The next morning, I woke up to a text message.
I grabbed my phone, my heart beating a little faster. Maybe it was Aiden. Maybe he finally replied.
But it wasn't Aiden.
It was Luke.
"Hey. You up?"
I typed back.
"Yeah. What's up?"
"Wanna walk to school together?"
I smiled a little. We haven't walked to school together in a long time. Not since before everything got weird.
"Sure. Give me ten minutes."
I got dressed fast. I put on jeans and a simple top. No hoodie today. I didn't want Luke to make any comments about what I was wearing.
When I got downstairs, Luke was waiting outside the gate. He had his bag over his shoulder and a coffee in his hand. He handed it to me when I got close.
"You got me coffee?"
"You looked like you needed it."
I took it. "Thanks."
We started walking. It was quiet at first. Not the awkward kind of quiet. The comfortable kind.
"So," Luke said after a while. "You ready for the tournament?"
"I guess. Charlotte is making me cheer."
He laughed. "I know. She told me."
"Of course she did."
We walked a little more. Then he said, "I saw you yesterday. At cheer practice."
"You did?"
"Yeah. You were... trying."
I groaned. "I was terrible."
"You weren't terrible. You just need practice."
"That's what Charlotte says."
He smiled. "She's smart."
We reached the school gates. Other students were already walking in. I saw Charlotte near the entrance with Dani. They were talking and laughing.
"Hey," I said to Luke. "Thanks for the coffee."
He nodded. "No problem. I'll see you around."
"Yeah. See you."
He walked away and I joined Charlotte and Dani.
"Who was that?" Dani asked, looking at Luke's back.
"My neighbor. Luke."
"He's cute."
"He's just a friend."
Charlotte smirked. "Uh-huh."
"Stop."
Dani laughed. "I'm just saying."
I rolled my eyes. But I was smiling.
First period was boring. Second period was worse. By lunch, I was tired and ready to go home.
I was sitting in the cafeteria with Charlotte and Dani when I saw him.
Aiden.
He was walking through the cafeteria doors with his head down. He looked tired. More tired than usual. His hair was messier than normal and he had dark circles under his eyes.
He didn't see me. He just walked to an empty table in the corner and sat down. He didn't have any food. He just sat there, staring at his phone.
My heart did something weird.
"Go talk to him," Charlotte said.
"I don't know what to say."
"Just say hi. That's all."
I looked at Dani. She nodded, encouraging me.
I took a deep breath and stood up. I walked across the cafeteria. My heart was beating so fast I could feel it in my ears.
When I got to his table, he looked up. His green eyes met mine.
"Hey," I said.
"Hey."
"Can I sit?"
He looked at the empty seat across from him. Then he nodded.
I sat down. "You okay?"
He was quiet for a second. Then he said, "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"I know. But I'm fine."
I didn't push it. I just sat there with him. We didn't talk. But it didn't feel weird.
After a few minutes, he spoke again. "I'm sorry. For canceling."
"It's fine."
"It's not. I should have told you why."
"You don't have to."
He looked at me. Really looked at me. Like he was trying to figure something out.
"You're not going to ask?" he said.
"No. Not if you don't want to tell me."
He was quiet again. Then he said, "I'll tell you. Eventually."
"Okay."
We sat there for a while longer. Then the bell rang. I stood up.
"Same time tomorrow?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yeah. Same time."
I walked back to Charlotte and Dani. They were both grinning.
"Told you," Charlotte said.
"Shut up."
Dani laughed. "You're blushing."
"I am not."
"You are."
I touched my face. It was warm.
I looked back at Aiden. He was still sitting there, looking at his phone.
But for a second, he looked up and our eyes met.
And he almost smiled.
***
After school, I had cheer practice again.
I was still bad. But I was getting better. Charlotte said I was improving. Dani said I looked more confident.
I didn't know if they were telling the truth. But I felt better than I did yesterday.
When practice ended, I walked home alone.
I thought about Aiden. About the way he looked at me. About the way he said "I'll tell you. Eventually."
I didn't know what was going on with him. But I knew one thing.
I wanted to be there for him.
Even if he didn't say it out loud.