Semua Bab SWIPE RIGHT FOR THE ALPHA : Bab 31 - Bab 40

ADRIAN School ended, and I headed toward the gym for practice. Backpack slung over one shoulder, steps steady. Semi-finals were coming, but right now, it was all about drills, teamwork, and staying sharp. The gym was alive—the squeak of sneakers on hardwood, balls bouncing, teammates calling instructions, the faint smell of sweat and polish on the court. I dropped my backpack, pulled off my hoodie, and folded it neatly. Then I jogged to join the warm-ups. Stretching, light jogging, passing. Everyone was moving, talking, adjusting positions. The energy was contagious, each player feeding off the other, correcting mistakes, laughing quietly when someone stumbled. Coach spotted me immediately. “You’re late, Adrian.” “I had things to do,” I said evenly. He ran a hand over his face. “Fine… I hope it was something about your history grades. Because boy, I will have to bench you if you keep failing.” “I’m working on it,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “Good. You’re the best we’

ARIA “Adrian.” I called again, my voice trembling just slightly. The first time I said his name, he didn’t respond. He didn’t flinch, didn’t blink. He just stared at the doorway, rigid and tense, as if something—or someone—was standing there, waiting for him to notice. But there was nothing. The hallway beyond the gym was empty. No students or teachers were coming . And yet, the intensity of his gaze made the back of my neck tighten. My gut twisted with unease. I didn’t like feeling this small, as if an invisible wall separated us, an unseen pressure pinning him down, making him unreachable. “Adrian?” I tried again, louder, forcing my voice to cut through the quiet. Still nothing. The silence wrapped around us, suffocating and unrelenting, and I felt my pulse spike. I wanted to shake him, to demand he snap out of it, but I hesitated. Part of me feared disturbing this distant state. Another part feared what might happen if I did. Maybe I wasn’t seeing what he saw. Maybe some sh

ADRIAN The locker room door slammed shut behind me, the metallic echo bouncing off the walls like a gunshot. I leaned back against it for a moment, eyes squeezed shut, trying to breathe the tension out of my chest, trying to quiet the relentless thudding of my heart. And then I saw her. The very woman I had spent years trying not to think about, standing there like she owned the space. She was near the far row of lockers, arms crossed, eyes sharp, radiating that impossible control she always carried as if it were a second skin. I didn’t slow down. I didn’t glance her way, even though I knew she was waiting, knew she would read me like a book. I headed straight for my locker, pretending she didn’t exist, pretending I could just walk past her presence. “You can’t ignore me forever, you know.” Her voice cut through the air like a knife, sharp and deliberate. “Well, I can,” I shot back, yanking my locker open harder than necessary. “And I’m doing exactly that.” “Adrian.” Her heel

ARIAIt was a school day, and as usual, I left early, my steps quick but heavy, carrying the lingering weight of frustration from the canceled tutorials. The corridors behind me felt smaller than usual, echoing with chatter I didn’t want to hear. Outside, the air was crisp, a faint breeze brushing against my face, but it did little to shake off the heaviness pressing on my chest.At the school gate, Jenna was waiting, leaning casually against her father’s car as he adjusted the rearview mirror. The soft hum of the engine mingled with the distant laughter of students leaving, creating a kind of background noise that didn’t reach my ears—I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts.“You going to Cassie’s party tonight?” Jenna asked, swinging her bag over her shoulder with a lightness I envied. Her tone was teasing, but there was genuine curiosity behind it, a spark that made me almost feel the pull to answer differently than I had planned.“Nope,” I said, keeping my eyes fixed on the paveme

ARIAMy pulse pounded so loudly in my ears that I could barely hear anything else. The whispers crawling around the classroom blurred together, pressing in on me like the walls themselves were leaning closer.And those words—I could still feel them leaving my mouth. Glowing eyes. How had I even said that? How had I let it slip out? I knew the second it escaped me that it was a mistake, but it was too late. Cassie had pushed me, and now I was paying for it.All the warnings I’d ever gotten about imagining things, about speaking out of turn, slammed into my mind at once. I felt like I was twisting inside myself, exposed, completely visible to everyone. A specimen under a microscope I hadn’t agreed to be part of.My stomach knotted painfully. A hollow ache spread through my chest. The laughter started low, hesitant, like it might vanish—but it didn’t. It grew, spreading across desks, curling around the room until it consumed everything.“Seriously? Glowing?” someone muttered, disbelief d