XXXV

The next morning, Danielle woke up feeling groggy, the weight of last night still lingering in her chest. The room was dim, the early morning light barely seeping through the curtains. She blinked up at the ceiling, exhaling slowly before dragging herself out of bed.

She went through the motions—shower, hair, makeup—each step helping her piece herself back together. By the time she was slipping into her outfit, the polished, confident version of Danielle that the world expected was almost fully in place.

Grabbing her phone, she checked her messages. A few from Lilianna and Brooklyn, some from William, but nothing from Maya.

She shouldn't care.

But she did.

Shoving the thought aside, she grabbed her bag and made her way downstairs. Izzy was already up, sipping her coffee at the kitchen island, scrolling through something on her phone. She glanced up as Danielle entered.

"Morning, Duchess," Izzy teased, smirking over the rim of her mug.

Danielle froze mid-step. "What did you just call me?"

Izzy grinned. "Relax, your little blonde menace didn't text me or anything. You talk in your sleep, you know."

Danielle groaned, rubbing a hand down her face. "I hate you."

"You love me," Izzy shot back. "Now eat something before you run off looking all perfect but starving."

Danielle rolled her eyes but grabbed a piece of toast before heading out the door.

The drive to school was smooth, the music blasting as she let herself settle into her usual mindset—untouchable, confident, and completely in control.

Pulling into the parking lot, she spotted her friends near the entrance. Lilianna and Brooklyn were chatting with William, and as she stepped out of her car, their attention immediately turned to her.

"Looking extra today," Brooklyn noted with a smirk.

Danielle flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Always."

Lilianna leaned in. "Are you avoiding a certain someone?"

Danielle didn't answer, instead locking her car and walking ahead. They all fell into step beside her.

It wasn't until she entered the hallway that she felt it—eyes on her. She knew exactly who it was without even looking.

Maya.

And worse? She was with Lucas. And the others of course.

Danielle's jaw tightened, her fingers curling slightly. She didn't slow down, didn't hesitate, just kept walking, chin lifted, expression unreadable.

She wasn't going to let Maya—or her friends—get to her.

She spotted Maya sitting down in the bench and stairs with her little gang on their laptops. They were probably making their accounts, Danielle had made hers when she joined. Let's just say she got popular on that very fast.

Danielle walked past them without a second glance, heading straight for her locker. Lilianna and Brooklyn exchanged looks but didn't say anything as they followed her lead.

She could still feel Maya's eyes on her, though.

She was getting tired of this—whatever this was. The tension. The weird almost-friendship, almost-something else that neither of them seemed willing to acknowledge.

And Lucas? He was just another reason for her irritation.

As she spun her combination lock, Brooklyn leaned against the locker next to hers. "You're really not gonna say anything?"

"To who?" Danielle asked, feigning innocence.

"Oh, I don't know." Lilianna hummed. "Maybe to the blonde currently burning a hole into your back?"

Danielle scoffed, grabbing her books. "Not my problem."

Brooklyn raised an eyebrow. "You're so mad right now."

"I'm not mad."

"You hate Lucas," Lilianna pointed out.

Danielle shut her locker a little too forcefully. "And?"

Brooklyn laughed. "And you should at least own it. What's your deal with him anyway?"

Danielle exhaled sharply, adjusting the strap of her bag. "I don't like guys who play games."

It was vague enough that it didn't give anything away, but her friends weren't stupid.

Before they could press further, the warning bell rang, and Danielle took that as her escape. "I'll see you later."

Without another glance at Maya—or even Riley—she disappeared into the crowd, heading to her first class.

But no matter how much she tried to ignore it, the irritation stayed with her.

Don't get her wrong she was happy Riley and Maya got back with her friends, but Lucas was back.

The irritation stuck with Danielle throughout her first class, making it impossible to focus. It wasn't like she wanted to be thinking about Maya—or Lucas, for that matter—but they were lingering in her mind like an annoying song she couldn't shake.

By the time lunch rolled around, she had every intention of avoiding all of it. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Maya's glances or Lucas' presence. So, when Lilianna and Brooklyn invited her to sit outside with them, she agreed without hesitation.

They took their usual spot at the back tables, far from the chaos of the cafeteria. It was better this way—quieter. No unexpected run-ins.

Or so she thought.

"Seriously, what is your issue with Lucas?" Brooklyn asked, pulling Danielle from her thoughts.

Danielle rolled her eyes, stabbing at her salad with a plastic fork. "Do we have to do this right now?"

Lilianna smirked. "Yes."

Brooklyn leaned forward, grinning. "Oh, wait. Does this have to do with a certain blonde?"

Danielle didn't flinch, didn't react, but the way she kept her eyes on her food was reaction enough.

Lilianna let out a laugh. "It so does."

"You two are delusional," Danielle muttered, taking a bite.

Brooklyn smirked. "Right, because you hating Lucas for no reason totally makes sense."

Danielle sighed. "I just don't like him."

Lilianna hummed, clearly not buying it. "Or maybe you don't like that Maya used to like him."

Danielle's grip tightened slightly on her fork, but she forced a casual shrug. "Why would I care about that?"

Brooklyn and Lilianna exchanged a knowing look, and Danielle already regretted sitting with them.

"We're just saying," Brooklyn teased. "It's interesting that you're so bothered."

Danielle scoffed. "I'm not."

Lilianna grinned. "Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, Elle."

Danielle groaned, throwing a piece of lettuce at her. "You know I hate that name for a reason."

Brooklyn laughed. "Yeah, but you don't hate when Maya calls you something, do you?"

Danielle ignored them, choosing to focus on her food instead.

But even as they moved on to another topic, she couldn't shake the way her stomach twisted at the mention of Maya and Lucas in the same sentence.

It was stupid.

She was being stupid.

But that didn't make the feeling go away.

"Did you hear about the new girl? Jexica?" Brooklyn stopped the conversation that was going on.

"Another freshman hiding themself?" Danielle asked, stabbing her lettuce with the fork.

"Probably, but her outfit sounds sick!" Brooklyn shoved her phone across the table.

Danielle skimmed the profile, blue hair and a sword..? Now that was crazy. Maybe even Riley crazy. It sounded like something from adventure times.

Lilianna took the phone next, laughing at it. "How much do you bet this will all blow over within two days?"

"Oh for sure." Danielle added something to the conversation before stabbing her salad again.

The rest of lunch passed with Brooklyn and Lilianna exchanging amused glances every time Danielle didn't engage in their teasing. She pretended not to care, but the truth was, their words had lodged themselves in her mind like a splinter.

By the time the bell rang, she was more than ready to move on, eager to distract herself with her next class. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

Because the moment she stepped into the hallway, she spotted them.

The freshman group.

Standing together near the lockers, talking.

Danielle's jaw clenched instinctively, and she hated the reaction just as much as she hated the sight of them.

Lucas was smiling at something Maya said, and she was smirking up at him, relaxed and at ease. It shouldn't have bothered her. It shouldn't have made something twist inside her chest.

But it did.

She could feel Brooklyn and Lilianna watching her, clearly waiting for a reaction. She refused to give them one.

With a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders, slipping her usual confident mask back into place. Then, without a word, she turned and walked in the opposite direction.

She wasn't running.

She was just... choosing not to deal with it.

At least, that's what she told herself.

But even as she moved through the hallway, head held high, she couldn't shake the image from her mind.

And she definitely couldn't shake the irritation that followed.

Danielle went through the rest of the school day with a tight grip on her emotions, refusing to let anything slip. If anyone noticed her unusually quiet demeanor, they didn't comment on it—not even Lilianna or Brooklyn, who usually pried into anything that seemed even remotely interesting.

By the time the final bell rang, she was more than ready to leave. She grabbed her bag from her locker, ignoring the way her stomach twisted when she caught sight of Maya down the hall with Riley and their group—Lucas included.

She wasn't jealous.

She was just... annoyed.

Annoyed that Maya acted like nothing was wrong. Annoyed that Lucas was still hovering around. Annoyed that she even cared about any of it.

Shoving the thoughts aside, she pushed through the school doors, stepping out into the afternoon air. She was halfway to her car when her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Busy Izzy

You going straight home?

Danielle sighed, unlocking her car and sliding into the driver's seat before replying.

Elle

Yeah, why?

It didn't take long for Izzy to respond.

Busy Izzy

No reason. Just checking in.

Danielle frowned at the screen, something about the message feeling... off. But she let it go, tossing her phone onto the passenger seat before starting the engine.

She drove home in silence, letting the hum of the car fill the space where her thoughts threatened to creep in. By the time she pulled into the driveway, she was exhausted—not from school, but from thinking.

The house was quiet when she stepped inside, a stark contrast to the liveliness of Riley's home. She barely made it upstairs before collapsing onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Maybe she just needed sleep. Maybe tomorrow, everything would feel normal again.

At least, that's what she told herself as she closed her eyes.

But deep down, she wasn't so sure.