STRINGS BETWEEN US

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: OF FALLS TOO REAL, ARMS THAT STAYED, AND THE BOY I WISH

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: OF FALLS TOO REAL, ARMS THAT STAYED, AND THE BOY I WISH I DIDN'T NEED

RIYEE'S POV

I was running. Again.

From another wave of Acquaintance Ball suitors who clearly flunked Consent 101.

I turned toward the canteen, determined to escape, when—boom. My foot caught the strap of someone's bag.

Classic. Smooth. Peak protagonist energy. My aura was amazing today, too.

Time slowed, and I could already imagine it: face-first into the marble floor, pride shattering like my nonexistent love life. I braced for the impact.

But it never came. Because someone caught me.

Two arms. Familiar. Warm. Steady.

KD.

Our eyes locked. No words. No smirk. No teasing. Just... stillness. For one second, it felt like the hallway forgot how to breathe.

Of all people—why him?

Then I blinked. And reality came crashing in.

I didn't move. Neither did he. For a second, the hallway wasn't just still—it was holding its breath with us.

"Rielle!" Jodie came running. "Are you okay?! You almost hit your face! Don't tell me you're 'okay'!"

I stepped back, fast. KD had already let go, stepping away like it meant nothing.
My hand was still holding onto the edge of his blazer.

Crap. Pathetic. I dropped it like it burned.

"I'm fine," I muttered.

"Clinic," KD said, calm but firm.

"What? No. I said I'm fine."

"Bring her to the clinic," he said to Mico and Jodie.

"Bro, she said she's okay—"

"Just do it."

The hallway hushed.

KD turned to the boys behind me.

"You don't run after a girl who already said no. Do it again, and I'll have your names banned from the Acquaintance Ball. Try me."

And right on cue.

Bianchi.
By the vending machine.
Watching everything.

Of course she saw it.
Bianchi doesn't blink unless it's to reload her ammo.

KD's hand on my arm.
His voice.
The way he looked at me like I wasn't just a noise in his universe—
like I was something already known.
Like I was already... his.

And it infuriated me. Now she saw it too. That thing I've been trying so hard to pretend didn't exist. Something real.

By the time lunch rolled around, the whispers had already started.

"She's the one Pres caught, right?"
"Yeah! They said it looked like cinematic slow motion!"
"People say they're really a thing. Hallway chemistry."

Oh. My. God.

I stabbed my chicken. It didn't deserve the violence.

"Rielle," Xylia sing-songed, "As your unofficial PR manager, you're trending."

"Stop," I muttered.

"Too late," Mico added. "There's a new poll on the school forum: 'Do you ship Mr. President x Rielle?' Options include Team Rooftop Rescue, Hallway Hug, and President's Pick."