Chapter 6

Unraveling Secrets

Ava sat at the dining table, absentmindedly twirling her fork in her salad, her mind elsewhere. It had been a few days since she’d been paired with Ethan for the Shakespeare project, and she had done everything possible to delay their first study session. But today, she had run out of excuses.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drop you off at the library?” Natasha asked as she sipped her tea.

“I can walk,” Ava mumbled, still poking at her food.

Across from her, Ethan was scrolling through his phone, acting like he wasn’t paying attention—but she knew better. She could feel his eyes flicking toward her every so often, his smirk practically radiating amusement.

“You’re meeting with Ethan today, right?” Mark chimed in, glancing up from his newspaper.

Ava sighed. “Yes.”

Ethan finally looked up, his grin widening. “She’s thrilled about it, can’t you tell?”

Ava shot him a glare before turning back to her plate.

Natasha cleared her throat, clearly trying to ease the tension. “It’s good that you two are working together. Maybe it’ll help you bond a little.”

Ethan chuckled. “Oh, we’re bonding, all right.”

Ava nearly choked on her drink. “You’re impossible.”

He just winked before returning his attention to his phone.

Natasha sighed and gave Mark a look, as if silently asking him to intervene, but Mark just smiled slightly and continued reading his paper.

Ava pushed her chair back, grabbing her bag. “I’m leaving.”

“I’ll drive you,” Ethan said casually, standing up and stretching.

“No, thanks,” Ava replied quickly.

“Too bad,” he countered. “I’m going that way anyway.”

She groaned. “Unbelievable.”

Mark chuckled under his breath. “Be nice, you two.”

Ava rolled her eyes, knowing that was impossible.

The Library Session

When they arrived at the library, Ava walked ahead, ignoring Ethan’s amused stare. She found an empty table near the back and dropped her bag onto the chair, pulling out her notebook.

Ethan plopped down across from her, leaning back in his seat. “So, what’s the plan, partner?”

Ava exhaled sharply. “We pick a play, divide the work, and keep interaction to a minimum.”

Ethan smirked. “You’re really trying to avoid me, huh?”

She leveled him with a look. “What was your first clue?”

He chuckled, grabbing her notebook and flipping through it. “I was thinking Macbeth.”

Ava frowned. “Why?”

“Because it’s about ambition, betrayal, and power.” His blue eyes gleamed as he leaned in slightly. “And I think you’d make an excellent Lady Macbeth.”

Ava scoffed. “Because I want you dead?”

Ethan laughed. “Exactly.”

She shook her head, snatching her notebook back. “Fine. Macbeth it is. But if you slack off, I’ll do the entire thing myself.”

Ethan placed a hand over his heart. “You wound me, Ava.”

She ignored him, flipping to a blank page and jotting down notes. “We need to decide which scene to perform.”

Ethan leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand as he watched her write. “How about the scene where Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill the king?”

Ava stopped writing. “Why that one?”

Ethan’s smirk softened slightly. “Because it’s all about influence. And manipulation.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re comparing me to Lady Macbeth again.”

Ethan grinned. “If the crown fits.”

Ava huffed and turned back to her notes. “Whatever. Let’s just get through this.”

As they worked, Ava found herself getting lost in the discussion, despite her best efforts. Ethan, for all his arrogance, actually understood Shakespeare better than she expected. He had insightful thoughts on ambition, fate, and morality, which both intrigued and irritated her.

An hour passed before she realized how much they had accomplished.

“This might actually work,” she admitted, glancing at their notes.

Ethan smirked. “Told you. We make a good team.”

Ava rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.

For a brief moment, things felt… easy.

But then, just as they were packing up, a voice interrupted them.

“Wow. Didn’t think I’d see this.”

Ava’s head snapped up to find Freya standing a few feet away, arms crossed, looking between her and Ethan with an unreadable expression.

Ethan leaned back in his chair, grinning. “Jealous?”

Freya ignored him, her gaze locked on Ava. “We need to talk.”

Ava hesitated, sensing the tension in her best friend’s voice. She exchanged a quick glance with Ethan before nodding. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Ethan watched them leave, his smirk fading slightly.

Something was definitely off.

Freya’s Confession

Outside, Ava folded her arms. “What’s wrong?”

Freya hesitated before speaking. “You and Ethan. What’s going on?”

Ava frowned. “Nothing. It’s just a school project.”

Freya studied her closely. “Are you sure?”

Ava blinked. “Why are you asking like that?”

Freya sighed, rubbing her temple. “Because… I heard something.”

Ava’s stomach twisted. “What?”

Freya bit her lip. “Jenna’s been talking. She said Ethan’s just messing with you for fun. That he’s playing some kind of game.”

Ava’s breath caught. “What kind of game?”

Freya hesitated, looking almost guilty. “She didn’t say exactly. But I thought you should know.”

Ava clenched her fists. Of course Jenna would spread rumors. But… something about the way Freya said it made her uneasy.

Freya shifted uncomfortably. “Ava, be careful, okay?”

Ava nodded slowly. “Yeah. I will.”

But as she watched Freya walk away, doubt crept in.

What if she wasn’t just being paranoid?

What if Ethan was playing some kind of game?

And what if she was already caught in it?