Chaos in High School

~*Chapter 18*~

POV: Johnny

Date: October 31, 2026

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When they kissed, the world stopped.

The unspoken and frantic desire between them radiated from each of their atmospheres, wrapping around their embrace, savoring the moment. Nova still had her hands pressed against his chest, and he thought it was the best feeling ever. He had his hands on her waist as well, making the moment ever more so romantic. When reality began to piece itself together, they both pulled themselves away, sharing a mutual understanding between them. They both took a step backwards, obviously still foggy from the past, from the moment when they were kissing. When Johnthan looked at Nova, he could still see a desperate feeling flash behind her eyes, lost in reality. He felt the same, too, and wanted to continue their moment together.

Breaking the moment, she said "Hey, um, I think we should get going." Her face changed and she held an expression of annoyance and hatred. But Johnthan knew that those emotions were fake and he saw a feeling of fondness deeper inside. After studying others' facial expressions for the past 15 years, he was good at searching for people's emotions, and he was also good at hiding his own. That's why he was quiet sometimes- he was lost in his thoughts, studying everyone.

Which was also why he noticed how Nova would turn quiet at times like him. He knew that she was like him, studying others in silence- their expressions and searching for deeper emotions. He observed everyone, but found himself looking at her more often. With her around, he could never focus on anything. She was always at the back of his mind, creeping into his thoughts. He couldn't be doing anything without thinking about her. It was always her. Her. Nova.

But she started walking toward the door with her masked expression, looking irritated, staying in character. Damn. She was good at this. But that was probably because she had been doing this for a long time. She knew what others were feeling and knew what to say when her friends weren't feeling their best.

Following her, he too painted a new expression on his face, walking with a stride of pride (omg hey that rhymes). She opened the door and everyone else looked at them to see Nova looking disgusted and him seeming happy. They both knew it was all an act- it was an understanding they had between them, a common past.

As he sat down, he couldn't help but notice features he didn't catch before- he did have a crush on her, but now it was something deeper. He admired the way her long hair would occasionally fall over one eye and how she tucked her hair behind her ear, most likely out of an old habit. The way her eyes quietly scanned over everyone in the room made his heart flutter. Especially when she looked at him, he saw a deeper emotion flash across her face. Something only the two understood. Of course he had a crush on her from the moment he locked his sights on her, but it was just one of those cringe high school crushes with almost zero potential. Now that he knew she wanted something more, his simple "crush" morphed into something deeper as well.

As their games slowed to an end, he laid in his sleeping bag, staring at the ceiling, just like he'd always done, and he knew Nova did that too on some nights, given the fact that they were more similar than not. He looked at the ceiling, imagining her just that night, hands pressed against his chest as her soft lips made contact with his. The feeling still hadn't left him from the moment they re-entered the games in the sleepover, and it certainly wasn't going to take leave anytime soon. He kept replaying the moment in his head, wishing for time to slow down and wishing for more time with her. Her. Oh my fucking god why was she like this? He thought. All these years we studied people just for the sake of "reading the room" and for a friendly understanding of those around him. He was able to dismiss those people out of his mind willingly. He could forget them. Exile them from his memories. But she was different. This time, when he looked at her, she left an imprint on his mind. Why does she just absorb all of the attention? She's so....perfect. Her long dark hair and her brown eyes, hazel almost, but it felt like he could see an entire, gorgeous galaxy dancing behind her irises, mesmerizing him in every way possible.,The way that she could just release all her emotions with her friends yet still be able to hide bits of herself. Why did I notice these things about her? Why is she the one that I think about? Everything about her was so captivating, it made him want to dig deeper (STOP YOUR DIRTY MINDS), he wanted to know more, to just be with her. Everyone else seemed fine with her. Why am I the only one who looks at her like that? As she continued to follow him around his thoughts, he slowly started drifting off to sleep, dreaming about one particular girl.