Chapter 9

 Julie Vaz

It’s funny how the smallest things can change everything.

It had been a week since Alexander and I sat in that café, celebrating my NYU acceptance, and though it felt like so much had shifted in that short time, I still couldn’t pinpoint exactly when or how. Maybe it was just the act of being in his company without the old layers of tension, or maybe it was the fact that we had finally spoken—really spoken—instead of just exchanging barbs or pretending the other didn’t exist.

But whatever it was, something had changed.

The project we’d been working on was almost finished. The end was in sight, and even though it had been mostly a disaster of awkward silences and half-hearted attempts at collaboration, I was surprised to admit that I didn’t want it to end. Not the project itself—that could’ve ended days ago as far as I was concerned—but the way things felt between us now. I hadn’t expected that.

Sitting at my desk that morning, staring at my laptop as I went through the final revisions on our paper, I couldn’t help but notice how... normal it all felt. Like we’d just become two people who happened to be working on a project, not two people who had been thrown together out of sheer misfortune. It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be.

I hadn’t heard from Alexander since our coffee date, and part of me was almost nervous about what it meant. It wasn’t like we’d suddenly become best friends, but... it had felt like we were at least on the same page for once. Maybe that was the problem. I wasn’t sure where things stood now, and I hated not knowing.

I stared at my phone, my finger hovering over his contact. Should I text him? Should I let him be the one to reach out first?

I shook my head. No. I was overthinking it. I had bigger things to worry about—like graduation, or packing for college. But then, just as I was about to throw my phone down and refocus, it dinged.

New message from: Alexander Carter.

I blinked and almost dropped the phone. I didn’t even have to look at the message to know who it was from. The fact that he was messaging me felt strange enough.

Hey, how’s the final draft coming along?

I stared at the text for a moment before typing a quick response.

Almost done. I think we’re actually going to pull this off.

It wasn’t a lie. The project was almost finished, and while I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it, it felt like a victory in its own right. We’d made it through the awkwardness, through the weird silences, and here we were.

Good to hear. Want to meet up later to go over it?

I frowned at the message. Meeting up again? We hadn’t planned that. I hadn’t even expected it. But... part of me was curious. Maybe this was our way of wrapping things up—together.

Sure. I’ll meet you at the library after school?

Sounds good. See you then.

I felt a strange mix of emotions as I locked my phone and stood up to get ready for school. There was a part of me that was nervous, unsure of what was about to happen. But there was another part—the part that had gotten used to seeing him as more than just the arrogant guy I had to work with—that couldn’t help but feel a little... hopeful.

The day dragged on slower than usual, and I found it almost impossible to concentrate. My mind kept drifting back to the last conversation we’d had at the café, where I’d realized just how much I didn’t know about Alexander. About his pressures, his future, his own fears and dreams. He wasn’t who I thought he was. And in a way, I wasn’t who he thought I was either. It felt strange, like we were both still learning the rules to some game that neither of us fully understood.

By the time school ended, I found myself walking toward the library with an unexpected sense of anticipation. The air outside had that familiar spring crispness to it, but it felt like the calm before something bigger. Something was about to happen. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I could feel it.

When I stepped into the library, I spotted Alexander immediately. He was sitting at one of the tables, his gaze focused on the screen of his laptop, and there was something almost... different about him. He didn’t have that usual "too-cool-for-this" look, the one that made me feel like he was constantly putting on a show. Instead, he seemed absorbed in the work, leaning forward like he actually cared.

I walked over, feeling my heart beat a little faster as I approached him.

“Hey,” I said, trying to keep my voice light, casual. “You’re early.”

He looked up, and his lips curved into a small, almost genuine smile. “Yeah. I figured I’d get a head start on this so we don’t end up last-minute rushing it.”

I sat down across from him, noticing how the space between us felt... smaller. Less like a battlefield and more like a simple exchange of ideas. For the first time, I didn’t feel like we were on opposite sides of something. We were just two people who had to get through this together.

“I think we’re pretty much done,” I said, pulling up the document on my laptop. “I’ve gone through it a couple of times already, but if you want to check over it one more time...”

Alexander nodded. “Yeah, I’ll take a look. But I think you’re right. We’ve got everything we need.” He paused, leaning back in his chair, and for a second, I almost forgot we were working on a project. We were just talking.

“You ever think about what happens after graduation?” he asked, his voice quieter than usual.

I blinked, a little thrown off by the shift in topic. “I mean... yeah. I’m going to NYU, so that’s a big change. I’ve been planning it for so long, it’s hard to believe it’s finally happening.”

He nodded, looking away for a moment. “I don’t know what I’m doing yet. It feels weird, you know? Everyone’s got their futures planned out, but I don’t. I don’t know if I want to follow the path my parents set for me.”

There it was again. That vulnerability I’d caught a glimpse of before. For a second, I just stared at him, unsure of how to respond. What was I supposed to say to that? “You don’t have to follow anyone else’s path,” I said slowly. “You get to choose what you want to do. It’s your future, not theirs.”

He looked at me then, really looked at me, and for the first time, I could see something in his eyes. Something that wasn’t the usual Alexander—indifferent, aloof, untouchable—but someone who was... figuring it out.

“You’re right,” he said softly. “I know that. I just need to figure it out.”

We sat there for a moment, the weight of the conversation hanging between us. It felt different now—like we were no longer just pretending to be partners or classmates. We were two people who had shared something real, even if it was just for a few moments.

Finally, I broke the silence. “Well, I guess we’ve earned our break. What do you want to do now? Celebrate?”

He chuckled, the sound warm and genuine. “I think we’ve earned that.”

And as we closed our laptops and walked out of the library, side by side, I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of something unexpected.

Something good.