Chapter 21 The End of #AdrianMelissa

Chapter 21 The End of #AdrianMelissa


VANESSA’S POV

The bell rang, and for the first time since I got to this school, I actually wanted to stay in class. Usually, I’m the first person out the door, but today my legs felt heavy. My brain was still stuck on what Adrian said. "I notice you more than I should." How do you even respond to that? I just kept my head down and started packing my books, acting like I was very busy with my bag zipper.

Melissa was sitting across the room, staring at the back of Adrian's head like she wanted to set it on fire. I grabbed my bag and stood up, ready to bolt. But Adrian wasn't in a hurry at all. He casually packed his things, then looked at me.

"We should go to the library after lunch," he said.

I blinked at him. "Why?"

He looked at me like I was asking a very stupid question. "Because I'd like us to pass this project, Vanessa."

"I like passing too," I muttered. "I just prefer doing it without extra suffering."

He gave me that small smile again. The one that made it dangerously easy to forget why I was supposed to stay away from him . "I want us to be the best group in the class."

I raised an eyebrow. “So you like being very competitive?”

"Very," he said. He stepped a bit closer, his voice dropping. "I want us to be the power team."

I almost dropped my notebook. Power team? Why was he saying things like that with that kind of face? He looked so serious and so calm at the same time. I tried to act like it didn't move me, but I knew I was failing. I just nodded quickly and walked out before I could say something embarrassing.

I didn't even get ten steps down the hall before Lena appeared out of nowhere. Honestly, I think she has a superpower for sensing gossip.

"Power team?" she whispered, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Don't start, Lena," I said, walking faster.

"Oh, I am definitely starting," she said, skipping to keep up with me. "I heard him. The whole back row heard him. Vanessa, what is going on?"

"It's a school project. That's it."

"And I am the Queen of England," she shot back. "V, the way he was looking at you... if that's how people look at their project partners, then I need a new partner."

"Please go away," I said, but I couldn't help the small smile on my face. "This is better than any show on Netflix."

She eventually went to find her next class, and I headed toward the locker area to drop off my heavy Biology book. I saw Adrian there, leaning against his locker. He saw me and closed it, waiting until I reached my own locker right next to his.

"You took your time," he said.

"I had to escape Lena's interrogation," I muttered, shoving the book inside.

"She's persistent," he said, giving a small nod. He looked relaxed, almost like he was actually enjoying the chaos of the hallway. "Ready for the library?"

"If we fail, I'm blaming you," I told him as we started walking.

"If we fail, I'm changing schools," he replied.

I laughed. It was a real laugh, too. But then the air in the hallway changed. Everything got quiet. I looked up and saw Melissa walking straight toward us. She looked like she was on a mission.

She didn't even look at me. She just walked right up to Adrian and threw her arms around his neck. It was so public and so intentional that people actually stopped walking to watch. The whole hallway went from noisy to dead silent in two seconds.

"There you are," Melissa said loudly. She sounded like she was trying too hard to be happy. "I've been looking everywhere for you, babe."

She leaned in to kiss him, but Adrian moved. Fast. He caught her shoulders and pulled her off him.

"Melissa, stop," he said. His voice wasn't loud, but it was very serious.

Melissa laughed, but it sounded fake. "Stop what?" She reached out and started fixing his blazer, acting like I wasn't even standing there. "You've been ignoring me all week. Are you still being dramatic about our little fight?"

I stood there feeling like a total idiot. I really needed to leave. Like, immediately. But my feet wouldn't move. I didn't know what was happening between them, but it looked bad.

"Melissa. Not here," Adrian said, lowering his voice. He was looking at the crowd that was starting to form, his face tight.

"No. Here," she said, her voice getting louder. "Since you keep avoiding my calls and acting like I don't exist. You don't get to just ignore me and pretend I'll disappear, Adrian."

Adrian’s face changed. For a second, he just looked… different. Like he was done talking.

"I told you, I said it's not over," Melissa shouted. A few people pulled out their phones.

Adrian finally said it. “Yes, it is,” he said, clear, cold, and loud enough for everyone to hear.

The hallway went dead quiet. Melissa stared at him like he'd just slapped her.

"We already had this conversation, Melissa," Adrian said.

"No, you decided that. I didn't," Melissa snapped, her voice cracking. "We can fix this!"

"There is nothing to fix, Melissa."

She let out an angry laugh and pointed her finger right at me. "Is it because of her? Is that why you're doing this?"

Every head in the hallway turned to look at me. I felt the heat rush to my face. I didn't even know they had broken up; since when? Why was she pointing at me?

"This has nothing to do with Vanessa," Adrian said immediately.

"That's funny," Melissa said, her voice high and sharp. "Because ever since she showed up, suddenly I'm the problem? Suddenly you're too busy for me?"

Adrian looked her right in the face. "No. You became the problem all by yourself."

Melissa looked like she'd been hit. Even I felt that one. She was trying so hard not to cry, but you could see her eyes getting watery. She just looked desperate.

"You can't do this to me," she whispered.

"I already did," Adrian said.

"No. I said I don't want this over. You can't just dump me like I'm nothing!"

"That doesn't change reality," Adrian told her. He sounded so calm it was scary. "I'm done, Melissa. I told you that days ago."

"After everything? After all these years?" Melissa was full on crying now, but she was still angry.

"I'm done," Adrian repeated. It was final.

He didn't say another word to her. He just turned to me. He reached out, took my notebook from my hand, and then handed it back to me.

"Library?" he asked.

He said it so casually, like we hadn't just stood there while he broke the school's social hierarchy. I just nodded because I didn't know what else to do.

We walked away together, leaving Melissa standing there. People immediately started whispering everywhere.

I felt like I was in a dream. I wanted a quiet life and to just finish school in peace. Instead, I was walking out of the biggest scandal of the year with the boy who had just broken up with the queen of Cresthaven.

As we reached the library doors, I looked at Adrian. He didn’t look happy or sad. He just looked calm, like he had finally let out a long breath.

I looked at my hands. They were shaking. There was no hiding now. Everyone had seen it.

Adrian pushed the door open for me. "Focus, Vanessa. We have a project to finish."

I walked inside, but I knew things would never be the same.