Between loyalty and love

Jealous fire

The classroom felt smaller than usual.

Not because of the walls.

But because of the tension sitting in it.

Mia kept her eyes on the desk, pretending to focus on the teacher’s voice. But she could feel it—like heat pressing against her skin.

Ethan Hart was still beside her.

And Vanessa Cole was standing at the classroom door.

Not moving.

Just staring.

Like she had already decided Mia was the problem.

“Miss Cole,” the teacher said awkwardly, “class has already started. Please take a seat.”

Vanessa finally stepped in.

Her heels clicked softly against the floor.

Every step was controlled.

Deliberate.

Her eyes never left Ethan.

“Sorry,” she said sweetly, though her tone didn’t match her expression. “I was looking for someone.”

Ethan didn’t turn.

Didn’t react.

But Mia felt it—the shift in him.

Not obvious.

But present.

Like a switch had been flipped.

Vanessa walked straight down the aisle.

Stopped right in front of their row.

And then—

She smiled.

At Mia.

But it wasn’t friendly.

It was a warning.

“I didn’t know you sit with her,” Vanessa said, looking at Ethan now.

Still no response.

Mia swallowed hard. “You can take my seat,” she said quickly, already pushing her chair slightly back.

But Ethan’s hand moved.

Fast.

He placed it lightly on the edge of her desk.

Not stopping her.

But grounding her.

“No,” he said simply.

One word.

But the classroom reacted anyway.

Whispers erupted instantly.

Vanessa’s smile cracked for half a second.

Then returned sharper.

“Oh,” she said softly. “So you’re choosing seating arrangements now?”

Ethan finally turned his head slightly.

Not fully.

Just enough.

And what he said next made the entire room go quiet.

“I don’t like repeats,” he said.

Silence.

Vanessa froze.

Mia did too.

The teacher cleared his throat nervously. “Let’s… continue the lesson.”

But no one was listening anymore.

Vanessa slowly walked back to her seat, but her gaze never left Mia.

It was burning.

Possessive.

Personal.

Like Mia had stolen something she didn’t even know she owned.

⸻

Lunchtime

Mia should have gone straight to the cafeteria.

She didn’t.

She needed air.

So she ended up behind the science block, where the noise of the school softened into a distant hum.

For the first time all day, she could breathe properly.

“Running away already?”

Mia turned sharply.

Ethan.

Leaning against the wall like he had been there the whole time.

Of course.

“You’re stalking me now?” she asked, annoyed.

A faint smirk. “You noticed.”

“I didn’t say I liked it.”

“I didn’t ask.”

Mia exhaled sharply. “What do you want from me?”

That question hung in the air longer than expected.

Ethan didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he studied her face.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Like he was memorizing something he already knew.

Then—

“You still look the same,” he said quietly.

Mia frowned. “What?”

But he didn’t elaborate.

Instead, he pushed off the wall and stepped closer.

“Do you remember me?”

The question caught her off guard.

Mia laughed once. “Should I? Because I don’t.”

That answer should have ended it.

But it didn’t.

Ethan’s expression changed slightly.

Something flickered in his eyes.

Not anger.

Not irritation.

Something deeper.

Almost… disappointment.

“You used to,” he said.

Mia paused.

“Used to what?”

But before he could answer—

“Ethan!”

Vanessa’s voice cut through the air again.

Mia closed her eyes briefly.

Of course.

Vanessa walked toward them quickly, stopping right beside Ethan and immediately linking her arm with his again.

Like she was reasserting ownership.

“You ignored my messages,” she said softly, smiling.

Ethan looked down at her hand on his arm.

Then slowly—

He removed it.

No emotion.

Just action.

“I don’t check messages,” he said.

Vanessa blinked.

Mia watched quietly, unsure why her chest felt tight.

Vanessa recovered quickly, turning her attention to Mia again.

“I see you two are getting… comfortable,” she said.

Mia shook her head. “It’s not what you think.”

Vanessa laughed softly. “It never is.”

Then she leaned slightly closer to Mia.

Her voice dropped.

“But let me give you advice.”

Mia didn’t respond.

Vanessa smiled.

“Stay away from him,” she said.

Ethan’s eyes flickered slightly at that.

Vanessa continued anyway.

“He doesn’t belong to people like you.”

Silence.

That hit differently.

Mia felt it.

Even if she didn’t want to.

But before she could respond—

Ethan spoke.

Cold.

Clear.

“People like her?”

Vanessa turned to him quickly. “You know what I mean.”

Ethan stepped forward slightly.

Now he was standing between them.

Protective.

Or something close to it.

“You don’t get to decide who I belong to,” he said quietly.

Vanessa froze.

Mia’s heart skipped.

Because that wasn’t a denial.

It was something worse.

It was possession.

But not directed at Vanessa.

It felt… indirect.

Like he wasn’t talking about himself at all.

Vanessa forced a laugh. “You’re joking.”

Ethan didn’t respond.

Instead, his eyes moved to Mia again.

And this time—

They softened slightly.

Just a fraction.

But Mia noticed.

And it unsettled her more than anything else today.

⸻

Later That Evening

Mia couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“You used to…”

Used to what?

Used to know him?

Used to remember him?

She sat on her bed, staring at her phone, trying to shake the feeling.

Then it buzzed.

Unknown number.

She hesitated.

Then opened it.

A single message.

Ethan Hart:

You still haven’t remembered.

Mia’s breath caught.

She typed quickly.

Me: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

The reply came almost instantly.

Ethan Hart:

You will.

Mia stared at the screen.

Heart racing now.

Confusion turning into something heavier.

Uneasy curiosity.

Because one thing was becoming clear.

This wasn’t random.

And Ethan Hart…

Didn’t come back just for school.

Or popularity.

Or even Vanessa.

He came back for her.