Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Something Shifts**

**Ethan's POV**

It was supposed to be simple.

Win the bet, get the kiss, score the car.

That was the deal.

But nothing about Bella was simple.

She wasn't playing hard to get. She wasn't playing anything at all. She just… was.

Quiet. Elusive. Watchful.

And somehow, she was always on his mind.

Ethan sat at the edge of the bleachers during free period, staring at the field without actually watching the game. Matt and Jake were talking behind him, but their voices faded into noise.

*She looked right at me yesterday. No fear. No interest. Just clarity.*

He had never seen a girl walk away from him like that.

Not angry. Not flirtatious.

Just done.

And yet, here he was—thinking about her again.

---

**Bella's POV**

Bella sat under her usual tree near the edge of the courtyard, a sketchbook on her lap. Her pencil moved slowly, tracing the outlines of a figure she hadn't fully imagined yet.

She didn't expect anyone to stop.

But then there he was.

"Hey."

Ethan.

She glanced up, surprised but not startled.

"Hi."

He sat down beside her without asking—just close enough to make her feel the weight of his presence.

"You always draw out here?" he asked.

"When it's not noisy."

He nodded. "Fair."

A pause.

Then: "Can I see what you're working on?"

Bella hesitated briefly but then tilted the sketchpad toward him slightly. It was a rough portrait—not of anyone specific—but hauntingly expressive.

Ethan blinked. "That's… really good."

"Thanks."

He leaned back on his elbows. "You're full of surprises."

She gave a tiny smile. "Most people just never ask."

He looked at her for a moment—not in the usual way, not like a player scoping out his next win, but like someone trying to read a story with missing pages.

"What do you think people see when they look at you?" he asked.

Bella paused.

"I don't really care," she replied honestly. "Not anymore."

He nodded slowly, as if her answer surprised him.

Or impressed him.

---

That evening, Bella sat curled up on Sarah's bed with her friends, recounting the moment.

"I didn't say much," she admitted. "But it wasn't weird this time. Just… quiet. Normal."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Normal? With Ethan?"

Alex crossed his arms. "No such thing."

Sarah tilted her head. "He's getting in your head, Bella. Be careful."

Bella smiled faintly. "I'm not falling for him."

Sarah raised a brow. "But you're starting to see him."

Bella looked down, her cheeks a little warm. "I don't know what I'm seeing."

And for the first time, she wasn't entirely sure that was a bad thing.

**Later That Week...**

Bella stayed after class to finish an assignment in the art room. The late afternoon sunlight poured through the windows, casting a golden glow across the room as her pencil gently moved across the paper.

She didn't notice when Ethan entered.

"Didn't mean to sneak up on you," he said, his voice low.

Bella turned slightly, not startled this time. "You're getting good at that."

He smirked but quickly wiped it away. "I needed a quiet place too. I didn't know you'd be here."

She tilted her head, half-amused. "You always 'don't know' I'll be somewhere."

He raised his hands in mock defense. "Scout's honor."

She rolled her eyes but didn't tell him to leave.

A silence settled between them. It wasn't awkward—just… curious.

Ethan glanced at her sketch again. "Do you ever draw people you actually know?"

"Sometimes," Bella said quietly. "But only the ones who make me feel something."

He looked at her, the meaning of her words sinking in.

Bella turned the page quickly, as if shielding something.

Ethan leaned back in his chair. "You're not like other girls."

Bella let out a small laugh. "That's what everyone says before they ruin someone."

He blinked. Her words hit him harder than expected.

"Noted," he said softly.

---

**Rachel Notices**

Later that day, as Ethan left the building, Rachel was leaning against the wall by the lockers with her arms crossed and an incisive expression.

"You've been spending a lot of time with her," she remarked.

Ethan didn't stop walking.

Rachel fell into step beside him. "What's your deal with Bella, anyway? Are you trying to make me jealous?"

He glanced at her, annoyed. "I'm not thinking about you."

Rachel scoffed. "Oh please. You think I don't see what's going on? You used to get bored of girls in a week; now suddenly you're hovering around Miss Introvert every day?"

He didn't respond; he just kept walking.

And that silence was all the answer Rachel needed.

---

**Bella's Side**

That night, Bella stared at her sketchbook. She flipped back to the page she hadn't fully shown Ethan earlier.

It was a rough sketch of him—leaning back in a chair, the shadows softer, his usual cocky edge replaced by a more vulnerable expression.

She didn't know why she drew it.

But she didn't tear the page out either.