3rd person POV

  Unbeknownst to either of them, someone had been watching.

  Nat lingered near the classroom door, pretending to scroll through her phone while her eyes flicked, again and again, toward Adam.

  When a girl appeared slightly breathless, like she’d rushed just to get there, Nat instinctively stepped forward.

  She narrowed her eyes.

  ‘Another one. Jesus. They pop up like roaches the second I blink. I should start spraying for them.’

  “Can I help you with something?” she asked, voice wary, guarded.

  The girl just mumbled, “Umm…”

  Nat didn’t get a chance to say anything else before Adam passed by her and took the girl by the wrist, leading her quickly down the hallway.

  Nat blinked, shocked for a moment.

  Then followed on instinct.

  They didn’t notice her tailing them. Adam was too focused, too intense, and the girl, whoever she was, just kept pace, practically swept along in his wake.

  Nat kept her distance, slipping up the stairs behind them. She didn’t know the girl’s name. But she had her suspicions.

  Paige had mentioned something last week: “There’s someone who keeps sticking to Adam in the halls. Haven’t seen her up close, though.”

  Now Nat had.

  She stopped just outside the rooftop doorway, hidden in the shadow of the stairwell. From there, she had the perfect view.

  Adam was laughing. Laughing.

  Full-bodied, real.

  He spun the girl around like they were in a movie, both of them grinning so hard it hurt to look at.

  Nat’s breath hitched.

  That laugh.

  That look on his face.

  He never smiled like that around anyone else.

  He barely spoke to his classmates.

  But here he was, his entire body alive in a way she’d never seen before.

  And all of it… all of it was for her.

  Before she could stop herself, Nat raised her phone and hit record.

  She caught the spin.

  And the moment Adam’s arm curled around the girl’s neck, tugging her close.

  His fingers in her hair.

  His own hairband he used to tie hers.

  All of it.

  Her pulse throbbed in her ears.

  Her fingers shook.

  Her mouth filled with the bitter taste of every smile he’d never given her.

  Beneath her breath, she whispered curses into the recording.

  Then she turned and left before they could spot her.

  By the time the final bell rang, Nat’s plan was already in motion.

  To: A.S.F.C.

  URGENT. Meet after school.

  I have something you all need to see.

  The Adam Schwartz Fan Club: a discreet cluster of high school girls who had idolized him since last year, quietly sharing photos, rumors, and daydreams.

  They were quiet, loyal, and watchful.

  People liked to mock them, but Nat didn’t care.

  Adam had been through enough.

  If a little coordination could spare him even one awkward hallway confession, then yeah.

  They were going to keep doing what they did.

  The rule was simple: if you want to confess to Adam, you go through us first.

  They ran a waitlist. One confession a week, tops.

  No doubles, no surprises.

  The goal wasn’t to gatekeep; it was to protect.

  Adam didn’t like being cornered. He didn’t always know how to say no. He’d freeze, or go quiet.

  So yeah, the system made sense.

  When people flirted without permission they got put in their place.

  Like that senior last month, the one who hugged Adam in the middle of the hallway and SHAMELESSLY told him: "You don't have to be alone anymore."

  Adam had looked like he wanted to disappear into the tile. Eyewitnesses said he pushed the guy off him and ran.

  The club found the guy’s socials by the end of the schoolday.

  By dinner, he’d posted a teary apology and three separate stories saying he misread the situation.

  The waiting list was real.

  So were consequences.

  And if anyone stuck too close to Adam for too long, laughed too loudly at his jokes, touched his arm, sat next to him twice in a row: they didn’t assume romance.

  They assumed danger.

  Because there was no way Adam would want to keep anyone close like that.

  Not on purpose.

  So if someone was close?

  They were bothering him.

  They just hadn’t been told yet.

  ***

  THE FAN CLUB MEETING: THE VIDEO SCREENING | 3rd person POV

  The classroom was dim.

  Overhead lights buzzed faintly, one of them flickering just enough to set the mood.

  Long shadows stretched across the desks like reaching fingers.

  More girls had shown up than were in the group chat.

  Word had spread.

  They were drawn like moths to flame.

  Hungry for drama, for gossip, for the illusion of closeness to someone they all silently worshipped.

  And today, Nat had promised a spark.

  She stood at the front of the room, pale fingers curled tight around her phone.

  The glow of the screen lit her face from below, but the light only made the intensity in her eyes more visible.

  She inhaled. Steadied herself.

  “This one is not to be spread.”

  Then tapped cast to screen.

  The video blinked to life.

  A grainy rooftop.

  Muted sunlight.

  And then Adam’s laugh.

  Not a smirk. Not a scoff.

  A full-bodied, open laugh that rang out clear and sharp, bright enough to burn.

  The girls leaned in.

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  Adam jumped to his feet and spun the girl.

  The footage jolted slightly as Nat’s hands trembled, rage vibrating through her limbs. Her voice, quiet and shaking with fury, bled into the recording:

  “Oh my fucking GOD.”

  A few girls exchanged looks, but no one spoke.

  On-screen, the moment played out.

  Adam’s arm slid around the girl’s neck: easy, familiar.

  His fingers in her hair. Her laugh. His grin.

  The intimacy of it was undeniable.

  “Look at her.” Nat’s whisper crackled into the room like a curse.

  Then the camera zoomed in slightly. Someone gasped, just barely.

  Adam tugged at the girl’s hair playfully.

  She yelped, and he laughed harder.

  “No. No. What the FUCK-”

  Nat’s voice on the video was raw. Unfiltered resentment, festering.

  In the video, the first bell rang.

  And then came the moment that broke the room: Adam slipped the hairband off his own hair.

  Tied her hair back with it.

  His fingers lingered.

  And then… his eyes.

  That look.

  The way he looked at her.

  Warm. Gentle. Knowing.

  Like she mattered.

  Silence.

  Some of the girls recoiled. One bit her nail until it bled. Another stared at the screen with her mouth slightly open, stunned.

  On the video, Nat’s voice hissed again:

  “You… who the FUCK even ARE you?”

  The second bell rang.

  On screen:

  “Shit, shit-”

  Click. End of video.

  The screen went dark.

  The room stayed silent for a few seconds longer. Not one of them could look away from the now-black screen.

  Something had shifted.

  ***

  THE PLAN

  Nat’s palm slammed against the desk sharp, commanding.

  “Who is she?” she snapped, eyes blazing. “Does anyone even know her name?”

  The room crackled to life with speculation.

  “I think she’s in my year,” said a tenth-grader. “Some star student or something. She’s always quiet.”

  “Ugh, boring,” someone groaned. “Adam doesn’t even like school. No way he’d go for that. She’s probably doing something.”

  “She’s ruining his whole vibe,” Julia hissed. “We can’t let some random bookworm mess up everything. Adam is ours.”

  A murmur of agreement rolled through the room like a wave.

  “She’s probably got something on him. Like, blackmailing or something,” a senior whispered, scandalized.

  “No way…” The tenth grader scoffed. “What does he even see in her? She’s like... basic. She looks like she reads for fun.”

  Nat gripped the edge of the desk, her knuckles white.

  “Doesn’t matter,” she said flatly. “We need a name. You… girl who said she’s in your year, what’s your name?”

  “Uh… Lisa. Lisa Mars.”

  Nat’s eyes locked on her.

  “Lisa. What’s this bitch’s name? Think.”

  Lisa squinted. “I think… it’s Kay… Nickie K? Or something like that?”

  Nat pointed her pen like it was a dagger.

  “Good. Nickie K. Perfect. Now…”

  She smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes.

  “…We come up with a plan.”

  The room leaned in. The ideas came fast.

  Petty, spiteful, escalating with each voice.

  “We could leave notes in her locker,” someone said. “Anonymous. ‘Stay away from Adam.’”

  “Yeah. Like, We’re watching you.”

  “Let’s find her socials. Flood them with hate. Make her too embarrassed to show her face.”

  “If she’s such a goody-goody,” said a curly-haired junior, “Tell everyone she cheats. Wreck her rep.”

  “Get girls from her classes to back it up,” another added. “Every test, every quiz… say she copied.”

  “Make her trip,” Paige said coolly. “Make her look like an idiot in front of him.”

  Some girls flinched at that. The ideas continued.

  “Expose her for what she’s doing! She’s obviously using Adam to get clout,” a senior chimed in. “People’ll turn on her.”

  Nat scribbled quickly, her grin sharpening with every word.

  “Perfect. We’ll make her regret ever getting near him.”

  She tapped her pen against her notebook, eyes scanning the eager faces.

  “We need a new chat. This one’s too obvious. If you’re not in the old group, write down your number.”

  One by one, the girls passed around scraps of paper.

  Glances were exchanged.

  Some were excited, some nervous, but no one backed out.

  “All right, meeting adjourned. And keep your mouths shut about this- I mean it.”

  As the room emptied, Nat lingered.

  Alone now, she sat in the dim light, the glow of her phone casting shadows over her face.

  She pressed play again.

  Adam, laughing. Nickie’s hair catching the wind. Their heads too close. His eyes soft.

  Her jaw clenched.

  ‘That should’ve been me.’

  Adam’s attention was supposed to belong to them.

  This girl, Nickie K.- was about to learn exactly what it meant to get in the way.

  ***

  Private Group Chat Created by ?? NatQueen

  ??NatQueen:

  Welcome, ladies.

  Time to strategize.

  ??P-Paige:

  Finally. That bitch is getting way too comfortable.

  ??LisaMars??:

  LMAOO did you see her today?? Walking next to Adam like she’s some kind of VIP.

  ??JuliaRules:

  Honestly I almost threw up.

  ??K8_Krush:

  What’s the play? Are we going full sabotage?

  ??MarySaint:

  Wait, isn’t this kinda messed up?

  ??NatQueen:

  We’re just brainstorming for now. All ideas have space here.

  ??RaeRiot:

  She looks like she cries to indie music and eats carrots alone.

  ??NatQueen:

  First, we observe.

  We learn everything we can.

  ??LisaMars??:

  So… stalking, but ?rebranded??

  ??NatQueen:

  Not stalking! observation.

  We watch. We take notes. We wait.

  ??P-Paige:

  Fine. Who’s in her class? We need eyes close to her.

  ??JennaJinx:

  I’ve got Chem with her. I’ll check where her locker is too.

  ??Em_EyesOnly:

  I sit behind her in Psych. She sketches little mushrooms in her notebook margins. I’ll watch what she’s carrying.

  ??RaeRiot:

  She doesn’t even have any socials. Like, are we dealing with a ghost or a cult member?

  ??LisaMars??:

  Yeah, I tried. Nothing. She’s either a tech-phobe or hiding something.

  ??JuliaRules:

  If she had socials, I know she’d be humblebragging about Adam every five seconds.

  ??NatQueen:

  She’s not stupid. That makes her dangerous.

  The rest of you: hall duty.

  If you see her, make sure she feels the pressure.

  ??P-Paige:

  Dirty looks. Side comments. Shoulder bumps, but casual.

  ??K8_Krush:

  Whispers just loud enough to hear.

  ??RaeRiot:

  “Nice shoes.” But make it sound like a threat.

  ??Em_EyesOnly:

  Start small. Build the tension. Let her feel like she’s always being watched.

  ??LisaMars??:

  Let her sit alone at lunch wondering why everyone’s staring.

  ??JuliaRules:

  I swear she’s only like this ‘cause no one put her in her place before.

  ??NatQueen:

  Exactly.

  We hit her from all angles. In class. In the halls. In her head.

  ??P-Paige:

  When do we start?

  ??NatQueen:

  Now.

  ??K8_Krush:

  God, this is gonna be fun.

  ??RaeRiot:

  By next week, she’ll be begging to disappear.

  ??LisaMaes??:

  She messed with the wrong crowd.

  ??NatQueen:

  Let’s remind her:

  Adam doesn’t belong to her.

  Attention seeking bitches get what they earn.