HE LOVED ME LAST

Lucas’s POV She was gone before I could stop her. One second she was standing in front of me, fire in her eyes, voice like a slap. The next, she was out the door, leaving nothing but the echo of her words. *“You did.”* That stuck. I stood there, frozen in the middle of the classroom, holding my bag but not moving. Everyone else had already left, but I didn’t care. Because everything Alice said? She was right. I’d spent so much time pretending to be above it all. Joking, teasing, hiding behind smug smiles and silence, letting Amelia tear her down—like I wasn’t watching the damage I allowed. I thought silence made me clever. Strong. But it made me a coward. I finally stepped out into the hallway, hoping I might still see her. But I didn’t. Instead, I saw her *walking away beside Noah.* And she was laughing. Not forced. Not sarcastic. Real. The kind of laugh she used to save for our ridiculous arguments, when she’d roll her eyes and call me names under her breath. And I felt something twist deep in my chest. Jealousy? Regret? Probably both. Because I realized something painfully clear: I never wanted to be just another classmate in Alice Harper’s world. I wanted to be the *reason* she smiled. And right now, I was the reason she didn’t. I watched from a distance, pretending like I wasn’t. Pretending like I wasn’t completely focused on the way Alice leaned slightly toward Noah, the way her laughter sounded effortless around him. She never laughed like that around me. With me, it was always half-smiles and raised brows, sarcastic remarks and eye rolls. And I used to love that about her—the challenge, the spark. But now I realized maybe she was only defensive because she *had* to be. Because I never gave her space to just… be soft. Noah did. He made it look easy. And for the first time, I hated how effortless he was. Henry found me leaning against the wall, eyes still on them. “You good?” “Peachy,” I muttered. He glanced in the same direction. “Still thinking about that dare thing?” I didn’t answer. My jaw clenched instead. Henry crossed his arms. “You sure you’re not actually into her?” I didn’t respond right away. Because I wasn’t *sure* of anything anymore. All I knew was—I didn’t like seeing her with him. Not when it used to be me she argued with. Me she challenged. Me she looked at like I could *annoy her into a smile.* Now? She didn’t even look back. And that? That hurt more than I expected.