Ava had been feeling it all day—the weight of someone’s eyes on her. It wasn’t new; she was used to being stared at. She was loud, unapologetic, and always in the center of chaos. People either adored her or hated her. But this was different. This gaze wasn’t filled with judgment or amusement. It was something else entirely.

She brushed it off at first, thinking it was just in her head. But then the small things started happening.

First, she found an energy drink on her desk before class. It was her favorite brand, unopened, chilled as if it had just been taken from a fridge. She had frowned, looking around, but no one claimed it.

Then, her bag—usually a mess of books and candy wrappers—was suddenly neatly arranged when she returned from gym class. It was subtle, unnoticeable to most, but Ava noticed.

And now, as she sat in the cafeteria with the rest of Section E, laughing at Kai’s dumb joke about Jae’s horrible texting skills, she felt it again—that persistent gaze.

Jae was already in a foul mood. He had been ever since the fight with Section D, ever since he realized there was another player in the game. Someone else was looking at Ava the way only he should. And the worst part? She didn’t even notice.

Kai nudged him. “You’ve been stabbing your fork into that rice for the past five minutes. Should I be worried?”

“Shut up,” Jae muttered, not taking his eyes off Ava.

She was talking to Lily now, completely unaware of the way a certain someone across the cafeteria was watching her.

The boy was quiet, unnoticed in the sea of students. He was the type that blended in so well that no one ever paid much attention to him. Except when it came to Ava.

Because to him, Ava was impossible to ignore.

He had been watching her long before the fight with Section D. Long before Jae had started acting territorial over her. He had seen her laugh, fight, and take on the world like nothing could break her. And now, he was done watching from the sidelines.

After lunch, Ava was walking down the hallway alone when she heard someone call her name.

She turned, blinking in surprise as a boy stepped forward. He wasn’t familiar—not really. He was in her class, but they had never spoken.

“You’re Ava,” he said, as if confirming it for himself.

She raised a brow. “Uh, yeah. And you are?”

A small smile tugged at his lips. “Ethan.”

There was something about the way he looked at her that made her hesitate. Not the usual flirtation she was used to.

“You should be more careful,” he said after a pause. “Not everyone likes how fearless you are.”

Ava smirked. “Good. I’d rather be feared than ignored.”

He chuckled. “I figured you’d say that.” Then, with a glance over his shoulder, he added, “See you around, Ava.”

She watched him leave, the interaction lingering in her mind longer than it should have.

What she didn’t see was Jae standing at the end of the hallway, his jaw clenched as he watched them. He didn’t know who Ethan was, but he knew one thing for certain—he didn’t like him.