The hallway buzzed with the familiar chaos of lunchtime ending. Students shuffled past one another, their voices rising in waves that echoed off the lockers and tiled floors. Anna moved quietly through it all, her books held tightly against her chest, her thoughts louder than the noise around her.
She couldn't stop thinking about him—Ryan. The new guy. The one who'd barely said a word in class, who sat in the back with that don't-talk-to-me energy like he didn't care about anyone or anything. And yet, when that guy pushed Ben… he hadn't even hesitated. There was something about him. Something guarded. Something unreadable.
Next to her, Savannah nudged her with an elbow and whispered, "So? You gonna pretend you didn't notice the hottie who nearly started a fight over Ben?"
Anna rolled her eyes. "I wasn't looking."
"Liar." Savannah smirked. "You were staring. I saw your face when he walked into class. And don't think I missed that little moment at the bookstore either."
Anna's grip on her books tightened. She remembered it clearly—how he'd bumped into her, how her book had fallen, how he'd picked it up and glanced at the title.
"Cool choice," he had said, casually, before walking away without waiting for a reply.
It was nothing, really. Just a comment. But somehow, it had stuck with her more than it should have.
"I don't even know him," she mumbled.
Savannah's grin widened. "Well, maybe you should. Seems like fate's trying to shove you two into each other's lives."
Anna didn't respond. She didn't believe in fate. She believed in effort. In control. In keeping walls up where they were safe. And people like Ryan—quiet, unreadable people—they made her uneasy. Curious, sure… but uneasy.
Still, as they turned the corner and headed toward their next class, she found herself glancing down the hallway where he'd disappeared, her heart just a little too aware of the space he'd left behind.