The afternoon sunlight filtered through the curtains of the house as Sienna marched down the hallway, determined. She pushed open Ash’s door without knocking.

 Ash looked up from his laptop, eyebrows raised. “What do you want from me?”

 Sienna grinned mischievously. “Nothing much. Just a few questions for you.”

 Ash smirked, closing his laptop. “What is this, an interrogation session?”

 “Pretty much,” she replied, holding up a single sheet of paper. “I see you’ve been kinda busy with college work, so I’m being efficient. I’ll come back in an hour to collect this.”

 Before Ash could protest, she was already halfway out the door.

 Ash stared at the paper, his sharp eyes scanning the questions. It was clear what this was for — and who it was about.

 He let out a small huff, a knowing smirk playing at his lips.

 The questions asked if he was in a relationship, who with, if he planned to break up soon, and what his ideal type was.

 Instead of helping Chris, Ash playfully sabotaged the answers:

— Relationship? “Yes.”

— Partner’s gender? “Girl.”

— Planning to break up soon? “No.”

— Ideal type for a guy? “Someone above 21 with black hair.”

 He deliberately chose every option that didn’t fit Chris.

 When Sienna returned, Ash handed over the paper with a wink.

 She glanced over it quickly and sighed, a hint of disappointment in her eyes—not serious, just a little resigned.

 “Alright, Ash,” she said lightly. “Thanks for your honesty.”

 Ash chuckled as she left, knowing full well what game was being played — and that Chris might still have a chance, even if Ash pretended otherwise.  

The next day at school, Chris spotted Sienna waiting near his locker. She grinned, holding her signature mischievous look.

 “I’ve got two pieces of news for you,” she said, folding her arms. “One bad, one worse. Which do you want first?”

 Chris rubbed the back of his neck, bracing himself. “Give me the bad one.”

 Sienna’s smile faltered a bit. “Ash is going back to college in two days.”

 Chris blinked. “What could be worse than that?”

 She pulled out the paper Ash had “helpfully” filled out and waved it teasingly. “This.”

 Chris’s heart sank as he saw the answers: Ash claimed to be in a relationship—with a girl. And his ideal guy? Someone with black hair, over 21. All answers that didn’t fit Chris at all.

 Suddenly, a million feelings tangled inside him: hope, jealousy, confusion, and a sharp sting of insecurity. He tried to keep his face neutral, but his eyes flicked toward Laurel, standing a little ways off.

 Sienna caught the shift. “You okay?”

 Before Chris could answer, Laurel walked over, her expression unreadable. “Don’t you think we need to talk before you get a new girlfriend?”

 Sienna rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, then turned and slipped away quietly while neither Chris nor Amber noticed.

 Chris took a deep breath. “Laurel… I didn’t mean for things to be weird between us.”

 Laurel looked at Chris, her eyes soft but serious. “Honestly, Chris… it wasn’t just a random feeling. I started noticing things—little things you didn’t realize you were doing. Like how you’d avoid certain topics, or how you seemed different around some people. And then there was that one time you didn’t want to go to that party because ‘you had other plans,’ but you never said what.”

 Chris swallowed hard, guilt and confusion swirling inside him. “Laurel, I’m so sorry. Back then, I was really confused. I didn’t even understand it myself. I didn’t want to hurt you or make things messy, so I just kept quiet.”

 Laurel gave a small, understanding smile. “I get it now. You were figuring things out, and I was just waiting for you to trust me enough to tell me.”

 Chris looked down for a moment, then back up. “I never wanted to lie to you. I was scared—scared of what I was feeling and what it meant.”

 Laurel reached out and gave his arm a light squeeze. “It’s okay. I’m glad we talked. It clears the air.”

 Chris nodded, feeling a weight lift from his chest. “So… you’re not mad?”

 "Not at all,” Laurel said with a smile. “And no, I’m not jealous of Sienna. You two are just friends, right?”

 “No,” Chris said quickly. “Just friends. She’s Nick’s neighbor.”

 Laurel laughed softly, the tension easing between them. “Good. Because I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to survive high school without my favorite person around.”

 Chris smiled back. “You’ll be fine. And who knows? Maybe I’ll finally figure things out.”

Later that evening, Chris texted Sienna:

 “Laurel and I finally talked. Turns out she kinda knew I was gay or should I say bi before I did. Weird, right?”

 Sienna’s reply came instantly, laughing emoji included:

“That’s gold. Drama, secrets, and awkward honesty — sounds like your life.”

 Chris smiled and typed back:

“Yeah. So, what about tomorrow?”

 “Come to my house after school,” she suggested. “You can see Ash before he leaves for college. But keep it low-key — like you’re just coming to see me.”

 Chris nodded to himself, hopeful again.

 Meanwhile, Nick and Jin exchanged knowing looks in the hallway. They’d been watching Chris and Sienna’s interactions for weeks now. “You think they’re dating?” Jin whispered.

 Nick grinned. “Either that or they’ve got some serious secret.”

 “They’ve got to be dating” Jin replied.