Ella
Mark leaned against the wall, watching me unwrap the chocolate bar. “You know,” he said with a smirk, “I was actually surprised when I found out you were a girl. You hid it really well.”
I froze mid-bite, glancing up at him. “Were you angry?” I asked hesitantly.
He shook his head without hesitation. “No. You obviously had your reasons. And honestly? I’m kind of proud of you.”
I blinked at him. “Proud?”
Mark grinned. “Yeah. It takes a lot of guts to come to an all-boys school and keep up the act for this long. Most people would’ve crumbled under the pressure.” He tilted his head slightly. “Though I do have to ask—why did you do it?”
I shifted uncomfortably and quickly looked away. “It’s complicated.”
Mark didn’t push, just hummed in response, accepting my evasion wit
