Crush from birth

Chapter 3: The Best Friend Barrier

The high school hallways were a chaotic jungle of slamming lockers, shouting students, and the overwhelming scent of cheap body spray. But wherever Dante walked, the crowd practically parted like the Red Sea.

As team captain and the school’s golden boy, he was the center of attention. Girls were turning their heads so fast Aurora was worried they'd get whiplash. Yet, through the entire walk to their lockers, Dante kept his arm loosely slung over Aurora’s shoulders, pulling her close to protect her from the rushing freshmen.

"Don't forget, you're sitting front and center at the pep rally today," Dante reminded her, leaning down so his voice wouldn't get drowned out by the roar of the hallway. "I need my lucky charm in the front row or the speech is going to bomb."

"You'll do fine, Dante," Aurora said, her heart hammering against her ribs from his proximity. "We spent three hours drafting it. Just don't do that weird squinty thing you do when you're nervous."

"I don't do a squinty thing!"

"You absolutely do. You look like a pirate searching for land."

Dante let out a booming laugh, throwing his head back. "Fine. No pirate eyes. I promise."

The school day flew by in a blur of syllabus printouts and teachers droning on about college applications, leading up to the final event: the massive, school-wide pep rally in the gymnasium.

The bleachers were a vibrating sea of school colors, the marching band playing loudly enough to shake the floorboards. Aurora sat in the very front row, her eyes glued to the double doors. When the soccer team finally burst through, the crowd went completely feral.

Dante led the pack, holding the school flag high. He looked like a literal movie star. When he took the microphone, the gym went dead silent. He was charming, he was funny, and he had the entire student body eating out of the palm of his hand. But right before he finished his speech, his eyes scanned the crowd.

He found Aurora. He stopped, held her gaze across the loud room, and flashed a quick, private two-finger salute—their secret handshake code for 'thanks for always having my back.'

A girl sitting a few rows behind Aurora let out a loud squeal. "Oh my god! Did you see that? Dante Rossi just looked at me!"

"In your dreams, Chloe," her friend snorts loudly. "He was definitely looking at Aurora. They're, like, joined at the hip."

"Please, they're just childhood friends," Chloe scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "Everyone knows Dante doesn't see her that way. They're basically siblings. Safe and boring."

The words stung a little, but Aurora shook her head, a mischievous smirk slowly replacing her frown. Safe and boring? Oh, I’ll show you boring.

She packed her bag and walked out into the clearing hallway.

"Hey! Rory! Wait up!"

She turned to see Dante jogging down the hallway, completely abandoning a group of his teammates. He was glowing, a triumphant grin on his face.

"Did you hear the crowd? The speech worked perfectly!" he panted, stopping right in front of her. He reached out and excitedly grabbed both of her shoulders. "You're a genius, Rory. Seriously, I owe you my life. How can I ever repay my brilliant manager?"

Aurora looked at his excited face, her inner prankster taking total control. She suddenly let out a dramatic, horrified gasp, staring intently at the top of his head.

"Oh my god, Dante. Don't move," she whispered, her voice trembling with fake terror.

Dante froze instantly, his eyes widening. "What? What is it? Is there a spider on me?!"

"Worse," Aurora breathed, stepping closer and pretending to inspect his perfectly styled hair. "It’s a massive, hairy, green caterpillar. It must have fallen from the tree outside. It's... oh god, I think it's nesting."

"Get it off! Rory, get it off!" Dante panicked, completely losing his cool, captain-of-the-team composure. He started shaking his head violently like a wet dog, slapping at his own hair and jumping backward. "Is it gone?! Did I get it?!"

Aurora held it in for about two seconds before she completely doubled over, clutching her stomach as she roared with laughter. The empty hallway echoed with her giggles.

Dante stopped jumping, his hair now a wildly messy bird's nest, realizing he'd been played. He crossed his arms, throwing her a deadpan, glare that was ruined by the amused twitch at the corner of his lips.

"You are evil, Maggie," he grumbled, stepping forward and putting her in a playful headlock, ruffling her hair right back. "An absolute menace."

"Worth it!" Aurora wheezed through her laughter, her heart doing its usual happy dance.

Chloe was wrong. There was absolutely nothing safe or boring about this.