The Monday air felt like it had been wrung out of someone's old gym clothes-stale, warm, and clingy. Miles dragged his feet up the steps of school, hood over his head and his earbuds shoved in, but no music playing. He liked the buffer. It gave people a reason not to talk to him. Or maybe, more honestly, it gave him an excuse to ignore the ones who tried.
He'd barely slept. Even after all the cleaning he and Theo had done over the weekend, the house still smelled faintly like beer and regret. The rehab intake for their dad had gone smoother than expected, but it didn't stop the ache in Miles's chest every time he passed by the now-quiet living room. Silence wasn't comfort-it was just the absence of yelling.
He found Jay and Brandon by the lockers, already deep in their usual Monday morning nonsense. Jay was animatedly talking about his new sneakers, one foot propped up like he was modeling for a streetwear ad. Brandon was texting someone but nodded along like he cared.
"Yo," Miles muttered, slumping against the lockers beside them.
Jay looked up, face lighting up. "Ayyy, look who decided to join the living."
Brandon finally glanced up from his phone. "You good, bro? Heard about your pops."
Miles tensed but shrugged. "Yeah. Rehab. Finally."
Jay clapped a hand on his shoulder. "That's rough, man, but at least something's being done, right?"
Miles gave a tight smile. "Yeah. Progress, I guess."
Brandon pocketed his phone. "You coming to the party Friday?"
Miles frowned. "What party?"
Jay snorted. "Bro, everyone knows. That popular guy's throwing this massive thing. His parents are gone for the weekend. Whole grade's invited."
Miles blinked. "And how is this the first I'm hearing about it?"
Brandon raised an eyebrow. "You've been kinda MIA lately. People talk, you know."
Jay leaned in with a smirk. "It's gonna be wild. Loud music, drinks, who knows what else. You need it, man. Unwind a little."
Miles wasn't sure he wanted any part of it, but something tugged at him. "Leia going?"
Jay and Brandon exchanged a glance that wasn't lost on him.
"What?" Miles asked, suddenly alert.
Brandon shrugged. "She's been hanging out with Ashley and Mia a lot lately. Rumor is, she's definitely going."
Jay chimed in. "Heard some other guy's been sniffing around her too. Some tenth grader. Big hoodie energy. Real mysterious."
Miles clenched his jaw. "Who?"
Jay snorted. "Relax, it's probably nothing. But you and Leia aren't exactly tight right now, are you?"
That hit deeper than it should have.
Miles looked away, the hallway suddenly too bright, too loud. "We had a fight. That's all."
Brandon looked at him seriously now. "You care about her, man?"
Miles didn't answer. Not right away. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the floor.
"I don't know how not to."
Jay nodded slowly. "Then fix it before someone else steps in."
The bell rang, and students started filing into classrooms. Jay and Brandon split off, leaving Miles standing there, jaw tight and mind spinning.
He didn't want to admit how much it had been eating at him. Leia's silence. The way she avoided him like he carried some disease. The way she didn't even look at him in the hallways anymore. Like he was invisible. Like he deserved to be.
He didn't know how to fix it. Or if he even could.
---
Math class passed in a blur. He barely registered anything the teacher said, too caught up in the way his stomach twisted every time Leia popped into his mind. The last time they talked, really talked, he'd said things he regretted the second they left his mouth. And now? She was moving on, maybe. Living her life. Meeting other people.
He gripped his pencil tighter, imagining it snapping.
When lunch came around, he sat with Jay and Brandon outside near the benches. The usual crew was there, tossing grapes at each other and talking trash about some teacher. Miles wasn't paying attention-until he caught a voice he hadn't heard in weeks.
Leia's.
She was sitting a few yards away with Ashley and Mia, legs crossed and ponytail bouncing as she laughed at something Ashley said. There was a boy next to them. Not in uniform. Maybe from another school. Miles watched the guy lean in a little too close and say something to Leia, who didn't pull away.
His stomach dropped like a rock.
Brandon noticed and followed his gaze. "That him?"
Miles nodded tightly.
Jay squinted. "Eh, Leia doesn't look *into* him. Probably just a friend."
"Doesn't matter," Miles muttered, standing up. "I'm not watching this."
Brandon raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you doing?"
"I don't know yet," Miles said. "But I can't just sit around anymore."
---
Later that day, during last period, Miles got called out of class by a TA with a note. He opened it and blinked.
Come to the gym. Need to talk. -A
He knew the handwriting. Aiden-one of his few close friends outside the Jay-Brandon orbit. Quiet, observant, and way too good at reading people.
Miles ducked out and made his way down the empty hallway. The gym was cold and echoey. Aiden was sitting on the bleachers, tossing a basketball between his hands.
"What's up?" Miles asked, climbing up beside him.
Aiden glanced at him. "I was gonna mind my business. But you look like you're gonna explode."
Miles raised an eyebrow. "That obvious?"
Aiden chuckled. "Only to people who know you."
Miles leaned forward, elbows on knees. "She's avoiding me. Won't talk. Won't look at me."
Aiden nodded. "I know. She's hurt, man."
Miles turned. "Did she tell you?"
"No. Ashley did. Kind of. Said Leia saw you with some girl at the store a while back after she saw you with that new girl. Thought you moved on to another girl."
Miles froze. "What?"
"Apparently she saw you laughing with her. Didn't stick around to ask. Just... shut down."
He rubbed his face. "It was my cousin. I was helping her pick a birthday gift for her mom. I didn't even know Leia saw me."
"Yeah, well. You guys haven't been talking, so she assumed the worst."
Miles let out a long sigh. "I don't blame her. After the way I acted..."
Aiden gave him a look. "So fix it. Talk to her. Be honest."
"I don't think she wants to hear from me."
"Then go anyway. You've got nothing to lose, right?"
Miles nodded slowly. Maybe Aiden was right.
Maybe it was time to stop hiding behind his hoodie and finally step into the mess he made.
---
The sky was a dull gray, and the sidewalks shimmered faintly with the aftermath of a lazy drizzle. Miles shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, his sneakers slapping softly against the pavement as he made his way home. The streets were quieter than usual for a Monday afternoon, the stillness giving his thoughts too much room to echo.
He hadn't said much after lunch-just nodded through whatever Jordan and Cassius threw his way, letting their words wash over him like background noise. His mind was stuck on Leia, on how she'd walked past him in the hallway like he was just another face. No eye contact. No sarcastic remark. No sideways smile.
It hurt more than he'd admit.
He kicked a loose pebble down the sidewalk, watching it skip ahead a few feet before bouncing into a puddle. "Screw it," he muttered under his breath. He didn't feel like going home-not to a cold house that still smelled faintly of old beer and cleaning spray, not to Theo blasting music upstairs, not to the empty quiet of his bedroom. Not today.
His eyes drifted toward the corner of the next block where the old diner stood-Gwen's, with the flickering neon sign and mismatched booths. He hadn't been there in a while, not since last month with Leia. They'd split fries and laughed at some terrible sci-fi movie playing on the little TV near the counter. It was the last time he remembered her laughing like she meant it.
His feet shifted direction before he could second-guess himself.
The bell above the door jingled as he stepped inside. The warm scent of fried food, burnt coffee, and syrup wrapped around him instantly, chasing off the chill from outside. A few regulars occupied the booths-an old couple sharing a milkshake, a guy in a suit typing on a laptop. Gwen herself gave him a nod from behind the counter, wiping her hands on a towel.
"Hey, stranger," she said with a small smile. "Long time no see."
Miles offered a half-smile in return. "Hey, Gwen."
He slid into a booth by the window, the same one he and Leia had claimed that night. The vinyl seat creaked under him as he pulled out a menu, even though he already knew what he wanted. Fries. Milkshake. Maybe something sweet if he still had room.
As he sat back, watching the world blur slightly behind the raindrop-speckled window, his thoughts drifted again-to her. He wondered where she was. What she was thinking. If she ever thought about him the way he thought about her.
The waitress came by and took his order with a gentle smile. Miles gave another polite nod, but his chest still felt heavy. Something about this booth, this place-he could still hear Leia's laugh echoing in his head.
He leaned his head back against the window and closed his eyes.
Maybe food would help.
Or maybe he just needed to feel close to her, even if she wasn't there.