The second Maya walked into school that morning, she noticed him.
New guy. Tall, dark hair, confident smirk—the type that walked in like he already owned the place. And, of course, he noticed her too.
"Maya, right?" He leaned against the locker next to hers like he belonged there. "Saw you yesterday. You're kind of hard to miss."
She arched a brow. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Obviously."
Before she could answer, an arm slid around her waist, yanking her backward—Eddie.
"She's actually really easy to miss," Eddie said, deadpan. "Like, scientifically speaking. Peripheral vision has blind spots."
Maya almost laughed. Almost. But Eddie's grip tightened, and when she glanced up, his face was unreadable. Oh. He's actually pissed.
New guy—Adrian, apparently—didn't seem fazed. "And you are?"
"Her boyfriend." Eddie said it so fast, so bluntly, Maya almost choked.
Adrian blinked. "Oh." Then he smirked. "Huh. Didn't expect that."
Eddie narrowed his eyes. "Didn't expect what?"
"I don't know. You just give off more… tutor vibes."
Eddie's jaw clenched so hard Maya thought he might crack a tooth.
"I do not have tutor vibes."
Maya patted his chest, eyes teasing. "Baby, you really are my tutor."
Eddie glared. "Maya."
She grinned. "You literally are my tutor."
Adrian laughed. "Ohhh. So you're the nerdy boyfriend and the tutor?"
Eddie scowled. "I'm not a tutor."
Maya tilted her head. "I mean… you technically are."
He turned to her, betrayed. "Whose side are you on?"
Maya played with the hem of his shirt, voice sweet. "Yours, baby."
That almost melted his frustration, but Adrian smirked again, and just like that, Eddie snapped back into jealous mode.
Eddie grabbed her hand and dragged her down the hallway.
"Eddie—"
"No."
She tried not to laugh. "You're so dramatic."
"No, I'm possessive. There's a difference."
She stopped walking, forcing him to face her. "You do realize he was just talking to me, right?"
"Flirting with you."
She crossed her arms. "So?"
Eddie looked at her like she just spoke another language. "So?! You're mine."
The words hung between them for a second too long.
She blinked. "You—"
"I mean—not in, like, a caveman way—" He ran a hand through his hair, flustered. "Just, you know… in a boyfriend way. And a you're-not-allowed-to-look-at-anyone-else-ever-again way."
Maya bit back a smile. "That's so healthy."
Eddie groaned. "You know what? Fine. Let's go to class before I get arrested for throwing a textbook at his head."
She laughed and let him pull her along.
Later that night, Maya didn't expect Eddie to show up at the party. It wasn't his scene. But then again, neither was jealousy, and look how that turned out.
She spotted him near the kitchen, looking painfully out of place. Button-up shirt, sleeves rolled up, arms crossed. Watching her.
A slow, smug smile spread across her lips. Oh, he's jealous again.
She made her way toward him. "Didn't think you'd come."
"I wasn't going to," he admitted. "But then I remembered some guys here don't understand boundaries."
Maya blinked. "Eddie."
"Speaking of," he said, nodding toward the dance floor.
She followed his gaze—Adrian. Standing way too close to some girl.
Maya rolled her eyes. "See? He's not even paying attention to me."
Eddie didn't look convinced. "He's just keeping his options open."
"You're ridiculous."
"I'm right."
Before she could argue, someone handed her a drink.
"Hey, Maya."
Adrian.
Eddie tensed beside her. Oh, this is going to be fun.
Adrian smirked. "Didn't expect to see your… uh, boyfriend here."
Eddie crossed his arms. "Yeah, I tend to show up when people don't want me to."
Maya elbowed him. "Stop it."
Adrian held out the drink. "For you."
Before Maya could take it, Eddie grabbed it.
"Actually, she's good." He downed the whole thing in one go.
Adrian raised a brow. "Wow. You're… really something."
Eddie wiped his mouth. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
Adrian shook his head, a laugh escaping him. "Alright, alright. You win, big guy. You're the possessive, overprotective boyfriend. I'll back off." He held his hands up in mock surrender.
Eddie narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Adrian smirked, leaning back slightly with that devil-may-care grin. "Nah, it's kinda cute, actually."
Eddie turned to Maya, a bit bewildered. "Did he just call me cute?"
Maya snorted. "Oh my god, you are cute."
Adrian's grin only grew wider. He leaned in closer, almost conspiratorial. "Yeah, I find you cute, Eddie."
Eddie froze, his eyebrows shooting up. "Wait, what?"
Adrian chuckled lowly, tilting his head like he couldn't believe Eddie hadn't figured it out. "You really thought I was interested in her?" He gestured lazily toward Maya, barely even glancing at her. "No, no. Not her. You, Eddie. I've been eyeing you for a while now."
Eddie blinked, his jaw going slack. "Wait, what the hell are you—"
Adrian waved a hand like it was no big deal. "You seriously didn't catch on?" He flicked a glance between the two of them. "I mean, come on, Eddie. You've got this whole territorial alpha thing going on, and I just thought, well, this is gonna be fun."
Maya, still processing, burst out laughing. "Wait, you've been stalking Eddie because you're into him?"
Adrian's eyes sparkled with mischief, his voice dropping low and playful. "You got it, babe. It's all about Eddie. Not that I'm totally shocked you didn't notice. But I've been following you, Eddie. Checking out the vibe."
Eddie's face turned a shade darker, caught completely off guard. "Hold up, are you serious? You've been—what, stalking me?"
Adrian didn't even flinch. He laughed, all sass and charm, as if this whole conversation was just a fun little game to him. "Oh, definitely. I've been watching you. You're like an adorable little possessive puppy, marking your territory. I mean, it's cute in an… overprotective way."
Maya was almost crying from laughing. "Oh my god, this is insane."
Eddie was shaking his head, trying to make sense of this. "So, you've been following me because you're into me?"
Adrian leaned in, winking. "Yep. I've been into you, Eddie, not your girl." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean, you're not bad to look at, you know? Maybe I'll stick around and see what else you've got."
Eddie gaped. "This is crazy. I—"
Adrian raised a hand and interrupted, still grinning. "Come on, dude, don't get all sensitive now. I'm just messing with you. You're fun, Eddie. I respect the whole 'territorial boyfriend' act, but let's be real. It's kinda hot."
Eddie's face was a mix of disbelief and irritation. "This is… this is insane. You've been playing me this whole time?"
Adrian leaned back, throwing his arms out wide like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Of course, I've been playing you! But it's not like that. I just wanted to see if you'd figure it out." He paused, his grin widening. "Not every day you get a front-row seat to a dude trying to out-alpha another dude for his girl."
Maya, still in hysterics, wiped a tear away. "Oh my god, I can't believe this is happening."
Eddie, now flustered and overwhelmed, let out a frustrated breath. "I need a drink after this."
Adrian patted him on the back, still grinning like the mischievous little troublemaker he was. "That's the spirit, my man. But hey, no hard feelings, yeah?"
Eddie didn't even respond, too stunned to say anything as he just shook his head, feeling the whole situation slip into pure chaos.