Aiden woke up smiling. Which was unusual. Very unusual. Normally, he hated mornings. He hated alarms. He hated getting out of bed. He hated everything that happened before lunch, honestly. Today was different. Today, Mia was his girlfriend. The thought immediately made him smile again. Unfortunately, that smile disappeared the moment his phone started vibrating. Then vibrating again. And again. And again. Aiden frowned and picked it up. There were twenty-three messages. All from Noah. Aiden already regretted opening them.
Noah: GOOD MORNING BOYFRIEND.
Noah: RISE AND SHINE.
Noah: WAKE UP.
Noah: I HAVE NEWS.
Noah: THE ENTIRE SCHOOL KNOWS.
Aiden sat upright.
Immediately.
"What?"
A few seconds later, another message arrived.
Noah: Good luck.
Aiden stared at the screen.
Then at the ceiling.
Then back at the screen.
"No."
Unfortunately for him, Noah wasn't exaggerating. The moment Aiden arrived at school, he knew something was wrong. Students kept looking at him. Not normal looking. Curious looking. The kind of looking people gave when they knew something interesting. Every few steps, he heard whispers. Some students smiled. Others looked way too excited.
"Oh, it's him."
"That's Aiden."
"I told you it was true."
"Look, look."
Aiden immediately considered going home. Then he spotted Noah waiting near the entrance. Smiling. Of course he was smiling.
"You."
Noah grinned.
"Me."
"You told everyone."
"I told one person."
Aiden stared. Noah continued.
"That person told another person."
Aiden continued staring.
"Then that person told another person."
Aiden rubbed his face.
"Oh my God."
Noah looked completely unapologetic. Meanwhile, Mia was having her own nightmare. The second she walked through the school gates, Sophie practically tackled her with a hug.
"GOOD MORNING."
"You're way too energetic."
"YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND."
Several nearby students immediately looked over. Mia closed her eyes. Slowly. Painfully.
"This is why I don't tell you things."
Sophie gasped dramatically.
"You absolutely tell me things."
"I really shouldn't."
By first period, the rumors had completely taken over the school. Students were whispering. Teachers were suspicious. One teacher accidentally smiled when Aiden and Mia walked into class at the same time. Neither knew how to react to that. The worst part was that everyone kept watching them. Every glance. Every conversation. Every interaction. It felt like they were starring in a reality show nobody had asked for. When lunch finally arrived, Aiden collapsed into his usual seat.
"I'm exhausted."
"It's only noon," Mia said.
"Exactly."
She laughed. Aiden immediately smiled. Then realized half the cafeteria had just witnessed it.
"Oh, come on."
Across the table, Noah looked emotional.
"Look at them."
"Don't."
"They're smiling at each other."
"Noah."
"It's beautiful."
"Sophie, help me."
"No."
"Traitor."
Both Noah and Sophie high-fived. Aiden couldn't believe these were his friends. The afternoon passed slightly better. Students eventually found other things to talk about. Classes returned to normal. For the first time all day, things felt peaceful. Then the final bell rang. And another problem appeared. A very specific problem. Neither Aiden nor Mia seemed eager to leave. For weeks, saying goodbye had been simple. Now it wasn't. Now they actually wanted to spend time together. Which was new. And slightly confusing. They found themselves standing near the school gates while students passed around them. Neither seemed to know how to end the conversation.
"So..."
"So..."
Mia laughed.
"We keep doing that."
"We really do."
A comfortable silence followed. The kind neither felt the need to fill. For a few moments, they simply stood there together, enjoying the fact that they could. Then Mia smiled.
"I had fun today."
"We spent most of today being bullied by Noah and Sophie."
"Still counts."
"Fair."
Aiden smiled. Mia smiled back. Neither looked away. And suddenly, for the first time all day, there wasn't anyone watching. No students. No Noah. No Sophie. Just them. Mia took a small step closer. Aiden's heart immediately forgot how to function.
"You know," she said quietly, "you're smiling a lot more today."
"Maybe I'm in a good mood."
"Maybe."
She looked suspiciously amused. Then, before Aiden could think of a response, she kissed his cheek. A quick kiss. Barely a second. Then she immediately stepped back. Aiden froze. Completely. Absolutely. Frozen. His brain shut down. Again. Mia started laughing.
"See you tomorrow, Aiden."
Then she quickly hurried toward her ride before he could recover. Leaving him standing there. Speechless. Motionless. And bright red. Several seconds later, Noah appeared from absolutely nowhere.
"Did she just-"
"Don't."
"She did."
"Noah."
"SHE DID."
Aiden groaned and started walking away. Noah followed. Naturally. Because peace was apparently illegal. As the sun began setting and laughter echoed across the parking lot, Aiden couldn't stop smiling. Because yesterday he'd finally confessed. Today he'd survived being publicly exposed to the entire school. And somehow... Things just kept getting better.