Not My Type

''The Wrong Target''

Charlotte stood up, snatched her headphone back, and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"I'm done with you," she said quietly.

Savannah stepped back, surprised.

Charlotte walked past her — past Tom — without looking at either of them.

Tom's eyes followed her.

Savannah noticed.

And her expression twisted.

The hallway was mostly empty after school, lockers slamming in the distance, the sky outside turning orange.

Tom walked with his hood up, hands shoved deep in his pockets, trying to get out of the building before he ran into anyone he didn't want to see.

Which was basically everyone.

He turned a corner—

And slammed straight into Ryder.

Hard.

Ryder stumbled back. "Bro— watch it."

Tom froze. "My bad."

Ryder blinked.

Tom never apologized first.

Ever.

For a second, neither of them moved.

The air between them was thick — weeks of silence, tension, and unspoken anger hanging there.

Ryder finally sighed. "We gonna keep pretending we don't know each other?"

Tom looked away. "You're the one who stopped talking to me."

Ryder scoffed. "Because you were acting like a brick wall."

Tom's jaw tightened. "I had stuff going on."

Ryder crossed his arms. "Yeah? Like ignoring Charlotte? Or letting Savannah act like a demon? Or pushing everyone away?"

Tom didn't answer.

Ryder shook his head. "Dude... we were friends."

Tom swallowed. "We still are."

Ryder raised an eyebrow. "Are we?"

Tom hesitated — then nodded once. "Yeah."

Ryder stared at him for a long moment.

Then he stepped forward and bumped Tom's shoulder lightly. "Good. Because I'm tired of being mad at you."

Tom exhaled, tension leaving his shoulders. "Same."

It wasn't a dramatic hug. It wasn't emotional. It wasn't perfect.

But it was real.

And for them, that was enough.

Lily turned the corner, holding her books, eyes widening when she saw them together.

"Oh," she said softly. "You two are... talking?"

Ryder grinned. "We made up."

Tom nodded. "Yeah."

Lily looked relieved — but also awkward. She and Tom hadn't spoken since the breakup.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "That's... good. I'm glad."

Tom nodded again. "Yeah."

Silence.

Ryder looked between them. "Okay, this is weird."

Lily laughed nervously. "A little."

Tom shoved his hands deeper in his pockets. "We're fine."