Chapter 25: The Wrong Impression
940 Words
The problem started on Tuesday morning.
Ava was beginning to notice things.
And she didn't like it.
Not because the things were bad.
Because they made her question everything she thought she knew.
Which was somehow worse.
The day started normally enough.
A crowded hallway.
Students rushing to class.
Someone complaining about homework.
Someone else complaining about the person complaining about homework.
Just another day at Kingsley.
Ava was grabbing books from her locker when she heard a familiar name.
"Ethan."
She wasn't trying to listen.
Really.
The conversation just happened to be loud.
Very loud.
---
A group of juniors stood nearby.
One of them sighed dramatically.
"I still don't understand how he remembers all that stuff."
Another laughed.
"Because he studies."
"No, seriously."
"I'm serious too."
The first student shook his head.
"My brother was in his debate group last year. Ethan stayed back after school almost every day."
Ava paused.
Almost every day?
---
"He helped everyone prepare."
"Even people he wasn't competing with."
"Yep."
The student shrugged.
"He didn't have to."
The group continued talking as they walked away.
Ava remained where she was.
Thinking.
That didn't sound like the Ethan she knew.
The Ethan she knew loved winning.
Loved competition.
Loved being right.
Helping people for no reason didn't really fit the picture.
Unfortunately, the confusion continued.
Later that day, she arrived at the library earlier than expected.
The librarian smiled when she entered.
"Working on your project?"
Ava nodded.
"Something like that."
The librarian chuckled.
"At least Ethan's involved."
Ava looked up.
"What does that mean?"
The woman seemed surprised by the question.
"He's one of the students who volunteers here during exam season."
Ava blinked.
"He does what?"
"Helps organize materials and tutoring schedules."
The librarian smiled.
"Very polite boy."
Ava stared.
Polite?
Ethan?
Were they talking about the same person?
The rest of the afternoon only made things worse.
Everywhere she went, people seemed to have positive stories about him.
Not because he was rich.
Not because he was popular.
Because he'd actually helped them.
A sophomore talked about Ethan helping him prepare for a difficult test.
A debate student mentioned receiving advice before a competition.
Even a teacher praised his work ethic.
It was becoming increasingly inconvenient.
Ava preferred her version of Ethan.
The annoying one.
The arrogant one.
The easier one to dislike.
Meanwhile, Ethan was having a surprisingly similar day.
It began after lunch.
He was heading toward class when he heard voices coming from an empty classroom.
Normally, he would've kept walking.
Then he heard a familiar name.
"Ava."
His feet stopped.
Entirely by accident.
Obviously.
Two teachers were inside.
One sat at a desk reviewing papers while the other organized files.
"She's remarkable."
The second teacher nodded.
"I agree."
Ethan frowned.
Who were they talking about?
Ava?
Remarkable?
That was a strong word.
"I reviewed her scholarship application again yesterday."
The first teacher smiled.
"The academic record alone was impressive."
Ethan found himself listening.
Not intentionally.
Mostly.
"What impressed me most wasn't the grades."
The other teacher looked curious.
"What was it then?"
The first teacher leaned back.
"Everything she managed to accomplish despite her circumstances."
Ethan's expression slowly changed.
The teachers continued talking.
About late nights.
About extra study hours.
About the number of scholarship applicants who had been rejected.
About how difficult it was to earn a place at Kingsley.
Apparently hundreds had applied.
Only a handful had been accepted.
And Ava had ranked near the very top.
For a moment, Ethan remembered the first day she'd arrived.
The whispers.
The assumptions.
Including his own.
He'd seen "scholarship student" and immediately formed an opinion.
Maybe everyone had.
Maybe that had been unfair.
The thought stayed with him throughout the day.
Unfortunately.
After school, Ava and Ethan met again for project work.
The library was quieter than usual.
Rain tapped softly against the windows.
Neither mentioned the strange thoughts occupying their minds.
Instead, they worked.
Research.
Notes.
Deadlines.
The usual.
At one point, Ava looked up.
Ethan was focused on reading through a stack of articles.
Concentrating so hard he didn't notice her looking.
For some reason, she found herself wondering what he was like before Kingsley turned him into a celebrity.
The thought startled her.
Why did she care?
Across the table, Ethan was having his own problem.
Ava was scribbling notes in the margin of a textbook, completely focused.
No complaints.
No distractions.
Just effort.
He suddenly remembered the teachers talking about her scholarship.
About everything she'd done to earn it.
The image refused to leave his head.
---
"What's wrong?"
The question slipped out before he could stop it.
Ava looked up.
"What?"
"You've been staring at the same page for five minutes."
Ava immediately frowned.
"You've been watching me?"
"No."
"You literally just proved you were."
Ethan opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Ava smirked.
A rare victory.
A few seconds later, Ethan looked away.
And Ava returned to her notes.
Neither noticed the small smile trying to appear on the other's face.
The strange thing was...
Neither of them understood what was happening.
A few weeks ago, things had been simple.
Ethan was arrogant.
Ava was annoying.
End of story.
Now every day seemed to reveal something new.
Something that didn't fit.
Something that challenged the version they'd created in their heads.
And honestly?
That was becoming a problem.
Because the more they learned about each other...
The harder it became to hold onto old assumptions.
As they packed their bags and headed home, both carried the same uncomfortable feeling.
Confusion.
Pure confusion.
And neither knew what to do with it.
- Writer
