The next day, Mia woke up smiling. Which was a problem. A very big problem. Because the reason she was smiling was Aiden. Specifically, the realization she'd had yesterday. Aiden Scott was jealous. The more she thought about it, the happier it made her. Which was ridiculous. And slightly concerning. Still, she couldn't stop smiling.
When she arrived at school, Sophie noticed immediately.
"Why are you smiling?"
"I'm not."
"You literally are."
"I'm really not."
"Mia."
"What?"
"You have the biggest smile I've ever seen."
Mia immediately looked away. Sophie narrowed her eyes. Then gasped dramatically.
"Oh my God."
"What?"
"You know."
"Know what?"
"You know why Aiden was acting weird."
Mia tried to stay calm. She failed. Spectacularly.
Meanwhile, Aiden was having a terrible morning. Noah wouldn't stop talking. Not for one second. Not even a little.
"You should've seen your face."
"I did see my face."
"When Ethan walked over?"
Aiden groaned.
"Noah."
"Yeah?"
"Please stop."
"No."
"Please."
"No."
Aiden briefly considered changing schools.
The day was going surprisingly well until the third period. That's when disaster struck. Again. The teacher was running late, which meant the class had been left unsupervised. Which meant everyone was talking. Loudly. Very loudly. And unfortunately, Sophie had decided she wanted entertainment.
Sophie stood up, looked around the room, then smiled. A dangerous smile. The kind that never led anywhere good.
"Oh no," Mia muttered.
Across the room, Aiden somehow had the exact same reaction. Sophie clapped her hands.
"Ladies and gentlemen."
Everyone looked over.
"What if we play a game?"
The class immediately became interested. Aiden became concerned. Very concerned.
"What kind of game?" someone asked.
Sophie grinned.
"Truth or Truth."
The room erupted into laughter.
"That's just truth."
"Exactly."
Aiden already hated where this was going.
One by one, Sophie started asking questions. Nothing serious. Nothing dangerous. At first. Students admitted crushes, embarrassing moments, and funny stories. Everyone was having fun. Until Sophie looked directly at Aiden. And smiled. That smile again. The dangerous one.
"Aiden."
"No."
"I haven't asked anything yet."
"The answer is still no."
The class laughed.
Sophie ignored him.
"Do you like anyone?"
The room immediately went silent. Completely silent. Every head turned toward him. Including Mia's.
Aiden froze. For the first time in his life, Aiden Scott had absolutely no idea what to say. Normally he'd joke. Or flirt. Or change the subject. But this time? He couldn't. Because Mia was looking at him. Waiting.
"Well?" Sophie asked.
Aiden rubbed a hand over his face.
"This is stupid."
"Answer the question."
"No."
"Answer."
"No."
The entire class started chanting.
"Answer."
"Answer."
"Answer."
Aiden wanted the floor to swallow him whole.
Finally, he sighed. A long, painful, defeated sigh. Then he looked down at his desk and muttered—
"Maybe."
The room exploded. Absolutely exploded. Students started yelling. Cheering. Laughing.
Noah nearly fell out of his chair.
Sophie looked delighted.
"Oh my God."
"Stop."
"You do."
"Stop."
"You actually do."
Aiden dropped his head onto his desk.
This was the worst day of his life.
Across the room, Mia could feel her heart pounding. Aiden liked someone. Actually liked someone. Not flirted with. Not dated. Liked. Really liked. For some reason, that realization made her nervous. Very nervous.
Unfortunately, Sophie wasn't finished. Not even close.
She turned toward Mia.
"Oh, this is perfect."
"No."
"Oh, yes."
"Mia."
"What?"
"Your turn."
Mia immediately knew where this was going.
And she hated it.
"Do you like anyone?"
The classroom became silent again. The exact same silence. The dangerous silence. The kind that made escape impossible.
Mia stared at Sophie.
Sophie stared back.
Smiling.
"No comment."
The class groaned.
"That's not an answer."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it isn't."
"It absolutely is."
Students started laughing.
Then Noah spoke.
The traitor.
"The answer is yes."
Aiden immediately sat up.
"What?"
Noah pointed at Mia.
"The answer is definitely yes."
The room became even louder.
Mia buried her face in her hands. This was a disaster. A complete disaster. Yet somehow, when she peeked through her fingers, she found Aiden looking at her.
And when their eyes met, neither looked away. Not immediately. Not this time.
The moment only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough. Enough for Sophie. Enough for Noah. Enough for the entire class. The room erupted again. Students started shouting, pointing, laughing, and making theories. The teacher chose that exact moment to walk in.
Everyone immediately became quiet. Suspiciously quiet. The teacher looked around. Concerned.
"What happened?"
"No idea," Aiden said.
"No clue," Mia agreed.
The teacher looked unconvinced.
For the rest of the lesson, neither Aiden nor Mia could focus. Not even a little. Because one thought kept repeating in both their minds.
Aiden liked someone.
Mia liked someone.
And somehow... The answer seemed a lot more obvious than either of them wanted to admit.