As soon as the teacher dismissed the class, Ethan was already out of his seat, packing his bag in a rush. He barely waited for his friends, not even bothering to make small talk. His mind was elsewhere, consumed by the thought of Lila. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind—nothing like he could've imagined. He'd gone from being oblivious to her presence to suddenly making her his, and even ridding the school of the toxic shadow that Victoria had cast for so long. It felt surreal, and yet, it was all happening.
He hurried through the crowded hallways, making his way out of school, his pulse quickening at the thought of seeing Lila. The idea of spending more time with her made him feel accomplished, satisfied. He didn't regret a single moment.
The whole school had felt the impact of Victoria's sudden departure. No one had expected her to leave that easily, and in her absence, her loyal followers had vanished too, like ghosts. They were no longer on the bad side of the students, and while the tension was gone, Ethan couldn't help but wonder what those people might be planning now that their leader was gone.
"Dude, hold up!" Marcus called out from behind him, catching up as Ethan hurried down the corridor.
Ethan scowled slightly, but slowed down to match Marcus' pace.
"If anyone had told me you'd be this obsessed over a girl, I would've laughed really hard at that person," Marcus teased, clearly enjoying himself.
Ethan gave him a sharp look. "Yeah, whatever," he muttered. "I'm totally and completely in love with her."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Dude, have you officially asked her out yet?"
Ethan stopped in his tracks, pausing for a moment. "I haven't. Why did that skip my mind?" he said, suddenly feeling a little guilty.
Marcus groaned in disbelief. "Dude? You haven't? What does that mean?" he asked, his voice rising slightly in surprise.
Ethan shrugged. "Right now, she's not officially my girl," he said with a slight frown. "I don't know why I'm dragging my feet. But I'll make sure I do that soon"
Marcus' expression softened, though he couldn't help smirking. "Sure, man. I'll be there for you," he said, slapping Ethan on the back before following him down the hallway.
They reached the school hall, where they spotted Cassandra and Lila standing near some lockers, talking quietly. Ethan's face lit up as he waved and walked toward Lila, his heart speeding up at the sight of her.
"Hey," he greeted, pulling her into a warm, tight hug.
The sound of students around them murmuring "Aww," filled the air, causing a faint blush to spread across Lila's cheeks. She held him a little tighter, feeling the warmth of his embrace seep into her chest.
When they finally pulled away, she smiled up at him. "I missed you," she admitted softly.
Marcus, meanwhile, was standing awkwardly in the background, staring at Cassandra. She had this fiery, confident aura about her that was hard to miss, and for the first time, Marcus realized just how much it pulled him in. His heart raced, but it wasn't out of fear. It was something else—a strange feeling he couldn't quite place.
The more he looked at her, the more he realized that he had been feeling this way for a while, especially since they had spent those few days together at the hospital with Lila. But he couldn't bring himself to admit it. He couldn't tell anyone that he was in love with Cassandra.
The realization struck him like a lightning bolt. He was in love with her.
As soon as he accepted that, though, something inside him turned sour. He felt sad. Not because of Cassandra, but because he didn't know if she'd ever accept him, especially with the way she treated him. She was always so hostile toward him, so distant. How could he even bring it up?
At that moment, Cassandra turned and noticed him staring at her. Her expression shifted almost immediately. She walked toward him, her eyes narrowing with determination.
"Marcus," she said, her voice calm but firm. "My phone?"
Marcus opened his mouth, but no words came out. He froze, feeling completely paralyzed.
"Uh… Cassandra…" he began slowly, his voice shaky. "I'll give it to you today. I haven't gone out of school yet…"
Cassandra raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. "Good," she said simply before turning away to head back to Lila.
Marcus blinked, still caught off guard. He couldn't understand why he felt so shy in front of her now, especially after all their interactions before. He thought he'd gotten used to her. But now, everything felt different.
"I'll be back, bro," Marcus muttered to Ethan before quickly walking away.
Two hours passed before Marcus finally returned to the school grounds, a new phone in hand for Cassandra. As he handed it to her, Lila watched the exchange with curiosity, trying to make sense of the dynamic between the two. She had noticed something unusual in the way they interacted but decided to keep quiet for now. Maybe she was overthinking things.
After school, Lila and Cassandra were left alone, as Ethan and Marcus had stayed behind for a meeting with their coach. Lila watched her friend, who was fiddling with her new phone.
"So, what happened to your phone?" Lila asked, breaking the silence.
Cassandra shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed. "You know, I had that whole 'phone disaster' this morning," she explained, her voice light. "Marcus ruined it when he bumped into me in the hall, but he promised to buy me a new one."
Lila raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. Such a sweet boy," she teased.
Cassandra turned red and quickly defended herself. "Yes, he's sweet… but only because he promised to get me a new phone," she stammered.
Lila blinked, eyes widening in surprise. "Wait, what?" she asked. "You… you like him?"
Cassandra's eyes widened. "What? No! No, I don't!" she exclaimed, stumbling over her words. "I mean, he's a good guy, sure, but that's it!"
Lila couldn't help but laugh. "Cassandra, do you know how many times you've stuttered and stammered since I mentioned Marcus' name?" she teased. "It's honestly not what you think."
"Not what I think?" Lila laughed again. "Just admit it. You like him."
Cassandra shot her a glare. "I do not!"
"Sure, sure," Lila smirked. "I mean, he's tall, handsome, intelligent, a good basketball player..."
"Okay, that's enough!" Cassandra cried, covering her ears dramatically. "I'm not listening anymore!"
Lila was still laughing as Cassandra turned away and ran down the hall.
"Noooo!" Cassandra called out dramatically. "Stop it!"
Lila chased after her, giggling.
Meanwhile, at the gym, the meeting with the coach had lasted longer than expected. Ethan and Marcus stood together, still catching their breath from a rigorous training session. The coach called them over to debrief.
"I told you all some time ago that scouts would be coming to check you out," Coach said, looking at them seriously. "But there's been a bit of a situation, so their visit's been postponed for two weeks. That gives you all more time to prepare. Work hard, and most of you will have a chance at being recruited. Don't waste it."
The team nodded in unison.
"That'll be all for now. You may all return home," Coach added, before glancing over at Ethan. For a moment, Ethan thought the coach was going to pull him aside for their usual talk about his career.
But instead, Coach simply gave him a small smile.
"Be good, kiddo."
Ethan blinked in surprise. The words felt… different. Not what he was expecting, but in a way, it felt like a passing of the torch.
"Thanks, Coach," Ethan said, then turned to Marcus.
"Well, that was not what I was expecting," Marcus said, still baffled.
"Same here," Ethan replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "But I think it's for the best. I've got something on my mind now."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
Ethan turned to face him, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I'm going to ask Lila out officially tonight."
Marcus grinned. "That's what I like to hear. Go get her, man."
Ethan's heart raced just thinking about it. Tonight. He'd make it special.
As he walked out of the court with Marcus by his side, his mind was already on Lila.
It was time to make her his, officially.