I didn't expect much when Connor Sharpe followed me back.
Just some random notification while hanging out with my best friend.
But one simple "hi" turns into something neither of us saw coming.
A couple of years apart, different grades, and a millio...
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We spent most of Sunday in a total sleep coma. Yumi and I practically hibernated through the entire day, curled up under heaps of blankets, scrolling through our phones only to send each other memes and silly gifs. The perfect recharge after all the excitement from the weekend.
By evening, we finally dragged ourselves up and headed to my place, it was my turn to host the rest of the week for our seven day sleepover tradition. Boxes of snacks were already stacked in my room, and Yumi was already plotting all the movies and YouTube marathons we'd binge.
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Now, Monday was here and school was back in full swing. The bell had just rung for lunch break, and Jake, Laura, Yumi, and I were already huddled at our usual lunch table in the cafeteria. We claimed the spot near the windows where the sunlight made everything feel a little less like school and more like hanging out.
Laura was just talking about some math homework when Marcus spotted us from across the room. His eyes lit up, and he started weaving his way over.
"Hey! Mind if I join you guys?" Marcus asked, flashing that easy going skater smile.
There were three empty seats, one next to Jake, one by Laura, and one right beside me.
"Of course," I said, scooting over just enough to make room for him next to me.
Marcus sat down and immediately started chatting with the group, effortlessly fitting in like he'd been part of our crew all along.
About ten minutes later, Jake's head suddenly turned toward the entrance of the cafeteria.
"Hey! Isn't that Aidan and Connor?" he asked, nodding toward the two boys walking toward us.
Sure enough, Connor and Aidan were coming our way. Jake waved them over.
"Come eat with us!" he called out.
Connor glanced around briefly, and his eyes landed on Marcus, the guy who had just joined us. For a split second, his smile faltered, and he looked a little tense.
"Uh, sure," Connor said, forcing a casual tone as he slid into the seat next to Jake.
I caught Yumi's eyebrow raise and her subtle smirk. Clearly, she'd noticed Connor's weird vibe too.
Marcus, ever the chill guy, just kept chatting like nothing was off, but Connor's body language was all kinds of stiff. He glanced at Marcus a few times, jaw tightening just a little, then looked at me as if silently asking what was going on.
I gave him a tiny shrug, not knowing why he joined us.
Connor's jealousy was so lowkey but obvious if you paid attention. It was kinda cute but also a bit awkward.
As lunch went on, the conversation bounced between random school gossip, the latest skateboarding tricks, and of course, YouTube video ideas for Connor and Aidan.
At one point, Marcus nudged me lightly and whispered, "So, skating tomorrow after school?"
I hesitated with my answer.
Connor, catching that, suddenly jumped in, "Yeah, we could all go."
Marcus's grin widened, but Connor's tone had this edge like he wasn't just inviting but also staking his claim.
Yumi leaned over to me and whispered, "Looks like someone's feeling a bit territorial."
The lunch bell rang too soon, cutting off our chat, but the weird little tension between Connor and Marcus didn't fully disappear.
As we all packed up, I caught Connor's eyes for a moment, and he gave me a small smile.
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