Falling into her

Chapter 6 : Unspoken words

The days after the carnival passed in a blur of schoolwork, the residual excitement of the event lingering in the halls of Brook High. Sera couldn't help but smile every time she passed by a booth that had been one of her responsibilities. The carnival had been a success, and everyone—well, almost everyone—seemed pleased. But as much as she enjoyed the praise from teachers and peers, a part of her mind kept drifting back to Dean.

They hadn't spoken much since that night. Sure, he had helped her set up a bit after the carnival, but the moments where they were really connecting, the quiet exchanges that had felt so... different, had faded into the background. She told herself it was fine. He was still the same Dean, right? The same guy who barely let anyone in.

And yet, as she found herself walking to her locker that Monday morning, she couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.

Sera sighed, trying to push the thought away as she turned the corner. There, standing near the lockers, was Dean. He was talking to his group of friends—Max, Eli, and Chris—but his eyes were fixed on her the moment she entered the hallway. The way he watched her made her heart beat a little faster, and she instantly regretted the way her mind had wandered to him earlier.

As she approached her locker, trying to act nonchalant, she caught his gaze again. Dean didn't smile this time. He didn't smirk. He simply stared at her, as if waiting for her to acknowledge him.

Stop it, Sera, she told herself. But it didn't work. Her chest tightened.

"Hey, Sera!" Max called out from across the hall, snapping her out of the moment. "You coming to the game this weekend? You know Dean's got a reputation for carrying the team on his back."

The guys all chuckled, and Sera, momentarily flustered, smiled politely. "I might. I'm not sure yet." She looked over at Dean, who raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Max grinned. "You should come. I'll save you a seat."

Sera nodded, though she wasn't sure what had possessed her to even entertain the idea of attending a game for someone like Dean. But for some reason, it felt important to her. Not because of the game itself—she wasn't much of a sports fan—but because it felt like something she should do. Like a step toward understanding him.

As the bell rang, signaling the start of classes, she quickly closed her locker and started to walk away, but Dean's voice stopped her again.

"Hey, Princess," he called out in that easy, almost lazy tone of his.

Sera turned toward him, her stomach doing a strange flip. "Yeah?"

"Got a minute?" he asked, taking a few steps closer. The others had already started walking away, leaving him standing there with her.

"I guess," Sera said, unsure why her heart was racing. She leaned against the lockers, trying to act as casual as possible, though it was becoming increasingly difficult.

Dean shoved his hands in his pockets, glancing down the hallway before looking at her again. "You know, I didn't expect you to show up to the carnival. Didn't seem like your thing."

Sera raised an eyebrow. "You thought I wouldn't? After all that work?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. You always seem like you're too busy for things like that."

Sera studied him, trying to get a read on his mood. "I'm not that busy. And the carnival is important to me. I don't just organize it for fun, you know?"

Dean's lips curled up slightly, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I know."

Sera didn't know what to say to that. There was an intimacy in his words, something more than the usual teasing. "Well, thanks for helping out," she said softly, her voice betraying a hint of sincerity.