Grace didn't notice it at first.
To her, she was just… living.
Meeting Zoey during recess.
Laughing with Ella on the stairs.
Arguing playfully with David near the basketball court.
It felt natural.
Easy.
She wasn't trying to replace anyone.
She just wasn't chasing anyone anymore.
But other people were watching.
It started with Lucy.
One afternoon in 6C, Claire was talking about the combined recess.
"I saw Grace laughing so much near the court," Claire said casually. "She looked really happy."
Lucy's fingers paused on her notebook.
"With who?" she asked, trying to sound normal.
"Zoey. And that girl… Ella? And the twin brother. David, I think."
Lucy nodded slowly.
Later that day during recess, Lucy walked toward the art room stairs — the old spot she and Grace used to sit at sometimes in fifth grade.
Grace was already there.
Zoey was animatedly telling a story.
Ella was leaning against the wall.
David was sitting on the step below them, teasing Ella about something.
Grace laughed — that open, carefree laugh Lucy hadn't heard in a while.
Lucy stood there for a second too long.
Zoey noticed her first. "Oh, hey Lucy!"
Grace turned, surprised but smiling. "Lucy! Come sit."
Lucy did.
But she felt like she was sitting in someone else's place.
Zoey and Grace shared an inside joke about something in 6B.
Ella mentioned a memory from when they were five years old.
David said, "You've always been dramatic, Grace."
And Lucy realized something she didn't like admitting:
She didn't know half of these stories.
She didn't know this version of Grace.
And that made her chest feel tight.
But Lucy wasn't the only one noticing.
On the basketball court, Theo was tossing a ball with Nate when Adrian nudged him.
"She's there again," Adrian muttered.
Theo didn't need to ask who.
Grace.
With David.
Nate squinted toward the stairs. "They hang out a lot."
"They've known each other forever," Theo replied quickly.
But something about the way David leaned closer when Grace laughed bothered him.
Julian, sitting on a nearby bench, had been watching too.
He didn't say anything.
But his jaw tightened slightly.
"She doesn't come to 5C anymore," Nate said quietly.
"She stopped trying," Adrian added.
Theo didn't respond.
Because deep down, he knew that wasn't true.
She hadn't stopped trying.
They had stopped meeting her halfway.
Still… seeing her surrounded by new people made it feel like maybe she didn't need them anymore.
And that thought stung.
The next week during assembly, all three sections sat together again.
Grace was in the middle row with Zoey.
Ella and David were two rows ahead.
Lucy was across the aisle.
Julian sat a few seats behind Grace.
Theo, Nate, and Adrian were further back.
At one point, Grace leaned forward to whisper something to Ella.
David turned around and made an exaggerated offended face.
Grace laughed quietly.
Julian looked away.
Lucy's grip tightened on her program sheet.
Theo stared at the stage but wasn't really watching.
It wasn't anger.
It was something more uncomfortable.
Replaceable.
That's what it felt like.
After assembly, Lucy finally walked up to Grace.
"You seem busy these days," she said lightly.
Grace blinked. "What?"
"With Zoey. And Ella. And David."
Grace frowned slightly. "They're just my friends."
"I know," Lucy said quickly. "I didn't say they weren't."
But the tone said something else.
Across the corridor, Nate muttered to Adrian, "She's got a whole new group now."
Julian overheard.
And for the first time, he felt something he couldn't ignore.
Jealousy.
Not because Grace had friends.
But because she looked… happy.
Without them.
That evening, Grace walked home with Zoey, Ella and David like always.
She felt lighter than she had in months.
She didn't notice the looks exchanged behind her.
She didn't notice the quiet resentment forming.
She didn't notice how everyone suddenly felt like they were losing something they hadn't tried to keep.
And sometimes, jealousy doesn't begin with hate.
It begins with regret.