The next morning, Aella woke up to a sky streaked with golden sunlight filtering through her window. Her message exchange with Grayson from the night before lingered in her thoughts as she prepared for school. She didn’t know if she was ready to face him—or Alex—but she couldn’t avoid them forever.
Her heart felt heavy with indecision. How had she gotten tangled in this web of emotions? A few months ago, Grayson was nothing more than an irritating thorn in her side, and Alex hadn’t even been on her radar. Now, they were both orbiting her life in ways she couldn’t ignore.
---
At school, the tension was palpable. Grayson was leaning against the lockers when she walked in, his piercing gaze finding her immediately. He straightened up as she passed, a silent acknowledgment that sent her pulse racing.
“Morning,” he said, his voice low and casual, but there was something unspoken in his tone.
“Morning,” Aella replied, her own voice barely above a whisper.
They didn’t say anything else as she continued walking, but the air between them seemed to crackle with something unexplainable.
---
Later, during lunch, Alex found her sitting under the large oak tree in the courtyard. He plopped down beside her with a grin that seemed to light up the space around them.
“Hey,” he said, his voice warm and inviting. “Figured I’d find you here.”
Aella managed a small smile. “Hey, Alex.”
For a moment, they just sat there in silence, watching the chaos of the school courtyard unfold around them. Alex finally broke the quiet, his tone softer now.
“You’re still thinking about everything, aren’t you?”
She sighed, her fingers twisting the hem of her sweater. “It’s hard not to.”
Alex nodded, his expression understanding. “I get it. This… thing with Grayson and me, it’s complicated. But Aella, I don’t want you to feel like you have to choose because of us. I just want you to be happy.”
His words were sincere, and Aella felt a pang of guilt. She wasn’t sure what happiness even looked like right now.
“You make it sound so easy,” she said with a weak laugh.
“It’s not,” Alex admitted. “But I know one thing—you’re worth waiting for. No matter how long it takes.”
Aella’s heart ached at his words. Alex’s kindness, his steadiness—it felt like a safe harbor in the storm. But was that enough?
---
After school, Aella found herself wandering through the football field, where the stands were empty and the air carried the faint scent of freshly cut grass. She wasn’t sure what drew her there, but something about the quiet space felt right.
She didn’t expect to find Grayson there, sitting on the bleachers with his head tilted back, staring at the sky.
“You’re always running into me,” he said without looking at her, as if he had sensed her presence before she even spoke.
“Maybe you’re always where I end up,” Aella shot back, walking toward him.
Grayson glanced at her, his usual smirk replaced with something softer. “Touché.”
She climbed the steps and sat down beside him, leaving a few inches of space between them. They sat in silence for a while, the sounds of distant laughter and the rustling of leaves filling the air.
YOU ARE READING
RIVALS IN THE HALLWAYS
Romance"Aella and Grayson were inseparable as kids, the perfect duo-until middle school hit. What once was friendship turned into fierce rivalry, with both determined to outshine the other at every turn. Now in high school, their competition has only heate...
