The Love Algorithm

Chapter 3 - Controlled Variables

Theo wasn't late. But he wasn't early either. He liked arriving just on time enough to slide into his seat without catching too much attention.
Not today, though. Not with everyone staring.

He ignored the whispers, the stolen glances, the nods toward his locker.

Codeboy got a girlfriend?
Didn't he and Ava just break up last month?
That app must've worked. No way she'd pick him otherwise.

He exhaled sharply, adjusting his backpack like armor.

---

His phone buzzed with a soft chirp - a message from "Little Bug 🐛."

> Bug:
Can I stay over at June's after ballet? She has pink frosting.
Also, I stole your hoodie. Again.
You should fold your laundry more, it's chaos. 😌

Theo smiled, fingers tapping a lazy reply.
Theo: If it smells like me, give it back.
Bug: That's the point. 🙃
Theo: Ask Mom. If she remembers to check her phone.

He didn't add that Mom probably wouldn't, or that Dad would just forward the question to Mom anyway. Some things didn't need repeating.

---

The door to his first period clicked open behind him just as he turned a corner-and collided with Kai, the loudest member of his inner circle.

"Bro," Kai grinned. "You made the app and used it on yourself. Peak genius or peak narcissist?"

Before Theo could answer, Zayn, Leo, and Noah filed in behind, all grinning like this was their love story.

"Eliya's cute," Leo said with a lazy shrug. "But she looks like she could vaporize me with a stare."

"She might," Zayn replied, adjusting his rings. "Honestly? Respect."

Theo rolled his eyes. "You guys are annoying."

"Uh-huh," Kai said. "So... is it real?"

Theo didn't answer. He just pulled his hoodie over his head and walked faster.

---

In the hallway near the lockers, Ava was perched like a queen in exile, flanked by her shadows - Brielle, scrolling idly, and Sadie, who always looked like she was seconds from starting a rumor.

When Ava saw him, her lips curved. Not into a smile. Something thinner. Colder.

"Wow," she said. "Not even a month."

Theo didn't stop walking, but he slowed. "Hey."

"'Hey,'" she repeated, as if the word itself offended her. "So what's her algorithm score? Perfect match? Or just perfect timing?"

Behind her, Sadie let out a soft laugh. Brielle didn't even look up.

He didn't answer. Didn't give her the satisfaction.

But Ava's eyes followed him like a microscope.

---

Later, in the cafeteria, Theo dropped his tray beside Kai, but his eyes caught something else: Mina, sitting across the room with Eliya. Not looking at him. Not exactly.

Her eyes had drifted - just for a second - toward Zayn, who was laughing at something dumb Leo said. She blinked once, like she was shaking it off. But her fingers lingered on her necklace longer than necessary.

And Zayn? He hadn't noticed. Yet.

But the air between them changed, just for a moment. And Theo saw it.

He filed it away. Like data.

Eliya's POV

She hadn't expected the cafeteria to feel like a courtroom.

Every stare, every smirk, every too-loud whisper it all pressed against her like static. She sipped from her water bottle just to keep her hands busy.

Mina was talking about something probably Ava, probably nonsense but Eliya's mind kept circling.

Theo had barely looked at her since second period. He hadn't smiled. Hadn't nodded. Hadn't checked in.

And even though this whole relationship was fake, the silence still stung.

She glanced across the room. He was laughing at something Leo said, but only halfway. The rest of him his eyes, his posture looked tired.

Like maybe this whole thing was already heavier than they planned.

---

Eliya reached for her phone.
No texts. No new pings.
She typed a message.

Eliya: We okay?

She didn't send it.

Instead, she locked her phone, inhaled deeply, and muttered, "Data is cleanest when undisturbed."

Mina looked up. "What?"

"Nothing," Eliya lied. "Just math."

But inside her chest, something unmeasurable had already started shifting.