Walking beside Mara felt different than walking alone.
Kaiden noticed it the moment they stepped into the main hallway together. The noise didn't just continue around them—it shifted. Conversations bent inward. Laughter sharpened. The air itself seemed to tighten, like the school was holding its breath.
Mara walked with easy confidence, her shoulder brushing his naturally, her pace unhurried. She belonged here in a way Kaiden still couldn't understand. She didn't look around much. She didn't need to.
Kaiden did.
And that was when he felt it.
Eyes.
So many eyes.
Girls glanced up as they passed—some quickly, pretending it was an accident. Others didn't bother hiding it at all. A pair of freshmen slowed noticeably, whispering behind their hands. One of them nearly walked into a locker while staring.
Kaiden swallowed.
He'd been invisible once.
Now he felt like a display.
"Do you ever notice," Mara said casually, "how people forget where they're going when you walk by?"
He stiffened. "What?"
She glanced at him, lips curved in a faint smile. "Relax. I'm not mad."
That didn't make it better.
A group of girls from the cheer squad stood near the water fountain ahead. As Kaiden and Mara approached, their conversation faltered. One girl's eyes flicked to Kaiden—then to Mara—then back again. She smiled brightly.
"Hey, Kaiden," she said, like it was natural. Like they spoke all the time.
"Hey," he replied automatically.
Her smile widened, satisfied by the smallest acknowledgment. Her friends nudged her, barely suppressing laughter.
As they passed, Kaiden caught fragments of whispers.
"—taller up close—"
"—I heard he's still with Mara—"
"—yeah, but still—"
His chest tightened.
Mara heard them too.
She didn't react—not outwardly. But her fingers curled briefly into the sleeve of his jacket, a small, possessive gesture that sent a strange jolt through him.
"You okay?" she asked quietly, eyes forward.
"Yeah," Kaiden said.
The lie came easier every time.
A girl stepped into their path near the lockers—deliberately or not, Kaiden couldn't tell. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, cheeks flushed.
"Kaiden," she said, nervous but determined. "Coach said tryouts are next week, right?"
Kaiden searched his borrowed memories. "Uh—yeah. I think so."
She nodded quickly, smiling like she'd just won something. "Cool. Thanks."
She walked off, glancing back over her shoulder once. Then twice.
Mara hummed softly. "You don't even know her."
"No," Kaiden said. "I don't."
"But she knows you."
The words settled heavily between them.
As they continued down the hallway, Kaiden became painfully aware of the patterns. Girls slowed as they passed. Straightened their posture. Laughed louder. Some watched him openly, eyes lingering without shame. Others stared at Mara—measuring, curious, comparing.
A brunette near the stairwell didn't even bother looking away when Kaiden met her gaze. She smiled slowly, deliberately.
Kaiden looked down.
"You don't like the attention," Mara observed.
He glanced at her sharply.
She wasn't teasing. She sounded… certain.
"I'm just not used to it," he said.
Mara stopped walking.
Kaiden halted beside her, heart suddenly racing. Students flowed around them, but for a moment, it felt like they were standing still in the middle of a moving world.
"You're lying again," she said quietly.
"I'm not."
She studied him—really studied him now. Her sharp eyes traced his face, his posture, the way his shoulders held tension he didn't seem aware of.
"You used to like it," she said. "Not in a shallow way. But you liked knowing people saw you."
Kaiden didn't know how to answer that.
Because she was right.
Just not about him.
A pair of girls passed close by, their whispers cutting through the moment.
"—even hotter with Mara—"
"—I know, it's unfair—"
Mara's gaze flicked toward them, then back to Kaiden.
"You feel… distant," she said. "Like you're somewhere else, even when you're standing right next to me."
"I'm here," Kaiden said, too quickly.
She searched his face, then nodded once.
"Okay," she said. "But I'm paying attention."
They resumed walking.
Kaiden felt it again—the pull of attention, the quiet gravity that followed him everywhere. He was aware of his body, his expression, the way his presence seemed to bend space.
He'd wanted this once.
Now it felt like a cage made of admiration.
As they reached their classroom, a girl Kaiden recognized from chemistry lingered nearby, pretending to reorganize her bag. She smiled shyly when he glanced her way.
Mara noticed.
She always noticed.
Kaiden took his seat beside Mara, heart pounding, mind fractured.
He wasn't just pretending to be someone else.
He was being desired as someone else.
And with every passing glance, every whispered name, every lingering stare—
The distance between who he was and who everyone believed him to be grew wider.