The morning at Crescent High carried a strange hush, as if the halls themselves were aware of the unspoken tension lingering between students. Aria walked through the familiar corridors with a measured pace, her books clutched to her chest. Each step echoed lightly, but to her, the sound felt louder than usual — a subtle reminder that she was alone in navigating the storm of gossip, family scandal, and, most unexpectedly, Damian.
Her thoughts spiraled back to the moment in the empty classroom yesterday: that near-kiss, the closeness, the charged air that neither of them had been able to ignore. She shook her head subtly, forcing herself to focus on the day ahead. It was just a moment. That’s all it was. Nothing more.
She reached her locker and began arranging her books, pretending not to
