The next morning, Iris arrived early to school, a little more excited than usual. She had woken up with a hopeful heart, looking forward to a fun and peaceful day. When she stepped into the lab, she noticed the same teacher who had been yelling the day before-now fumbling with scattered equipment, clearly overwhelmed.
Without hesitation, Iris placed her bag on the nearest table and rushed to help him. Her hands moved quickly and calmly, organizing the beakers, adjusting the wires, wiping down the surfaces. She didn't say much-just helped, because that's what she did.
But someone was watching.
From behind the glass window, Isla stood with crossed arms, quietly observing. A few moments later, her friend Abi joined her, eyes narrowing as she spotted Iris inside. Abi watched for a beat, then scoffed, "Hah, what a pushover. Or maybe she's just the teacher's pet. Coming early on purpose just to get on his good side. What a scamming girl."
Iris heard every word.
She didn't flinch, didn't turn around, didn't say a thing. She was used to it. People often mistook her kindness for weakness. A cheerful face, a helping hand-they thought it meant to be used. And it hurt, yes. But she had learned to carry that pain in silence.
Still, seeing Abi again stung more than usual. Of all the classmates she could've ended up with this year... it had to be her.
Flashback
Back in her second year of middle school, Iris sat quietly at her desk during lunch, scribbling to finish the homework she had forgotten. Abi was sitting in front of her, bored and smug. Without warning, Abi lifted her phone and snapped a picture of Iris using a horrible filter.
Iris caught her and stood up, visibly angry. "Delete it," she said firmly.
Abi smirked. "Oh? Why should I? It's just memories between friends. Or maybe your parents didn't teach you what memories are." She laughed-loud, cruel, fake.
Iris glared. Her voice didn't tremble. "Then I guess your parents never taught you respect. Or maybe they just ignored their little petty princess completely." She paused. "Yes, I heard Joshua rejected you this morning. Are you still mad about that?"
The classroom fell silent. A few students gathered near the door, staring. Abi's face turned red-rage, shame, all at once.
Without warning, she lunged forward, grabbed Iris by the hair, and slammed her head into the table. The sound echoed. Blood ran down Iris's forehead.
The teacher rushed in, stunned. "Go to the principal's office. Now."
Abi left in tears. Students circled Iris, frozen. She stood, silent, and walked to the infirmary, hoping the cut wouldn't leave a scar.
From that day on, she didn't speak to Abi again. Or her little crowd. The rumors came, false and cruel, but Iris let them pass. She had already learned how to survive it.
End of Flashback
Now, in high school, not much had changed. But Iris had. She still helped others, still smiled-but she knew better than to let people like Abi define her worth.
She finished organizing the lab and walked back to her seat without saying a word. Then she heard a familiar voice-it was Lucas. She glanced up and saw him walk in, casually greeting Isla and Abi. Her expression tightened. Seeing him talking to Abi, of all people, bothered her.
She looked away quickly, trying to brush off the uneasy feeling, but her thoughts wandered anyway. A few seconds later, she felt a hand lightly grip the back of her chair.
"Good morning," Lucas said, smiling down at her.
Iris smiled back politely but couldn't shake what she had just seen. It bothered her more than she wanted to admit.
"Are you friends with Abi?" she asked directly.
Lucas blinked, caught off guard. "All of a sudden? No, not really. I don't like her attitude-she's more like a spoiled princess."
That answer was enough for Iris. She smiled softly and said, "I'll tell you later."
More students began pouring into the classroom, the noise rising with every passing second. The session was about to start. Unfortunately, Hazel wasn't in the same group as Iris or Lucas this time. Once again, they'd been separated.
Iris sighed. Same old bad luck. Lucas went to sit next to Isla, while Abi sat beside one of her other friends. Iris, left alone, didn't seem to care-at least on the outside.
"It doesn't matter," she muttered under her breath. "Sitting alone was always the best anyway."
But the teacher had other plans.
He handed out a group exercise: one student would solve the problem, and the other would present the answer. No one was allowed to work alone.
Iris glanced left, then right-Noah was sitting by himself. Without thinking twice, she walked over.
"Do you mind if I join you?" she asked. "Looks like we're both alone anyway."
Noah gave a silent nod, his eyes enough to show approval.
"That's weird," Iris whispered to herself as she sat next to him.
He immediately started explaining the task and how she should present their answer. His voice was calm, his words clear-but Iris wasn't hearing any of it.
She was zoning out again, only this time it wasn't because of boredom.
Was he always this handsome? she wondered, eyes fixed on his face.
She didn't hear a single word he said. She was too busy admiring him-his sharp features, the way his hair fell slightly over his eyes, how effortlessly calm he looked. Lost in thought, she didn't even notice when he called her name.
It wasn't until he gently took her hand that she snapped back to reality.
"Is it a habit of yours?" he asked, a bit amused. "I mean zoning out. You probably didn't hear anything I said, right? Do I have to explain it one more time?"
Iris quickly shook her head, flustered. She pulled her hand back and replied, "No, you don't have to. I'll just read it once and do a better job."
Noah stared at her for a moment, visibly confused, but said nothing.
Iris turned her head, her gaze drifting toward Lucas and Isla-just to check on their progress. But the moment her eyes landed on Isla, she froze. Isla was glaring at her, a look so sharp it felt like fire.
Iris blinked, startled. Why is she looking at me like that? she thought. She didn't understand the reason, so she quickly looked away, not wanting any more trouble.
She sat down quietly, focused, waiting for her turn.
When it finally came, the presentation went smoothly-just as she'd hoped.
The session ended, and as always, the classroom emptied fast-students hurrying out as if the walls themselves would collapse. But Iris stayed behind, frozen in her seat, her thoughts spiraling.
Am I crazy?
What was I even thinking about during this session?
Iris, seriously... "Was he always this handsome?" What does that even mean?
Have I officially lost it now that I've moved on from Mykel?
She pressed her palms to her forehead, trying to cool her racing thoughts. That's when Lucas walked in, noticing she hadn't left yet.
"You okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why is your face so red?"
Iris blinked, startled. She touched her cheeks instinctively. Is it really that obvious?
"Guess I need to wash my face real quick," she said quickly, standing up. "You go ahead. I'll catch up."
As she walked past him, Lucas frowned slightly, muttering under his breath, "Did something happen during the session...?"
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Iris rushed to the restroom, heart still pounding. She splashed cold water on her face and looked up at her reflection in the mirror.
Why am I even blushing? Seriously, what's wrong with me?
As she stood there, trying to calm down, a voice echoed from behind.
"Iris."
It was Isla.
Iris turned around slowly. Isla approached her, a cold look in her eyes-then suddenly smiled, too sweet to be sincere.
"Do you have a crush on Noah?"
The question hit like a slap. Iris hadn't expected that-especially not from her.
Caught off guard, she paused, then replied, "No... I don't think so."
Isla stepped closer, keeping her tone light. "Ah, I was just curious. I had a crush on him last year. And I'm pretty sure he liked me too."
She tilted her head slightly, still smiling.
"I mean, he doesn't have any reason to hate me, does he?"
And with that, she turned and walked out, her heels clicking softly on the tiles, leaving Iris standing there-confused, unsettled, and still unsure of what exactly just happened.
**********************************************************************************************Lucas walked into the classroom and took his seat, waiting for Iris to come back. A moment later, Noah entered quietly. Lucas found his eyes following him across the room.
"That's weird," Lucas muttered. "It's my first time actually noticing him here. Was he in our class from the start?"
It wasn't a strange thought-Noah was the kind of guy who could go unnoticed for months if no one spoke to him. Always sitting in the back by the window, quiet, calm, almost like part of the classroom itself. He didn't make noise, didn't try to stand out. He just... watched.
The classroom was unusually silent. Only three people were inside-Noah, his best friend Theodore, and Lucas. They weren't close, so no one said anything. Just silence.
Until Iris came bursting in.
"Lucas!!!" she shouted across the room.
Lucas jumped up, alarmed, thinking something had happened. But when he ran to her and saw her red cheeks and the way she froze the moment she caught sight of Noah, it clicked.
Iris pulled him by the sleeve. "Come outside, I need to talk to you!"
The two of them rushed to the staircase.
"You... you have a crush on Noah, don't you?" Lucas said, grinning.
Iris's eyes widened. She kicked his knee lightly. "Don't say it out loud! They might hear you. And I'm not even sure yet..."
Lucas laughed, rubbing his knee. "There's literally no one here. And you know, he's not that bad. He's kinda cute."
Iris's eyes lit up instantly. "I know, right? The way he explains everything so gently, then checks if you understand... or the way he smiles, his hair falling down so you can barely see his eyes-he's amazing. And when he held my hand, I swear I could hear my own heart beating out loud. His hand was so big. That's totally my type."
She didn't stop there. "You know those veins on his hands? I almost fainted. How can someone be that perfect? I've never liked someone like this before. It feels like fate, you know what I'm saying?"
Lucas watched her, smiling as she went on and on, completely entranced by her sudden admiration for Noah.
"You like him that much?" he said finally. "Don't even try to deny it."
Iris blushed, panicked. "We're going to be late!" she said quickly and started heading back.
Lucas stopped her. "If you go back now with your face all red, what do you think they'll say?"
Iris froze, groaned dramatically, then rushed to the restroom again.
Watching her go, Lucas chuckled to himself. "Is this... what someone in love really looks like?"
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