Crossed Spells

Chapter 9: Confrontation in the Shadows (Part 1)

A week had passed since the library incident, but for Lucas, it felt like an eternity. Each day, he arrived at high school hoping to finally talk to Aria, to unravel the mystery surrounding them. And each day, this hope faded a little more in the face of the young girl's distant and evasive attitude.

This Monday morning was no exception. Lucas scanned the crowded hallway, searching for Aria's blonde hair among the throng of students. He finally spotted her, putting books away in her locker. Taking a deep breath, he approached her.

"Hi, Aria," he said, trying to keep a light tone despite the tension knotting his stomach.

Aria startled slightly, as if caught off guard. She glanced quickly at Lucas before turning back to her locker. "Hi," she murmured, barely audible in the hallway's commotion.

"Listen, I think we should talk about what happened..." Lucas began, but Aria cut him off abruptly.

"Sorry, I have to go. I have... something to do before class," she said hastily, slamming her locker door and quickly walking away without giving him time to respond.

Heart pounding, Aria rapidly moved away from Lucas, weaving her way through the crowd of students. She only stopped when she reached the girls' bathroom, locking herself in a stall and leaning against the door, eyes closed.

She hated running away like this, but what else could she do? Every time she saw Lucas, memories of that night in the library came rushing back. The light that had burst from her hands, the shadows that had danced around Lucas... It was too much, too much to handle.

Meanwhile, Lucas remained frozen in the hallway, staring at the spot where Aria had disappeared. A mixture of frustration and disappointment washed over him. It had been the same scenario for a week. Every time he tried to strike up a conversation, Aria found an excuse to escape.

The morning classes passed in a blur for both teenagers. Lucas was physically present, but his mind kept returning to Aria and the library incident. During history class, he couldn't help but steal furtive glances at Aria, seated across the room.

For her part, Aria kept her head down, studiously taking notes, carefully avoiding Lucas's gaze. She was painfully aware of his presence, her heart racing every time she felt his eyes on her.

When the bell rang for lunch, Aria was the first to leave the room, quickly slipping out of the class before Lucas could approach her. She knew she couldn't avoid him forever, but for now, flight seemed to be her only option.

Lucas slowly gathered his things, watching Aria disappear into the crowded hallway. With a sigh, he headed to the cafeteria. He spotted his friends at their usual table and joined them, tray in hand. His heart leaped when he saw that Aria was there too, seated between Ivy and Marcus. It was the first time in a week that she hadn't found an excuse to eat elsewhere.

Aria stared at her tray, absently playing with her food. She was aware of Lucas's presence at the table, even though she carefully avoided looking at him. Part of her regretted accepting Ivy's invitation to lunch with the group, but she knew she couldn't continue isolating herself without raising questions.

"Ah, there you are at last!" Ivy exclaimed as Lucas sat down. "We were just talking about the founders project. We need to meet after school to finalize our presentation."

Lucas nodded, his gaze sliding towards Aria. She was stubbornly staring at her tray, carefully avoiding his gaze. "Sure," he said. "Where do you want to meet?"

"In the study room," Marcus suggested. "It's quiet and we'll have space to spread out all our documents."

Everyone nodded, including Aria, though she still didn't look up.