The next morning at school, Lena could feel the weight of eyes on her before she even stepped foot inside the building. Whispers trailed after her, the unmistakable murmurs of people who thought they knew something.
It didn't take long for her to figure out why.
Apparently, Jaxon's teammates had noticed his absence the night before. He had skipped a team hangout, which was rare for him. When pressed about it, one of the guys had joked that maybe he was "too busy with Carter." It had started off as teasing, but when Jaxon didn't outright deny it, the speculation took off.
Now, everyone seemed convinced something had happened between them.
She spotted Jaxon near his locker, surrounded by a few of his basketball teammates. One of them, Ryan Porter, smirked as she walked by. "Fun night, Walker?"
Jaxon's easygoing expression didn't change, but there was a sharp edge in his eyes as he turned to Ryan. "You jealous, Carter?"
Ryan chuckled, shaking his head. "Just sayingâgirl like that? People are bound to talk."
Lena clenched her jaw, forcing herself to keep walking, but she could feel Jaxon watching her. As if he knew she'd heard. As if he was debating whether to say something.
She wasn't sure what was worseâthe fact that the rumors had already started or the fact that part of her cared what Jaxon would do about it.
By lunchtime, the rumors had morphed into something bigger. A few people snickered as she walked by, others whispered more openly, and one particularly bold sophomore outright asked if Jaxon had "finally sealed the deal."
Lena shot him a glare that could've set fire to the walls. "Are you serious right now?"
The kid shrugged. "Just what people are saying."
Frustrated, she pushed past him and made a beeline for the cafeteria. She spotted Ethan heading toward their usual table, but the moment he saw her, he changed direction and sat somewhere else, deliberately turning his back to her. The rejection stung more than she wanted to admit.
Jaxon slid into the seat across from her a few moments later, setting his tray down like he didn't have a care in the world. "You hear what people are saying about us, Carter?"
She exhaled sharply. "How could I not?"
He leaned back, crossing his arms. "You want me to shut it down?"
Lena hesitated. Jaxon had never cared what people said about him. If anything, he thrived off the attention. But this wasn't just about himâthis was about her, and the fact that their names were now tangled together in a way she hadn't expected.
She glanced over at Ethan again, still refusing to look at her, then back at Jaxon. "Would you?"
Jaxon tilted his head, studying her. "You really want me to?"
She swallowed. "I don't know."
For a moment, Jaxon didn't say anything. Then, with a casual smirk, he leaned in slightly, voice lower now. "Let me know when you figure it out, Carter."
And with that, he took a bite of his sandwich like none of this was a big deal, while Lena sat there, heart pounding, wondering why everything felt like it had suddenly changed.