A DIFFERENT KIND OF ATTENTION
1377 Words
The next morning, the hallway was already crowded with students rushing to their
classes.
Voices echoed through the corridor as lockers slammed shut and shoes tapped against the tiled floor.
Ava walked beside Mia, holding her books tightly against her chest.
Mia glanced at her with a mischievous smile.
“I still don't believe you actually went to the show yesterday. You spent the whole day saying you didn't want to go.”
Ava sighed.
“You know I didn't want to go.”
Mia raised an eyebrow.
“If that's the case, then why did you stay until the end?”
Ava looked away.
“I just... felt like staying. Besides, I couldn't leave you.”
Mia laughed.
“Yeah, sure.”
Ava rolled her eyes, but before she could respond, Mia suddenly stopped walking.
“What?” Ava asked.
Mia nodded toward the other end of the hallway.
Ava followed her gaze.
Her heart skipped.
Noah was walking toward them with two of his friends.
Ava immediately looked away.
“Don't,” she whispered.
Mia frowned innocently. “Don't what?”
“Don't start.”
“I didn't say anything.”
Ava tightened her arms around her books and tried to focus on them instead.
Somehow, she could still feel Noah getting closer.
Then another girl stepped into the hallway.
Chloe.
The moment Chloe noticed Noah, her expression changed.
She quickly fixed her hair before flashing him a bright smile.
“Wait here,” she told her friends.
She walked straight toward him.
“Hey,” Chloe said, waving.
Noah looked at her.
“Oh, hey.”
“I didn't get to talk to you much yesterday.”
“Yeah. It was pretty crowded.”
“I was actually looking for you after the show.”
“Oh.” Noah nodded.
Chloe's eyes moved toward Ava.
Ava immediately looked away.
“So...” Chloe said slowly.
“You and Ava seemed pretty close.”
Noah looked confused.
“Yeah. We're friends.”
“Friends?” Chloe repeated with a soft laugh.
Mia rolled her eyes.
Ava tugged at Mia's arm. “Let's just go.”
But Chloe heard her.
“Why are you always running?”
Ava stopped and turned around.
“I'm not running away.”
“Really?” Chloe crossed her arms.
“Because every time Noah is around, you suddenly appear.”
Mia stepped forward.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Chloe ignored her.
“You barely talked to him before, but now you're suddenly following him everywhere.”
“I don't follow him,” Ava said.
“Sure.”
A few students nearby had begun looking in their direction.
Ava felt her cheeks grow hot. She hated being the center of attention.
“Can't you just let me be?” she asked quietly.
Chloe smiled.
“Why? Did I hurt your feelings?”
“That’s enough, Chloe,” Mia snapped.
“I wasn't talking to you.”
“I don't care.”
Before Chloe could respond, Noah spoke.
“Chloe, stop.”
The hallway suddenly seemed quieter.
Chloe stared at him in surprise.
“I was only joking,” she said.
“It doesn't sound like a joke.”
The smile disappeared from Chloe's face.
Noah turned toward Ava.
“You okay?”
Ava nodded quickly. “Yeah.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I am.”
Chloe looked embarrassed.
She grabbed her bag and walked away with her friends.
Ava watched her disappear down the hallway before turning back to Noah.
“Thanks.”
“You didn't deserve that.”
Ava looked at him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Noah smiled slightly.
“And just so you know... I don't think you're following me.”
Ava scoffed.
“Of course.”
“You always say that.”
“Because it's true.”
Noah laughed softly.
The sound made Ava smile before she could stop herself.
Just then, the bell rang.
Mia grabbed Ava's arm.
“We're going to be late!”
Ava started walking with her, but after a few steps, she glanced back.
Noah was still standing there.
And he was looking at her.
Their eyes met.
He smiled.
A small smile appeared on Ava's face before she quickly turned away.
Mia noticed.
“Oh my God.”
Ava looked at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Mia...”
“I said nothing!”
Ava shook her head, trying to hide her smile as they hurried toward their classroom.
But she couldn't stop thinking about Noah.
She barely knew him.
Yet somehow, after only one night, he had become impossible to ignore.
By the time Ava and Mia entered the classroom, most of the students were already seated.
Their science professor walked in carrying a stack of papers and placed them on his desk.
“Good morning, class.”
“Good morning, sir,” the students replied.
The professor looked around the room.
“I hope everyone is ready to work because we're starting a new project today.”
A few students groaned.
The professor smiled.
“Don't worry. It isn't as bad as you think.”
Mia leaned closer to Ava.
“That's exactly what teachers say before giving us something terrible.”
Ava covered her mouth to hide her laugh.
The professor picked up his list.
“For this project, you'll be working in pairs.
You'll have two weeks to complete it, and both students will receive the same grade.”
The classroom immediately filled with whispers.
Students began looking around, hoping to choose their own partners.
The professor raised his hand.
“No choosing your own partners. I'm assigning them.”
A collective groan filled the classroom.
He began reading the names.
“Mia and Daniel.”
Mia smiled.
“Not bad,” she whispered.
The professor continued.
“Chloe and Jason.”
Chloe's face fell.
Then the professor looked down at his list again.
“Ava...”
Ava looked up.
“...and Noah.”
The classroom erupted in whispers.
Ava froze.
Beside her, Mia slowly turned with a huge grin.
“Ohhh.”
“Don't,” Ava whispered.
Across the classroom, Chloe stared at them.
Her expression had completely changed.
Noah turned toward Ava and smiled.
“Looks like we're partners.”
Ava gave him a nervous smile.
“Yeah... I guess we are.”
The professor continued explaining the assignment, but Ava barely heard him.
She could feel Noah sitting beside her.
“So, partner,” he whispered, “what do you think we should do first?”
Ava glanced at the assignment sheet.
“Maybe we should actually read the instructions before we start.”
Noah smiled. “Good idea.”
They leaned over the paper together.
Across the room, Chloe watched them.
Her fingers tightened around her pen.
First, Noah had defended Ava.
Now they were partners.
And they were going to spend the next two weeks together.
Chloe's jealousy burned hotter with every passing second.
One of her friends leaned closer.
“Chloe? Are you okay?”
Chloe didn't answer.
Her eyes remained fixed on Ava and Noah.
“Chloe?”
Finally, she looked away.
“I'm fine.”
But she wasn't.
She didn't like the way Noah looked at Ava.
She didn't like the way Ava smiled whenever he spoke to her.
And she definitely didn't like the thought of them spending more time together.
Her friend lowered her voice.
“What are you going to do?”
Chloe's lips curved into a cold smile.
“If Ava thinks she's going to get close to Noah that easily...” She paused and looked toward Ava again. “She's wrong.”
Her friend frowned.
“Chloe, what do you mean?”
Chloe leaned back in her chair.
“I'll find a way to get her out of the picture.”
Meanwhile, Ava and Noah continued discussing their project, completely unaware that Chloe was already making plans.
For Ava, being paired with Noah seemed like nothing more than a school assignment.
She had no idea that those two weeks would bring her closer to him than she ever expected.
And she certainly didn't know that someone was determined to make sure it never happened
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