By the end of the week, the school found something new to chew on.
Ann and James.
Back together.
The news spread fast, faster than logic could catch up. One day they were history, the next they were sitting together like nothing had ever cracked between them. Laughing. Sharing earphones. Acting untouched by the confusion they caused.
"Didn't they break up?" someone asked near the lockers.
"Yeah, but they're back," another replied. "Figures."
"It's Ann," someone else said. "She likes attention."
After that, the interest faded.
"Didn't they break up?" Elise whispered during lunch.
"Like… publicly?" Mavin added. "With drama?"
Alan snorted. "Apparently that was a limited-time offer."
Blue watched from across the room as Ann leaned into James, her smile deliberate. Calculated.
"Honestly," Asha said, stirring her drink, "maybe Ann just likes people talking."
"That's not a maybe," Elise replied.
Blue said nothing.
She felt oddly detached, like she was watching everything through glass. Ann's confidence. James's compliance. The way people kept glancing over, unsure whether to react or ignore it.
Let them talk, Blue thought. If that's what she wants.
She had learned something important lately. Not everything needed a reaction. Some things lost their power when you refused to carry them.
That afternoon, as she packed her bag, she passed Ann in the hallway. Their eyes met briefly.
Ann smirked.
Blue didn't.
She looked away and kept walking.
Whatever games were being played, she wasn't stepping onto that board anymore. And for the first time, the thought didn't scare her.
That week unsettled everything.
On Monday morning, the announcement came without ceremony. Their classroom had structural issues, something about the ceiling and a leak that wouldn't wait. The solution was simple and inconvenient.
"Until further notice," the teacher said, "you'll be sharing the next class."
Chairs scraped. Groans followed. Students carried their things down the corridor like they were being relocated mid-thought.
Blue took a seat near the middle this time, squeezed between Elise and Asha. The room felt wrong. Too loud. Too close. People kept glancing around as if expecting someone to tell them they didn't belong there.
Break time was worse.
Everyone spilled out at once, unsure where to stand, whose space to occupy. It felt like the school had tilted slightly off balance.
That was when Drake started coming around more.
He showed up during the first break, leaning casually against the doorframe of their temporary class.
"Is this where you've been hiding?" he asked, eyes landing on Blue.
She looked up from her book. "We got evicted."
He laughed and stepped inside. "Mind if I sit?"
She shifted her bag. "Go ahead."
From then on, it became routine.
Drake came during breaks. Sometimes before class. Sometimes just as the bell was about to ring. He pulled a chair from the back, spun it around, and sat facing her desk like it was his place.
"You always look serious when you read," he said once.
"That's because I'm reading," Blue replied.
He grinned. "Still. It suits you."
Elise leaned over. "Do you charge for company now, or is this free?"
Drake raised both hands. "I come in peace."
Asha smirked. "That's debatable."
Adrian, on the other hand, kept his distance.
Blue noticed him in the yard sometimes, standing with Drake in a group but not really with them. James was with his usual friends there too, laughing louder than necessary, never quite looking in Adrian's direction.
Whatever had happened after the breakup hadn't been resolved.
"Those two still not talking?" Mavin asked one afternoon, nodding toward the field.
"Not even a little," Alan replied. "It's awkward."
Later that day, she ran into Adrian near the water fountain.
"Hey," she said.
He nodded. "Hey."
"You okay?" she asked, carefully.
He hesitated, then shrugged. "I will be."
Before she could say more, Drake appeared, clapping a hand on Adrian's shoulder.
"The teacher is looking for you," Drake said.
Adrian nodded and left without another word.
Drake watched him go, then sighed. "Things are… messy."
Blue didn't press.
James stopped coming around as much after that.
Where he used to linger by Blue's desk or walk with her after class, now he barely made eye contact. When they did pass each other, his greetings were quick, almost rehearsed.
"Hey."
"Hey."
And that was it.
Elise noticed too.
"He's acting strange," she whispered.
Blue nodded. "I know."
She didn't blame him. Ann had a way of pulling people into her orbit, making them choose sides without saying it out loud.
Still, it felt strange.
Drake still came.
He sat beside Blue during breaks, helped her with notes when she missed somethings.
That stayed with her.
Around them, the school buzzed with small tensions . James and Adrian remained distant. Ann moved through the halls like she owned them.
But in the middle of all that shifting ground, Drake's presence was steady.
After lunch break, the rain began without warning.
It tapped against the windows at first, soft and steady, then grew heavier, the sound filling the classroom just as Mr. Dan walked in for the afternoon lesson. Class with Mr. Dan was never relaxed. It demanded focus, silence, and precision. No excuses.
Blue took her seat near the front, notebook open, pen ready. Alan sat beside her, already shifting uncomfortably.
"This weather is unfair," he muttered under his breath. "I'm freezing."
Blue glanced at him. His sleeves were thin, his shoulders slightly hunched. Without thinking too much about it, she slipped off her jacket and folded it once.
"Here," she whispered, passing it to him.
Alan blinked. "You serious?"
"Put it on," she said quietly.
He did, sighing in relief. "You just saved my life."
That was when the room went silent.