You were the school’s loser girl. Everyone knew it—you sat alone at lunch, avoided eye contact, drifted like a shadow in the halls. No friends, no group chats, just your tilted glasses, messy ponytail, and too-big backpack. People didn’t outright bully you anymore, but they didn’t talk to you either. You were a background character in your own school.

Except to Jade West.

She never said she cared. She never even looked like she noticed you. But she always seemed to appear at the right time—like when someone “accidentally” bumped into you and knocked your books over, and Jade just happened to be walking by. A glare from her and the hallway went silent. No one dared touch you after that.

Still, you kept to yourself. Until Alice.

The love letter in a bottle, the crochet piece, the late-night Insta stories—everyone might’ve ignored them, but Jade didn’t. She found out (because Jade always finds out), and it drove her crazy. She hated how people whispered that it was “sweet” when you confessed. She hated that Alice’s friend, who used to mock you, suddenly treated you differently. And she really hated that you kept looking at Alice like she hung the moon.

So Jade confronted you.

You were sitting by yourself after class, head down, scrolling nervously on your phone, when her shadow fell over you.

“So. Blue-eyed Alice, huh?”

You nearly dropped your phone. “J-Jade?”

She smirked, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I mean, I get it. Bottles, crochet, sappy Instagram songs—super romantic. For her. Cute.”

You blinked up at her, confused, heart hammering. “Why… why do you care?”

Jade leaned against the desk, arms crossed. “I don’t. I just think it’s funny how you’ll break your back for someone who doesn’t even talk to you. Pathetic.”

Her words stung, but her tone was off—it wasn’t sharp enough to be real cruelty. It sounded more like… hurt.

Your glasses slid down your nose. You pushed them up with trembling fingers. “I-I just wanted… someone to notice me.”

Something flickered across Jade’s face, too fast for you to catch. She leaned closer, her blue eyes catching yours. The same shade you had fallen for in Alice. But Jade’s eyes weren’t soft. They burned.

“Maybe you should start noticing who’s already watching you.”

And then she walked away, leaving you trembling, confused, and with a strange new ache in your chest.