All Chapters of Unrequited : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Rewrite the text to focus on Elian's perspective, maintaining the same events and themes as in the previous chapter. As soon as I slipped into the classroom, my eyes automatically scanned the rows—yeah, I was looking for her. The new girl. I wasn’t even sure why, but ever since she caught me staring earlier, I hadn’t been able to shake her from my head. The way she looked back-half curious, half amused, had been burned into my memory. A few people turned when Kaelin and I walked in, whispering and trying not to be obvious about it. Typical. But Kae didn’t care; he just looked as unimpressed as ever, sliding into his seat beside me like the world owed him a nap. Mr. Bates was already mid-lecture, droning in that flat, soul-sucking tone of his. I swear the man could make fireworks sound boring. “It’s kind of a talent,” Kaelin muttered, his lips twitching. “Being able to talk for hours while no one gives a damn.” I snorted, biting back a laugh. Half the class was on their phone

Today was the day of our physics pair project — something I’d been dreading and low-key looking forward to at the same time. You never really know what you’re gonna get with these things. Either you’re lucky enough to get someone smart and motivated, or you end up stuck with a total slacker who thinks “group project” means “watch you do everything.” As the clock ticked down, Mr. Cartwright walked in with his usual over-the-top enthusiasm, clutching a stack of papers like he was about to change our lives. The room instantly went quiet. well, quieter as he started calling out names and assigning groups. You could practically feel the tension buzzing in the air. Everyone was silently praying not to get paired with the class disaster. When he got to my name, I braced myself… and then almost laughed out loud. My partners? Elian, Kaelin, Ronald, and to top it off- a tall, ridiculously handsome blonde guy named Lloyd. Was it possible to have too much good-looking energy in one group?

I stood behind Kaelin, my arms resting lazily on the back of his chair. He tilted his head a little, looking up at me with that familiar smile before patting his thigh. “You can sit on my thighs,” he offered. I snorted. “Yeah, right. With the new girl watching? I’ll pass.” He shrugged, then tried again. “Then take my chair.” “Stop,” I told him. “You always go out of your way for me. It’s fine, really.” So, I stayed standing behind him, close enough to see the way his hair caught the light every time he moved. A few minutes later, the newbie turned to me out of nowhere. “You can sit here if you want,” she said, already half out of her seat. That caught me off guard. I hesitated but then nodded. “Thanks.” “They’re really struggling, huh?” Kaelin said, glancing at the other two. I followed his gaze. Lloyd was pretending he didn’t care, but I caught him sneaking glances at Kaelin more than once. I pretended not to notice. “Aren’t you gonna help them out?” Kaelin asked. I chuckled

“It’s my fault, Kae… Dad died because of me.” He said it with that same painful seriousness I’d heard a hundred times before, and still, it hit me in the chest. I’m honestly exhausted from trying to convince El over the years that it wasn’t his fault, but he never believes me. Not once. “I made Dad stop the car for a fuckin’ ice cream, Kae.” His eyes glazed over as he repeated it, voice trembling. I let out a quiet sigh. I knew where this was going. I’d be hearing the story again, word for word. I’ve learned not to interrupt him during moments like this. It’s how he vents. it helps, even if it tears him apart every time. Still, watching him break down like that? It kills me a little. I’m not good at comforting people, but for him, I try. “Dad stopped the car so I could get my ice cream. He waited for me outside, and even though it was dark, the headlights made everything bright enough to see.” His voice shook as he went on. “While I was inside the store, I saw someone walking

I know without being told he was happy about his new, somewhat pathetic friendship with that girl—Olivia, or whatever her name is. But does he have feelings for her? No, that can't be; he would have told me. I felt really annoyed because I had made it pretty clear that I didn’t want any third-party involvement. Yet, he still went ahead and became friends with her. I don’t see the need for another person in our dynamic. I’m always there for him, as friends should be for each other, right? Since I have no other friends, he has my full attention, and I can literally give him anything he wants whenever his mom dismisses his request as unimportant or unnecessary. So… Why the hell does he think I’m not enough?? We are happy and we enjoy our friendship. We have had minimal arguments. And when we do, we make up almost immediately afterward. So… why the hell would he waste his time trying to befriend her? I didn’t realize I was gripping the steering wheel too tightly until I felt