009

Hailey's POV

The drive to school was thick with silence. I stared out the window, my arms crossed tightly against my chest, feeling Paxton’s presence but refusing to acknowledge it. Every time I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, I caught his lips twitching, like he wanted to say something, but didn’t.

I wasn’t ready to hear anything from him, not after last night.

When we pulled up to the school, I grabbed the door handle before the car had fully stopped. “Thanks,” I mumbled, stepping out quickly. Before I could take two steps, chaos hit. The flashing lights of a thousand cameras went off like fireworks, blinding me. A wave of murmurs swept through the students.

“Is that Hailey with Paxton?!” “No way! Did they come to school together?” “Nikki’s gonna lose it!”

My breath hitched, and my chest tightened. The crowd began pressing in, and I could feel myself panicking. I'm allergic to too much crowding.

Just when I thought I’d be swallowed by the attention, Paxton’s arm slid aroun