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Chapter 21 - Chapter Twenty One - Stalking Pretty Strangers

Camille glanced at Harper with a playful grin. 

"I'm just gonna hit the restroom. Don't go anywhere."

Harper nodded, folding her arms, and leaned back against the smooth stone wall near the main entrance. The hallway buzzed faintly with students passing by, but she was too caught up in her thoughts to notice much.

Harper leaned against the cool, pale-green tiled wall just outside the restroom, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

The school corridor buzzed quietly with the murmur of students' footsteps and scattered conversations, the late morning sunlight streaming through the tall windows casting soft golden patterns on the gleaming floor. She could hear the faint clatter of lockers closing and distant laughter echoing down the hall.

Her eyes traced the worn edges of the floor tiles, her thoughts drifting, feeling oddly displaced in this pristine rival school where everything smelled of polished wood and freshly printed flyers. She absentmindedly tugged at the cuff of her jacket, a subtle sign of nerves she barely acknowledged.

Suddenly, a voice—smooth, familiar, cutting through the noise—made her start and look up.

"Fancy seeing you here."

She blinked, caught off guard, and her gaze landed on Kim standing a few feet away, leaning casually against a locker. His dark hair fell just right, tousled but effortless. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his blazer, and his lips curved into that trademark smirk, a playful glint sparkling in his warm brown eyes.

"Seriously?" Harper said, her voice a mix of disbelief and mock annoyance, folding her arms tighter as if to shield herself. 

"Didn't I tell you not to come looking for me?"

Kim pushed off the locker with a smooth motion and stepped closer, his confident stride erasing the distance between them in just a few steps. There was no hint of offense in his expression—just that easy, boyish charm that made him simultaneously exasperating and impossible to ignore.

"I don't take orders from strangers, sorry." he replied, eyes gleaming with mischief.

Harper raised one skeptical brow, half amused, half irritated. "Is this what you do? Stalk strangers?"

Kim laughed—a low, genuine sound that warmed the chilly hallway air. "Only the prettiest ones."

She rolled her eyes, fighting back a smile that tugged at her lips despite her best efforts. The corners of her mouth twitched upward as she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, feeling the sudden flutter of something like comfort mixed with exasperation.

"So, who're you here to see?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows playfully.

Camille emerged, her presence instantly brightening the otherwise sterile corridor. Her cheeks flushed from whatever she'd been doing inside, eyes sparkling as she caught sight of Kim. 

"Kim! Hey!" she said, her voice bubbling with cheerfulness.

Then she turned to Harper with a warm grin. "Harper, this is Kim. Kim, this is my best friend Harper."

Camille blinked, momentarily thrown off. "Do you two know each other?" she asked, tone cautious but curious.

"Not exactly," Harper replied quickly, trying to keep things simple.

Kim stepped a little closer, lowering his voice with a playful edge. "I think I'd say we do."

Camille's eyes lit up like fireworks as she bounced slightly on the balls of her feet, clearly thrilled to be playing the role of enthusiastic introducer. 

"You know, Kim, Harper's honestly one of the most incredible friends anyone could ever ask for. She's loyal to a fault—like, the kind of person who'd drop everything for you without hesitation."

Harper shifted uncomfortably, tugging at the hem of her jacket as she glanced toward the hallway, hoping to escape the mounting attention. "Yeah, well... thanks, Cam, but I should probably—"

"Oh, no, no, no. You have to hear this, Kim!" Camille insisted, cutting her off with an exaggerated finger wag, grinning mischievously. "Did you know she just got out of juvie?"

Kim's eyebrows shot up, interest piqued. "Really?" His tone was casual, but his eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Harper let out a short, awkward laugh, the corners of her mouth twitching as she tried to downplay the moment. "I didn't do anything that bad. Camille, shut up."

Camille laughed heartily, completely unbothered by Harper's discomfort. "Oh, please! 'Not that bad'? She nearly tried to kill her own grandmother!"

Harper froze, her eyes snapping wide in surprise. She shot Camille a sharp look, a mix of embarrassment and mild exasperation flickering across her face. Camille, oblivious to the tension she'd stirred, continued with the same bubbly enthusiasm. 

"Seriously, how many people can say that? She's like this badass with a heart of gold—tough as nails but fiercely protective!"

Kim chuckled softly, shaking his head in amused disbelief, the kind of easy laughter that made his whole face light up. 

"That's definitely not something you hear every day. Makes you wonder what the story behind that is."

Harper felt her cheeks flush with heat, the past suddenly pressing down heavier on her chest. She took a careful step back, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear and giving Camille a pleading look. 

"Okay, okay, that's enough 'fun facts' for one day. Camille, don't you have class or something to get to?"

Camille threw her head back, still grinning like she hadn't just dropped a bombshell. "Just trying to give you some credit, Harper.."

Harper gave a reluctant, tight-lipped smile, the kind that didn't quite reach her eyes. Inside, the weight of everything she'd been trying to leave behind settled heavily, reminding her how impossible it was to outrun the past completely.

Camille glanced down at her watch, the familiar chime of the bell echoing faintly through the polished halls of Westerleigh Prep. Her bright, effortless smile didn't falter for a second. 

"Well, I should probably get to class before they start wondering where I am.." she said, her voice still bubbling with that trademark cheerleader energy.

She stepped a little closer to Harper, giving her arm a quick, affectionate squeeze. "But seriously, Harper, we have to hang out soon—like, for real. No more disappearing acts. And Kim—don't be a stranger either, alright?! Bye guys!"

Her eyes sparkled as she threw a playful wink at Kim, then spun on her heel and practically skipped down the hallway. The soft click of her shoes faded as she rounded the corner, her laughter lingering like a warm breeze.

Left alone in the suddenly quieter corridor, Harper let out a slow breath. She glanced over at Kim, who was leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed, watching her with a half-smile that held equal parts mischief and genuine interest.

"So," Kim said, stepping a little closer, "she said you almost tried to kill your grandmother." His eyebrow rose in amused surprise. "I'd say that's definitely a 'fun fact' if I've ever heard one."

Harper's face twitched with a faint, awkward laugh, but there was a shadow behind her eyes now. She shook her head slightly, trying to shrug it off. 

"Almost, I didn't actually do it." she said quietly, the single word carrying a weight far heavier than it seemed.

Kim's expression softened immediately, the teasing light in his eyes dimming to something warmer, more understanding. 

"Yeah... I get it. Probably not exactly the 'fun' kind of fun fact you want people to dwell on, huh?"

Harper looked down at her shoes, feeling the cool polish of the floor under her feet, the sounds of distant voices and footsteps fading around her like the world had shrunk to just this quiet moment. Her voice dropped even lower, raw and tentative. 

"It's super complicated. More than just the 'almost' part. A lot of stuff happened."

She swallowed hard, then met Kim's gaze again, her eyes searching his face for judgment but finding only patience. "Maybe... maybe one day I'll tell you the whole story.."

A flicker of vulnerability crossed her features, the guarded walls she always carried slipping just enough to show a hint of the storm inside. "I hope you don't think differently of me. Because... I'm not sure how to feel about all of it myself."

Kim took a step closer, the space between them shrinking but never feeling too close. His voice was gentle, steady—a quiet anchor in the chaos. "Hey. Everyone's got their story. Dark parts, messy parts. Doesn't change who you are now. And it definitely doesn't change how I see you."

Harper let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding, the tension in her shoulders loosening just a fraction. She gave him a small, tentative nod—a silent thank you that felt like the first thread of trust weaving between them.

For a moment, they just stood there, two unlikely allies in a sprawling school hallway, the air thick with unspoken understanding.

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