XXVII

Danielle leaned into William just a little more, allowing his arm to settle comfortably around her waist as he pulled her closer. She tilted her chin up slightly, flashing him a smirk while pretending she didn't feel the weight of Maya and Riley's gazes from across the hall.

She wasn't going to look.

She refused to look.

Instead, she let herself focus on William's voice, the way he murmured something low against her ear that she barely processed. It didn't matter what he was saying—it was the act of it, the familiarity of his presence. A distraction. A well-rehearsed role.

She played her part perfectly.

"So," William said, pulling back slightly to study her. "Where were you this weekend? Barely heard from you."

Danielle raised a brow. "Miss me that much?"

William smirked. "Maybe."

She chuckled, giving a careless shrug. "Just needed some time to myself. You know how it is."

It wasn't a lie. Not really. She had needed space. Needed time to get her thoughts in order. To remind herself of who she was.

Yet, despite all of that, she could still feel it. That pressure. That undeniable pull.

She hadn't looked once, but she knew—knew that Maya's stare was the strongest. That Riley was probably giving her that soft, knowing look. That they were watching her, trying to figure her out.

But Danielle didn't owe them anything.

Not today.

So she exhaled, lifting her chin as she finally glanced past William's shoulder—deliberately not looking in the direction of the hole.

"Walk me to class?" she asked, linking her arm through his.

William grinned. "Anything for you, babe."

And just like that, she walked away.

Without a single glance back.

Danielle let herself fall into step beside William, her heels clicking against the polished floor as they made their way down the hallway. She could still feel it—that lingering tension, the weight of eyes on her back—but she refused to acknowledge it.

She was in control.

She had to be.

William was talking, something about his weekend and some party he was thinking of throwing, but she barely processed it. Instead, she let the noise of the hallway wash over her, let herself get lost in the routine of it.

Popular. Confident. Untouchable.

That was who she was.

It had to be.

But as they turned the corner, heading toward her first class, she caught a flicker of blonde hair out of the corner of her eye.

Maya.

She was standing by her locker, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

For a split second, Danielle's step faltered.

She forced herself to recover immediately, gripping William's arm just a little tighter as they passed. She didn't look. She didn't react. She didn't care.

And yet...

She felt it.

The way Maya's gaze burned into her. The way her grip tightened around her own wrist, fingers brushing over her bracelet in that nervous habit Danielle had started to notice. The way something unspoken hung in the air between them.

Danielle clenched her jaw, keeping her expression neutral as she finally stepped into class.

She could not afford to let Maya Hart get to her.

---

Danielle walked onto the field, the crisp morning air doing little to shake the tension lingering in her shoulders. Cheerleading practice was exactly what she needed—something to focus on, something to drown out the thoughts clawing at the back of her mind.

She adjusted the hem of her cheer skirt and tugged her ponytail tighter as she spotted Lilianna and Brooklyn stretching near the bleachers. William stood a few feet away, laughing with some of his teammates, tossing a football back and forth.

Good.

This was her world. The one she had built. The one she could control.

She sauntered over to her friends, flashing them an easy smile. "Ready to remind everyone why we're the best squad this school's ever had?"

Brooklyn smirked. "Like there was ever any doubt."

Lilianna arched a brow at her. "Someone's in a mood today."

Danielle just shrugged, rolling her shoulders. "Don't give people my address. Just get ready to work."

And she was. Because when she was moving—practicing jumps, perfecting routines, keeping her form sharp—there was no space for distractions. No room for second-guessing or overthinking.

No room for blue eyes watching her from across the school halls.

By the time the coach blew the whistle, calling for a break, Danielle was breathless but steady, muscles burning in a way that felt grounding. She grabbed her water bottle, taking a slow sip as William jogged over.

"You're killing it out there," he said, looping an arm around her waist.

Danielle smirked, leaning into him just enough. "Of course I am."

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught Lilianna watching her, something unreadable in her gaze.

Danielle ignored it.

She was exactly where she was supposed to be.

The rest of practice flew by in a blur of routines, sharp movements, and the sound of sneakers squeaking against the field. By the time it wrapped up, Danielle felt the satisfying burn in her muscles—the kind that made her feel in control, present. Exactly what she needed.

As the team began dispersing, Brooklyn bumped her hip against Danielle's. "You good?"

Danielle blinked. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Brooklyn gave her a knowing look but let it go. "We're getting smoothies before class. You in?"

Danielle was about to agree when she felt William's hand brush against hers. "I was thinking I could walk you to your locker," he offered smoothly.

There it was again—that feeling of being watched.

She knew exactly who it was, even if she refused to look.

Riley and Maya.

Danielle could picture them in the hole, exactly where they always were before class. It would take one glance, one turn of her head, to confirm it. But she didn't. She wouldn't.

Instead, she shifted closer to William, resting a hand on his chest with a smirk. "I like the sound of that."

His arm settled around her waist as they started toward the lockers, and she felt the weight of those eyes on her back the whole way.

Danielle kept her stride easy, her smirk effortless, but inside, her thoughts were tangled. She wasn't supposed to care. She had decided that. She was here, with William, with Brooklyn and Lilianna—her world.

So why did the weight of Maya's stare feel so much heavier than it should?

William leaned in slightly as they walked. "You sure you're okay?"

Danielle blinked up at him, shifting gears. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

He chuckled, squeezing her waist. "Because you seem... off."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine."

But even she wasn't sure if that was true.

Brooklyn and Lilianna caught up, playfully teasing Danielle about her sudden clinginess with William, and she laughed, going along with it. It was easy to play her part.

When they reached the lockers, Brooklyn handed her a smoothie. "Here. Something to keep you from getting grumpy before class."

Danielle accepted it with a smirk, taking a sip. "You act like I'm some kind of monster without caffeine."

"You are," Lilianna quipped, making them all laugh.

For a second, Danielle let herself enjoy the moment. This was familiar. Comfortable.

But when she turned slightly, her gaze involuntarily flicked toward the hole.

Riley and Maya were still there.

And Maya was still looking at her.

Danielle held her gaze for a second longer than she meant to before turning back to William, who was saying something she barely processed.

No.

She wasn't doing this.

Maya Hart didn't matter.

Not anymore.

She couldn't.

Maya had Lucas, when the guy got his head back on straight.

Danielle had to keep her act up with William, only for another some more months before they graduated. That's when she could be free from pretending she was as straight as a ruler.