Chapter 5( is this it?love?)

Amy’s POV

The clinking of cutlery against porcelain echoed through the dining room, but it all felt distant, like I was underwater, detached from everything around me. I sat at the table, staring blankly at my plate as the events of last night replayed in my mind. The party was supposed to be perfect, well, maybe it was.

I had fun but I was worried about who the new guy was. He was going to throw me off balance."Amy, how was your party last night?" My mother’s voice pierced through my thoughts, pulling me back to the present. I hadn’t even realized she’d spoken until the butler appeared beside me, holding a plate of roasted chicken. I jumped, startled, and the fork in my hand clattered to the floor.

My mother’s brow furrowed as she looked at me, concern etched on her face. “Amy, what’s wrong with you? You’ve been quiet all morning.”I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat.

All I could think about was the new guy. the one who had fallen into the pool with me, the one who had teased me, who had an air of mystery that I couldn’t stop thinking about. I hadn’t even caught his name, and yet he was all I could think about.“Amy?” my mother repeated, her tone more insistent.

I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts. “Sorry, Mom. I’m fine. The party was... it was good.”Her eyes narrowed slightly, clearly unconvinced, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she gave a small nod and turned her attention back to her own meal, leaving me to stew in my thoughts.

After a restless night, I decided to get to school early the next morning. I needed answers, more than anything, I needed to find Jackson and figure out who the hell this guy was. With the influence I had at school, it wasn’t hard to track Jackson down. Everyone knew everyone’s business here, and it was easy to locate someone if you wanted to.I found Jackson leaning against the lockers, chatting with a few friends. He grinned when he saw me approaching. “Hey, birthday girl. How are you feeling after the big night?”“Who was he?” I asked, cutting straight to the point. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk.Jackson’s smile faltered slightly, and he tilted his head. “Who?”“The guy you brought to my party,” I clarified, trying to keep the edge out of my voice. “The one who said he was invited by you. What’s his name?”“Oh, you mean Austin?” Jackson replied, his tone casual. “Yeah, he’s a cool guy. Just transferred here not too long ago.”“Austin,” I repeated, the name finally giving shape to the face that had haunted my thoughts. “Thanks, Jackson.”I didn’t wait for his response before turning on my heel and heading down the hall. I needed to find Mel, to apologize for being so wrapped up in my own head yesterday and to make sure she was okay.I found her by her locker, her face buried in a textbook. “Mel, I’m sorry about yesterday,” I said, my voice soft. “I was trying to be a good friend, but I know I might have pushed too hard.”Mel looked up from her book, her expression softening. “No, Amy, it’s not your fault. I was the problem. I shouldn’t have stormed off like that. I just... I haven’t been myself lately.”“I get it,” I said, nodding. “You’ve been through a lot. I just want you to know I’m here for you, no matter what.”She gave me a small, grateful smile, and for a moment, it felt like everything was okay between us again. But then I couldn’t resist asking, “So, what did you think of that guy at the party? Austin?”Instantly, Mel’s expression darkened. She shut her locker with more force than necessary. “I don’t want to talk about him. He’s not worth my time.”Before I could press further, I noticed Mel’s body tense as she glanced over my shoulder. I followed her gaze and saw Austin walking down the hallway, his stride confident, his presence commanding attention without even trying.Mel turned away abruptly, burying her face in her locker as if trying to disappear. She walked off without another word, leaving me standing there, watching her retreating figure. I turned back to see Austin had reached me, his eyes curious.“Why did she walk away when she saw me?” he asked, his tone more amused than concerned.“Because you’re a jerk,” I replied without missing a beat and a mischievous smile. “Right from the first meeting.”Austin didn’t seem surprised or offended. Instead, he just shrugged. “Fair enough. See you around, Amy.”With that, he continued down the hall, leaving me standing there, fuming at his casual dismissal. There was something infuriating about how he carried himself, like he knew exactly what he was doing, and nothing could rattle him.The rest of the morning passed in a blur. I couldn’t focus on anything, my thoughts kept drifting back to Austin, to the way he seemed to have gotten under Mel’s skin, and mine. By the time I made it to class, I was a bundle of nerves.I took my seat near the back, trying to push all thoughts of Austin out of my mind. But as I reached for my notebook, my pencil slipped from my fingers, falling to the floor with a clatter. I bent down to pick it up, but as soon as my fingers brushed against it, a strange sensation washed over me, like a bolt of lightning striking through my body.My breath caught in my throat, and suddenly, the room seemed to spin. The walls wavered, and for a moment, I was somewhere else, an endless void where everything was crumbling, collapsing in on itself. A scream built in my throat, and before I could stop it, it tore out of me.The room snapped back into focus, and I realized I was standing, my chair knocked over, every pair of eyes in the room fixed on me. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could still feel the echo of that terrifying vision lingering in my mind.The teacher, clearly annoyed, arched an eyebrow at me.

“Amy, if you’re not feeling well, I suggest you go home.”Humiliation burned my cheeks as I nodded, grabbing my bag and hurrying out of the room. As I passed the rows of desks, my eyes met Austin’s.