The morning bell shrieked through Crestwood High, sending a restless current through the students. Lockers slammed, laughter echoed, sneakers squeaked against the polished floor.
For Lily, the noise faded into a dull hum the moment she caught sight of him.
Jason Carter.
He stood by his locker, leaning casually against the metal, sleeves rolled to his elbows, talking to two teammates who were trying too hard to make him laugh. He smiled faintly, polite, detached, but his eyes didn't match his expression. His eyes scanned the hall with a predator's patience, pausing briefly—deliberately—on her.
Lily's stomach tightened. She turned away before he could see her watching, forcing herself to keep her pace calm, her mask unshaken. But every step felt like a move on a chessboard she hadn't realized she was playing until now.
In English, she felt his presence behind her.
Every time she shifted, every time she brushed her pen against her notebook, she imagined his eyes tracing her movements.
She didn't dare turn around, but she knew.
Jason was watching. Measuring. Waiting.
Mr. Holloway's voice droned at the front, but Lily's thoughts were elsewhere.
What does he know? How much does he see?
She tapped her pen against the paper, writing words in the margin, half for herself, half as a dare.
I see you too.
At lunch, the silence between them thickened into something palpable. Jason sat across the cafeteria, surrounded by his usual orbit of admirers. Girls laughed at his comments, boys tried to impress him with jokes, but Jason himself hardly engaged.
His gaze drifted past them, through them—toward her.
Lily ate slowly, deliberately. She could feel the weight of his attention like a hand pressing against her skin.
It wasn't flirtation. It wasn't curiosity. It was recognition.
She lifted her eyes once, just once, and found him staring directly at her. No smile. No blink. Just that unshakable, knowing stare.
For the first time, Lily had to force herself not to look away.
The library was nearly empty after hours, its silence broken only by the soft hum of lights and the occasional turn of a page. Lily chose it deliberately. The shadows between the stacks felt safer than her own home.
She sat with an open book in front of her, though her eyes didn't register the words. Her senses were tuned outward, waiting.
It didn't take long.
Jason appeared at the far end of the room, his figure framed by the dim glow of the overhead lamps. He didn't look surprised to see her.
Of course he didn't.
He walked slowly down the aisle, hands in his pockets, his footsteps controlled, unhurried. He stopped a few feet from her table, eyes fixed on her.
"You like quiet places," he said softly.
Her pulse hammered, but she kept her voice steady. "So do you."
A small smile tugged at his lips. "We have that in common, then."
Silence stretched between them, filled with unspoken words. The air seemed heavier, charged.
Lily tilted her head slightly, studying him with narrowed eyes. "You've been watching me."