Nora’s P.O.V

I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my black tank top. Damp waves of black hair clung to my shoulders, still wet from the shower. My green eyes looked back at me, sharp and restless. Graduation was next week, but it didn’t feel real. Nothing did lately.

Nick leaned against the doorframe, tossing an apple in the air. “You going to Amelia’s after school?” he asked.

“Maybe,” I said. “Depends how annoying she is in third period.”

He laughed. “Leo’s picking me up. Want a ride?”

“I’ll walk.”

“Suit yourself.” He vanished down the hall.

I grabbed my bag and headed out after him. The air outside was warm, but not suffocating. The kind of summer morning that felt like a promise. Sunlight spilled across the street, catching on every parked car and cracked sidewalk.

Leo’s car rumbled before it came into view—low, distinct, impossible to miss. Black, sleek, and unapologetically sharp, like the man behind the wheel.

He stepped out and leaned against the hood. Black shirt. Muscular arms. Tattoos out. And those eyes—piercing blue, watching me like he knew something I didn’t.

“Hey, Nora,” he said.

“Hey.” I tried to keep my voice steady.

But his smile curled up at the corner, the one that always messed with my pulse. He looked like trouble wrapped in confidence—and he was Nick’s best friend.

Which meant he was off-limits. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

There was something off about Leo. Not in a bad way, just different. I could never figure it out. But when he looked at me like that, it was hard to think straight.

The school came into view as I turned the corner. Same brick building. Same cracked sidewalk. Same chipped blue door swinging open and shut as students filed in.

I adjusted the strap of my bag and kept walking, slipping through the crowd like a shadow. No one really noticed me, and that was fine. I liked it that way.

Someone laughed too loud behind me. Amelia’s voice.

A second later, she fell into step beside me, twirling a piece of blonde hair around her finger. Cheer uniform. Perfect as always.

“You look hot today,” she grinned. “Mysterious. Wet hair, all-black outfit, gym body? Total dark angel vibes.”

“It’s just clothes.”

“Exactly,” she said, eyes gleaming. “Boys love a little damage.”

“I’m not trying to impress anyone.”

“Mm-hmm. Sure. Tell that to your face every time Leo looks at you.”

I didn’t respond. Because she wasn’t wrong.

Leo’s car pulled into the lot behind us, engine humming like it had something to say. I didn’t look, but I felt it—the shift in the air, the way everything tilted slightly.

We pushed through the front doors, and Amelia leaned in. “You act like you don’t care, but the second he’s around, you go all silent and soft. You’re so screwed.”

I didn’t argue.

The day dragged. Classes were basically optional now—worksheets, review packets, countdown clocks. I leaned against my locker while Amelia filled the silence with her usual dramatic retelling of second period.

“I’m serious,” she said. “That sub was a murderer. No one blinks that slow unless they’ve buried people.”

I smiled. “Maybe he just hates high school as much as we do.”

Then a guy stepped into my line of sight—tan, messy hair, surfer charm. Dylan, I thought. Maybe.

“Hey, Nora,” he said.

I blinked. “Hey?”

“Bonfire at the lake Friday. Seniors only. You and Amelia should come.”

He flashed a grin and walked off.

Amelia practically bounced. “Okay, where did that come from?”

“No clue.”

“We’re going,” she said. “You need to get out. Maybe hook up with a hot stranger.”

I shook my head. “Not interested.”

She smirked. “No. You’re still stuck on the guy you won’t admit you have a thing for.”

I rolled my eyes and shoved her lightly, but I was already thinking about the lake. The dark. The firelight.

And wondering if Leo would be there.

Something pulled at me, a shift in the air. I glanced up.

Leo was down the hall, leaning against a locker. His eyes were locked on mine.

There were girls around him, laughing, flipping their hair, trying way too hard. He didn’t seem to care. He wasn’t looking at them.

He was looking at me.

I swallowed and looked back down, pretending it didn’t affect me.

But it did.

Last period couldn’t come fast enough. I grabbed my gym clothes and slipped into the locker room. Black shorts, tank top, hair pulled back. AirPods in. I hit the track.

With every step, the noise of the day peeled away. Just me, my breath, the rhythm. Lap after lap until my muscles burned and my thoughts finally went quiet.

I stopped, chest heaving, sweat slicking my skin. It felt good—earned.

Then a hand touched my arm.

I spun around, startled.

Leo.

Standing too close, eyes locked on mine like he hadn’t just startled me half to death.

I yanked out an Air Pod. Sounds rushed back—sneakers on pavement, distant whistles.

My voice was unsteady. “Hey. What’s up?”

He tilted his head, eyes never leaving mine. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You did,” I said, a smile tugging despite myself.

“Didn’t look like you were ready to stop.”

“I wasn’t. Running clears my head.”

He nodded. His gaze dipped—legs, hips, back to my face. “You’re fast.”

I arched a brow. “You watching me?”

“Maybe.”

Heat flushed my neck.

I swallowed. “Is there a reason you’re here?”

Leo shrugged. “You going to that bonfire?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Why not?”

“Not really my scene.”

He gave a slow nod. “Still. Might be worth showing up.”

I met his eyes. “Why?”

That smile again—lazy, unreadable. “Maybe I want to see you there.”

My heart kicked.

“I’ll think about it,” I said, turning before he could say anything else.

I jogged off.

Was he flirting with me?

It felt like it. The way he looked at me. The way he spoke—like there was something behind the words.

This was new.

Leo and I had never really talked. Just the usual passing “hi” or “hey”.

But today? That wasn’t nothing.

And I couldn’t stop replaying it.