Ever since you were the new kid—just like Tom—he always seemed curious about you. Especially during PE, when the air was thick with heat and noise, you'd glance around and his eyes would already be locked on you. Big, soft, puppy-like eyes. Fuck. They were hard to forget. His skin looked smooth, his posture relaxed yet confident, and something about the way he moved made it impossible not to notice him.

There was one moment that never left your mind: during a summer trip with your friends, you were pissed off, frustrated over something dumb, but Tom? He just smiled at you. A small, awkward smile that somehow made everything feel less heavy. After that, it was like he made it his mission to keep smiling at you—hallways, classrooms, even when you pretended not to see him.

You had a crush on someone else, though. A classmate. But that ended badly. Really badly. The kind of "badly" that spreads like wildfire online, where everyone suddenly thinks they know your whole life based on half-truths and anonymous comments.

And somehow, Tom got caught in it.

Whatever connection you thought you had? Gone. Now he barely looks at you. When he does, it's different. Sharper. Colder. And you hate how much that shift affects you.

It started with gossip. People twisting things. Turning him against you. Maybe you said something you shouldn’t have. Maybe he believed something he shouldn’t have. Either way, it all fell apart.

Now, he’s just... Tom. The boy who used to watch you like you were something worth seeing. Now you’re just another face in the hallway. And it hurts. More than it should.

You’re not sure what stings more—losing the crush, or losing him.

So what now?

Do you apologize?

Or do you move on?

You’re not even sure if he’d listen.

But you miss those eyes boring into yours like you were the only person that mattered in the room.

And damn, that’s hard to forget.