The change didn't happen all at once.
It started small.
A look here.
A whisper there.
Then suddenly
It was everywhere.
Tessa felt it the moment she stepped into school.
Eyes followed her.
Not the same way as before.
Not mocking.
Not laughing.
Watching.
Curious.
Interested.
She adjusted the strap of her bag slightly, keeping her expression neutral as she walked beside Lily.
"I swear, it's like you're famous now," Lily muttered.
Tessa let out a small breath.
"I don't want to be."
"Well, too bad," Lily said lightly.
"Because people have decided otherwise."
Tessa didn't respond.
She was still getting used to it.
The attention.
The shift.
It felt… unstable.
Like something that could change again at any second.
—
At her locker
"Hey."
Tessa turned slightly.
The same guy from the party.
He leaned casually against the locker beside hers, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Didn't get to finish our conversation yesterday."
Tessa hesitated.
"…We didn't really start one."
"That sounds like an excuse to fix that," he said easily.
Lily raised a brow beside her but stayed quiet.
Tessa glanced at him briefly.
He wasn't like Adrian.
Not intense.
Not unreadable.
Just… simple.
"I have class," she said.
"Then I'll walk you."
Before she could respond
"Or she could walk alone."
The voice cut in smoothly.
Tessa didn't need to turn.
But she did anyway.
Adrian.
Standing a few steps away.
Watching.
His gaze flickered briefly to the guy
Then back to her.
The air shifted instantly.
The guy straightened slightly.
"…And you are?"
Adrian didn't answer that.
Instead
"Teresa, we have the project."
Simple.
But not really.
Tessa felt Lily's eyes on her.
Felt the tension building around them.
She exhaled softly.
"I'll see you later," she said to the other guy.
Not rude.
Not inviting.
Just enough.
He studied her for a second
Then nodded.
"Yeah. Later."
He walked off.
But not without glancing back once.
Adrian noticed.
Of course he did.
"Was that necessary?" Tessa asked quietly, turning back to her locker.
"I could ask you the same thing."
She frowned slightly.
"I wasn't doing anything."
"Exactly."
That made her pause.
She turned to look at him fully now.
"What does that mean?"
Adrian held her gaze.
For a second
Too long.
Then
"Nothing."
And just like that
He walked away.
Tessa stood there, confused.
Lily leaned closer.
"…He's losing it."
Tessa didn't answer.
But something about that
Didn't feel completely wrong.
—
Vanessa noticed everything.
Of course she did.
From across the hallway
The way Adrian stepped in.
The way he looked at Tessa.
The way he didn't look at anyone else like that.
Her expression remained calm.
But her mind was already moving.
Planning.
—
Later
The library again.
Same table.
Same silence.
But it felt different now.
Charged.
Tessa arrived second this time.
Adrian was already there.
She noticed that immediately.
"You're early," she said.
He shrugged slightly.
"So are you."
A small pause.
Then she sat down.
They started working again.
But this time
The silence didn't last as long.
"You're avoiding me," Adrian said.
Direct.
Tessa didn't look up.
"We're working."
"That's not what I meant."
She sighed softly, closing her notebook.
"What do you want me to say?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Because for once
He didn't have something ready.
"I'm trying," he said finally.
Quiet.
That made her look at him.
Really look this time.
"Why?"
Simple question.
But heavy.
Adrian's jaw tightened slightly.
"I don't know."
Honest.
And that
That caught her off guard more than anything else he could've said.
Before she could respond
"Well, this is interesting."
The voice cut in like a blade.
Vanessa.
She stepped into view, arms crossed lightly.
Her gaze moved between them.
Then settled on Tessa.
"I didn't realize tutoring sessions came with private study dates now."
Tessa stiffened slightly.
But didn't react.
Adrian didn't even look at Vanessa.
"Don't start."
Too late.
Vanessa smiled faintly.
"Oh, I'm not starting anything," she said sweetly.
"I just think it's funny."
Her eyes locked onto Tessa's.
"How quickly things change."
Silence.
"You really don't waste time, do you?"
That one was sharper.
More direct.
The implication clear.
Tessa's fingers tightened slightly around her pen.
But her voice stayed steady.
"We're working."
Vanessa tilted her head.
"Sure you are."
A small pause.
Then
"To be honest, I didn't think you'd last this long."
That landed.
But before it could settle
"Enough."
Adrian's voice.
Colder this time.
He finally looked at Vanessa.
And there was no softness in his expression.
Something in her smile faltered.
Just slightly.
"Relax," she said lightly.
"I'm just saying what everyone's thinking."
"No," Adrian said.
"You're saying what you want."
Silence.
Tension snapped tight.
Vanessa held his gaze for a second longer
Then smiled again.
But it didn't reach her eyes.
"…Careful," she said softly.
"You're starting to look a little too involved."
And with that
She turned and walked away.
The silence she left behind was heavier than before.
Tessa didn't look at Adrian.
Didn't say anything.
But something had shifted again.
This time
Not just for him.
For her too.