CHAPTER 2
1235 Words
By Friday morning, everyone at Westbridge Academy knew Tessa Walker’s name.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t for a good reason.
The gossip account kept posting about her nonstop.
Every hour there was something new.
Why does the new girl always look scared?
Did anyone else hear she got expelled from her old school?
Jace Donovan defending her is suspicious.
Students laughed about it openly in the hallways now.
Some stared at Tessa with curiosity.
Others looked at her like she was entertainment.
Tessa kept her head down as she walked toward her locker.
Her chest felt heavy from lack of sleep.
She barely rested the night before.
Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered her old school.
The whispers.
The staring.
The loneliness.
It was happening again.
“Tessa!”
Maya suddenly appeared beside her carrying two iced coffees.
“You look dead.”
Tessa gave a tired smile. “Thanks.”
“I’m serious. Did you sleep at all?”
“A little.”
“That means no.”
Maya handed her a drink anyway.
Tessa quietly accepted it.
“People are idiots,” Maya muttered while glaring at nearby students. “I swear if I find out who runs that stupid gossip page—”
“Leave it alone.”
“No.”
Tessa sighed softly. “It’ll just make things worse.”
Maya looked frustrated. “You can’t keep letting people walk all over you.”
Tessa didn’t answer.
Because the truth was…
She didn’t know how to stop it.
Before Maya could continue, loud laughter echoed down the hallway.
Brielle Hart walked past with her group of friends.
The second she noticed Tessa, her smile sharpened.
“Well, if it isn’t the famous new girl.”
Tessa instantly tensed.
Maya crossed her arms. “What do you want, Brielle?”
“Relax.” Brielle leaned against the locker beside Tessa’s. “I just think it’s funny.”
“What is?”
“The fact that Jace Donovan suddenly cares about someone.”
Her friends giggled behind her.
Tessa’s cheeks warmed immediately.
“There’s nothing going on,” she said quietly.
Brielle raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“Then why’s he watching you right now?”
Tessa froze.
Slowly, she turned her head.
At the other end of the hallway stood Jace.
Hands in his pockets.
Expression unreadable.
And yes…
He was looking directly at her.
The second their eyes met, Tessa quickly looked away.
Brielle laughed softly.
“Interesting.”
Then she walked off with her friends.
Maya looked between Tessa and Jace suspiciously.
“…Okay. Something weird is definitely happening.”
“Nothing’s happening.”
“Mm-hm.”
Tessa ignored her and focused on opening her locker.
But her hands shook slightly.
Because she could still feel Jace staring.
—
Later that afternoon, English class became unbearable.
Mrs. Laurent assigned a partner project worth forty percent of their grade.
The classroom instantly exploded with conversation.
“Choose your partners carefully,” Mrs. Laurent warned.
Before Tessa could even think about asking Maya—
“Jace and Tessa.”
The classroom went silent.
Tessa blinked in horror.
Mrs. Laurent smiled. “You two work well together.”
Nobody believed that.
Especially since they had barely spoken.
Maya looked offended. “What about me?”
“You’ll work with Olivia.”
Olivia groaned dramatically.
Tessa slowly turned toward Jace.
He didn’t seem bothered at all.
“Cool,” he said casually.
Tessa wished she could disappear.
The whispers started immediately.
“Of course they got paired.”
“Brielle’s gonna lose it.”
“Poor Jace.”
Tessa stared at her desk while embarrassment crawled up her neck.
Mrs. Laurent handed out project sheets.
“You’ll present in two weeks.”
The second class ended, students rushed out noisily.
Tessa carefully packed her bag as slowly as possible.
Maybe if she waited long enough—
“You avoiding me?”
She nearly jumped.
Jace stood beside her desk now.
“I’m not avoiding you.”
“You look terrified.”
“I’m not terrified.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
Tessa looked away quickly.
Jace sighed quietly before sitting on the desk in front of her.
“We have to work together.”
“I know.”
“So stop acting like I’m gonna murder you.”
Despite herself, Tessa almost smiled.
Almost.
“I don’t think you’ll murder me.”
“Good to know.”
An awkward silence followed.
Then Jace asked, “You wanna come to the library after school?”
Tessa blinked in surprise.
“Today?”
“Usually projects don’t magically complete themselves.”
She hesitated immediately.
Being alone with Jace Donovan sounded like a terrible idea.
Not because she thought he’d hurt her.
But because attention followed him everywhere.
And Tessa already had enough people watching her.
“I don’t know—”
“It’s just homework, Walker.”
Her stomach twisted nervously.
“…Okay.”
Jace looked slightly surprised she agreed.
“Okay,” he repeated.
Then he stood up and walked away casually like nothing happened.
Meanwhile Tessa’s heart was beating way too fast for absolutely no reason.
—
The library after school was quieter than expected.
Rain tapped softly against the windows while students whispered between shelves.
Tessa sat across from Jace at a small table near the back corner.
At first, neither of them talked much.
Jace worked surprisingly seriously.
Which confused her.
“You actually do your assignments?”
He glanced up. “Barely.”
“That’s not what people say.”
Jace smirked faintly. “People say a lot of things.”
Tessa looked down at her paper again.
That sentence felt strangely personal.
After several quiet minutes, Jace suddenly spoke again.
“Why’d you really transfer here?”
Tessa’s pencil stopped moving instantly.
“I told you already.”
“No. You avoided the question.”
Her chest tightened.
She hated this conversation.
Because if she told the truth, people would look at her differently.
They always did.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Jace studied her silently for a moment.
Then surprisingly, he nodded.
“Fine.”
No pressure.
No pushing.
That caught her off guard.
Most people demanded answers once they became curious.
Jace just leaned back in his chair.
“You know Brielle’s obsessed with drama, right?”
Tessa blinked. “What?”
“She’ll keep bothering you.”
“Why?”
Jace looked genuinely confused by the question.
Then realization crossed his face.
“Oh. Right. You don’t know.”
“Know what?”
He hesitated.
Tessa suddenly felt nervous.
“Jace?”
“She’s my ex.”
Tessa stared at him.
“Oh.”
Everything suddenly made sense.
The tension.
The looks.
The comments.
Jace rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“She thinks I’m trying to make her jealous.”
Tessa nearly choked. “What?!”
“You’re the first girl I’ve willingly talked to since we broke up.”
Tessa’s face burned instantly.
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“I know.”
But the way he looked at her afterward made her heart skip painfully.
Tessa quickly looked down at her notebook again.
This was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because for the first time in a long time…
Someone made her feel noticed in a way that didn’t hurt.
And she wasn’t sure what to do with that feeling.
- Writer
