when jealousy shows it's face

After that night, things didn’t go back to normal.

Not even close.

Ariana didn’t hate Oliver the same way anymore.

But she didn’t trust him either.

And that in-between space… was confusing.

Because whenever she saw him now, she didn’t just feel anger.

She felt unsure.

And sometimes, she hated that more than anything.

---

Oliver noticed the change too.

Ariana wasn’t avoiding him anymore.

But she wasn’t reacting either.

No sharp words.

No fire.

Just silence.

And that silence was louder than anything she had ever said to him before.

Tomos leaned against the locker one morning.

“Bro,” he said, watching Ariana walk past without even glancing at Oliver. “She’s really done with you.”

Oliver didn’t answer immediately.

He just watched her go.

James smirked. “That hurts, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t care,” Oliver said quickly.

Too quickly.

Bucky laughed under his breath. “Yeah… sure.”

Oliver shot him a look, and they all quieted down.

But the truth was simple.

Something was off.

And he hated not being able to fix it.

---

Ariana tried to focus on Liam again.

But even when she visited him, her mind drifted.

Liam noticed.

“You’re thinking about him again,” he said.

Ariana frowned. “No, I’m not.”

“You are,” he insisted lightly.

She sighed. “It’s not like that.”

Liam gave her a small look. “Then what is it like?”

Ariana didn’t answer.

Because she didn’t know how to explain it.

So she changed the subject.

“Just rest,” she said softly.

But even as she said it…

Oliver’s face flashed in her mind again.

And she hated herself for it.

---

The real shift happened on a Thursday.

It was after school.

Ariana was leaving early when she saw Liam standing outside the gate.

But he wasn’t alone.

Oliver was there too.

And that alone made her stop walking.

They were talking.

Not arguing.

Just talking.

And Liam was laughing.

That was what caught her attention.

Because she had never seen Liam laugh like that around Oliver before.

She stepped closer without thinking.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Both of them turned.

Liam looked surprised. “Oh, hey—”

But Oliver just watched her.

Calm. As usual.

“We were talking,” Liam said.

“I can see that,” Ariana replied.

Silence.

A strange one.

Then Liam added, a bit awkwardly, “He actually came to check on me.”

Ariana blinked. “What?”

Oliver shrugged slightly. “Don’t make it a big deal.”

But it already was.

Because in Ariana’s head, Oliver didn’t do “check on people.”

He didn’t do concern.

He didn’t do quiet kindness.

At least… that’s what she thought.

“So you just… came here?” she asked him.

Oliver looked at her for a second.

“Yeah.”

That simple answer messed with her more than she expected.

---

But what Ariana didn’t notice…

Was the girl walking toward them from across the street.

Blonde hair.

Confident walk.

Perfect smile.

Her name was Chloe.

And she knew Oliver.

Not casually.

Not recently.

But from before.

“Oliver?” Chloe called out.

He turned slightly.

And for the first time…

Something in his expression changed.

Just a little.

But Ariana saw it.

Even if she didn’t understand it yet.

Chloe smiled when she reached them.

“I didn’t think I’d see you here,” she said.

Tomos and James appeared nearby instantly, exchanging looks.

“Who’s that?” Liam whispered.

Ariana didn’t answer.

Because she was watching Oliver.

And he was watching Chloe.

Not like he watched Ariana.

This was different.

Familiar.

Old.

And that alone made something uncomfortable rise in Ariana’s chest.

Chloe turned her attention to Ariana.

“And you are?” she asked politely.

Ariana hesitated. “Ariana.”

“Ah,” Chloe said softly. “So you’re her.”

That sentence made Ariana frown. “What does that mean?”

Chloe smiled lightly but didn’t answer directly.

Instead, she looked back at Oliver.

“I didn’t know you were still involved in school life like this,” she said.

Oliver’s tone dropped slightly. “I’m not.”

But Chloe just laughed a little.

“Right,” she said. “That’s not what it looks like.”

Silence.

Ariana felt it.

Something unspoken between them.

Something she wasn’t part of.

And she didn’t like it.

Not one bit.

---

Later, when Chloe left, Ariana stayed behind.

Oliver noticed her expression immediately.

“What?” he asked.

Ariana crossed her arms.

“Who is she?”

Oliver hesitated.

That was new.

“She’s… from before,” he said.

Ariana narrowed her eyes. “From before what?”

Oliver didn’t answer right away.

And that silence said more than anything else.

Ariana scoffed softly.

“Of course,” she muttered.

Oliver frowned slightly. “It’s not what you think.”

Ariana laughed once. “You don’t even know what I think.”

But deep down…

She did.

And that was the problem.

Because for the first time…

Ariana Blake felt something she didn’t expect.

Jealousy.

And she hated that even more than confusion.

---

That night, Oliver stood alone again.

Tomos had tried talking to him earlier, but he wasn’t in the mood.

Because Chloe’s return wasn’t random.

And Ariana’s reaction wasn’t either.

And somewhere in the middle of all that…

Something was starting to shift.

Something none of them were ready for.