Chapter 4: After the Pool
The next morning, the atmosphere at school was strange.
Every hallway echoed with one story —
"Ethan saved Elena from the pool."
Some said he carried her in his arms,
others swore they saw them staring at each other like a movie scene.
But only two people knew the truth — Ethan and Elena.
---
After that day, Elena didn't talk to Ethan.
No thank you, no smile.
Just silence.
Yet every time she saw him in class, something warm stirred inside her chest.
Something had changed —
but she refused to admit it.
Ethan, too, wasn't the same.
No pranks. No teasing.
Just quiet.
Even his friends noticed.
> "Bro, are you okay? You've been acting different since that pool thing."
Ethan simply replied:
> "Just thinking… not everything is what it seems."
---
Two days later, Elena sat alone in the library.
The faint drip of water from a leaky window filled the silence.
She was writing notes when a shadow fell across her desk.
Ethan.
Without a word, he placed a small towel on the table.
> "Your notebook got wet in the pool.
Didn't want your next project to drown with it."
Elena looked up, surprised.
> "You really think I'd take a towel from you?"
Ethan gave a soft smile.
> "No. I thought you'd refuse.
But I brought it anyway."
For the first time, there was no mockery in his eyes —
only something real.
Sincere.
They stayed silent for a moment.
Then Elena finally whispered:
> "Thank you… for that day."
Ethan's reply was calm but firm:
> "Saving you wasn't a favor."
He turned and walked away.
Elena's heart beat faster.
She muttered to herself,
> "What's happening to me…"
---
The next morning, when she opened her locker, she froze.
Inside was a note and a small silver star pendant.
The note read:
> "Sometimes silence is the loudest answer."
— E.W.
Elena smiled faintly.
> "Ethan Walker… you really are strange."
---
Later that day, the teacher announced a new group project.
Everyone was excited—until the names were read.
> "Elena Grace… and your partner will be… Ethan Walker."
The class erupted with a collective "OHHH!"
Ethan smirked,
and Elena closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh.
> "Looks like the universe wants us to team up," Ethan said.
Elena met his gaze.
> "Or maybe the universe just wants to mess with me."
Ethan chuckled.
> "Same thing, Elena.
Let's see which way it goes."
And just like that, a new chapter began —
not rivalry, not friendship,
but something in between.
As they sat together for the first time,
neither of them realized it yet —
but the game was over.
What began now…
was something real.
END OF CHAPTER 4