Chapter 4: The Girl Everyone Knows

Rumors spread fast on campus.

Faster than announcements. Faster than truth.

And definitely faster than she expected.

By Monday morning, people were already looking at her differently.

Not directly.

But enough for her to notice.

“Is that her?” someone whispered as she passed by the hallway.

“I think so… the one paired with him.”

“With Kieran Vale?”

Her grip on her notebook tightened.

Seriously?

It’s just a project.

She tried to ignore it. She really did.

Until—

“Well, well… this is new.”

A voice stopped her mid-step.

Soft. Sweet.

But something about it didn’t feel kind.

She turned around.

And there she was.

Perfect hair. Perfect posture. Perfect smile.

The kind of girl who didn’t need to try to stand out—because she already did.

“Hi,” the girl said, tilting her head slightly. “You’re his partner, right?”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Kieran,” she clarified, like it was obvious. “You’ve been with him in the library.”

Her chest felt oddly tight. “We’re working on a project.”

“Mhm,” the girl hummed, eyes scanning her from head to toe—not rudely, but not warmly either.

“I’m Althea Reyes.”

The name rang a bell.

Of course it did.

Everyone knew her.

Top of her class. Student council. Campus favorite.

And—

Rumored to be the only one who could keep up with Kieran Vale.

“Oh,” she said slowly. “Okay.”

Althea smiled.

Polite.

Too polite.

“You should be careful,” she said lightly.

Her brows furrowed. “Careful of what?”

Althea stepped a little closer.

“People tend to misunderstand things,” she said. “Especially when it comes to him.”

There it was.

Not a threat.

But not a warning either.

Something in between.

“I’m not people,” she replied quietly.

For a split second—

Althea’s smile faltered.

Just a little.

Then it came back.

“Of course,” she said. “We’ll see.”

And just like that, she walked away.

Leaving behind a strange feeling she couldn’t explain.

That afternoon, the library felt different.

Again.

She arrived earlier than usual this time.

She didn’t know why.

Maybe to prove something.

Maybe to herself.

But when Kieran walked in and saw her already sitting there—

He stopped.

“You’re early,” he said.

She shrugged. “You’re not the only one who can be serious about this.”

He studied her for a second longer than usual.

Then sat down across from her.

“You look distracted,” he said.

She frowned. “I’m not.”

“You are.”

She sighed. “Do you always analyze people like that?”

“Yes.”

“…That’s annoying.”

“Effective,” he corrected.

She hesitated.

Then—

“Do you know Althea Reyes?” she asked.

The moment the name left her mouth—

Something changed.

It was subtle.

But she saw it.

His expression didn’t drop.

It didn’t harden.

But it… closed.

“Yes,” he said.

Short. Flat.

That was it.

She waited.

But he didn’t continue.

“That’s all?” she asked.

“What else do you want to know?”

“I don’t know,” she said, slightly defensive. “She talked to me earlier.”

“And?”

“And she basically told me to be careful around you.”

A pause.

Then—

“She’s not wrong.”

Her brows pulled together. “What does that mean?”

He leaned back slightly, eyes meeting hers.

“It means,” he said calmly, “people around me tend to get dragged into things they didn’t sign up for.”

Her heart skipped—out of confusion or something else, she wasn’t sure.

“Like what?” she asked.

But he shook his head.

“Focus on the project.”

That answer frustrated her more than she expected.

“You always do that,” she said.

“Do what?”

“Shut people out.”

Silence.

For a moment, she thought he’d ignore it.

But then—

“It’s easier,” he said quietly.

That caught her off guard.

Because for the first time—

He didn’t sound cold.

He sounded… honest.

She softened slightly. “Not everything has to be done alone.”

His eyes stayed on hers.

Unreadable.

“You think that now,” he said. “Give it time.”

Before she could respond—

A group of students passed by their table, whispering a little too loudly.

“Isn’t that them?”

“Yeah… Kieran and his new partner.”

“And Althea saw them earlier too—”

Her stomach dropped.

She looked away, suddenly aware of everything.

The distance between them.

The attention.

The rumors.

But Kieran didn’t move.

Didn’t react.

Like none of it mattered.

Like she didn’t need to care either.

Then—

Without a word—

He slid a cup of coffee toward her.

She blinked. “What’s this?”

“You didn’t eat,” he said. “You focus better with something.”

She stared at the cup.

Then at him.

“You noticed that?”

“I notice everything,” he replied.

Simple.

Quiet.

And somehow…

That made her heart beat just a little faster.

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