you. Loses it when you talk to anyone else. The only way he knows to keep your attention is by being a nightmare.” Her heart lurched wildly. “Go look at him now,” Sam urged. Maya turned slowly, the dance floor a blur as bodies swayed to a slow song beneath dim blue lights. Leo’s eyes met hers—not with scorn this time, but ragged, raw frustration. Their gazes locked across the cavernous gym. He dropped his jacket on an empty chair and started walking toward her. Sam’s whisper sounded like a warning. “I’m going to find Elena before her brother notices I just betrayed the family bloodline. Good luck.” Before Maya could stop him, Sam melted into shadows. Frozen, she waited for Leo’s steps. He blocked the light from the dance floor, his voice low and trembling.“You’re hiding.” Maya lifted her chin. “Not from you.” He studied her from head to toe, the faint scent of cedarwood clinging to him, closer now. “I’m done pretending I’m here for the music.” Her voice light, teasing, hiding the roar of her heart. “Let me guess: spilled punch or another freshman to hassle?” Leo flinched — a crack in his otherwise unbreakable armor. “Drop it,” he muttered, hand pressed beside her head on the metal bleacher frame, trapping her. “You know that’s not true.” “Sam’s slobbering over my sister outside.” “Stop talking about Sam. Do you not notice” he asked. “Notice what?” “Me.” His word hung heavy between them, the bass thudding beneath their chests. “Impossible to ignore,” she whispered. His usual smirk dissolved, replaced by vulnerable exhaustion. “I didn’t know what else to do. From the first day, when you snapped at me instead of shrinking away—I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Tried to be a jerk to get you to forget me.” He leaned closer, voice raw. “I don’t hate you. It’s maddening how much I don’t.” Breath hitching, Maya smiled shakily. “Terrible coping skills.” Leo’s faint, lopsided grin was genuine for the first time. “Dance with me?” Her hand found his.