Chapter 5 You Haven't Changed
Kenzie
The second I stepped through Westbrook’s front gates the next morning, I started looking over my shoulder.
You would’ve thought I was hiding from someone when all I was trying to do was avoid seeing him.
After yesterday, the last thing I needed was another conversation with Jace Ryder.
I adjusted the strap of my backpack and deliberately took the longer route toward the main building instead of cutting across the courtyard beside the football field.
It added almost three minutes to the walk, but it was worth it.
I unlocked my locker as quickly as I could, swapping out yesterday’s notebooks while keeping one eye on the hallway.
“You look suspicious.”
I nearly jumped.
Candice leaned against the locker beside mine with a coffee in one hand, Avery standing calmly beside her as though they hadn’t just taken five years off my life.
“I do not.”
“You’ve checked over your shoulder at least eight times since you walked in.”
“I counted six,” Avery corrected.
Candice waved dismissively.
“Either way, she’s acting weird.”
“I’m acting normal.”
Candice snorted.
“Are you trying to convince yourself or us?”
I rolled my eyes, closing my locker a little harder than necessary.
“I’m just tired.”
Candice stared at me for a moment before turning dramatically toward Avery.
“Is she being for real?”
Avery titled her head. “I don’t know.”
I couldn’t help smiling. Being around them always made everything feel lighter, even if only for a few minutes.
Candice linked her arm through mine as we started walking toward first period together.
“So…” she dragged the word out, “have you and Mr. Football Captain killed each other yet?”
I sighed.
“No.”
“Oh. So the chemistry is still simmering.”
“There is no chemistry.”
“There is definitely something.”
“We’ve barely said five words to each other and it’s only the third day of school. Don’t be delusional.”
Avery looked over at me.
“You spent half of English staring at him yesterday.”
“And you’re being defensive,” Candice chipped in.
“I absolutely did not.”
“You did.”
“I was trying to remember whether we’d finished the assignment.”
Candice laughed.
“Sure you were.”
Thankfully, the bell rang before either of them could continue teasing me.
The morning classes passed surprisingly quickly, mostly because every teacher seemed determined to spend the first week explaining syllabuses instead of actually teaching anything.
By lunchtime, I’d almost convinced myself I could get through the day without seeing Jace again.
Almost.
“Attention.”
Coach Carter stood near the center of the cafeteria alongside Coach Thompson, both of them waiting until the room had quietened enough for their voices to carry.
“This won’t take long,” Coach Carter said. “As most of you know, Westbrook has been selected to host this year’s regional spirit showcase before the state championships.”
A wave of excited murmurs spread through the cafeteria.
Coach Thompson continued.
“That means sponsors, alumni, local media, and college recruiters will be on campus a lot more than usual this semester.”
Coach Carter smiled.
“To prepare, the football team and cheer squad will be working together during pep rallies, sponsor appearances, community events, and promotional activities throughout the season.”
The cafeteria erupted.
Candice actually clapped.
“This is going to be so much fun.”
I had the exact opposite reaction.
No, no, no.
Coach Carter continued talking, listing dates and events I’d barely heard because my brain had already stopped processing words.
More time with the football team.
Which meant more time with Jace.
As though sensing my panic, Candice nudged my arm.
“You’ll survive.”
“I’m not worried.”
“Liar.”
“I am not lying.”
“You’ve been fidgeting with your fork for the last thirty seconds.”
I looked down.
She was right.
I immediately set it back on the tray.
I hated how I needed to remind myself that I didn’t need to hate myself for something I did when I was a kid. I didn’t even remember it, and if he wanted to hold a grudge for it, that’s on him.
The warning bell echoed through the cafeteria, sending everyone back toward afternoon classes.
English was my last class before cheer practice.
I slipped into my usual seat between Candice and Avery just as Miss Ana walked in carrying another stack of papers.
“Good afternoon.”
The class answered with a mixture of sleepy greetings.
“I’d like to remind everyone that your partner introductions are due tomorrow morning.”
My stomach dropped.
The assignment.
I’d completely forgotten.
Around the room, students immediately turned toward their partners, already making plans to finish whatever they’d left incomplete.
I slowly closed my eyes.
“Kenzie.”
I didn’t need to look up to know whose voice it was.
“I assume you haven’t finished it.”
I opened my eyes.
Jace hadn’t even turned around fully in his seat. He simply glanced back at me, one eyebrow raised, like he already knew the answer.
“I’ve been… busy.”
“So have I.”
Miss Ana looked up from her desk.
“If anyone still needs time with their partners, the library is open after school.”
Jace looked back at me.
“The library.”
I stared at him for a long moment before sighing.
“Fine.”
He faced the front again as though the conversation had never happened.
I wished it really hadn’t.
The final bell rang almost an hour later.
Usually, I’d be halfway to the locker room by now, changing into my practice clothes before Coach Carter could complain that I was cutting it close again. Instead, I stood at my locker pretending to reorganize notebooks that had already been organized twice.
“You’re stalling.”
I glanced over my shoulder.
Candice and Avery were leaning against the locker beside mine with their arms folded.
“I’m not.”
I sighed.
“I forgot about the assignment, okay?”
She grinned.
“I hope you know I’m expecting a full report tomorrow morning.”
“There won’t be anything to report.”
“Mhm.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Avery finally stepped in before Candice could say anything else.
“We’ll see you at practice.”
I frowned.
“You two aren’t staying?”
Candice shook her head.
“My dentist appointment.”
“And I promised my mum I’d stop by the bookstore with her,” Avery added.
Great.
So I’d be facing Jace alone.
“Good luck,” Candice said far too cheerfully.
“I don’t need luck.”
She smiled.
“I think you do.”
They left and I made my way to the library.
Jace sat alone at one of the tables near the back, his notebook open in front of him.
He looked up when he heard my footsteps.
“You’re late.”
I checked the clock on the wall.
“You were supposed to be here after school.”
“I had to stop at my locker.”
“You spent fifteen minutes at your locker.”
I blinked.
“Were you timing me?”
“No.”
“You definitely were.”
“I wasn’t.”
I pulled out the chair across from him and sat down.
“So,” I said, pulling the worksheet from my bag, “can we please finish this before one of us loses our mind?”
“I already have.”
“I was talking about me.”
He leaned back in his chair.
“I figured.”
I ignored that.
“Question four.”
I cleared my throat.
“What was military school like?”
The room fell completely still.
“It was school, how else was it supposed to be like?”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
“You spent three years there and that’s the best description you’ve got?”
“It taught me discipline.”
“Anything else?”
“No.”
I looked down at the paper.
He’d answered exactly the way I had.
For two people who apparently couldn’t stand each other, we were surprisingly good at avoiding the exact same kinds of questions.
Neither of us mentioned it.
Instead, we finished the last few questions without much argument, the conversation slipping into something unexpectedly easier.
Not friendly. Definitely not friendly. But no longer feeling like every sentence was another battle waiting to happen.
By the time the final answer had been written down, I realized almost forty minutes had passed.
“Done,” I said, sliding the worksheet toward the middle of the table.
“Finally.”
“You say that like this was my fault.”
“It mostly was.”
I laughed before I could stop myself.
It escaped so quickly that I wasn’t even sure I’d made the sound until his eyebrows lifted.
I cleared my throat.
I packed my notebook into my bag while he gathered his things with the same irritating precision he’d done everything else.
When I stood, so did he.
We walked toward the library doors in complete silence.
Just before I reached the exit, his voice stopped me.
“You haven’t changed at all.”
I turned around.
“What?”
He was already looking away.
“You heard me.”
“I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean.”
For a second, I thought he might answer.
Instead, he adjusted the strap of his backpack and walked past me without another word.
I stood there long after he’d disappeared down the hallway.
I couldn’t decide whether he’d just insulted me…
Or reminded me of something I’d spent the last three years trying to forget.
