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Emma looked different. She no longer avoided eye contact, no longer blushed when someone paid attention to her. On the contrary, it seemed like she had gotten used to it. Her hair was always perfectly styled, light makeup, clothes she never would have worn before: skirts, tops with low necklines — not provocative, but... damn effective.
There was something wrong about all of this, and I couldn’t explain what exactly. It wasn’t that she acted vulgar — no, her movements were graceful, her smile gentle, but that old sincerity, that flush on her cheeks when someone looked at her, had disappeared. Her usual shyness around Dan was gone too. Instead, there was... boldness. A slight, sharp edge with a hint of sarcasm, as if intentionally emphasizing her newfound confidence.
Now she made the first move herself — not flirty, no, more like... challenging. A sarcastic smile, a gaze that once seemed shy now felt heavy, almost evaluative. She could easily throw out,
— So, Dan, still hoping for something more? — and watch him completely freeze, unsure how to respond.
And Dan... he had changed too. As if everything I once respected about him — that coolness, daring style, ease — had vanished. Now he, for God’s sake, was practically chasing after her! He acted like... a fan, seriously. Searching for her in the crowd, appearing next to her every time she laughed, when someone tried to approach her. Once, I even heard him nearly snap at Ben when he just said hi to her by the lockers, and Emma had just laughed loudly, watching the whole scene.
And, of course, I couldn’t hold back. I caught him after math class when he was sitting there staring at his phone and bluntly asked:
— Listen, Dan, are you okay? You’re kinda... well... — I waved my hand, struggling to find the words. — Aren’t you being a bit... clingy with Emma? Like she owes you something? What... what are you trying to do?
He lifted his gaze at me then, and honestly, I almost flinched. That squint of his, cold but... uncertain? No, this wasn’t the Dan I knew.
— Forget it, Jess, — he muttered. — It’s... none of your business.
— Oh, really? — I squinted, crossing my arms. I was starting to get seriously annoyed, so I decided to push back. — And what, you got bit by a jester too? Now you think you were, what, Miss Teen Universe in a past life? Or do you try on dresses at night, like Emma tells her stories?
I expected him, the Dan I knew, to snap back, to get angry, say something sharp and cutting. But instead... Dan flinched. Yeah, actually flinched, like I’d just hit a nerve he was trying to keep buried. And then he just froze.
— What the hell? — I frowned, trying to read his expression. — Dan?
He exhaled sharply, like he’d just realized he was even standing there.
— Forget it, — he muttered even quieter, turning away, but I could already feel that... cold creeping under my skin.
— Wait... — I stepped closer, clenching my fists. — This... You’re not serious, right?
He stayed silent.
— Hold on, — my eyes widened as a sudden thought hit me. — Emma... No, wait. You two didn’t... switch places or something, did you? Like you were Emma and she...
He spun toward me, this time startled, but more by my words than anything else — as if I’d somehow stumbled onto the truth I hadn’t even meant to.
— Jess, are you even serious right now?! Do you hear yourself at all? — he tried to laugh, but it sounded forced. Way too forced. — That stupid jester is real, can’t you see that? — Dan snapped, but his voice was too tense, too serious, like even he didn’t fully believe what he was saying.
I narrowed my eyes, searching his face for even the slightest trace of sarcasm — that familiar smirk. But it wasn’t there. Instead, there was this... strained, almost obsessed tension.
— Dan, what... — I stepped closer, my stomach twisting tighter with worry. — Are you... serious right now? You saw something too? The jester? Do you even hear how insane this sounds?
He squinted but looked away, as if suddenly embarrassed.
— Forget it, — he muttered. — You wouldn’t get it anyway. — He turned and walked off, quickly, like he was cutting the conversation short.
— Dan! — I called after him, but he didn’t stop. His shoulders tensed slightly, but he just kept walking, head lowered, hunched over.
I pressed my lips together. What the hell is going on with him? This wasn’t Dan. This was some sad version of him, too scared to even look me in the eye.
And then he suddenly froze.
Up ahead, by the pillar, I saw her.
Emma.
She stood there, arms crossed, and... oh, hell, she was smiling. But not her usual smile — not shy, not soft like before. It was that same smirk I’d seen on Maddie when she made one of her cutting jokes.
And next to her...
Oh, hell, that was Maddie!
They were standing together.
Talking. Laughing.
I froze on the spot, because the whole thing just felt... wrong.
And then Dan, who had just been silent like he’d swallowed his tongue, suddenly seemed to snap out of it.
— Emma!
He nearly bolted, rushing toward her like some kind of puppy.
— Emma!
She turned.
But instead of her usual shyness...
— Oh, look who it is. — She tilted her head, that same sharp smile on her lips. — Hey there.
And Maddie giggled.
Hell.
What the hell is going on here?!