JAY
High school hallways are noisy and chaotic, but from where I stood outside Alessia’s classroom, the din blurred into background static. My focus, as always, was singular—her. Alessia sat near the center of the room, her dark hair catching the slant of sunlight that streamed through the windows. She was scribbling something in her notebook, her brows furrowed in concentration.
I should’ve been relieved to see her so focused, but the sight of the boy sitting next to her—the one with the too-perfect smile and a confidence that bordered on arrogance—kept me on edge.
It was supposed to be a harmless group project. That’s what the teacher had said when she’d announced the partners. But nothing felt harmless about the way this guy leaned toward Alessia, his elbow resting on her desk like
