Chapter 138: HARPER

Being officially Tyler Mercer’s girlfriend came with perks I didn’t know how to process.

It started small, almost subtle enough to ignore. People who had never spoken to me before suddenly smiled when I passed them in the hallway. A few even waved, like we had always been on friendly terms. By second period, someone I barely knew complimented my hair. By lunch, I had been pulled into two random conversations that had nothing to do with school.

It felt… strange.

Not bad. Just unfamiliar, like I had stepped into someone else’s life without fully belonging there yet.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was still trying to make sense of it when Tyler’s hand settled at my waist, guiding me toward our usual table. I had been sitting there for weeks now, ever since we became friends, but this time felt different.

Everything felt different.

“Careful,” he murmured near my ear, his hand steady at my side as we walked. “You’re drifting again.”

“I’m not drifting,” I said, even though I probably was.

He huffed out a quiet laugh but didn’t argue, just pulled out a chair for me before taking the seat beside me. That alone made a few heads turn, and I felt the heat creep up my neck before I could stop it.

This was exactly why I thought he shouldn’t have announced it in class that morning.

I was still thinking about that when Peter leaned forward, snapping his fingers lightly in front of my face. “Earth to Harper. What do you think?”

I blinked, realizing I had no idea what he was talking about. “What?”

Peter groaned. “Wow. That bad?”

I turned to Tyler for help, but that turned out to be a mistake because he wasn’t even paying attention to the conversation. He was looking at me.

Not just looking.

Staring.

His gaze softened in a way that made my stomach do something ridiculous, and before I could react, he reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face. My breath caught.

“What?” I asked, suddenly very aware of everyone at the table.

“Nothing,” he said quietly, like that explained everything.

A loud gagging sound echoed from across the table. I turned immediately to see Kane clutching his chest dramatically.

“I can’t take it,” he said, making another exaggerated retching sound. “You people are infecting us. This is how it starts. One minute we’re fine, next minute I’m catching feelings against my will.”

Peter nodded in agreement. “Seriously. I support this relationship, I really do. But must you showcase it like this? Some of us are struggling here.”

Heat rushed to my face as I tried to hide a smile. “We’re not even doing anything.”

“You just did,” Billy said from beside me, grinning. “That whole soft stare thing? Yeah, that was illegal.”

Tyler scoffed, slipping his hand onto my lap like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Don’t mind them. They’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” Kane protested. “I’m concerned for my sanity.”

Tyler leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek before pulling back like nothing happened.

Billy immediately let out an exaggerated “aww,” and the rest of the table joined in, laughing and throwing comments his way.

“Look at this guy,” Peter added. “Mr. ‘I don’t do relationships’ suddenly acting like he’s been writing love poems in secret.”

“Disgusting transformation,” Jax muttered.

Tyler rolled his eyes. “All of you need to mind your business.”

“Your business is very loud right now,” Kane shot back.

The table burst into laughter again, and I couldn’t help it. I laughed too, even as I tried to hide my face.

It felt light.

Easy.

Like everything had finally settled into something good. But when my eyes met Mark’s across the table, something in my chest sank.

His smile was there, but it didn’t reach his eyes. It was tight, controlled, like he was trying harder than he should have to look okay.

Then he stood up.

“I’ll be back,” he muttered, already walking away.

Most of the table didn’t notice, still caught up in their jokes, but Tyler did. His brows pulled together slightly.

“Where ‘re you going?” Tyler called after him. “We’re supposed to hit the gym later.”

Mark didn’t turn back. “I’ll start early.”

The moment he disappeared, the energy at the table shifted.

It wasn’t obvious at first, but it was there. A small crack in something that had felt too perfect.

Jax cleared his throat awkwardly. “Sometimes I forget there’s actual history between—”

Tyler shot him a look that shut him up immediately.

I exhaled quietly, then leaned forward slightly. “Peter, what were you asking earlier?”

Peter blinked, then lit up like he was grateful for the change. “Right. I was saying we should throw a party. You know, to celebrate you two officially becoming a thing.”

I smiled, shaking my head. “We’ve already been planning the senior party and prom. Isn’t that a bit much?”

Tyler nodded beside me. “Exactly. And even if I want to celebrate, it’ll be with my girlfriend. Not you lot trying to attach yourselves to my relationship.”

Peter threw a piece of food at him. “Selfish.”

The table slipped back into laughter again, and the tension eased just enough for it to feel normal.

I used that moment to stand. “I’ll be back.”

“Bathroom?” Tyler asked.

“Yeah.”

He nodded, but his hand brushed mine lightly before I left, like he didn’t want to let go completely. I smiled faintly and walked away.

But I didn’t go to the bathroom.

Instead, I headed toward the gym.

I found Mark sitting alone on the bleachers, his hockey stick resting across his lap as he turned it idly in his hands. He looked up when he heard my footsteps, and for a second, something like surprise crossed his face.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey,” he replied, sitting up straighter. “Didn’t expect you here.”

“Can I sit?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

I sat beside him, neither of us saying anything for a while. The silence stretched between us, not uncomfortable, just…uncertain.

“I didn’t really think this through,” I admitted after a while. “Coming here, I mean.”

Mark let out a small breath that almost sounded like a laugh. “You probably should be with your boyfriend. Enjoying all that attention.”

I raised a brow. “That sounds a little like jealousy.”

He stood up immediately, running a hand through his hair. “Sorry. That came out wrong.”

I watched him for a second. “Did it?”

He hesitated, then sighed. “I can’t help it, Harper. Sometimes I just think… maybe if I was like him, maybe popular, or….I don't know…things would’ve been different.”

Something in my chest tightened.

“Mark—”

He shook his head, cutting me off. “I’m not blaming you. I meant what I said before. You and Tyler—that’s your choice. I get it.”

His voice softened slightly. “But now that it’s real, it’s just… harder to ignore.”

I swallowed. “It wasn’t about popularity.”

He gave me a look. “You don’t have to say that.”

“I’m serious,” I insisted. “Even if Tyler wasn’t… Tyler, I would still feel the same way about him.”

Mark let out a quiet laugh, but it didn’t sound amused. “That doesn’t make it hurt less.”

I looked down at my hands. “I still care about you.”

“I know,” he said. “That’s not the problem.”

I hesitated before speaking again. “It’ll get easier. When you start moving on.”

He shook his head slightly. “Easy for you to say.”

“It’s not,” I replied. “You’re a good person, Mark. Anyone who actually gets to know you would see that.”

He looked at me for a second, then smiled faintly. “You got to know me.”

My chest tightened. “It was complicated.”

“Because you already liked him,” he said.

I nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

He exhaled, then nodded to himself. “I’ll try. Moving on, I mean.”

Then he added, quieter, “It’s just harder when my sister suddenly decides to be nice to me at home. It’s weird.”

I blinked. “Megan?”

“Yeah,” he said. “If we hadn’t broken up, she’d still be fighting with me. Now she’s acting like I need emotional support.”

I let out a small laugh. “That’s not a bad thing.”

“It is when she cut you off because of me,” he replied. “You should talk to her.”

“I tried,” I said. “She didn’t want to listen.”

“Maybe you didn’t try enough,” he said gently. “Or maybe you’re avoiding her too.”

I went quiet. Because honestly…he wasn’t wrong.

“I miss her,” I admitted.

“I know she misses you too,” he said. “You just have to meet her halfway.”

The bell rang then, breaking the moment.

Mark stood up, grabbing his stick. “I’ve got to change.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

He paused for a second before adding, “It’ll work out, Harper.”

“I hope so,” I said.

He gave me a small nod, then walked off.

I stayed there for a moment longer, staring at nothing in particular.

Everything felt good. Almost too good.

That was the problem.

Everything felt like it had finally fallen into place. Tyler. The way people suddenly saw me. The way I didn’t feel invisible anymore. Mark and I still being friends— It all felt… right. But not complete.

Because there was still a space that hadn’t been filled. One I had been pretending didn’t matter.

Megan.

I let out a slow breath, staring down at my hands for a second before pushing myself up from the bench. Mark’s words kept echoing in my head, louder now that I wasn’t trying to ignore them.

‘Maybe you’re not trying hard enough.’

Maybe he was right.

Maybe I had been avoiding her just as much as she had been avoiding me.

My chest tightened slightly at the thought. Megan wasn’t just anyone. She had been there before everything got complicated, before feelings and relationships started turning simple things into something fragile.

And I missed her.

More than I had let myself admit.

“I’ll talk to her,” I murmured under my breath, like saying it out loud would make it real. “After school.”

It felt like the right decision.

I adjusted my bag and stepped into the hallway, trying to focus on Megan and what I would say to her. But before I got far, a strange feeling settled over me, like someone was watching.

I turned into the next corridor and saw a guy in a hoodie standing still. The moment he noticed me, he turned and started walking away, too fast to be normal. Something in my chest tightened and I followed, picking up my pace.

“Hey,” I called, but he didn’t stop.

He headed straight for the exit, moving quicker until he disappeared into the crowd.

I stopped, breath uneven.

Because I could have sworn it was Sam.

A chill crawled over my skin, and I knew I wouldn’t feel safe until I told someone my suspicion and made sure he was out of my life for good.