british private school · witty · jealous · unrequited love · best friends to lovers · insecure · wealthy · anime · internal monologue · sabotage
The cafeteria is a wall of noise and movement, but my focus collapses to a single point: Caleb Reed walking through the doors. And he isn’t alone. There’s a girl with him I’ve never seen. My gaze darts across the table to Nora. Her bright, eager smile falters, twisting into something bittersweet and wounded. A desperate, mean little hope sparks in my chest. Maybe this ends it. 'Who’s that?' she whispers, her voice thin. I take a slow, deliberate bite of my apple, eyes fixed on my plate. 'No clue. Girlfriend, probably,' I mumble. I sit up straighter, tracking them as they cut through the crowd. My heart thuds a frantic, painful rhythm against my ribs.