You Were Never Supposed to Notice Me.

Chapter 5: A Place Just for Us

The final bell echoed through the halls of Westbrook High.

Students hurried toward the exits, chatting and laughing as another school day came to an end.

Maya adjusted the strap of her backpack as she stepped into the hallway.

"Hey."

She turned to find Noah waiting by a row of lockers, a warm smile on his face.

"I've been looking for you."

"For me?" Maya asked.

Noah nodded.

"I thought we could get started on our English project."

"I'd like that."

Before they could leave, Jason appeared beside them with his usual grin.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"You always do," Noah joked.

Jason laughed.

"Good. I have a reputation to protect."

The three walked to the library together.

They found a quiet table near the windows and spread out their notebooks.

At first, they focused on the project.

But before long, they were talking about music, favorite movies, and what they hoped to do after graduation.

"So," Noah asked, "if you could visit any place in the world, where would you go?"

Maya smiled.

"I'd love to see Paris someday."

"Paris?" Jason said dramatically. "I'm just trying to survive senior year."

Maya laughed.

Noah smiled as he watched her.

"I think you'd love it there."

Time seemed to fly by.

Soon, the library was almost empty.

As they packed their things, Noah walked Maya to the front entrance.

"I'm really glad we got paired together," he said quietly.

Maya looked up at him.

"Me too."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then they smiled.

As Maya walked toward the parking lot, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

She didn't notice someone watching from across the street.

A girl with long blonde hair folded her arms as she stared at Maya.

"So," she whispered, "that's the new girl."

A slow smile spread across her face.

"This should be interesting."

To be continued...

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