Lia didn't make an announcement about the distance she was creating. She let it settle in quietly, hoping no one would notice until it was too late to stop her.
She started arriving late to class, sliding into a seat at the back just as the bell rang. Jaden noticed immediately-the space beside him stayed empty, untouched. He glanced at the door more than once, expecting her to rush in with an apology and that familiar smile.
She didn't.
He leaned toward the girl behind him. "Has Lia been coming early lately?"
She shrugged. "No idea."
At lunch, he searched for her without meaning to. When he finally spotted her across the cafeteria, she was alone, earbuds in, shoulders hunched like she was trying to shrink. He stood up before he could talk himself out of it.
"Lia," he called.
She heard him. He could tell by the way her shoulders stiffened. But she didn't turn around.
He stopped a few steps away. "Hey... did I do something?"
She pulled one earbud out slowly. "Jaden, not now."
"That's what you've been saying all week."
She stood up, gathering her things. "Because it's true."
He frowned. "You don't even look at me anymore."
Her eyes flicked up for half a second. "I'm just busy."
"With what?" he asked. "You won't even sit near me."
She exhaled, frustration slipping through. "Why are you making this harder than it needs to be?"
"I'm trying to understand," he said quietly.
She shook her head. "Understanding turns into questions. I don't want questions."
"So you avoid me instead?" he asked.
"Yes," she admitted, the word barely audible.
The honesty hurt more than a lie.
"Did I do something wrong?" Jaden asked again.
She hesitated. "No. That's the problem."
He laughed once, bitterly. "That doesn't make sense."
"It does to me."
He studied her face, searching for something-anything-to hold on to. "Are you avoiding Adrian too?"
Her jaw tightened. "I don't even see Adrian most days."
"But you are," he said. "Aren't you?"
She nodded slowly. "I am."
He looked away, swallowing. "So it's not just me."
"No," she whispered. "It's easier if it's both of you."
"Easier for who?" he asked.
"For me," she said honestly. "Harder for everyone else."
The bell rang, sharp and unforgiving.
"I don't want to do this," Lia said, stepping back. "But I need space."
Jaden nodded, even though it cost him something. "Then say that next time. Don't disappear."
"I'll try," she murmured.
She walked away before he could say anything else.
Adrian noticed the distance later.
He hadn't seen Lia in days- not in the hallway, not at lunch, not after school. When he finally caught sight of her across the courtyard, he raised his hand instinctively.
She turned the other way.
He walked up to her before he could stop himself.
"Lia." He called.
She heard him. He could tell by the way her shoulders stiffened. But she didn't turn around.
He called again this time louder. "Lia!"
She stopped walking.
Slowly, she turned. "Adrian... I'm late."
"You're always late now," he said. "Or busy. Or gone."
"That's not fair."
"What's not fair is pretending I don't exist."
She crossed her arms. "We're not even in the same class."
"And yet you still manage to avoid me everywhere else."
She looked away. "I didn't plan this conversation."
"I didn't plan being ignored."
Silence.
"Did Jaden say something to you?" she asked.
Adrian laughed once. "So you have been talking to him."
"That's not what I meant."
"It never is," he replied. "You keep stopping people halfway and expecting them to understand the ending."
Her voice dropped. "I don't owe anyone explanations."
"No," he said calmly. "But you owe honesty when you pull people close first."
She flinched. "I never asked-"
"You didn't have to ask," Adrian cut in. "You let it happen."
She shook her head. "I didn't mean for it to get complicated."
"But it did," he said. "And now you're running."
"I'm protecting myself."
"From what?" he asked. "From feelings? Or from choosing?"
Her lips parted, then closed again.
"That's what I thought," Adrian said quietly.
She swallowed. "Jaden doesn't deserve this."
"And what about me?" he asked. "Do I?"
Her voice cracked. "I didn't mean to hurt either of you."
"But you did," he said. "And the worst part? You're doing it silently."
She wiped at her eyes angrily. "What do you want me to say?"
"The truth."
She hesitated.
Then, barely above a whisper: "If I stop avoiding you... something breaks."
Adrian studied her. "Whose?"
"Mine."
He nodded slowly. "Then say that next time. Don't disappear."
She exhaled shakily. "I don't know how to face you both."
"You don't have to face us," he said. "Just don't pretend we never mattered."
Another pause.
"Tell Jaden," she said softly. "Tell him I'm not angry. I'm just scared."
Adrian held her gaze. "Tell him yourself."
She shook her head. "Not yet."
He stepped back. "Just know this, Lia-avoiding us won't make the choice go away."
As she walked off, he added quietly,
"It only makes it louder."
