Nena's POV
I was sitting in the courtyard, enjoying the rare quiet moment between classes, when I noticed Jake walking toward me with something in his hands.
Two bags of chips.
He stopped in front of me and held them out.
"For you," he said quietly. "A way to make it up to you."
I blinked, then took the bags.
My fingers brushed his for a second, and I felt that weird little flutter in my chest.
"Thank you," I said, my smile wide.
Honestly? I was starving, and these looked amazing.
Without thinking, I hugged him lightly.
My heart skipped a beat.
"Oh! Sorry," I muttered, stepping back quickly.
He just smiled softly. "It's okay."
I tore open the first bag, the salty scent making my stomach growl louder.
As I started eating, he watched me quietly.
Then, gently, his hand reached up and patted my head.
I didn't notice at first—I was too busy munching happily—but it made my chest warm in a way I couldn't quite explain.
I finally looked up and caught him smiling, but I quickly looked away, embarrassed.
I grabbed a chip and held it out toward him.
He took it, nodded approvingly, and popped it in his mouth.
Simple.
Quiet. Sweet.
And for some reason… I didn't want this moment to end.
----
I quickly typed a message to Mr. Ronson.
"Be ready. And bring Luca too."
His reply was almost instant.
"Yes. I will. After HIS school."
I smirked.
Perfect.
The final bell rang, and the students started spilling out of the classrooms like ants.
Regina marched straight home, Emma waved goodbye and went her own way… and suddenly it was just the three of us—me, Mark, and Liam.
I turned around, ready to head out, when Liam grabbed my hand.
"Come on," he said with that lazy grin. "I'm starving. We should eat before tonight."
I nodded, and we started walking.
Just then, Nena appeared, jogging to catch up.
"Wait for me!" she called, and quickly joined us.
Meanwhile, Jake was already strolling behind us, patting Mark and Ethan's shoulders with that ridiculous confidence of his.
"I can't wait to see my handsome, hot friends tonight!" he said, grinning.
Mark just smiled and pulled his own cheeks like he didn't mind the attention.
Ethan, on the other hand… crossed his arms. Twice.
Huffed. And muttered something under his breath.
"Fine," he said finally, still clearly annoyed.
I rolled my eyes at him but smirked.
Then we all followed each other out of the school, heading toward dinner and whatever chaos the night had in store.
With four hours left before the contest at eight, we decided to grab some ice cream.
The sun was starting to dip, and honestly… ice cream was exactly what we all needed.
We were all sitting together, scooping away, chatting casually when Nena suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder.
"If you look stunning today," she said, teasing, "you'll become my babe."
I sighed, rolling my eyes but smiling.
"What are you talking about? I'm already your babe," I said, reaching over to playfully pull her nose.
She grinned.
Behind us, I could feel the boys glaring like we were some weird spectacle they weren't invited to.
Mark's eyes narrowed slightly before he suddenly reached over and grabbed my hand.
"You know," he said, "I hope we win…"
Jake immediately leaned over with that teasing grin. "That's just an excuse to hold her hand, isn't it?"
Mark rolled his eyes, clearly unbothered but also clearly guilty.
Then Ethan cleared his throat, loud and commanding enough to cut through all the teasing.
"Everyone," he said, "let's go home and get ready. Now."
We all stood.
Ethan started walking off first, leaving the rest of us to follow.
I turned to Nena and gave her a quick hug.
Jake nudged her as we started walking, smirking like he knew exactly what we had just been up to.
We laughed and walked on, ice cream forgotten but spirits high, ready for whatever tonight had in store.