Ep Jealousy

The next morning, Ezra dragged himself through the school gates looking like he hadn’t slept in a week—mostly because he hadn't. His eyes were heavy, and his brain felt like it was floating in fog.

As he reached his locker, a bright, cheerful voice chirped his name. "Ezra! Whoa, you look like you got hit by a bus."

It was Kaito, a guy from the track team who had always been a little too friendly with Ezra. Before Ezra could react, Kaito was leaning in close, his hand reaching out to playfully ruffle Ezra’s messy hair. "Did you stay up all night gaming again, or did you finally lose it?"

Ezra leaned into the touch without thinking, too tired to pull away. "Shut up, Kaito. I just couldn't sleep."

"Aw, poor baby," Kaito teased, dropping his hand to Ezra’s shoulder and squeezing it. "Come on, I'll buy you a coffee before first period starts."

Ezra didn't notice the heavy silence that suddenly fell over the hallway. He didn't see Noah standing just ten feet away, gripping the straps of his backpack so hard his knuckles were white. Noah’s eyes were fixed on Kaito’s hand—the hand that was touching his childhood friend.

The bell rang, sharp and annoying.

Inside the classroom, the teacher stood at the board. "Listen up. Since the midterm is coming up, you're all doing a partner research project. And since some of you," she glanced pointedly at Ezra and Noah, "can't seem to stop fighting, I've decided to choose your partners for you."

Ezra’s heart sank.

"Kaito, you're with Sarah. And... Ezra, you're with Noah. Since you two have so much to 'discuss' lately, you can do it over a textbook."

The class went "Oooooh," but Ezra felt a cold chill. He looked back at Noah. Noah wasn't looking at the teacher. He was staring at Kaito with a look of pure, unadulterated venom, before shifting his gaze to Ezra.

"My house. Tonight," Noah snapped, his voice sounding more aggressive than usual. "Don't be late, and don't bring your track-star boyfriend."

"He's not my—" Ezra started, but Noah had already turned away, his shoulders tense and his ears tinged with a furious red. The walk to Noah’s house was a disaster. After the bell rang, Noah had practically barked, "Gates. Five minutes," before storming off.

Now, Ezra trailed five steps behind him, feeling the heavy, suffocating weight of the silence. Every time their eyes had accidentally met in the hallway after the "bush incident," Noah had looked away so fast he almost gave himself whiplash.

Noah stopped abruptly at a familiar gate, his back stiff. "I'm only doing this because the teacher is breathing down my neck," he snapped, not turning around. "And if you tell anyone you were here, I’ll make sure that 'assault' rumor is the least of your problems."

"Yeah, yeah, you're a big scary snake, I get it," Ezra muttered, though his heart was doing that annoying double-thump again.

Noah unlocked the door with a violent twist of the key. "Just get inside."

The house was cold and quiet—exactly how Ezra remembered it, but without the warmth of the snacks they used to share. Noah didn't offer him a drink or even tell him to take off his shoes; he just headed straight for the stairs.

"My room. Now," Noah ordered. He stopped at the top of the stairs, looking down at Ezra with a look that was half-furious and half-terrified. "And don't look at anything. We're doing the work, and then you're leaving."

Ezra rolled his eyes, pushing past him into the room. "God, you're so dramatic. It's just a project, Noah."

But as the door clicked shut behind them, the room felt tiny. The memory of being pressed against each other behind the cherry blossoms flashed in Ezra's mind, and suddenly, the air in Noah’s bedroom felt way too thin.

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