(Arista's POV)
The next morning should've been calm but
It wasn't.
I walked into school with frizzy rain-hair, zero sleep, and a mind that felt like it had been running marathon laps around my skull.
Mira spotted me instantly.
"You look like a disaster."
"Thanks," I muttered, dropping into my seat.
Advi leaned in. "Okay explain NOW. Why did Devin message me last night saying 'Make sure Arista reached home safe' like he's suddenly your personal bodyguard?"
I froze.
"B-but why did he messaged you?!" I asked in shock.
"Well, I guess you should be the one answering this." She replied.
He… messaged her?
But before I could answer, Mira whispered loudly,
"Uh oh. Red alert incoming."
I looked up.
Kaelor had just entered the class.
And unlike usual, he wasn't avoiding me or pretending I was invisible.
He was looking straight at me.
Not harsh.
Not soft.
Just… observing.
As if last evening's rain scene hadn't left his mind either.
---
In break time,I stepped out to refill my bottle.
Bad idea.
Because Devin was already at the water cooler.
And then—perfect timing—Kaelor walked out of the classroom too.
Devin noticed him first.
"You followed us yesterday," he said quietly.
Kaelor didn't react aggressively.
Just tilted his head slightly.
"I didn't follow anyone. I was checking something."
"What something?" Devin's tone sharpened.
Kaelor's eyes flicked toward me for half a second.
"Nothing important."
That half-second?
Devin caught it.
I caught it.
The AIR caught it.
Now both boys were staring at each other like they were trying to decode the other's heartbeat.
I cleared my throat loudly.
"HELLO?? I am here too??"
They both looked at me, but neither backed away.
Then Devin said, "You saw that car too, right?"
Kaelor didn't answer.
Which basically WAS an answer.
---
After School,
I was packing my bag when someone leaned on my desk.
Derek.
Just great.
"You got caught in the rain yesterday," he said with a tiny smirk.
"How do you even know that?"
"I notice things."
Gosh! How a guy can be this creepy?!
That word made my stomach twist. Derek noticing anything was never comforting.
He tapped the desk.
"By the way… you shouldn't be walking home without an umbrella."
His tone was too calm.
Too knowing.
I swallowed. "Why do you care all of a sudden?"
He smiled.
Not friendly.
"Just don't make it easy for people to follow you."
Before I could react, he walked away.
And that one sentence echoed in my bones:
Don't make it easy for people to follow you.
---
Advi left early for coaching.
So it was just me.
I had half a mind to run home before it started raining again—
"Arista."
I turned.
Devin.
He stood there with his bag and an awkward expression.
"Before you think too much… can I walk with you again?"
I hesitated.
Then thunder rumbled in the distance.
"Fine," I sighed. "But NO rain this time."
Naturally, the universe hates me.
Because five minutes into the walk, it started raining again.
Not heavy—just a drizzle.
Devin groaned.
"I swear this weather has a crush on you."
"Shut up," I muttered, but I laughed.
---
The same black car from yesterday turned the corner.
Slow.
Silent.
Watching.
Devin's relaxed mood vanished instantly.
"That's the same one," he muttered.
I felt my heartbeat spike.
The car didn't stop this time.
Didn't roll down windows.
It just passed by…
But the way it drove—
deliberate
steady
calculating
…made my skin crawl.
---
Mom opened the door before I even knocked.
"You're wet AGAIN? Are you in love with rain or what?"
"NOT NOW."
I went upstairs, dumped my bag, and threw myself on the bed.
My phone buzzed.
📩
Unknown number:
"You didn't listen.
Stop walking with him."
My breath caught.
This wasn't a joke.
This wasn't teasing.
Someone was seriously keeping track of who I was with.
And worse—
Someone wanted me to stay away from Devin.
But why?
---
At night when I was going to sleep,i noticed Derek stood under his porch, staring at the same black car parked three houses away.
He muttered into his phone:
"She's beginning to notice.
Keep your timing exact.
She can't figure out anything yet."
The voice on the other side replied,
"Good.
Because if she pieces it together too soon…
everything collapses."
Derek's smile returned—sharp and unreadable.
"I'll handle it."