The hallway felt colder than usual.
I hadn't said a word to Chloe since her confession. Not because I was mad — but because I didn't know how to respond. She liked Rylan. And I... didn't even know what I felt anymore.
Damien hadn't spoken much either. He kept glancing at me with something heavy in his eyes — guilt? Anger? Fear? I couldn't read him.
And Rylan… Rylan had started acting strange. Possessive one second, distant the next.
We were all spinning.
"Hey," Chloe whispered beside me, hesitant. "Can we talk after class?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Of course."
Damien's POV
I couldn't focus.
Mr. Harris was explaining some geometry problem, but all I could think about was the way Chloe kept looking between Rylan and Ava. And how Ava kept fidgeting with her pencil. And how Rylan hadn't even looked up from his notebook — sketching furiously like he was escaping into the page.
I caught Serena staring at me from across the room again. Great.
When the bell rang, I bolted out before anyone could stop me.
But fate wasn't on my side.
In the hallway, I turned a corner and bumped straight into him.
Rylan.
He narrowed his eyes, just slightly. "Going somewhere, Blackwell?"
I clenched my jaw. "I don't have time for this."
"You're making her confused," he said, voice low. "If you don't know what you want, maybe you should let her go."
That was it.
I grabbed him by the collar, shoving him against the locker. "And who made you her knight in shining armor, huh?"
People gasped. A crowd started forming.
Rylan shoved back.
"I care about her, Damien! That's more than I can say for you when you let Serena kiss you and didn't even—"
"That wasn't real!" I snapped.
Then a voice broke through.
"STOP!"
It was Ava.
Ava's POV
Seeing them like that — fists clenched, eyes wild — broke something in me.
"You're both being idiots!" I shouted.
Damien backed away first, chest heaving. Rylan looked down, ashamed.
"This is not about me," I added, voice shaking. "It's about you two not knowing how to handle your damn feelings."
No one spoke. I walked away. My heart felt like it might burst.
Chloe's POV
Later, I found Ava alone by the fountain behind school.
"I'm sorry," I said softly, sitting beside her.
Ava looked up, her eyes red. "You don't need to be. I just… don't know how much more I can handle."
There was a pause.
"I think I like Rylan," I admitted. "And I hate it. Because I know he likes you."
Ava didn't reply for a long time.
Finally, she whispered, "I think Damien's breaking. And I'm scared I'm breaking too."
Ezra's POV
I saw her crying.
Chloe.
From behind the art building, I caught a glimpse of her wiping her face quickly when she thought no one was watching.
It hurt to see her like that.
And I didn't even know why it hurt so much.
God. What was happening to me?