Quinn walked to school palms sweating and mind racing. He had decided to avoid Stella the best he could. They barely interacted with each other anyway, so it should be easy. Quinn was confident that if he could go one day acting normal around the girl, he would manage afterwards too.

Jamie could barely hide a smile when his brother clenched and unclenched his fists every few minutes. Whoever the girl in his mind was, she must’ve been special to make Quinn this nervous.

They walked inside the school and almost immediately ran into Stella and Justin. Color drained from Quinn’s face when he saw Stella.

Stella was focused on opening the door to the student council room and didn’t notice them. Justin looked after the brothers when Quinn speeded past them and Jamie hurried after him.

“I wonder what’s up with Quinn,” Justin said when he followed Stella in the room.

“What do you mean?”

“They walked past just now, and Quinn looked like he was about to throw up. He shouldn’t come to school if he’s sick.”

“Maybe he played games all night.”

Stella dropped her bags on the floor to water Benjamin. She was proud of the plant. It had grown so much during the year. She was proud of herself too; she hadn’t killed it yet.

“Maybe. Do you have all the receipts from your shopping?”

“Yeah, they’re in the folder. Melanie can get them later. I was thinking that we should buy some plants for the room. It’d freshen things up.”

Justin made an approving noise and scribbled a note on his papers. He hoped this would be the last student council meeting they’d spend on the lounge. He’d be happy to focus on normal topics instead of contacting furniture stores and workers, or giving Stella opinions on whether a beige or eggshell coloured rug would be better on the floor.

*

The day was almost over, and Quinn was extremely proud of his avoiding skills. He hadn’t talked to Stella once. They were in biology class, and then he needed to survive PE, and he’d emerge victorious. They had no team sports planned for the day, so it should be an easy feat as well. Quinn glanced over his shoulder. Stella and Marley were sitting one row behind him and across the aisle, talking to each other.

It was rare to see Stella sitting with anyone else than Justin, but Mr student council president wasn’t on this course, so Stella had paired up with a girl from a different class. They were quite an odd pair. Marley’s punk style with dyed hair, ripped jeans and piercings was a stark contrast to Stella’s light pink turtleneck sweater and white jeans. But they got along well. Something Marley said made Stella laugh, and Quinn smiled.

“...and then Duncan ran up the stairs with the sock still on his tail,” Marley laughed.

Stella chuckled as well. Marley’s dog was amusing. She had seen pictures of the fluff ball, and he was charming even to a cat person like Stella. He wasn’t too bright though if he got scared by a sock.

They turned their attention to the blackboard where Mrs Miller was explaining how the gastrointestinal tract worked. Stella hurried to take notes. The atmosphere in Mrs Miller’s classes was always relaxed as long as you didn’t bother others and did at least a little bit of work. It was optimal for talking with friends.

“Omg. Don’t look, but Quinn’s looking at us,” Marley whispered with an excited tone.

Naturally, Stella raised her head from her notebook and caught Quinn’s eyes. The boy’s cheeks flushed bright red. He spun around and bumped his desk with his elbow which made a pencil fall on the floor. He picked it up but hit his head in the corner of the desk when straightening himself. Quinn let out a quiet swear and continued writing notes while rubbing the aching spot with his other hand.

Marley grabbed Stella’s arm.

“No way. He likes you.”

“What do you mean? It doesn’t mean someone likes you if they look at you,” Stella huffed.

“But he blushed and panicked.”

“Maybe he zoned out and got embarrassed that we noticed.”

“You can’t be serious. He clearly—”

“That’s enough,” Stella said with a louder voice than intended. 

The whole class turned to look at her, and it was Stella’s turn to blush.

“Is there something wrong with my teaching, Ms Wilde?” Mrs Miller asked.

“Not at all. I’m sorry. I was talking with Marley,” Stella said.

“Could you please speak more quietly then or perhaps focus on the teaching?”

“Of course Mrs Miller. I apologize.”

Few classmates snickered, but Mrs Miller didn’t give anyone time to start gossiping. She powered ahead with facts about the small intestine.

“Wow, embarrassing,” Marley whispered.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Stella muttered with a sour tone. “No more words about Quinn.”

Marley pouted, but they both focused on the teaching. Stella glanced at Quinn’s back a few times. An idea popped in her head. Maybe he was worried that Stella was going to tell someone what happened in the elevator. He probably didn’t want other people to know about his claustrophobia. She should talk with him and make it clear that she wouldn't tell anyone.

Quinn was relieved when the lesson was finally over. He shoved his books in his bag and hurried out of the classroom. He wanted to disappear. Stella and Marley had noticed his staring, and now they probably thought he was weird and made fun of him. They wondered why he was staring, maybe called him a creep. Quinn hurried his steps. He needed to stay as far away from Stella as possible.

“Quinn, wait!”

The plan failed faster than Quinn came up with it. Stella called him, and Quinn stopped in his tracks. He couldn’t pretend he didn’t hear even though he really wanted to. Stella ran after him. Her short hair swished from side to side, and she gripped the strap of her bag. 

“Quinn, do you have a moment?” Stella asked when she caught up with him. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She wasn’t even out of breath from the sprinting.

In a blink of an eye Quinn’s mouth was dry. He swallowed and nodded. He needed to stay calm.

“Y..yeah.”

His palms started to sweat. Yeah, totally calm.

“Good. I just wanted to say that you don’t need to worry. I won’t tell anyone,” Stella said and smiled. “About the elevator thing I mean.”

“What? Oh, right. Thanks.”

Quinn barely remembered the whole event. The reveal of Spica’s identity had pushed it out of his mind.

“That’s what you were thinking in class, right?”

“Yes! Exactly. The elevator thing and nothing else. I was worried you were laughing at me...”

“We wouldn’t do that. But at least you know now that there’s no need to worry. My lips are sealed.”

Stella smiled and touched his arm before saying goodbye. She hurried down the hallway to the locker rooms. They would be doing gymnastics, and Stella was excited.

Quinn looked after Stella until she disappeared down the stairs. One problem solved, and easier than he had expected. Quinn sighed, and a small smile tucked his lips. Maybe he would be able to talk with Stella normally.

*

When Stella came home that evening, legs aching after her tennis practice, she found the house dark and empty. Her mother had left a note on the living room table. She had gone for a romantic dinner with her husband, and Mathilda had made food Stella could find in the fridge.

Stella piled her plate full of chicken and vegetable pasta, and headed to her room with it. Stella didn’t like to eat in her room, but she didn’t want to eat in the empty dining area either.

Mila raised her head from Stella’s bed when the girl walked in the room. The cat kept her green eyes glued to the pasta plate while Stella changed to leggings and a loose t-shirt.

Stella settled in front of her computer, and Mila appeared at her side meowing. Stella sighed and fed a tiny piece of chicken to her. She logged in on Argent Night while trying to eat with the other hand and not drop pasta everywhere.

GeminiWarrior wasn’t online, and disappointment panged in Stella’s chest. Of course he couldn’t be online every time she was on, but it would’ve been nice to play together. Stella decided to still play. She needed to kill those birds for the event.

Instead of killing anything worth mentioning, Stella wandered around the area near Farne. Her eyes kept glancing at her online friends list every few minutes, and she couldn’t focus. A small scouting group of bird soldiers wandered nearby, and she punched them down with a few Clap of Thunders. It felt more like a chore than a fun activity, so Stella decided to give up on playing. She wasn’t enjoying it.

She was about to log out when GeminWarrior’s status changed to online. Stella’s heart jumped, and she clicked the chat box open faster than was probably normal for a casual gaming friend to do.

[Spica]: Hi :)

GeminiWarrior went offline. Oh. Stella’s face fell. He was probably busy, but logged in to collect his daily rewards. He didn’t leave because of her. He was just busy. Stella repeated the lines to herself, but the sour feeling of doubt followed her to bed. What if it was because of her?