CHAPTER FIVE — CAUGHT IN THE ACT

I tell myself I’m not going to watch him today. That I’m done with it. That whatever this is, this is a pattern, this tension, this… thing… I’m not going to feed into it. It lasted exactly twelve minutes. It starts in the hallway between the second and third period. Same place as yesterday. Same time. Same feeling.

That quiet, creeping awareness like something is lining up behind the scenes. I’m at my locker, pretending to reorganize books I already organized this morning, when it hits. He’s close. I don’t turn. I refuse to turn. I focus on the shelf inside my locker instead, adjusting a notebook that doesn’t need adjusting. One. Two. Three… Footsteps. Measured. Even. Familiar. My pulse picks up. Don’t look. Don’t… I look. Just for a second. Just enough to confirm. Kade Mercer.

Same pace. Same posture. Same unreadable expression.

Except… This time… He’s already looking at me. My breath catches.. Not like before. Not like when I caught him watching. This is different. Because I didn’t catch him. He caught me. And he doesn’t look away. There’s no hesitation. No pretending. Just direct, steady eye contact like he’s been waiting for this exact moment. Heat creeps up the back of my neck.bI snap my locker shut a little harder than I mean to. Turn. And start walking. Normal. Act normal. Except my steps feel slightly off rhythm, like I’m trying too hard to match something that used to come naturally. I didn't make it three steps. “Hope.” My name lands behind me. Low. Controlled. I stop. Of course I do. Slowly, I turn back. He’s closer now. I didn’t hear him move. That’s becoming a pattern too..“You’re watching me,” he says. Not a question. I cross my arms. “You’ve been watching me for weeks.” “That’s not what I said.” I lift an eyebrow. “No, that’s exactly what you said. You’re just flipping it.” A flicker of something crosses his face. Interest. Not irritation. “That’s not the same thing,” he says. “Explain how.” “You’re looking for something.” I scoff lightly. “So are you.” “Yes.” That answer hits harder than it should.

Because there’s no denial. No deflection. Just… agreement. I shift slightly, grounding myself. “Then what are you looking for?” He studies me. Like he’s weighing something. Then…. “You.” My stomach drops. “That’s not funny.” “I’m not joking.” The way he says it… It’s too steady. Too certain. I shake my head slightly. “That doesn’t make sense.” “It will.” “There you go again,” I snapped. “Saying things like that instead of actually explaining anything.” His gaze sharpens..“You don’t want the full explanation yet.” “You don’t get to decide that.” “I do if it affects whether you believe me.” I open my mouth…. Close it again. Because part of me knows he’s right. And I hate that. Silence stretches between us. Not empty. Tight. Charged. Like something is pressing in just outside the edges of the moment. “You noticed my routine,” he says suddenly. I freeze. That wasn’t a question either. I try to play it off. “I notice things. That’s not new.” “But you noticed that.” My pulse ticks up. “I notice patterns,” I say evenly. “And what pattern do you think I’m following?” I hesitate. Because answering that feels like stepping into something I’m not fully ready for. “You position yourself where you can see everything,” I say finally. “Entrances. Exits. Movement.” He nods once. “Good.” That shouldn’t feel like a reward. It does anyway. “Why?” I ask. This time…. He answers. “Because things don’t come from where you expect.” A chill runs down my spine. “That’s not an answer. That’s a warning.” “It’s both.” I exhale sharply. “You keep talking like something’s going to happen.” His expression shifts slightly. Not fear. Not exactly. Something closer to certainty..“It already is,” he says. Before I can respond… The bell rings. The hallway floods with movement. Voices. Laughter. Chaos. Normal. Except it doesn’t feel normal. It feels like noise layered over something quieter.

Something I can’t quite hear, but I know it is there. Kade steps back slightly. Distance. Not disengagement. “Pay attention today,” he says. “I always do.” “Not like this.” My frustration spikes. “Then tell me what I’m supposed to be looking for.” He holds my gaze for a second longer. Then… “You’ll know.” And just like that, he turns and disappears into the crowd. Like he was never standing there at all.nI don’t focus in class. I pretend to. I take notes. I answer questions. I do everything I’m supposed to do. But my mind keeps circling back. To him. To what he said.

To the way he didn’t deny any of it. And to the fact that… He caught me watching. That changes something. I just don’t know what yet. By lunch, I’m restless. Not physically. Internally. Like something is building and I can’t see it yet. I spotted him immediately. Same table. Same position. Same awareness. Except this time…. I don’t pretend not to look. I watch him. Deliberately. And I see it. The way his eyes flick to the entrance before anyone walks in. The way his posture shifts slightly when someone passes behind him. The way he tracks movement without moving his head. He’s not just sitting. He’s anticipating. Waiting. For something. Or someone. My chest tightens. Because now… I’m doing the same thing. “Okay, this is officially weird,” Lila says, dropping into the seat across from me. I don’t look away. “Watch him.” She follows my gaze. Squints. “…He’s sitting.” “Look closer.” She studies him longer this time. Then… “Oh.” I glance at her. “You see it?” “Yeah,” she says slowly. “That’s… not normal.” “No.” She leans back slightly. “So what are you going to do?” I hesitate. Because I don’t have a plan. I just have this feeling… That standing still isn’t an option anymore. “I’m going to figure it out,” I say. Lila raises an eyebrow. “That sounds like the start of a bad decision.” “Probably.” She snorts. “At least you’re self-aware.” I almost smile. Almost. Because the feeling just hit again. Stronger this time. Not just awareness. Pressure. Like something just shifted. I straighten slightly. “Do you feel that?” I ask. Lila frowns. “Feel what?” I don’t answer. Because my focus locks onto Kade. He’s already looking at me. Of course he is.

But this time…. There’s something different in his expression. Not calm. Not controlled. Alert. Sharp. Like he felt it too.

My pulse spikes. “What is it?” Lila asks. “I don’t know,” I say. But I do know one thing. Something just changed. And whatever it is… It’s not subtle anymore. Across the cafeteria, Kade stands. Not rushed. Not panicking. But deliberate. Like he’s already decided what comes next. And for a second…. I get the feeling he’s not just reacting. He’s been waiting for this. My breath catches. Because I realized something else. I’m not just watching him anymore. I’m following his lead. And I don’t know where it’s going to take me. But I know one thing for sure… There’s no pretending I’m not part of this now. Because he caught me looking. And now… I can’t look away.