Part 2

Gray eyes, short curly hair, tall, muscular—he looked like he stepped out of an action movie. Strong cheekbones, arms that screamed "secret agent," and that white tee and ripped jeans... I had to admit, Stefan Brown was nothing short of stunning.

“You’ll sit beside Ms. Wilson,” Mrs. Addison said, pointing right at me. My heart skipped a beat as Stefan’s eyes met mine, and I quickly looked away, focusing on the seat next to me.

“Really? He’s sitting next to you?” The blonde girl behind me muttered. “Ugh, I wish we could trade seats.”

I ignored her, trying to steady my nerves as I nervously tapped my pen against my notebook.

Mrs. Addison continued with the lesson. “The law of dynamics also indicates that internal forces do not change the amount of movement of the global system.”

But her words faded into the background as Stefan’s gaze never seemed to leave me.

“Damn, you’re staring a lot,” I whispered under my breath.

“Was I?” he whispered back, that teasing smirk curling at his lips. “That’s because you’re beautiful.”

I choked, my cheeks instantly flushing. I buried my face in my notebook, praying the ground would swallow me whole. Get a grip, Ellie. You have a boyfriend!

“Ms. Wilson!”

I snapped my head up, feeling all eyes on me. Mrs. Addison raised an eyebrow. “What are the three laws of dynamics?”

Ugh. Of course. Fortunately, I’d studied last night, so I straightened up and began, “The first law says an object will not change its motion unless a force acts on it. The second law states that force equals mass times acceleration. And the third law says that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

“Correct,” Mrs. Addison smiled, but then added, “Next time, try paying less attention to Mr. Brown.”

The class erupted in laughter. My face was burning, and I sank lower in my seat, wishing for the bell to ring.

---

When the bell finally rang, I exhaled a sigh of relief, practically bolting from my seat. Physics had never felt so long.

“Ms. Wilson,” Mrs. Addison called as the students filed out. I grabbed my textbook and walked toward her desk. Stefan was standing there with that same smug look on his face.

“This is Stefan Brown,” Mrs. Addison began. “Ms. Wilson, I’m assigning you to show him around the school and help him settle in. You’re the brightest student I have, so I trust he’ll be in good hands.”

Stefan flashed her a smile. “Thanks, Mrs. Addison.”

I nodded reluctantly. “I’ll show you around at lunch,” I said, avoiding his eyes as I brushed past him.

“Ms. Wilson,” his deep voice stopped me. I turned around.

“Yes?”

“What class do you have now?”

“Math,” I muttered, glancing at my watch.

“I have that too.”

“Well, I need to grab my notebook from my locker. Do you mind waiting?”

“Let’s go together,” he suggested, casually.

I shrugged, and we walked out of the classroom together, the silence between us only broken when he spoke again.

“Do you live around here?” he asked.

I gave him an amused glance. “I should be asking you that.”

He chuckled lightly. “Yeah, kind of. My family moved when I was a kid, but we’re back for now.”

“For now?” I raised an eyebrow.

“My dad will call us back when he’s ready,” he replied cryptically, his tone almost guarded.

---

I stopped at my locker and turned to face Stefan. “So, why are you suddenly back in town?”

“To look for my mom,” he said quietly, his gaze dropping.

Guilt hit me instantly for prying, so I turned back to my locker, grabbed my math textbook, and closed it with a soft click.

“Having fun?” came a voice that made my stomach churn. I turned to see Julia and her entourage smirking at me.

“What do you want, Julia?” I sighed, already tired of this.

Her eyes flicked to Stefan. “Oh, I see you’re talking to the new guy.” She leaned in close, her voice dripping with venom. “Does he know you have a boyfriend?”

My anger flared. “Stop messing with me,” I snapped, shoving her away.

To my horror, she stumbled back and landed hard on the floor.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to push you that hard!” I rushed toward her, extending my hand to help.

She slapped it away. “Get your filthy hands off me!” she spat, as her friends helped her up.

“Stop pretending it was an accident,” one of them yelled at me, glaring.

I blinked, taken aback. “What? I didn’t—”

“She’s such a pretentious bitch,” another girl sneered.

“Enough, girls,” Stefan’s voice rang out, firm and calm. “You saw what happened. She didn’t push her on purpose.”

He stepped toward me, offering me his hand. I took it gratefully. “Thanks,” I murmured.

Julia glared at me, fury in her eyes. “You don’t know her,” she spat at Stefan. “She’ll ruin your life, just like she ruined mine.”

With that, she stormed off, her entourage trailing behind her.

I turned to Stefan, offering a quiet, “Thank you.”

Our gazes locked for a moment, and the space between us seemed to shrink. My heart raced, and before I could stop myself, I stepped back, clearing my throat. “We’re late for class.”

He grinned. “Fifteen minutes late, actually. Let’s go.”

---

Cafeteria

Molly and Tyson returned to the table with their trays, their eyes full of curiosity.

“What?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s all over school that you’re showing the new guy around,” Molly teased, her grin wide.

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, here we go again. Just like when I answered that random chemistry question last year.”

She grinned. “Well, you’re the genius, remember?”

I glanced around the cafeteria, spotting Stefan walking in with two others. Tyson noticed my gaze. “That’s Stefan, Aaron, and Wendy,” he said, pointing. “The boys are twins, and the girl’s his friend. Some say she’s his girlfriend.”

I turned back to my tray, trying to shake off the memory of almost kissing Stefan. My face burned, and I quickly cleared my throat.

“You okay?” Tyson asked, concern in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I muttered, not quite meeting his eyes.

“She’s pretty,” Molly commented about Wendy. “They’d make a cute couple.”

I noticed Stefan glancing back at me as they passed. I quickly looked away, focusing on my food.

“Your boyfriend’s here,” Molly whispered.

I glanced up to see Jake walking over, hockey stick in hand. “Hey, babe,” he said, sitting down beside me.

“How was class?” I asked, smiling.

“Not bad. Got practice after lunch?”

“Yeah. You?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m free.”

He leaned in, kissing my forehead. “Stay safe.”

As Jake headed out, Molly muttered under her breath, “Jerk.”

I shook my head. “Stop, he’s not a jerk.”

Just as I was about to take a bite of my burger, someone called out to me.

“Hey, Ms. Wilson.”

I turned to see Stefan pulling up a chair beside me.

“Hey, Mr. Brown,” I teased, grinning at him. Molly and Tyson both chuckled.

He smiled. “Alright, alright. Remember our deal this morning? I think I’m ready for that tour.”

I looked into his gray eyes, feeling that familiar flutter in my chest. “After lunch.”

“No, sweetheart,” he said with a playful smirk. “I’ve got a game after lunch.”

The way he said sweetheart made my heart race. I took a sip of my Coke to steady myself.

“What game?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

“Hockey,” he replied with a shrug.

I froze. “Wait, you’re playing against Jake?”

Stefan’s smile grew. “Yep.”

Tyson’s eyes widened. “I’m definitely watching that.”

“This is gonna be good,” Molly said with a grin. “I’m already a fan.”

I didn’t know how, but something told me this was just the beginning.