**Sara's POV~
I thought I was being subtle.
Turns out, I was not.
By the third day, even I could feel it—the way my eyes unconsciously searched for him the moment I entered the classroom. The way my attention drifted toward the far corner without permission. The way my heart reacted before my brain had time to catch up.
And apparently, my friends had eyes.
Mira dropped her bag on the desk beside mine and leaned in, squinting at me like a detective who had just found a crucial clue.
"Okay," she said slowly, "confess."
I blinked. "Confess what?"
She pointed her chin toward the back of the room. "That."
I followed her gaze and immediately looked away, heat rushing to my face. "There is no that."
Mira laughed. "Sara, you've checked the time three times, rearranged your pen twice, and you just smiled at absolutely nothing."
"I did not smile," I protested.
She grinned wider. "You definitely smiled."
Before I could defend myself, another voice joined in.
"Oh my god," Evan said, sliding into the seat in front of me. "It's the silent guy, isn't it?"
"What silent guy?" I asked too quickly.
"The one who looks like he walked out of a tragic novel," he replied. "Bro sits like he's carrying everyone's secrets."
Mira nodded seriously. "And somehow, someone here is suddenly very interested in tragic novels."
"I am not interested," I muttered.
They both looked at me.
In sync.
With the same knowing expression.
I sighed. "I just… said hi to him. Once."
Evan gasped dramatically. "She said hi."
Mira put a hand on her chest. "That's huge for you."
I glared at them. "Please don't make this weird."
"Oh, it's already weird," Evan said cheerfully. "You never talk to new people. You once apologized to a chair for bumping into it."
"That chair was innocent," I shot back.
Mira laughed, but her eyes softened. "You okay, though?"
That question caught me off guard.
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think so."
And that was the truth.
Somehow… I was.
**Necole's POV~
They were watching her.
Not subtly.
Not quietly.
Her friends whispered, laughed, glanced between us like we were part of some unsaid joke. I didn't need to hear their words to understand the meaning.
They had noticed.
And that was a problem.
I leaned back in my chair, forcing myself to appear uninterested. Detached. The way I always did. Yet my attention refused to stay where I wanted it.
She was laughing.
Softly. Freely.
It was… unsettling.
Not because it annoyed me.
Because it made something tighten in my chest.
She laughed with her whole face—eyes crinkling, lips curving like she wasn't afraid of being seen. People like her didn't realize how rare that was.
And how dangerous.
Evan—loud, careless—turned halfway around and looked straight at me.
I met his gaze calmly.
He blinked.
Then looked away.
Good.
I didn't need attention. I didn't need curiosity. And I certainly didn't need her friends deciding I was someone worth discussing.
Yet when she glanced back—quick, uncertain—I didn't look away.
Her eyes widened slightly, like she hadn't expected me to notice.
I raised an eyebrow.
Just barely.
She froze.
Then turned around so fast she nearly knocked over her water bottle.
I almost smiled.
Almost.
**Sara's POV~
Did he just—
No.
He didn't.
There's no way.
I pressed my lips together, trying to hide my expression as Mira leaned closer.
"What happened?" she whispered.
"Nothing," I said, staring very hard at my notebook. "Absolutely nothing."
Evan smirked. "That 'nothing' has your heartbeat written all over it."
"I hate both of you."
Mira laughed. "Relax. We're just teasing."
She paused, then added softly, "Just… be careful, okay?"
I nodded.
I didn't know why she said that.
Or why the word careful lingered longer than it should have.
**Necole's POV (Ending)~
She doesn't know it yet.
But the moment people start noticing…
things change.
I watched her laugh again, unaware of the weight inching closer to her world.
And for the first time, I wondered—
If they discover who I am…
will she still look at me the same way?