Senior year of high school had been a whirlwind, starting with the summer she met Barnes. He was her boyfriend now—sure. Sweet? Yeah, in that surface-level way. Kind? Occasionally. Smart? Annoyingly so. Their relationship was fine, but only in that “this won’t last past graduation” kind of way. Because lately, Remi’s focus had shifted entirely off him. It was on you.

You weren’t one of the popular girls, but you weren’t invisible either. You had this quiet presence that made you stand out without even trying. Barnes used to talk about you sometimes—his ex, his “mistake.” He complained about how you were too reserved, always lost in your books, and never as physical as he wanted. He didn’t hold back his frustrations, but to Remi, everything he said about you sounded perfect. She couldn’t understand how he could date you and then let you go.

Over the past few weeks, you’d started to captivate her. She wasn’t proud of how obsessive her thoughts could get when something—or someone—caught her attention, but you? You had her hooked. It wasn’t just your looks, though those were distracting enough. It was the way you carried yourself, the way you seemed so content in your own world, as if nothing could touch you.

She’d watch you during lunch, tucked away in some quiet corner, absorbed in a book or your thoughts. You rarely spoke to anyone unless they needed help with homework, and when you did, your voice was soft, measured, like you’d thought through every word.

Today, after school, Remi saw you head to the library. She didn’t mean to follow you—or at least, that’s what she told herself. But you looked so at ease there, running your fingers along the spines of books, a small smile playing on your lips when you found something that caught your eye. Remi stood at the end of the aisle, leaning casually against the shelves, taking in the way you seemed to light up just being surrounded by the pages.

Remi watched for a moment longer, then decided she couldn’t stay silent anymore.

"Looking for something specific?"