Eliana had faced challenges in school before—tight deadlines, sleepless nights, even near-empty stomachs. But nothing compared to this.
Being in the same group as Mae Carter… while he flaunted another girl in her face? That was a different kind of academic stress.
The first official group meeting took place in one of the empty classrooms. Mae sat across the room with Lani practically draped over his shoulder, whispering things into his ear and laughing way too loudly. Eliana tried to focus on the spreadsheet in front of her, but her fingers trembled as she typed.
"We're dividing the sections into four," Dayo said, trying to keep things professional. "Eliana, you'll take the first analysis section. Mae, you handle the market trends. Lani can do the comparative data and I'll write the summary."
"Fine by me," Mae replied coolly. He looked straight at Eliana. "You okay with that?"
She nodded without looking up. "Sure."
"Great," Lani chimed in. "We work well when we all stay in our lanes."
The jab wasn't subtle.
Tolu, who had tagged along for moral support, leaned closer to Eliana and whispered, "She's trying too hard."
Eliana forced a smile but didn't respond. Her mind was spinning. Was this Mae's new game? To make her jealous? Because it was working. It was really working.
The following day, while heading to the library for research, Eliana felt a presence behind her.
"You still pretending I don't exist?" Mae's voice cut through the air like silk laced with tension.
She turned to him, startled. He stood casually, hands in his pocket, no Lani in sight.
"I wasn't pretending."
"You saw my texts."
"I replied."
"Days later, Eliana. You didn't even try to explain anything. You just disappeared."
She paused. "There was no light. I couldn't charge my phone. And I didn't have transport money. I didn't mean to leave you hanging…"
He stared at her for a moment, then gave a quiet scoff.
"Is that how fast you move on? One missed date and you're suddenly his girl?"
Eliana's chest tightened. "That's not fair."
"Life's not fair, Eliana. But you? I thought you were honest with me."
There was a long, weighted silence. Then, to her surprise, he softened.
"We still need to work on this project. Want to grab a milkshake and go through the framework?"
She hesitated. Everything in her screamed to say no. But her heart? It whispered something else.
"Okay. Just for the project."
They met at the same old milkshake spot later that afternoon. For a moment, it felt like old times. Mae was more relaxed, even teasing her a bit about her "business handwriting." Eliana laughed—really laughed—for the first time in days.
But then something shifted.
As they stood to leave, Mae leaned close to whisper something in her ear.
"You look good when you're mad at me… but even better when you're trying not to smile."
Eliana's breath caught. Her cheeks burned. And before she could stop herself, she leaned in… and kissed him.
A quick, impulsive kiss.
Mae froze, stunned.
Eliana immediately pulled back, eyes wide in disbelief at what she'd just done.
"Oh my God…" she muttered, backing away. "I-I don't know why I—"
Mae didn't say a word. Just stood there, watching her with an unreadable expression.
And Eliana? She turned and walked away—her heart thudding, her mind screaming, and her emotions spiraling all over again.