Unexpected Love [GXG]

Chapter 36: Caught Between

POV: ENID

The hallway buzzed with the usual morning chaos — lockers slamming, sneakers squeaking against the polished floor, and someone’s loud laugh echoing down the corridor. I was at my locker with Mia, Ally, and Leo, pretending to care about whatever gossip Ally was sharing, but my brain was somewhere else entirely.

Specifically… last night.

The food truck lights. Olivia’s smile. That stupid, perfect cheek kiss.

I caught myself smiling at the memory and immediately turned to face my locker so no one would notice. Too late.

"You’re smiling again," Leo said, voice teasing. "And it’s not at my joke. Which means…"

"Don’t start," I said quickly, shutting my locker.

Ally gasped dramatically. "Oh my God, it’s her, isn’t it? It’s Grayson."

Mia leaned against the locker beside mine, sipping her juice box. "She’s glowing," she said under her breath, a little too smug. "I don’t think we need confirmation."

I rolled my eyes and slung my bag over my shoulder. "I’m going to class before this turns into an interrogation."

I started walking faster, weaving through the crowd — but right as I turned a corner, I collided into someone hard.

"Whoa—careful there."

I looked up — Maxine.

She steadied me by the arm, that same calm, unreadable expression on her face. Her auburn hair was pinned back today, and she looked annoyingly composed for someone I’d been successfully avoiding for weeks.

"Enid," she said quietly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I—" I shifted awkwardly. "I was just rushing to class."

Her lips tilted. "You’ve been rushing a lot lately. Or avoiding me. Not sure which."

My throat tightened. "I’m not avoiding you."

She raised a brow. "Really? Because last time we talked, you said we’d hang out again. Then you vanished."

Before I could respond, a voice came from behind me — smooth, amused, and way too familiar.

"She’s not avoiding you, Max. Maybe she just has better things to do."

I froze.

Olivia.

She was standing there, leaning lazily against the locker, arms crossed, eyes sharp but calm. The kind of calm that didn’t fool anyone.

Maxine’s jaw tightened slightly, but she didn’t move. "Didn’t know we were keeping schedules now."

Olivia’s lips curved, slow and deliberate. "Only when it involves people who matter."

The tension in the hallway thickened. Even Leo, Ally, and Mia — who had stopped nearby — went completely silent.

I stepped back, feeling like I was in the middle of something I didn’t sign up for. "Okay, can we not do this right now?"