Chapter Six - Emily’s POV

The week had only just begun, but I already felt exhausted in a way that had nothing to do with my classes.

I arrived at my locker on Tuesday morning and froze. A single red rose leaned against the metal door, its petals perfect and vibrant. A small white card was attached. My heart gave a traitorous little jump before I forced it back down.

I glanced around quickly. A few students were watching, whispering. Of course they were.

I pulled the card off and opened it.

“For the girl who keeps surprising me. — A.V.”

I stared at the elegant handwriting for a long moment, then slipped the note into my bag and left the rose exactly where it was. I wasn’t going to carry it around like some trophy.

Sophie appeared beside me a minute later, eyes wide. “Is that…?”

“Yes,” I said, closing my locker firmly. “And I’m not touching it.”

“Girl.” She looped her arm through mine as we walked to first period. “He’s not giving up. Marcus tried yesterday, now Aiden is sending roses? This feels coordinated.”

“I know,” I muttered. “But I’m not playing whatever game this is.”

All morning, I felt his eyes on me. In the hallway. During roll call in Literature. Even in the cafeteria at lunch, where he sat with his usual crew but kept glancing in my direction. Each time our eyes accidentally met, that same stupid flutter returned to my chest. I hated it.

By the end of last period, I was drained. I headed toward the side exit, hoping to avoid the main crowd and catch my bus early.

“Emily.”

His voice stopped me near the parking lot area. Deep, smooth, and far too close.

I turned slowly. Aiden Voss stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, wearing that signature reckless half-smirk. But there was something different in his eyes today — something almost genuine beneath the confidence.

“What do you want, Aiden?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.

He stepped closer but stopped when he saw me tense. “You left the rose.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

I adjusted my backpack strap, trying to ignore how tall he was and how intently he was watching me. “Because I don’t accept gifts from guys who knock my books down for attention. Or from guys who only notice me because I said no.”

Aiden’s smirk faded slightly. He ran a hand through his messy dark hair. “You’re really going to make this difficult, aren’t you?”

“I’m not making anything,” I replied. “I’m just trying to survive at this school. I have a scholarship to protect. Grades to maintain. A family that sacrificed a lot to get me here. I don’t have time for whatever game you and your friends are playing.”

He took another small step forward. Not threatening, but close enough that I could smell his cologne, something expensive and woodsy that made my stomach tighten.

“It’s not a game,” he said quietly.

I let out a soft, disbelieving laugh. “Really? Then what is it? You don’t even know me.”

“I know you’re different.” His gray eyes held mine, intense and searching. “Most girls here look at me and see money. Cars. Status. You look at me like you see right through all of it. And that… intrigues me.”

For a moment, I almost softened. There was something raw in his voice, a loneliness that echoed the emptiness I sometimes felt when I thought about my own family’s struggles. But I caught myself.

“That’s exactly why I’m staying away,” I whispered. “Boys like you don’t get intrigued. You get bored. And when you get bored, you leave broken hearts behind. I can’t afford to be one of them.”

Aiden’s jaw tightened. He looked like he wanted to argue, but instead he just watched me for a long, heavy second.

“You’re scared,” he said finally.

“Yes,” I admitted honestly. “I’m scared of losing everything I’ve worked for. And I’m scared of boys who think they can have whatever they want just because they’re rich and handsome.”

The word “handsome” slipped out before I could stop it. Heat rushed to my cheeks.

Aiden noticed. A small, real smile tugged at the corner of his lips, not the cocky one, but something softer. “You think I’m handsome?”

I rolled my eyes, stepping back. “That’s not the point. The point is, stay away from me, Aiden. Please. I’m asking nicely.”

He didn’t move. For several heartbeats, we just stood there in the fading afternoon light, the distant sounds of students leaving school floating around us.

“What if I’m not playing?” he asked, voice lower. “What if I actually want to know you?”

My heart betrayed me again, beating faster. I wanted to believe him. Some foolish part of me did believe him. But I had seen too many girls at my old school destroyed by boys who made promises with pretty words.

“Then prove it,” I said softly. “By respecting what I’m asking. Leave me alone.”

I turned and walked away before he could respond, my legs shaky and my chest tight. I didn’t look back, even though every part of me wanted to.

Sophie was waiting near the bus stop, bouncing on her toes. “Well? What happened?”

“He tried again,” I said, climbing onto the bus and sliding into a seat. “Roses. Words. That intense stare. The whole package.”

Sophie groaned. “And?”

“I told him to stay away.” I leaned my head against the cool window. “But Soph… I think he’s going to keep trying.”

She studied my face carefully. “And part of you wants him to?”

I didn’t answer right away. The bus started moving, carrying us away from Westbridge and back toward reality.

“I can’t want him,” I whispered finally. “My parents are counting on me. We’re barely making rent as it is. This scholarship is our only way out. If I get distracted by a rich boy who will eventually get bored and move on… I’ll never forgive myself.”

Sophie squeezed my hand. “Then don’t fall. No matter how good he looks or how lonely his eyes seem. Promise me.”

I nodded. “I promise.”

But as the bus drove farther from the school, I touched the spot on my hand where Aiden’s fingers had brushed mine days ago. The memory of his voice, quiet, almost vulnerable  kept replaying in my head.

I closed my eyes and whispered to myself again:

Don’t fall, Emily.

Yet deep down, I was terrified the fall had already started, slow and terrifying, like the first drop on a rollercoaster you can’t get off.