Rhaine POV
The next morning, I woke up with the same heaviness pressing down on my chest. Sleep hadn't helped; if anything, it had only made things worse. Every time I closed my eyes, Sam was there again—smiling, reaching, pulling me closer.
I dragged myself out of bed, moving like someone wading through quicksand. Maybe if I got through the day fast enough, I could just… breathe. Pretend everything was normal.
But the universe? The universe had other plans.
---
The moment I stepped inside the classroom, Sam was already there, sitting at her desk. Her hair fell loosely around her face as she read something, her lips curved in that small, focused way she did when she was concentrating.
I froze. My throat went dry. It wasn't fair. How was I supposed to act normal when she just existed like that?
"Morning," she said, glancing up at me with that same effortless smile.
My heart skipped, traitorous. "M-Morning," I mumbled, rushing past her to my seat.
Maya watched me sit down, raising one eyebrow. "Wow, you lasted a whole three seconds before panicking. New record."
I shot her a glare, whispering fiercely, "Not now, Maya."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "You know, your denial is starting to get boring. At least admit you're—"
"Don't say it." I cut her off, heat rising to my cheeks. "I don't want to hear it."
Her smirk softened into something gentler, almost worried, but she let it go. For now.
---
The day dragged on, but of course, group work came again. And of course, Sam and I were paired. AGAIN.
I wanted to scream.
She slid into the seat beside me, close enough that I could smell the faint scent of her shampoo—something floral, something dizzying. I tried not to breathe too deeply, but it was impossible.
"So," she said casually, "should we divide the parts like last time?"
Her voice was calm, steady, like this was just schoolwork. But every word tangled itself around my nerves.
"Y-Yeah, sure," I said, staring so hard at my notebook I thought I'd burn holes through the page.
She leaned closer, pointing at something I'd written, and her arm brushed mine. Just barely.
That tiny contact sent a shiver down my spine, and I jerked away instinctively. Too fast. Too obvious.
Her brow furrowed. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," I said quickly. "I'm fine."
But I wasn't. I wasn't fine at all.
---
By lunch, Maya and Eli were done pretending they hadn't noticed.
"You're acting weirder than usual," Eli said, popping open his drink. "What's going on with you?"
"Nothing," I said firmly, stabbing at my food again. "Absolutely nothing."
Maya studied me for a long moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. Then she glanced toward Sam, who was across the cafeteria, laughing with her group of friends.
"Ah," she murmured, like she'd solved the mystery.
I slammed my chopsticks onto the table. "Don't you dare."
"Rhaine," she said gently, "you can't keep pretending forever."
"I'm not pretending," I insisted, though my voice cracked halfway. "I just… I don't… it's not like that."
Eli raised his hands in mock surrender. "Whatever you say."
But the look on both their faces told me they didn't believe me. And worse—they were right.
---
That evening, I sat at my desk, trying to focus on homework. The words blurred together, meaningless. My mind kept replaying the same images: Sam's smile, her voice, the way she looked at me like she saw more than I wanted her to.
It felt like cracks were forming in the walls I'd built so carefully around myself. And no matter how hard I tried to patch them up, the universe just kept hammering away.
I dropped my pen and buried my face in my hands.
"Why is this happening to me?" I whispered. "Why can't things just stay simple?"
The silence of my room pressed in on me, heavy and unrelenting.
And for the first time, I wondered—if maybe fighting against it was only making the fall hurt more.