Falling For My Rival

Chapter 32: Something Missing

The next morning, Ethan noticed something was wrong before Ava even sat down.

At first, he couldn't figure out what it was.

She looked the same.

Same uniform.

Same backpack.

Same expression that suggested she was prepared to argue with anyone at any time.

Yet something felt... off.

And it annoyed him that he noticed.

---

Monday mornings were already bad enough.

The classroom buzzed with complaints about homework, unfinished assignments, and the tragedy of waking up early.

Liam was currently explaining why students deserved compensation for emotional damage.

"I got out of bed at six."

Nobody reacted.

"I suffered."

Still nothing.

"I could've died."

Noah looked up from his phone.

"Unfortunately, you survived."

Normally Ava would've laughed at that.

Or rolled her eyes.

Or made a sarcastic comment.

Today she just dropped into her seat and rested her head against the back of her chair.

Quietly.

Ethan frowned.

Ava was never quiet.

The girl treated silence like a personal enemy.

---

"You look terrible."

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Ava slowly turned her head.

"What a lovely thing to say before eight in the morning."

"You're welcome."

She narrowed her eyes.

"See? This is why nobody likes you."

Ethan relaxed slightly.

There she was.

But even then, something wasn't right.

Her voice lacked its usual energy.

The comeback came slower.

And there were faint shadows beneath her eyes.

The teacher entered before Ethan could think about it any further.

Unfortunately, thinking about it turned out to be impossible.

---

The first lesson began.

Ethan opened his notebook.

Picked up his pen.

Read the first question.

Then glanced toward Ava.

She was staring at the board.

Not writing.

Just staring.

A few seconds later, she blinked rapidly and forced herself to start taking notes.

The movement looked strangely familiar.

Like someone fighting sleep.

Ethan looked away.

Immediately.

Because why was he watching her?

That was weird.

Very weird.

Five minutes later, he looked again.

She was rubbing her eyes.

Ten minutes later, she yawned.

---

By lunchtime, Ethan had reached a conclusion.

Ava was exhausted.

The realization shouldn't have mattered.

It definitely shouldn't have followed him to lunch.

Yet somehow...

---

"You're doing it again."

Ethan looked up.

Noah was staring at him.

Suspiciously.

"Doing what?"

"Thinking."

Liam gasped.

"Horrifying."

"I always think."

"No," Noah said. "Today you're thinking extra hard."

Jace glanced up from his book.

"A dangerous condition."

---

Ethan ignored them.

Mostly.

Then he made the mistake of looking across the cafeteria.

Ava was sitting with a few classmates.

She looked awake.

Mostly.

At least until she nearly dropped her water bottle.

Noah followed his gaze.

"Oh."

Ethan immediately looked away.

Too late.

"Oh."

Liam looked too.

Then grinned.

"Oh."

"What?"

"You were looking at Ava."

"I was not."

"You absolutely were."

"I wasn't."

Jace returned to his book.

"I don't care enough to participate in this conversation."

The others ignored him.

Liam leaned forward dramatically.

"Do you miss her when she's not around?"

Ethan threw a napkin at him.

The conversation somehow became worse from there.

By the end of lunch, Ethan was considering new friendships.

Or no friendships.

That sounded peaceful.

---

After classes ended, project work began.

Ava arrived three minutes late.

Not because she was careless.

Because she'd accidentally fallen asleep in the library beforehand.

"I wasn't asleep."

"You were."

"I was resting my eyes."

"You were snoring."

"I do not snore."

Ethan actually laughed.

Ava looked offended.

"You're enjoying this far too much."

"Maybe."

The smile disappeared a few moments later.

Because now that she was sitting directly across from him, the exhaustion was impossible to ignore.

The dark circles.

The slower reactions.

The way she occasionally paused to collect her thoughts.

"What?"

Ava suddenly asked.

Ethan blinked.

"What?"

"Why do you keep staring at me?"

Good question.

One he didn't have an answer for.

"I don't."

"You do."

"I don't."

"You literally are right now."

Ethan immediately looked down at his notes.

Ava shook her head.

"Weirdo."

For some reason, the word didn't bother him.

The afternoon passed slowly.

They worked on the project.

Argued over formatting.

Argued over sources.

Argued over who had made the better presentation slides.

Normal things.

Yet every now and then Ethan found himself checking whether Ava was okay.

Without meaning to.

Without wanting to.

Without understanding why.

And every time it happened, he got annoyed.

She was his rival.

His project partner.

The person responsible for half of his headaches.

Why was he worried?

The thought followed him into the next day.

And the day after that.

By Wednesday morning, the situation had become ridiculous.

Ethan sat in class staring at a page full of equations.

The teacher was explaining something important.

Probably.

Unfortunately, Ethan hadn't heard a word.

His pen remained frozen above his notebook.

His attention drifting elsewhere.

Toward the seat beside him.

Ava was writing notes furiously.

Determined as always.

Tired as always.

For some reason, that bothered him.

More than it should have.

"Ethan."

The teacher's voice cut through the room.

---

Silence.

---

"Ethan."

The class turned.

Slowly, Ethan looked up.

The teacher folded her arms.

"Would you like to join us?"

Laughter erupted around the classroom.

Even Ava looked amused.

For the first time in years, Ethan Blackwood had absolutely no idea what was happening in class.

And the worst part?

He knew exactly who was responsible.