A Couple on Campus

Lively morning chatter greeted Mia and Jenny as they entered the school building.

“T-Thanks again for letting me sleep in your house, Jenny."

“It’s no problem! If anything, I feel smug that you prefer me over your rich boyfriend.” Jenny smirked and jutted out her chin, preening herself. “And I couldn’t just let you deal with that by yourself, could I?”

‘I’m lucky to have her as a friend,' Mia mused as she smiled at her. 'Ms. Claire and the others helped me a lot, too. An investigation in my apartment is ongoing, though the matter with the car might take longer.’

The next course of action would be to tell Wes. Last night, she couldn't bring herself to ask him if she could stay over despite Claire and Caleb urging her, especially after they regaled her with the grandeur of the Ashthorne estate. The decisive point was when they mentioned Wes’s parents.

‘I’m neither mentally nor emotionally prepared for that! Besides, I live closer to Jenny. I would've gone if I didn't have any more options.'

Mia made her way to her locker, only to stiffen.

After years of finding bugs and garbage left in there by bullies, she could now tell whether it was empty or not without opening it, and something was inside at this moment. 

She reached out with quivering hands. Her heart thudded as it swung open.

Then, it revealed what could be the shock of her life—flower bouquets, boxes of sweets, and plush toys tucked into every corner.

Mia let out a strangled squeak while Jenny gaped from beside her. She expected torment but found this instead. Her heart pounded as she picked the card on a bouquet and unfolded it.

‘For the most beautiful princess on land.’

“Ah, should've expected that,” her friend mumbled, reading the message alongside her. “Of course, he wouldn't stop with love letters.”

“Wes…got these all for me?”

Her locker, once a receptacle of denigration, had been turned into a shrine to her happiness. Wes was indisputably a connoisseur of romance. She clasped the card to her chest, relishing this moment, until she heard noises outside.

“What's that?"

Jenny turned to the door. “It’s coming from the field… Oh! Could it be…?”

They ran over and joined the crowd that had gathered. There, they found Wes, the honor student, standing in front of Keith, the school delinquent—both actors currently in character. The air between them crackled as they launched into a choreographed fight scene.

Fists flew, heads ducked, and feet stomped across the field with exaggerated intensity.

Mia felt her stomach flip, having never seen Wes this aggressive before. ‘I can’t believe I’m witnessing this… But is that really acting?’

They weren’t hitting each other, per see—just a shove there, a nudge here. Yet in those instances when Wes did touch Keith, it appeared like he’s throwing a blow for real. At the thought of either of them getting hurt, Mia stopped watching and hid behind Jenny, never one to tolerate violence.

“Um, c-can we go now?”

Jenny gasped all of a sudden, “It's over! He’s looking this way.”

Mia took a peek and quickly locked eyes with Wes.

Sweat gleamed faintly on his forehead, his hair and uniform rumpled in a way that made the audience go wild. She blushed at the sight of him disheveled, devastatingly so, and it somehow felt like she had discovered a new side of him. He winked and flashed her an irresistibly handsome smile, making her stumble back as though struck.

Jenny grinned, amused by their silent interaction. “Come on, Mia! Show him what you’ve got!”

Mia gulped and fidgeted, but wanting to express her thanks for the gifts in her locker, she lifted her hands and made a heart-shaped sign, then held it high enough for Wes to see.

Her cheeks were in flames at this point, her head dizzy from the rush of warmth. When she glanced at Wes, she found him swooning, his eyes round and sparkling; that did the deed. She darted back inside while clutching her bag to her heaving chest, expression giddy with love.

For once, her morning at school was filled with surprise and embarrassment of a good kind.

---

Mia spent lunch that day not just with Jenny, but also with Arianne, Zayne, Derrick, and Ian, who had invited them to eat outside.

They unpacked their meals and chatted among themselves, as if she’d always been part of their group. She wondered if they were only including her because of Wes, who now had the whole school's interest. But not once did they mention him, and they seemed glad they were finally having lunch with her.

“Well, it's true you’re shy and quiet in class,” Ian remarked casually, and Derrick added, “But not invisible, no. I mean, you’re too pretty to be ignored.”

Mia tilted her head in confusion while Jenny scoffed, “Hey, Derrick. Piece of advice: don’t start.”

“You made that, Mia?” Arianne asked, pointing to her neatly packed homemade lunch, which Zayne had been eyeing for a while. “That looks delicious, Rosswood~!"

“Oh, no. Get that away from him.”

“There he goes again.”

“Quit that, you glutton-”

“Hey, Rosswood! I wanna have some!”

With that, Mia found herself reluctantly holding out a spoonful of her lunch toward Zayne, who insisted on trying her cooking. She was happy to be complimented, more so to share. There was no reason for her to refuse, but she belatedly realized that she was also about to feed him herself.

“Zayne! That’s so rude-”

Everyone fell silent as a shadow cast over Mia from behind.

Before she could turn, a warm, huge hand grabbed her wrist, stopping the spoon. She looked up to find Wes, his smiling face precariously calm. She heard Zayne being yelled at, but she was too focused on his hooded gaze to understand what they were saying.

“I think this belongs to me.” Wes sat down beside her while still holding her. “Mind if I join you guys? Just taking a break from filming.”

“Yes!” her classmates chorused, except for Jenny, who instead snorted, “Do we have a choice?”

With their permission, he proceeded to guide her hand, which had the spoon, to his mouth. Despite her surprise, she quietly watched him savor the food slowly, her cheeks heating up. By the time he finished, the others seemed to have decided to give them space and continue with their lunch.

“It tastes good!” Wes beamed, impressed.

Mia smiled back in delight. “Really? T-Thank you.”

Leaning back slightly, he sighed. “You know… It sounds silly, but I wish I could be a student again. Being in the same class as you… What would that be like, I wonder? It must be fun.”

His voice carried a quiet longing that made her chest ache. He kept smiling, but his expression had taken on a melancholic tinge. She remembered he'd been homeschooled all his life, which was why he never experienced something like this.

“It’s not silly,” she said, placing a hand over his. “Umm… We can always hang out after school. A-Actually, whenever you like!”

“Yeah,” Jenny interjected, a mischievous smirk tugging at her lips. “Then, give us a ride to my house since Mia can’t stay in her apartment right now.”

Mia froze. Wes blinked.

“Why not?”

“U-Um, that’s…”

The matter about her current living arrangements had slipped her mind, and if it weren’t for Jenny, she wouldn’t have recalled at all. In a panic, she explained the situation to Wes, though it now appeared as if she was letting him in on a secret too late.

Once she was done, his smile was nowhere to be found.

“I-I was going to tell you! It’s just, um… You’ve been busy!” Her voice wavered, her hands clammy as they flailed around.

“We talked about this already, Mia.”

“Yes, I-I know. I’m sorry, Wes.”

He let out a breath of discontent, but he didn’t seem frustrated. “Well, you told me now. I’ll go ahead and prepare a room for you in my place.”

“...W-What?”

Before he could say more, Keith showed up to call Wes back to work.

He looked at her, disappointment still on his face, then stood. She rose after him, hating the idea of parting with him while he’s in this mood. But as he turned back to her one last time, his expression contorted into that of forgiveness and affection.

“It’s alright, Mia. Just be sure to brace yourself for the next scene we'll be shooting.”

From behind Wes, Keith gave Mia an ambiguous look instead of his usual friendly greeting.

It seemed he wanted to say something but refrained from doing so. As the two boys walked away, an odd sense of incongruity formed within her. It almost felt like she was receiving a premonition.

‘Wait, what’s the next scene supposed to be about again?’