Chapter 17

Chapter 17 – The Note That Lingers

Bella didn't see Ethan for the rest of the day.

No more library encounters. No more shared glances in the hallway. It should've brought her relief.

But it didn't.

Instead, she found herself listening for his voice in the crowd. I wonder if she imagined the sincerity in his tone last night. Questioning why his words — "I wasn't pretending" — kept echoing through her.

When the final bell rang, Bella was slow to gather her things. She lingered behind in Literature class, carefully sliding her notebook into her backpack while everyone else rushed out.

That's when she saw it.

A folded piece of paper, neatly tucked into the edge of her desk.

Her name was written on it.

She hesitated. Her heart did a strange flutter.

Looking around and finding no one else in the room, she unfolded the note slowly.

---

Bella,

You probably don't believe anything I say. I get it. I wouldn't believe me either.

But last night wasn't an act. I wasn't pretending to be someone else — maybe you just saw a version of me that most people don't care to see.

Lila likes you. That's rare. And I don't think you realize how rare you are either.

You don't have to talk to me. You don't have to trust me. But I hope you'll stop looking at me like I'm only what everyone else says I am.

—E

---

Bella stared at the words, her heart thudding. Her fingers trembled just a little as she read it again.

No flirtation. No pick-up lines.

Just… honest. Surprisingly vulnerable.

She folded it carefully, slipped it into her bag, and walked out of the classroom — but the note felt like it weighed more than the books on her back.

---

Outside, Sarah was waiting by the gates. "You okay? You're late."

Bella nodded slowly. "Yeah. Just packing up."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "You sure? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Bella forced a smile. "Something like that."

As they walked together down the sidewalk, Bella didn't mention the note. She couldn't. Not yet.

Because for the first time, she wasn't just confused…

She was torn.

Between logic and instinct.

Between who she knew Ethan Carter was — and who he might be, when no one else was watching.

Bella didn't tell Sarah about the note on the walk home.

Something about it felt too delicate, too raw to share — like if she said it out loud, it would lose the strange electricity it carried.

When she got home, she dropped her backpack on her bed and pulled the note out again, smoothing the creases with her fingertips. Her eyes scanned Ethan's words once more, slower this time.

> "I wasn't pretending to be someone else — maybe you just saw a version of me that most people don't care to see."

Why was it working on her?

She'd seen the way he flirted with girls in the hallway. Heard the stories. Knew his reputation. But none of those girls ever got a note like this. None of them met his family. None of them sat at the same dinner table while his sister smiled at her like they were already friends.

Speaking of Lila...

Bella reached into her pocket and pulled out the tiny folded drawing the girl had slipped into her hand before leaving last time.

A messy crayon sketch — two stick figures, one tall, one smaller, both with curly hair. "Me and Bella" was scrawled underneath in uneven handwriting.

Bella smiled, despite herself.

What was she getting pulled into?

---

The next day at school, Bella avoided looking around too much, afraid she'd catch Ethan watching her — or worse, not watching her. She kept her head low, her headphones in, her eyes on her books.

But during free period, she slipped outside behind the school building — her usual quiet spot — and was startled to find someone already there.

Ethan.

Sitting on the low brick wall, tossing a small stone up and catching it lazily. His gaze met hers immediately. Calm. Unmoving.

She froze.

"I was hoping you'd come here," he said, standing slowly.

Bella crossed her arms. "You left a note on my desk."

"I did."

Her voice was steadier than her heartbeat. "Why?"

Ethan shrugged a little. "Because I meant what I said. And I figured you'd never let me say it out loud."

She looked away, focusing on the tree just beyond the wall. "You're good at saying things people want to hear."

"That's fair," he said quietly. "But not this time."

Silence stretched between them. Then, Ethan stepped closer — not too close, just enough.

"I'm not asking you to believe in me, Bella," he said. "I'm just asking you not to write me off yet."

Bella blinked. "Why me?"

Ethan's lips tilted, not quite a smirk this time — softer, quieter.

"You're not like anyone else," he murmured. "And for the first time, I want someone to see the real me. Not the version I made up to survive school."

Her breath caught in her throat.

He stepped back then, respecting her space. "That's all."

And with that, he walked away — leaving Bella standing there, her world just a little more unsteady than it had been five minutes ago.