Soft Spots & Sharp Edges
317 Words
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Chapter Five: “Soft Spots & Sharp Edges”
Beneath Her Hoodie
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Monday morning came with its usual chaos — hallway chatter, sneaker squeaks on polished floors, the occasional slammed locker, and the faint smell of overused cologne. Nina kept her hoodie on, earbuds in, navigating through the crowd like a ghost with a schedule.
At the far end of the hallway, Jayden leaned against his locker, surrounded by noise and people who orbited him like satellites. He was saying something animated, half-laughing, until his eyes caught hers.
He smirked.
She looked away.
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By fourth period, it had rained. The kind of lazy drizzle that made everyone sleepy. Literature dragged on — metaphors, sonnets, and Miss Anyanwu’s dramatic readings that made half the class cringe and the other half pretend to care.
Jayden, seated behind Nina, passed a folded note.
> “You looked at me. That’s progress.”
She didn’t reply.
Another note.
> “Or maybe you were looking THROUGH me. Deep. Poetic.”
She rolled her eyes but tucked the note into her hoodie pocket.
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After school, Nina’s part-time job at “Bean & Bloom” café gave her some quiet. It wasn’t glamorous — wiping counters, taking orders, dodging creepy older guys — but it was hers.
And that day, a customer walked in wearing too much charm and a tilted beanie.
Jayden.
“You're stalking me now?” she asked, not even bothering to hide her annoyance.
“Maybe,” he said, grinning. “Or maybe I just wanted coffee and a side of mystery hoodie girl energy.”
He ordered the most complicated drink possible. Made her repeat it twice. Paid in coins.
“You're terrible,” she said flatly.
“I know,” he said, eyes locked on hers. “But I make life fun.”
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She hated that he did.
Just a little.
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- Writer
