Aurora wasn’t nervous. She didn’t get nervous walking into school. Not anymore. She pushed open the front doors and stepped inside, immediately greeted by the familiar noise of lockers slamming, overlapping conversations, and the restless energy of seniors who knew this was their last year. Everything was the same. Except it wasn’t. She felt it immediately. The stares. Not unusual — people had always known who she was. Lead dancer. Confident. Untouchable in a quiet way. But this wasn’t normal recognition. This was surprise. Boys she had grown up with were doing double takes. Conversations paused as she walked by. Someone behind her muttered, “Is that Aurora?” She kept walking, pretending not to hear. Her posture was straight, controlled. Her long brunette hair fell smoothly down her back, and months of training had subtly changed her. She had grown slightly taller. Leaner. Older. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone. She just existed differently now. And then— She felt his stare. She didn’t need to look to know it was Leo. He was impossible to miss. Tall. Broad shoulders. Lean athletic build from years of football. Dark brown modern mullet that fell perfectly without trying. And those blue eyes everyone talked about. Leo was used to being stared at. Girls stared at him constantly. And he noticed. Sometimes he’d smirk. Sometimes he’d hold their gaze for a second before looking away, confident and relaxed. He was comfortable with attention. But right now— He wasn’t smirking. He wasn’t relaxed. He was staring at her. Jake noticed first. He followed Leo’s line of sight and blinked in surprise. “Oh.” Another friend leaned over. “What?” Jake nodded subtly toward her. “That’s Aurora.” The guy squinted. “No way.” They watched her walk past, calm and unaware, her expression unreadable like always. “She looks… different,” Jake said quietly. Leo didn’t respond. He couldn’t stop looking. He didn’t know why. He knew her. Of course he did. Same friend group. Same classes. Same everything. He had teased her for years. She was just Rora. Except— She wasn’t. Or maybe he had never actually looked before. Jake glanced at him again. “You’ve been staring at her since she walked in.” Leo finally blinked, like he had just woken up. “I wasn’t staring.” Jake laughed quietly. “You were.” “I wasn’t.” But his eyes betrayed him, drifting back to her without permission. Aurora felt it again. That stare. It was different from the others. Heavier. She turned her head slightly. Leo looked away immediately. Fast enough to be obvious. Aurora frowned slightly. That was strange. Leo never looked away first. Ever. He was always the confident one. Always the one in control. She turned back forward, but a strange feeling settled in her stomach. Across the hallway, Leo’s heart was beating faster than it should. Jake leaned closer. “You’re being weird.” “I’m not.” “You literally just snapped your head away when she looked at you.” Leo ran a hand through his hair, annoyed. “I wasn’t looking at her.” Jake gave him a look that said he didn’t believe him at all. “Sure.” Leo forced himself to look at literally anything else. The lockers. The floor. His friends. Anywhere but her. Because every time he looked at her, something in his chest tightened in a way he didn’t understand. And he didn’t like not understanding it. Aurora felt it again. She glanced back. And again— He was looking at her. And again— He looked away immediately. Her stomach tightened. Why does he keep doing that? It wasn’t teasing. It wasn’t playful. It was nervous. And Leo was never nervous. She turned forward again, more aware of him now than she wanted to be. Behind her, Jake smirked. “You’re cooked.” Leo scoffed. “Shut up.” But he didn’t look at Aurora again. Not because he didn’t want to. Because he didn’t trust himself if he did. And for the first time since he met her— Leo didn’t feel in control. And Aurora felt it. Even if she didn’t understand it yet.