Tuesday morning should have been normal. It wasn't. The rumors had somehow gotten worse. Aiden didn't even know how that was possible. Yet here they were. As soon as he walked through the school gates, someone yelled
"Morning, Mia's boyfriend!"
Aiden immediately turned around.
"Who said that?"
The student disappeared into the crowd. Coward. Noah was laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
"This is the best week of my life."
"I hate you."
"No, you don't."
Aiden sighed. Unfortunately, Noah was right.
When he entered the classroom, Mia was already there. And for some reason, that instantly improved his mood. She was sitting by the window. Sunlight spilling across her desk. The ugly stuffed bear was sitting beside her books. Aiden smiled before he could stop himself. Mia looked up. And caught him. Immediately.
"Were you smiling?"
"No."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
"You definitely were."
Aiden dropped into the seat beside her.
"You have no proof."
Mia pointed at him.
"You literally smiled."
"Allegedly."
Mia laughed. And suddenly the entire classroom felt brighter.
The morning passed surprisingly quickly. Mostly because Aiden spent half of it talking to Mia instead of paying attention. Which earned him several warnings from teachers. And one lecture from Mia.
"You should focus."
"I am focused."
"No, you're not."
"Yes, I am."
"Aiden."
"What?"
"You haven't written anything for twenty minutes."
Aiden looked down. His notebook was empty.
"That's awkward."
Mia shook her head, smiling.
At lunch, things got worse, or better. Depending on who you asked. Aiden and Mia arrived at the cafeteria together. Big mistake. A very big mistake. Because the second they walked inside, several students started whispering. Then staring. Then whispering more.
"Oh no."
Mia sighed.
"What now?"
Aiden pointed toward a table. A group of students were looking at them. Very obviously. One girl even waved. Mia immediately looked away.
"I hate everyone."
Aiden nodded.
"Me too."
Neither believed that. Not really.
After lunch, the weather changed. Dark clouds rolled across the sky. By the final period, rain was pouring against the classroom windows. Students groaned. Teachers sighed. The storm showed no signs of stopping. When the final bell rang, everyone rushed toward the exits. Including Mia. Unfortunately, she stopped the moment she reached the front doors.
"So much for walking home."
Aiden stepped beside her.mThe rain was coming down in sheets. Neither of them had brought an umbrella.
"That's bad."
"A little."
For a few moments, they stood there watching the storm. Then Aiden snapped his fingers.
"I have an idea."
Mia immediately looked suspicious.
"Whenever you say that, bad things happen."
"I'm offended."
"You should be."
Ten minutes later, they were running through the rain. Laughing. Completely soaked. Because Aiden's brilliant plan had been, And this would shock absolutely nobody, To just run for it.
"You said this would work!"
"It is working!"
"We're drenched!"
"We're moving!"
"That's not the same thing!"
Aiden laughed. Mia tried very hard not to laugh too. She failed.
Eventually, they ducked under the roof of a small convenience store. Both breathing heavily. Both soaked. Both laughing. Rain continued pounding against the streets. Neither seemed eager to leave. Mia brushed wet hair out of her face. Then froze. Because Aiden was staring at her again. Not joking. Not teasing. Just looking at her. The way he always did when he forgot to hide it. The way that made her heart race.
"What?"
Aiden blinked.
"What?"
"You're staring."
"Oh."
"You are."
Aiden rubbed the back of his neck. A rare sign of nervousness.
"I didn't mean to."
For some reason, that answer made her heartbeat even faster.
The rain continued falling. Cars passed by. The world seemed quieter somehow. Like everything outside their little shelter had disappeared. Mia looked down. Then back at him.
"Aiden?"
"Yeah?"
There it was again. That nervous feeling. The one she'd felt at the festival. The one she'd felt in the library. The one she always felt around him now.
"I need to ask you something."
Aiden's heart immediately sped up.
"What is it?"
Mia opened her mouth. Then hesitated. Because suddenly the question felt terrifying. What if she was wrong? What if she misunderstood everything? What if-
"Mia."
She looked up. Aiden was smiling softly. Patiently. Waiting. And somehow that gave her courage.
"Aiden..."
"Yeah?"
"Do you-"
A loud crash echoed outside. Both jumped. A delivery truck had knocked over a stack of empty crates. The sound shattered the moment completely. Mia stared. Aiden stared. Then both started laughing. Again. Somehow. Again.
"This is ridiculous."
Aiden nodded.
"It really is."
"The universe hates us."
"It definitely does."
Mia laughed. And for the first time, she noticed something. Neither of them seemed frustrated anymore. The interruptions weren't stopping the feelings. They were only delaying the inevitable. Because every conversation. Every smile. Every moment together. Only made things more obvious.
The rain finally began to slow. Students started leaving their shelters. Cars returned to the roads. The afternoon slowly returned to normal. Mia glanced outside.
"I should probably go."
"Yeah."
Neither moved. Again. It was becoming a problem. A very obvious problem. Finally, Mia smiled.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
Aiden smiled back.
"You better."
For a second, neither looked away. Neither wanted to. Then Mia turned and walked toward home. Aiden watched until she disappeared around the corner. Only then did he start walking. And for the first time in weeks, both of them went home thinking the exact same thing. Something was about to change. They could feel it.