The next morning, as I slipped into my seat, my gaze flickered across the room — only to find Danny already looking my way.
A slow, easy smile spread across his face, like he had been waiting.
Heart fluttering like an idiot, I flashed him a shy grin back, but before I could overthink it, my fingers brushed against something underneath the desk.
A neatly folded note.
Curious — and suspicious — I tugged it out, opening it quickly beneath the table.
In that same, cocky scrawl, it read:
Still blushing, nerd?
Heat shot straight to my cheeks.
I kept my head down, refusing to meet his eyes, though I could feel his gaze lingering, heavy and amused.
Thankfully, the moment was sliced in half as the teacher marched in and started taking attendance.
But it didn't end there.
Across the room, Olivia — had caught the exchange.
Flipping her glossy hair over one shoulder, she leaned into her group of equally well-dressed followers, whispering animatedly behind perfectly manicured hands.
By the time lunch rolled around, the plan was already brewing.
I was half-distracted, picking at my food in the cafeteria when Olivia walked up to Danny's table, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
"Hey, Danny," she purred, her voice dripping with fake sweetness.
Danny didn't even look fazed.
"Hey," he said, cool and distant.
"Why are you sitting alone? Let's have lunch together," she added, with a toss of her hair.
He barely glanced up from whatever he was working on.
"Got better things to do," he said bluntly, then promptly turned back to his notebook without sparing her another second.
I couldn't lie — watching Olivia's smile freeze on her face was delicious.
She rolled her eyes, muttered something under her breath, and regrouped with her minions.
But apparently, she wasn't done yet.
Soon after, she popped up at my table with a blindingly fake smile.
"Hey, Rose, come have lunch with us!"
Surprised and cornered, I didn't find the words to decline fast enough.
Nodding hesitantly, I followed her to the larger group, where a dozen students buzzed with too-loud conversations and flashing smiles.
I tried not to shrink into myself as I sat down.
The air around Olivia was thick with practiced perfection and hidden claws.
"So," Olivia said, twirling her straw between her fingers, "has everyone decided who their partner's going to be for the Maxton's event?"
Names were tossed around casually, laughter ringing out.
Then Olivia leaned back, loud enough for everyone to hear, and said with a dramatic sigh,
"I'm thinking about asking Danny"
Squeals and cheers echoed from her little gang, making the statement even more unbearable.
I kept my smile intact — polite, unfazed — even as a pang of jealousy twisted deep inside.
"Yeah," I said lightly, pushing my food around my plate. "That would be... fitting."
Standing up I found across the canteen, Danny was watching me, eyebrows slightly furrowed like he could already tell something was wrong.