CHAPTER SEVEN
Chloe: I think I'm in trouble
Adera blinked at the screen, mid-scroll, her thumb pausing over the keyboard.
She hadn't even typed her own message yet, and somehow Chloe had already texted her what she was about to say. Typical Chloe move—psychic best friend energy.
Adera: "Wait what?? What happened?? Trouble how?"
It took a few seconds for the three bouncing dots to appear.
Chloe: "Nathan."
That one word was enough to make Adera sit up straighter in bed.
Adera: "Oh my God. WHAT ABOUT HIM???"
Chloe: "He asked if I was free Friday. To hang out. Just us."
Adera's jaw dropped slightly.
Adera: "Wait. You mean like a DATE hangout???"
Chloe: "I don't even KNOW. But I said yes. And now I'm spiraling. I forgot how to be normal."
Adera: "You were never normal."
Chloe: "Helpful. Thank you."
Adera: "Okay okay. Chill. This is GOOD. We've been waiting for this for MONTHS. What did he say exactly?"
Chloe: "Something like, 'You're always funny when you order. Wanna grab something after your next class? Just us.'"
Adera: "Awww. That's kinda cute actually."
Chloe: "I KNOW. I panicked. I nodded. And then walked into the trash can by the register."
Adera burst out laughing.
Adera: "Of course you did. Smooth. Very subtle."
Chloe: "My legacy is in ruins."
Adera: "Nah. You'll bounce back. I'll help you. Just act chill, wear that cute lavender top, and don't bring up conspiracy theories or childhood trauma."
Chloe: "... so frogs are out?"
Adera: "Definitely out."
Chloe: "Damn."
Adera smiled at the screen, warmth growing in her chest. But just as she was about to send another message, her thumb froze. She'd forgotten to tell Chloe about Liam's confession. Completely.
She stared at the screen, re-reading their thread. Then sighed and typed:
Adera: "Also... remind me to tell you something tomorrow. Something kind of important."
Chloe: "Ooooh. Intrigue. Okay. I'll bring popcorn."
Adera: "Please bring chocolate too. It's a whole thing."
She locked her phone and flopped back onto her pillows, staring at the ceiling.
Everything was changing—and fast. Chloe and Nathan. Liam and his sudden shift. Jace, and whatever was happening there.
She wasn't sure where her heart was headed.
********""
The next morning, the sun rose behind thick clouds, casting a sleepy gray light across Adera's room. She blinked awake to the sound of Josh yelling at his game again—something about "reviving the squad"—and reached blindly for her phone.
One unread message.
Chloe: "Morning. Still spiraling. Please save me from myself."
Adera smiled and stretched before texting back:
Adera: "You're going to be fine. You're funny, adorable, and charming in your own weird Chloe way."
Chloe: "Weird???"
Adera: "Affectionate weird. Like a rescue puppy."
Chloe: "Wow. I feel so honored."
Downstairs, the house smelled like toast and lavender tea. Demitra was humming something soft in the kitchen while Kiara stood at the counter, packing snacks into reusable containers.
"Morning," Kiara said, not looking up.
"Morning," Adera replied, sliding into a seat.
Josh breezed past, nearly knocking over a mug. "Sorry, sorry! I'm late!"
Karen followed with his briefcase. "Don't forget your calculator, Josh."
"It's in my bag! I think!"
Adera sipped her tea and turned to Kiara. "Hey. About yesterday—thank you. For not pushing."
Kiara finally looked over and gave her a half smile. "Didn't need to. You were already thinking about it too much."
Adera shrugged. "It's hard not to. Everything feels like it's shifting."
Kiara nodded. "Yeah. It's what happens when you grow. Things don't stay neat forever."
---
Campus was unusually breezy, the sky threatening rain. Adera and Chloe met in the quiet back row of the library, surrounded by high shelves and whispers.
Chloe set down her smoothie and leaned in dramatically. "Okay. Tell me the thing."
Adera raised an eyebrow. "Good morning to you too."
"Don't stall."
Adera took a breath. "Liam told me he likes me."
Chloe blinked. "Wait. What?"
"Yesterday. After class. He walked me out and said he sees me as more than a friend."
"Whoa. Did you know?"
"Not really. I mean, I thought we were just friends. And I brought up Tanya once and he didn't correct me."
Chloe winced. "So what did you say?"
"I told him I thought we were friends. That I didn't want to confuse anything."
"Okay. That's honest."
"Yeah, but I still feel weird about it. He was nice. But now… I don't know. Something feels different."
Chloe nodded. "Well, it's okay if it does. It is different now. But that doesn't mean you have to rush to fix anything. Let things breathe."
Adera smiled. "When did you get all wise?"
"I started stress-Googling relationship advice at 2 a.m. last night. I'm basically a therapist now."
Adera laughed. For a few minutes, they just sat there—quiet, calm, warm.
Then Chloe said, "So… are you going to tell me what's happening with Jace too?"
Adera blinked. "What do you mean?"
Chloe gave her a look.
"What?" Adera asked again.
"You think I don't notice the way you tense every time someone says his name? Or how your phone lights up and you glance at it like it burned you?"
Adera picked at the edge of her notebook. "There's nothing happening."
"Exactly," Chloe said. "And somehow that's still a problem."
Adera didn't answer. Because maybe Chloe was right.
Before she could dwell too long on it, her phone buzzed on the table between them.
Jace: "Still good to meet at 4?"
She didn't realize she'd sighed out loud until Chloe arched an eyebrow.
"I'm guessing that's him," she said, sipping her smoothie.
Adera nodded. "Yeah. For the project."
Chloe leaned back, crossing her arms. "You gonna pretend that's all it is?"
"I'm not pretending. It is for the project."
"Sure," Chloe said, unconvinced. "And you sigh like that every time you schedule study time with Liam?"
Adera rolled her eyes. "Can you not analyze my breathing?"
Chloe grinned and raised her hands in surrender. "Just saying. Be honest with yourself. And don't act surprised if you catch feelings."
"I won't," Adera muttered, locking her phone.
"You already have."
"I have not."
"You're defensive."
"I'm cautious."
"You're obsessed."
"I tolerate him."
Chloe laughed so hard she nearly choked on her drink. "Right. 'Tolerate.' That's why you always know exactly where he is even when you say you're not looking."
"I hate you."
"I love you more."
They packed up their things a few minutes later, promising to regroup later that night for their Nathan-prep debrief. Chloe left with a wink and a cheerful, "Tell Prince Broody I said hi!"
The old courtyard behind the student center was half-empty when Adera arrived. The sun had slipped behind clouds again, and a lazy wind danced through the overgrown ivy on the low walls.
Jace was already there, seated on the backrest of a bench like it was the most natural thing in the world. One earbud in, scribbling in a small notebook. He looked up when she approached and gave her a small nod—not a smile, but not unfriendly either.
"You're early," she said.
"So are you," he replied, standing and slipping the notebook into his backpack.
They sat—her on the bench properly, him with one leg up, always slightly off-center. The silence stretched for a beat too long before Adera pulled out her folder.
"Okay," she said, flipping to their project outline. "We need to finalize our presentation structure and assign speaking parts."
Jace didn't immediately respond. He was watching her—not intensely, but curiously.
"What?" she asked, not looking up.
"You're kind of intense when you focus."
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"
He smirked. "Depends on how you take it."
She ignored that. "So… intro, argument, counterpoints, conclusion. Do you want to start or wrap up?"
"I don't mind," he said. "I'm good either way."
"Okay… I'll open, you close. That way you don't have to say my name on stage and make it weird."
Jace laughed under his breath. "You think I'd mess up your name on purpose?"
"I think you'd find a way to make it sound like sarcasm."
There was a beat of silence. Then, more quietly, he said, "You don't give me much credit."
Adera looked up.
"I don't think you need more credit," she said. "I think you just don't care what people think."
He tilted his head. "That's not always true."
"Oh really?"
He leaned back against the bench, gazing skyward. "I care more than I should. Just… not in the ways people expect."
Adera didn't know what to say to that. She turned back to her notes.
After a minute, Jace said, "You're really serious about school."
She glanced at him. "That's… not a bad thing?"
"No. It's not." He shrugged. "It's just... different. Most people fake it. You don't."
Adera blinked. "Thanks... I think."
Their eyes met for just a second too long. She was the one who looked away first.
"Okay," she said, clearing her throat. "We'll meet again Friday to rehearse?"
"Sure."
He stood first, but didn't immediately leave. "By the way… I like talking to you."
She froze.
He shrugged like it was nothing. "You're not like everyone else."
And then he turned, walking off with his hands stuffed in his hoodie pocket, like he hadn't just thrown her brain into a spiral.
Adera stood there for a long second, heart thudding in a way she didn't want to admit. The breeze tugged at the edges of her notebook, and for once, she let it. Her fingers were still wrapped around the pen she hadn't used once during that entire conversation.
She finally turned and walked toward the main road, ignoring the bubbling storm of thoughts spinning in her chest.
Liam – Later That Evening
The campus courtyard was almost empty by the time Liam made it out of the library. The air felt heavier somehow—gray clouds stretched across the sky, but no rain came. Just that quiet stillness before a storm.
He hadn't been able to focus on anything since he'd walked Adera out the day before.
He told himself it was fine. He was fine.
She'd been honest, and that mattered. But honesty didn't dull the sting. Especially not when her words kept replaying in his head on a loop.
"I thought we were friends... You and Tanya…"
He winced just remembering it.
He had been so sure. Of the timing. Of the moments between them. The quiet jokes in class. The way her eyes softened when she laughed. The fact that she'd chosen to partner with him for the project even though Jace was right there.
But maybe he'd read too much into everything. Maybe he'd mistaken kindness for something else.
Or maybe he just moved too slow.
He walked past the fountain, hands in his jacket pockets, kicking a small stone without meaning to.
From a distance, he saw someone sitting on the bench by the ivy wall. Adera. And beside her—Jace.
His breath caught for half a second.
They weren't touching. They weren't even facing each other. But something about the space between them—the ease, the tension, the unspoken everything—made Liam's chest feel heavy.
He turned away before they could see him and walked in the opposite direction.
He didn't want to be the guy who lingered.
He wanted to be the guy who knew when to walk away.
*********
At home, the house was unusually quiet. Josh had headphones in, laser-focused on his game. Karen was out for a late meeting. Demitra hummed softly from the laundry room, folding towels to some classic love ballad on the radio.
Adera made her way upstairs and shut her door, letting the silence settle around her. Her bag dropped to the floor with a thud. She flopped face-first onto her bed.
Why had he said that?
Why had it felt like he meant it?
She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. The words kept echoing.
"You're not like everyone else."
It wasn't a grand declaration or a flirt. It had been quiet. Real. Like it wasn't even meant to have weight—but it did.
Her phone buzzed.
Chloe: "Just got home. Don't forget, you owe me the Liam story in FULL tomorrow."
Adera: "Only if you promise not to judge me for anything I say."
Chloe: "You're asking a lot."
Adera: "Kidding. Maybe."
She stared at her phone for a second more, then opened her music app and put on something soft—low piano, no lyrics.
The kind of playlist you only played when your thoughts were loud.