LOGINJaydenJayden had wanted to leave before Aimee found out. He had seen her enjoying herself, and he didn’t want to ruin the fun for her. Not when he was torn inside about how to behave around her, what to say to her, and how to thank her for paying for that field trip.And most importantly, he didn’t want to be in a car with her. He didn’t want to be in an enclosed space alone with her. Even if someone else would be there, even if Aimee might not let him do anything, even though he knew he wouldn’t be doing anything with her, he just didn’t want to feel her presence any closer than he already did. He didn’t want her scent clinging to him while also having to sit beside her.He wanted to leave first and then prepare himself for when she would show up at the pastry shop, for when he would spend his evening looking after her in case she fell asleep on her table again.However, he didn’t expect her to run after him.He didn’t expect her to say what she said.He didn’t expect to see the hur
AimeeAimee had been happy seeing Jayden talk and work with their classmates. She had been happy seeing him relate with them, even though he never laughed at the jokes, even though he never smiled at the teasing, but he had been present. He wasn’t standing aside and staring at the wall or out the window, and he hadn’t ignored them when they approached him.She didn’t know why she had felt happy making someone popular when she herself didn’t want to be, but she had been, and it was because it was Jayden. She found herself wishing that it would continue like that, that he wouldn’t go back to ignoring everyone on Monday and being on his own again.However, what she loved the most of all was feeling his gaze on her. She would always feel him staring at her, and whenever she looked his way, he would hold her gaze for only a nanosecond before looking away, and so she had started glancing his way with a smile whenever she felt his gaze. It made her heart tingle in ways she couldn’t explain,
JaydenJayden stared at the house in front of him. He didn’t need to check the group chat for directions to find his way there; after all, Jacob’s father owned the biggest car wash in town, so everybody knew where he lived.He hated having to be here instead of being at work. He had a lot of bills to pay soon, and not to forget the class contribution for the costumes. And most importantly, he had to make payment before Aimee saw the need to pay for him again.He sighed, wondering why he was like that. He still couldn’t muster up the courage to swallow the news that Aimee had paid for his field trip, nor could he bring himself to thank her, even though he knew he should.Throughout yesterday after school, while they worked on their props, Aimee had tried to involve him with everyone and everything that was going on. Even though he felt like she didn’t have to go that far—after all, he purposely stayed away from their classmates—he didn’t feel the need to push her away or turn her down.
AimeeEveryone gathered in the classroom after school. Diane had come with the props they had been working on, and Aimee wanted to ask if she had known that Mr. Lance would make it compulsory for everyone to help. But she didn’t.She knew that if she asked that question, a lot of people might read it the wrong way, and the last thing she wanted was to sow discord among everyone and ruin the fun.Besides, she had a bigger problem of her own.Her gaze went to Jayden, who was standing by the window and gazing outside. Everyone had moved the desks and chairs to the far end of the room to create a large space for them to use. Jayden had helped move the desks and chairs, but after that, he had withdrawn to stand by the window.Aimee had wanted to ask why he didn’t come to the cafeteria or to the library, but he looked like he didn’t want anyone pestering him. Besides, his hair looked slightly disheveled, like he had run his fingers through it countless times, and the front of his shirt was
JaydenJayden had felt embarrassed having the teacher call him out, and even though he had wanted to say a word of encouragement to Aimee for getting the formula correct, the fact that he had been lost in thought, staring at her, and now the whole class knew about it, made it impossible for him to relax around her the way he used to.It didn’t help that the time they used to spend together didn’t just feel comfortable anymore. Instead, it made him constantly aware of her.He wanted to tuck her hair away from her face, he wanted their fingers to touch whenever he moved his book toward her, he wanted to subtly brush his shoulder against hers when they sat together, and her scent, which smelled far too sweet, always clung to him long after they had parted.His desires surprised him, and even though he hated that man for putting those words into his head, he never stopped repeating them.Let it flow naturally.Flow naturally, that meant he shouldn’t hold her hand even though he wanted to.
Aimee“Jayden, I didn’t see your name in any of the sports,” Mr. Lance said.Aimee turned to Jayden. He was scribbling something in his notebook and stopped when he heard the teacher's words.Aimee was surprised. She hadn’t signed up for any of the sports either. Does that mean the teacher would call her out too?But she really didn’t want to participate. She just wanted to stay in the cheer stand and cheer for everyone.“That won’t do,” Mr. Lance continued. “You are not sick, and it’s not like you are not athletic. But if you don’t want to participate in the sports, I won’t force you. However, you will manage the stall.”“What?” someone asked, and immediately voices began rising around the classroom.“No, Mr. Lance, if Jayden manages the stall, no one would buy anything from us. He is too snobbish, and he knows how to ignore people to the point it’s annoying. Please don’t make him manage the stall,” Nica said, and everyone nodded in agreement.Aimee was surprised. She never knew they
JaydenJayden sighed and picked up the dish towel, starting to wipe the plates he had just finished washing.Why had he done it?Why had he offered to teach her?Why had he done something he normally wouldn’t have even co
AimeeAimee didn’t know how she had gathered the courage to approach Jayden’s table that day in the library despite everything people said about him and the way he reacted whenever someone invaded his space. But she had done it anyway, and after that first day, she had planned to continue doing it e
JaydenJayden sat quietly in the library, going through a music book he had found earlier while waiting for the free period to end. He never expected to hear the soft thud of a book being placed on the desk in front of him.H
AimeeAimee watched as the students climbed into the school bus. She couldn’t say why she didn’t go in immediately, or why she didn’t take Cindy and Nica up on their offer to sit together. All she knew was that her eyes wer







