Bella didn't plan to go to the library.
But somehow, her feet took her there anyway.
Maybe she wanted proof.
Maybe she wanted to be wrong.
She stopped at the entrance.
And saw them.
Owen and Lillian.
Sitting across from each other.
Books open. Papers spread. Heads bent slightly toward the same work.
Not laughing.
Not even smiling.
But… connected.
Bella's chest tightened.
Because this was worse.
If they were joking, she could dismiss it.
If they were laughing, she could call it casual.
But this?
This quiet understanding?
This focus?
This natural closeness?
She couldn't fight that easily.
She stepped back before they noticed her.
Turned.
Walked away quickly.
By the time she reached the corridor, her breathing had changed.
Faster.
Uneven.
"I'm not part of anything anymore," she whispered.
The next day, she didn't wait.
She didn't observe.
She acted.
The classroom buzzed with noise as students settled in.
Owen sat at his desk, flipping through notes.
Lillian was by the window again.
Already working.
Bella walked in.
And this time—
she went straight to them.
"We need to discuss the project," she said.
No greeting.
No smile.
Owen looked up. "We were going to later—"
"No," Bella cut in.
"Now."
Lillian paused her writing.
Looked up slowly.
Bella pulled a chair.
Sat down.
Right between them.
"We're a group," she said.
"So we should act like one."
Owen frowned slightly.
"We are."
Bella shook her head.
"No. You two are."
Silence.
Lillian closed her notebook gently.
"What do you want us to do?" she asked calmly.
Bella laughed softly.
But it wasn't friendly.
"I want to actually be included," she said.
Owen leaned forward.
"You are included."
Bella's eyes snapped to him.
"Am I?" she asked.
"Because it doesn't feel like it."
Owen hesitated.
That hesitation answered too much.
Bella exhaled sharply.
"You make decisions without me. You meet without me. You act like I'm just… there."
Lillian spoke quietly.
"We didn't plan anything without you."
Bella turned to her immediately.
"But you didn't include me either."
That landed.
Lillian didn't respond immediately.
Because she didn't know how to argue that.
Bella leaned forward slightly.
"You're always together," she said.
"And I'm just… outside."
Owen shook his head.
"That's not intentional."
Bella laughed again.
"Of course it's not," she said.
"That's what makes it worse."
Silence filled the space again.
Then Bella did something different.
She grabbed the paper on the desk.
"I'll handle the presentation," she said quickly.
Owen frowned.
"What?"
"I'll present," Bella repeated.
"You two can do the background work."
Lillian's eyes lifted.
"That's not how we agreed to split it."
Bella looked at her.
"Then we're changing it."
Owen shook his head.
"No, we're not."
Bella's expression tightened.
"Why not?"
"Because it's not fair," Owen replied.
Bella froze.
Just for a second.
Then her voice dropped.
"So now I'm the problem?"
"No one said that," Owen replied.
"You don't have to," Bella said quietly.
"I can see it."
She stood up suddenly.
Chair scraping the floor.
"I just wanted to be part of something," she said.
Her voice shaking slightly now.
Then she added—
"But clearly, I'm not needed."
And she walked away.
This time, not fast.
Not running.
Just… leaving.
The classroom stayed quiet for a moment after she left.
Owen exhaled slowly.
Ran a hand through his hair.
"This is getting out of control," he muttered.
Lillian didn't respond immediately.
She just stared at the empty space Bella left behind.
Then she said softly—
"She's not wrong."
Owen looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
Lillian closed her notebook.
"We didn't include her," she said.
Owen frowned.
"We didn't exclude her either."
Lillian shook her head slightly.
"That's the same thing sometimes."
That made him pause.
Because he understood that.
Even if he didn't want to.
Across the corridor, Bella stood alone again.
Back against the wall.
Eyes slightly glassy.
She wasn't just jealous anymore.
She felt replaced.
And that feeling—
was turning into something harder to control.