Chapter 9 : Unpleasant Reunion

*Lily*

"Ready to partner up with Mr. Smug?" Rachel teased me with a smirk. Her voice cut through the crisp air, bringing with it a sense of reality I wasn't ready to face.

With each hesitant step toward our first class on Monday morning, I could feel the weight of Saturday night's shared moments with Adrian causing a bizarre cocktail of anxiety and anticipation within me. In all honesty, I was more prepared to deal with his annoying smirks and his obnoxious demeanor than not knowing how to behave with him at all.

And after everything that happened at the part–and after it–I wasn't sure of what our dynamic would be like today.

"Shut up, Rach," I muttered, my cheeks ablaze with embarrassment and irritation. It was ridiculous, really, how a few odd, unusual moments could disquiet the rhythm of my life and put me in an uncertain path.

We slipped into the classroom just as the clock tower chimed, signaling the start of another week—one I'd been dreading. The rows of seats, filled wi