After the Storm
365 Words
The kiss changed everything.
It wasn’t long or planned — just a heartbeat of truth that neither of them could take back. When they finally pulled apart, the rain outside had turned into a steady rhythm against the windows, echoing the wild pace of Ava’s heart.
Ethan looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he said softly.
“Then why did you?” she asked.
He hesitated, eyes flicking between her lips and her eyes. “Because I couldn’t not.”
Ava didn’t know how to respond. Her mind screamed that this was wrong, that they were supposed to be rivals — not whatever this was. But her heart felt something entirely different.
By Monday, the whispers had started.
Someone had seen them outside the exhibition hall, standing close, smiling. By lunchtime, half the school knew.
Clara made sure of it.
“So it’s true,” she said loudly as Ava passed through the hallway. “Guess you don’t mind being someone’s experiment.”
Ava froze. Lila was beside her in seconds. “Ignore her,” she whispered, glaring at Clara.
But the words still stung.
Later that day, Ethan cornered Ava near the lockers. “I heard what she said. You okay?”
“I’m fine,” Ava lied.
“You don’t look fine.”
She met his gaze, fire in her eyes. “You don’t have to protect me, Ethan.”
He frowned. “Maybe I want to.”
“Don’t,” she said quietly. “It’ll only make things worse.”
He stepped back, frustration clear in his voice. “Why do you always push me away?”
“Because people like you don’t stay,” she whispered.
The words hit him like a slap. For the first time, Ethan didn’t know what to say.
That night, neither of them slept.
Ava replayed the kiss, the rumors, the look in his eyes when she said those words.
And Ethan… couldn’t stop thinking about how much he hated being the reason she didn’t trust love.
Maybe this wasn’t just a high school crush anymore.
Maybe it was something worth fighting for.
- Writer
