Chapter 4

Cayden started the week with a plan.

Simple. Practical. Completely reasonable.

He was going to make sure his friends knew exactly what kind of person Aria was before any of them got any ideas.

"She's got a temper," he said, leaning against the bleachers during free period Monday morning. "Like a real one. You say one wrong thing and she's on you."

Jordan nodded slowly.

"Okay."

"And she's difficult. Impossible to deal with sometimes."

Cayden shrugged.

"Just so you know."

"Sure."

Eli was looking at his phone.

"Got it."

"I'm just saying. Not worth the trouble."

"You've said that three times this week," Jordan said. "It's Monday."

Cayden said nothing.

Jordan looked at Eli.

Eli looked at his phone.

Nobody said anything else about it.

Third period, Aria was at her locker when a guy from her English class stopped beside her. Friendly face. Easy energy.

"Hey, you're in Mr. Daniels' class, right? Third period?"

"Yeah."

She actually remembered him. He'd made a decent joke about the reading on day one.

"Cool. I was gonna ask if you wanted to—"

"Aria."

Cayden appeared from down the hall, walking toward them at a pace that wasn't quite a rush but wasn't casual either.

"Mrs. Patterson was looking for you," he said. "Something about your transfer paperwork."

Aria frowned.

"Mrs. Patterson the admin?"

"Yeah. Said it was kind of urgent."

The guy from English glanced between them.

"Oh — I'll let you go then. Catch you later maybe."

"Sure," Aria said, already distracted.

She walked to the admin office.

Mrs. Patterson looked up from her desk with a blank expression.

"Can I help you?"

"I was told you needed to see me. About transfer paperwork."

Mrs. Patterson blinked.

"I didn't send for you, sweetheart."

Aria stood there for a moment.

Then she turned around and walked back out.

She found Cayden at his locker, swapping out textbooks like nothing had happened.

"Mrs. Patterson didn't need to see me," she said.

"Huh."

He didn't look up.

"Weird."

"Is it."

"These things happen. Miscommunications."

"Cayden."

He finally looked at her. Expression completely neutral, like he had nothing in the world to hide.

She couldn't prove it. That was the worst part. Every single time there was a reason — small, believable, impossible to check fast enough. By the time she figured it out the moment was already gone.

She held his gaze for a long moment.

He held it back without blinking.

"Whatever," she said finally, and walked away.

He watched her go.

And told himself, for the fourth time that week, that this was fine. That he was just looking out. That it was a completely normal thing to do.

At lunch, Cayden sat across from Jordan and Eli, not eating much.

Across the cafeteria, Aria was sitting with Priya again. Some guy Cayden didn't recognize had pulled up a chair beside her and was making her laugh.

Cayden looked down at his food.

Looked up again.

The guy was still there.

"You good?" Jordan asked.

"Fine."

"You've been staring at the same spot for like five minutes."

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

Cayden picked up his fork.

"Nothing."

Jordan followed his eyeline across the cafeteria. Looked back at Cayden. Looked across again.

Then he picked up his own fork and said nothing, which was somehow worse than if he'd said something.

After school, Aria was in the hallway when a guy from her history class fell into step beside her.

"Hey, Aria. A few of us are going to this place on Fifth after school if you want to come."

Before she could answer, Cayden appeared beside her.

"She's got stuff at home today," he said easily. "Family thing."

Aria turned to look at him.

He looked back, expression completely pleasant.

The history class guy nodded.

"Oh, cool. Maybe next time."

He walked off.

Aria waited until he was out of earshot.

"Family thing," she said.

"Victoria mentioned something about dinner."

"She didn't mention anything to me."

"Maybe she forgot to tell you."

"Cayden."

"Aria."

She stared at him.

He stared back. Calm. Patient. That same unreadable expression, like none of this cost him anything at all.

She counted in her head.

Three times today. Three different excuses. Three different guys. Not once did he repeat himself.

She turned and walked toward the exit without another word.

Cayden stayed where he was, watching her go.

Jordan appeared beside him out of nowhere.

"That's the fourth guy today," Jordan said.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't."

Jordan watched Aria push through the front doors.

"She's going to figure it out eventually, you know."

"There's nothing to figure out."

Jordan smiled slowly.

"Right."

He walked off.

Cayden stood in the empty hallway alone, jaw tight, telling himself the exact same thing.

There was nothing to figure out.

He almost believed it.

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