The chase

Aiden POV

I was in the middle of kissing Chloe when I felt it—that stare.

Not the usual kind, either. Most girls blush and run, or stand there like they’re watching a movie they wish they were starring in. But this? This was different.

Her stare didn’t daydream—it burned. Sharp, not soft.

I pulled back just enough to look, a smirk already tugging at my lips. Thought I’d find some freshman gawking like I was her first glimpse of sin.

But no. The girl watching me—arms crossed, eyes full of judgment—wasn’t anyone I’d seen before.

Shoulder-length curls. That killer don’t-talk-to-me expression. And damn, she wore it well.

Chloe turned to see what had caught my attention, but I waved her off. I didn’t need another dose of morning drama.

“Care to join?” I tossed at the girl, just to mess with her.

She didn’t even flinch. She just shot something back like she'd been waiting her whole life for someone to try her. I would've laughed if I wasn’t so caught off guard.

Just like that, my boring-ass morning got a lot more interesting.

If I rewind a bit—none of this was supposed to happen.

Woke up expecting the usual: stretch, scroll, ignore most of Chloe’s texts, and yell at Mrs. Bell to heat the damn water. The same routine.

My parents? As always, nowhere to be found. Off working, traveling—whatever. Not that I cared. I wasn’t the guy with deep-rooted parent issues. Their absence just meant one thing: freedom. My life, my rules.

Mrs. Bell’s the one who keeps the place running anyway, and she’s chill. Didn’t even blink when I showed up shirtless in the kitchen again.She just waved me off and reminded me my parents were coming back today.

Yay. Family reunion.

After my shower, I finally checked Chloe’s message: "she's got something good to show me."

Right. Sure. I sighed, typed “okay,” and headed to school early like she asked.

Big mistake.

Her “something good” turned out to be a new lip gloss. She was getting way too clingy. Probably time to cut her loose.

She puckered up, fishing for compliments, and I played along. Kissed her, made it look smooth—then boom. Mystery girl appeared. And well you know the rest.

Nova. That was her name. Caught it during the teacher’s half-baked attempt at a welcome.

It fit her, somehow. Just from the little I’d seen, she wasn’t the type you figured out easily.

She sat beside some loud dude—no idea what his name was —and they talked like old friends. But she didn’t look my way once. Not even a glance.

Okay, maybe because I was sitting behind her. I could work on that, I thought, smiling to myself.

People usually look at me. Whisper. Obsess. Nova? She looked through me. Like she’d already decided I wasn’t worth the hype.

Running into her again—this time with Chloe, Ty, and Jace outside the second class? Felt like the opportunity I needed.

But after she said her piece and walked away. She didn’t just ignore me—she dismissed me. Like I was background noise in her story.

I should’ve let it go. But come on. I wouldn’t be Aiden—the Nightmare of Kresp High if I did that.

So when the bell rang and they headed into the class, I followed. Not even my class—I was just there to see Chloe off. But suddenly, skipping Econ felt worth it.

Didn’t bother hiding it. I boldly took the seat right in front of her.

The teacher tried to boot me out, but... yeah. Good luck with that.

I turned around and whispered something, just to see if I could crack that expression.

But nothing. She went right back to her notes, like our hallway standoff never even happened.

Now I was really curious.

And I hate that feeling.

See, when I get curious... I start chasing.

But with Nova Reyes? It’s not even about the chase.

It’s about how much I want to mess with her.

And yeah—

I just might.