TOUCH .

A GHOST IN THE ROOM

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✨✨✨ MAYA'S POV ✨✨✨

I saw Mrs. Sanders gesturing at her to take the seat right next to me...

Oh my god, this cannot be happening to me. I looked at Kate and tried to signal her to come sit next to me, so Raveen would end up all the way at the front. But, of course, she didn’t get it, and—boom—here she is, walking like she owns the room… heading straight for the seat next to me.

I could feel the other girls looking at her, practically drooling.

And the guys? They looked at her clothes and jewelry, probably wishing they could pull it off the way she does. Seriously, how does she manage to make it look so effortless?

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<<<<<<<<< RAVEEN'S POV >>>>>>>>>>

The minute I walked into that hall, I saw her. Tiny. So I wasn’t hallucinating. But her eyes—why don’t I remember her eyes being that hazel?

Mrs. Sanders showed me where to sit, and I could feel the weight of a dozen eyes on me. I was so nervous. But with my dominant aura, no one could tell I was shaking inside my mind.

“Hi, Tiny,” I leaned over to whisper in her ear as I sat down.

This time, she actually dropped her pen and looked a little shook. Dang, why is it so hot when she does that? I mean, other girls I’ve talked to or flirted with have done the same thing, but with Tiny, it’s different. It’s like she’s scared of me, like she can actually feel my aura.

The lecture wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I loved literature, especially with my wild imagination. Mrs. Sanders announced that we’d be working on a presentation—a short horror story or any topic we felt comfortable with—and the person sitting next to us would be our partner. Deadline: five weeks.

“Hey, Tiny, guess what. I think we should act ours out instead of writing it,” I told her, leaning closer again.

She blushed, her eyes darting in every direction.

“Raveen... I’m not doing the project with you. I’d rather do it on my own,” she said bluntly, crossing her arms like she was trying to build a wall between us.

“Mrs. Sanders, I’d like to do the report on my own,” she said, raising her hand.

“Well, Mrs. Walters, unless you want half of your points deducted from the final test, I suggest you do it,” Mrs. Sanders said sarcastically.

“Guess that means you’re stuck with me, huh?” I told her, smirking and holding her gaze just long enough to make her squirm a little. “Oh, and look—you left this at our table that night. If you want it back—because I’m guessing it’s your favorite since it’s got ‘Cappy’ written all over the cap—you’ll need to come to my house so we can start the report.”

“You can keep the bottle,” she snapped. “I have a bunch of them. Besides, it looks like your skin could use the hydration.” Then she got up and walked out without a second glance.

The lecture had just ended, and I was still gathering my books, processing what just happened, when I heard a familiar voice.

“Hi, Raveen.”

I looked up and froze. No way.

“Kat… what are you doing here? I thought we broke up. Are you following me or…?” I trailed off, unsure of how to feel. “Anyway, how are you? It’s been a minute.”

“No, I’m not following you, little lady,” she said, her lips curving into a knowing smile. “I go to school here. You’re partnering with Maya for the project, right? Be careful with her. She’s known for her determination.” She winked at me before walking away.

Determination, huh? Very intriguing.

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Later…

I rushed out of the hall, unsure where to find Maya. I’d forgotten to take her number, so I couldn’t even text her about my address. Guess I’d have to wait until lunch—or maybe find Kat and ask her for Maya’s number.

For now, I decided to wait for the twins, Riley and Richard, so we could walk to the next lesson together. I had Creative and Production Filming next. Kate was in that class too, but not Maya. The lesson dragged on, and I got so bored I started texting Richard about random stuff.

“Mrs. Williams, no phones during my class,” Mr. Owens said sternly, interrupting me mid-text.

Everyone turned to look at me, expecting me to cause a scene or something. Honestly, I wanted to just walk out, but come on, where’s the trust? So I politely placed my phone on the top-right corner of my desk, flipping it over as Mr. Owens watched me like a hawk.

Once I did, I swear I could hear him breathe a sigh of relief. So did everyone else.

The bell rang, and everyone began packing up, ignoring Mr. Owens’ last-minute reminder: “Don’t forget to study when you get home—and avoid drugs!”

Who even says that? Don’t forget to study.

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As I got up to leave, a couple of girls came over to my desk.

“Hi, Raveen,” one of them, Hope, started. “We’re having a party tonight and thought we’d invite you…”

“Er… yeah, sure,” I said, already scanning the room for Maya.

“I have homework, sorry,” I added quickly, grabbing my backpack and pushing past Hope.

“Since when do you do homework?” she asked, her eyes narrowing as she followed my gaze.

“Yeah, well, I do, so fuck off,” I snapped, jogging toward Maya, who was walking way too fast.

“Dang, girl, you should be an athlete or something. You can work those legs. Whoo!” I called out, panting as I tried to catch up.

“Hey, wait up!” I said, louder this time, catching everyone’s attention. People started staring, probably wondering if we were about to fight or something.

Maya stopped and turned around, pressing one of her books to her chest. Her tiny bunny-ear backpack was low-key way too girly for my taste, but damn if it didn’t suit her.

“What?” she asked flatly.

“So, I wanted us to get started on the project because I’ve got a few parties to attend. Or… you wanna come with?” I asked, jogging to close the gap between us.

“Look, eight. Don’t be late,” she said, catching me off guard before walking away.

“The party or the project?!” I called after her, confused as hell.

She stopped, sighed, and turned back to me. “You know what? Let’s study at your place instead.”

I blinked, trying to process what just happened. “Wait, so no party, yes? And… my place?”

She rolled her eyes. “What I’m trying to tell you,” she said in a slow, babying tone, “is yes, we’ll study at your place. But I need to be home early.”

She turned and started walking again, slower this time.

“Great, let’s walk to my car,” I said, taking the lead.

But before I could catch up, Hope and her friends blocked me. By the time I was done brushing them off, Maya was already halfway across the parking lot, sitting on one of the far benches.

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