Chapter Seven—Doubts
1158 Words
The next morning, Amara walked into school feeling lighter than she had the previous day.
She had decided not to let Chloe occupy so much space in her mind.
Ethan had reassured her, and that was enough.
At least, she wanted it to be.
She found Ethan near the staircase before their first class. He was leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone.
The moment he saw her, he smiled.
Amara walked toward him, and he immediately put his phone away.
They started talking about their classes and what they planned to do after school. For a few minutes, everything felt normal.
Amara almost forgot about Chloe.
Almost.
As they walked toward class, Chloe passed them.
She didn’t stop.
She simply looked at Ethan, smiled briefly, and continued walking.
Amara noticed.
Ethan didn’t.
Amara told herself not to think about it.
She wouldn’t.
During their first break, Amara went to the library to return a book. On her way back, she heard someone call her name.
It was Chloe.
Amara stopped.
Chloe walked toward her with a calm expression.
She apologized for the other day, saying she hoped Amara hadn’t misunderstood anything between her and Ethan.
Amara was surprised.
She hadn’t expected Chloe to bring it up.
Chloe explained that she and Ethan had been working together because of the school event, and she didn’t want Amara thinking there was anything else going on.
For a moment, Amara didn’t know what to say.
Chloe sounded sincere.
Almost too sincere.
Amara thanked her and was about to leave when Chloe casually mentioned something that caught her attention.
She said Ethan had seemed worried about something recently.
Amara asked what she meant.
Chloe shrugged.
She said she had simply noticed it while they were working together.
Then she walked away before Amara could ask anything else.
Amara stood there confused.
What was Ethan worried about?
And why had Chloe noticed before she did?
She tried to forget about it.
But the thought followed her throughout the day.
When she finally saw Ethan during lunch, she studied his face.
He looked completely normal.
He was laughing with his friends.
He smiled when he saw Amara.
Nothing seemed wrong.
Still, Chloe’s words stayed in the back of her mind.
Later that afternoon, Ethan told Amara he had to stay behind for a little while because of the school event.
Amara nodded.
She told him she’d wait.
But Ethan told her she didn’t have to.
He didn’t want her getting home late because of him.
Amara smiled and left.
As she walked toward the gate, she noticed Chloe standing near the school building.
For some reason, Chloe looked like she was waiting for someone.
Amara kept walking.
She didn’t think much of it.
Until her phone buzzed.
It was Ethan.
He told her that he was still busy and would call her later.
Amara replied that it was fine.
A few minutes later, another message came.
This one wasn’t from Ethan.
It was from an unknown number.
Amara stared at the screen.
The message was short.
She didn’t understand why Ethan had told her he was busy when he was actually outside talking to someone.
There was no picture.
No explanation.
Just enough information to make her wonder.
Amara looked back toward the school.
Her heart started beating faster.
She didn’t want to believe it.
She didn’t even know if the message was true.
She immediately thought of Chloe.
But then she stopped herself.
Why would Chloe send something like that?
Maybe someone was playing a joke.
Maybe the message was completely false.
Amara decided not to react.
She went home.
That evening, Ethan called her like he promised.
He sounded normal.
They talked about their day, laughed about something that happened in class, and spoke about what they wanted to do over the weekend.
Amara almost told him about the anonymous message.
But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She didn’t want to accuse him based on something she couldn’t prove.
After the call, she stared at her phone.
She wondered who had sent the message.
The next morning, another message arrived.
This time, there was a picture attached.
Amara opened it.
Her stomach dropped.
It was a picture of Ethan standing outside the school building the previous afternoon.
Chloe was standing beside him.
They weren’t doing anything wrong.
They were simply talking.
But the picture had been taken secretly.
Amara stared at it for a long time.
The message underneath asked her if she was sure she knew everything Ethan did when she wasn’t around.
Amara felt hurt.
Not because the picture showed Ethan doing anything wrong.
It didn’t.
What hurt was the question.
It planted something in her mind that she hadn’t wanted there.
Doubt.
She put her phone away.
She wanted to tell herself that Ethan had already explained everything.
But now she was wondering why Chloe was always around him.
Why was Chloe watching him?
Why was someone sending her pictures?
And why did it feel like someone wanted her to believe the worst?
At school, Amara tried acting normal.
She smiled when Ethan approached her.
But Ethan noticed immediately that something was different.
He asked if she was okay.
Amara nodded.
She told him she was just tired.
Ethan didn’t believe her.
He knew her too well.
He asked again.
This time, Amara looked at him.
She wanted to tell him everything.
Instead, she asked why he had been talking to Chloe after school.
Ethan looked surprised.
He explained that Chloe had come to ask him about the school event.
That was all.
Amara listened.
His explanation made sense.
But the picture was still in her mind.
She asked if there was anything else he hadn’t told her.
Ethan’s expression changed.
He told her there wasn’t.
Amara nodded.
She believed him.
At least, she wanted to.
Ethan reached for her hand.
He told her that if something was bothering her, she should talk to him instead of letting it grow inside her.
Amara looked at him.
For a moment, she felt guilty for doubting him.
She held his hand.
She didn’t tell him about the messages.
Not yet.
Across the courtyard, Chloe watched them.
She had been the one who sent the first message.
She had also taken the picture.
She knew exactly what she was doing.
She wasn’t trying to make Ethan look guilty.
Not yet.
She only wanted Amara to start asking questions.
And it was working.
Chloe smiled quietly as she watched Amara walk away with Ethan.
The first doubt had been planted.
Now all she had to do was wait.
But Chloe didn’t realize one thing.
Amara might have doubts, but she wasn’t ready to give up on Ethan.
She loved him too much.
And if Chloe wanted to break them apart, she was going to have to do much more than send a few pictures.
The game had officially begun.
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