The moment Sam's words left her lips, Rhaine felt them lodge somewhere deep in her chest.
"Do you always hide the parts of yourself you don't want people to see?"
It had sounded casual enough at first, almost like a joke. But something in the way Sam had tilted her head, in the way her eyes had lingered on Rhaine, made it feel… sharper. More intentional.
They walked back to class together, Maya and Eli trailing behind, chatting about something Rhaine couldn't even process. She just kept replaying that question in her head, like her brain refused to let it go.
During their next subject, she barely took notes. Her pen hovered uselessly over the page, and more than once Maya had to nudge her.
"You're zoning out again," Maya whispered, smirking.
"I'm fine," Rhaine muttered, forcing her attention back to the board.
When the bell rang for lunch, the four of them found their usual spot in the cafeteria. Maya and Eli instantly launched into a discussion about a meme Eli had seen that morning, laughing so loud they got a few curious looks from nearby tables.
Sam sat beside Rhaine again, sliding into the seat like she belonged there.
"You didn't text me last night," Sam said, twirling her fork lazily through her food.
Rhaine glanced at her. "Was I supposed to?"
"You said you'd tell me about studying together. I figured no text meant you were busy… or avoiding me."
"I wasn't avoiding you," Rhaine said quickly too quickly.
Sam's lips curved just slightly, not quite a smirk, but close. "Good to know."
Eli was still talking, gesturing wildly with his spoon. "And then the cat just boom knocked the whole thing over!"
Maya laughed so hard she nearly choked. "Oh my gosh, stop, I can't"
Sam leaned closer to Rhaine, lowering her voice so only she could hear. "So… did you think about my question?"
Rhaine stiffened. "What question?"
Sam gave her that look again the one that said you know exactly what I'm talking about.
"I… don't remember," Rhaine lied.
"Liar," Sam said lightly, no bite in her tone, but enough certainty to make Rhaine's stomach knot.
The conversation at the table drowned out whatever Rhaine might have said next. Maya was pulling out her phone to show Eli something, and soon the two were huddled over the screen.
By the time lunch ended, Rhaine thought maybe she'd escaped the tension. But as they were walking toward their next class, Sam slowed her pace to match hers.
"You know," Sam murmured, "denial's tricky. Sometimes you think you're just keeping things private, but really… you're hiding from yourself."
Rhaine's throat went dry. "Why are you telling me this?"
Sam's shoulders lifted in a casual shrug. "Maybe I just like watching you figure things out."
And just like that, she stepped ahead, rejoining Maya and Eli, leaving Rhaine trailing behind with her thoughts spinning.
She told herself she wasn't hiding anything. She wasn't into girls. She wasn't
But the way her pulse sped up around Sam told a different story.