The halls of Evergreen High buzzed with the usual mix of chatter and shuffling feet as Ava Carter made her way to her locker. She kept her head down, focused on the pattern of tiles beneath her sneakers. The morning was already off to a chaotic start she'd overslept, spilled coffee on her favorite hoodie, and barely managed to grab her sketchbook before rushing out the door.
"Hey, Ava!"
Ava froze. That voice.
She turned slowly, finding herself face-to-face with Ethan Blake. He stood a few lockers away, grinning as though they were old friends.
"Morning," he said casually, slinging his bag over one shoulder.
"Hi," Ava murmured, her voice barely audible. She fiddled with the strap of her bag, hoping he'd move on.
No such luck.
"You ready for class today? I was thinking about that sketch we worked on yesterday. I've got a couple of ideas to add," Ethan said, leaning casually against the row of lockers.
Ava blinked. He was talking to her like this, here in front of everyone. She could already feel the curious stares of nearby students burning into her back.
"That's… good," she said, her voice awkward and clipped. "We can talk about it in class."
Ethan nodded, seemingly oblivious to the attention they were attracting. "Cool. See you then."
He strolled off, his easy confidence leaving a wake of whispers and giggles in the hallway. Ava exhaled slowly, wishing she could shrink into herself.
By the time she reached art class, the whispers had grown louder.
"Did you see Ethan talking to Ava Carter?"
"Why would he even bother?"
"Maybe it's for that art project. Still, it's weird, right?"
Ava slipped into her usual seat, wishing the floor would swallow her whole. She buried her face in her sketchbook, pretending to be absorbed in a random doodle.
"Someone's getting popular," a familiar voice teased.
Ava glanced up to see Chloe Parker sliding into the seat next to hers. With her short, spiky hair and unapologetically loud personality, Chloe was everything Ava wasn't. And that was exactly why they worked as best friends.
"Don't start," Ava muttered.
Chloe smirked, leaning closer. "I'm just saying, Ethan Blake doesn't talk to just anyone. You're like, a headline in the rumor mill today."
"Great," Ava said flatly.
Chloe laughed. "Relax. It's not like you're dating the guy."
Ava's cheeks flushed. "Of course I'm not. We're just partners for the project."
"Sure, sure," Chloe said, her tone dripping with mock seriousness. "But you've got to admit, it's kind of cool. Maybe he's not as shallow as he seems."
Before Ava could respond, the bell rang, and Mr. Anderson began class.
Ethan was unusually quiet during their project discussion. He sat across from Ava, sketching absently in his notebook as she outlined a plan for their piece.
"So, I was thinking," she said hesitantly, "we could use a park scene as the setting. You mentioned adding depth to the perspectives yesterday maybe we can show one person focusing on the beauty of nature, while the other sees the chaos of people rushing around."
Ethan nodded, his gaze flickering to hers. "Yeah, I like that. It's simple but meaningful."
Ava bit her lip. She wasn't used to people agreeing with her ideas so easily.
"Do you think we should include any text? Like captions or dialogue?"
"Maybe," Ethan said. "But let's keep it minimal. Let the visuals tell most of the story."
For a moment, Ava forgot about the stares and whispers. She forgot about her awkwardness and insecurity. Sitting there, sketching and brainstorming with Ethan, she felt like they were equals.
Then the moment ended.
"Yo, Blake!"
Ava flinched as a loud voice interrupted them. A tall, broad-shouldered guy with a soccer jersey sauntered over, smirking at Ethan.
"What are you doing over here, man? Didn't know you were into art," the guy said, his tone dripping with mockery.
"Just working on a project, Jackson," Ethan replied evenly, his expression unreadable.
Jackson glanced at Ava, his smirk widening. "Oh, I see. You're hanging out with the quiet girl. Trying something new?"
Ava's face burned. She stared at her sketchbook, wishing she could disappear.
"Knock it off, Jackson," Ethan said sharply.
"Relax, I'm just kidding," Jackson said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Catch you later, bro."
As Jackson walked away, Ethan turned back to Ava, his jaw tight.
"Sorry about that," he said quietly.
"It's fine," Ava mumbled, though it was anything but fine.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of embarrassment and unease. By the time Ava got home, she felt drained. She dropped her bag by the door and collapsed onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She reached for it, expecting a text from Chloe, but her stomach flipped when she saw Ethan's name instead.
Ethan: Hey. You okay?
Ava hesitated, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. She didn't know why he cared, but something about his concern felt genuine.
Ava: I'm fine.
A moment later, his reply came through.
Ethan: Jackson's an idiot. Don't let him get to you.
Ava stared at the screen, her chest tightening. She wasn't used to people standing up for her, let alone someone like Ethan.
Ava: Thanks.
Ethan: Anytime. See you tomorrow?
Ava: Yeah.
She set the phone down, a strange mix of emotions swirling inside her. Maybe Chloe was right. Maybe Ethan Blake wasn't as shallow as he seemed.
The next morning, Ava walked into school with her guard up. The whispers hadn't stopped, but she tried to ignore them, focusing instead on the project.
In art class, Ethan greeted her with his usual easy smile.
"Hey," he said, pulling out his notebook. "Ready to get to work?"
Ava nodded, grateful for his normalcy.
They spent the next hour refining their sketches and discussing color palettes. For the first time, Ava felt like they were making real progress.
As the bell rang, Ethan gathered his things and glanced at her.
"Want to grab lunch later? We can keep working on the project," he offered.
Ava hesitated. Sitting with Ethan in the cafeteria would only fuel the rumors. But his expression was so genuine, so earnest, that she found herself nodding.
"Okay," she said softly.
Ethan grinned. "Cool. Meet me at the back table?"
"Sure."
Lunchtime was a blur of noise and activity as Ava made her way to the back of the cafeteria. Ethan was already there, waving her over.
"Hey," he said, sliding over to make room.
Ava sat down, her heart pounding as she noticed the curious stares of their classmates. She focused on unpacking her lunch, trying to block out the noise.
"So," Ethan said, leaning closer, "what do you think about adding a reflection element to the piece? Like showing the characters' faces in a puddle or a window?"
Ava looked up, surprised. "That's… a really good idea."
Ethan shrugged, smiling. "You're rubbing off on me."
Ava couldn't help but smile back, the tension in her chest easing slightly.
But the moment was short-lived.
"Hey, look at this!" a voice called from across the room.
Ava turned just in time to see a group of girls snickering and pointing their phones in her direction. Her stomach dropped as she realized they were taking pictures.
"Guess the quiet girl's moving up in the world," one of them said loudly, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Ethan's expression darkened. He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor.
"Knock it off," he said, his voice firm.
The girls fell silent, their smirks fading. Ethan sat back down, his jaw tight.
"Sorry about that," he muttered, looking genuinely upset.
"It's fine," Ava said, though her voice wavered. She pushed her food around on her plate, her appetite gone.
Ethan leaned closer, his voice soft. "You don't have to put up with this, you know."
Ava looked at him, surprised by the intensity in his gaze. For a moment, she felt a flicker of somethin, hope, maybe.
But then the bell rang, shattering the moment.
As they packed up and left the cafeteria, Ava couldn't help but wonder: was Ethan Blake really who he seemed to be? Or was she just setting herself up for heartbreak?