NOVEL WEB Chapter 4: Chapter 4 – Lines We Pretend Don’t Exist
(Morana's POV)
There were many things I could tolerate in life.
Rain? Annoying, but manageable.
Gossip? Background noise at this point.
Astria freaking Beaumont sitting next to me like we were friends?
Unacceptable.
And yet, here she was.
A full day after giving me a ride, after witnessing my very public drowning in the rain, she had the audacity to sit beside me again. Like it was normal. Like we were acquainted.
Like we were something.
"Are you lost, princess?" I muttered, flipping a page in my sketchbook.
Astria smirked. "Nope. Just keeping you company."
I groaned. "For what? Community service hours?"
"Come on, Morana," she teased. "Aren't we past the hostility?"
I turned to her, deadpan. "No."
Her laugh was light, effortless—the kind of laugh that made people fall for her in an instant. I clenched my jaw, shoving away whatever the hell that thought was.
She leaned back on the bench, arms stretched behind her, looking so damn comfortable it pissed me off.
"Maybe you just like having me around," she said, watching me.
I scoffed. "Please. I'd rather—"
"Morana," a voice cut through the air, sharp and vaguely amused.
Aurelle.
I tensed before I even looked. Because of course she would show up now.
When I finally turned, she was standing there in all her smug, polished, two-faced glory.
And for the first time since Astria sat beside me…
The mask slipped from Astria's face.
Just for a second. Just long enough to catch the stiffness in her shoulders, the way her hands curled into her lap.
Then, just like that, the golden girl smile was back.
"Hey, Aurelle," Astria said lightly.
Aurelle ignored her, tilting her head at me. "Didn't expect to see you two getting along."
"We're not," I said flatly.
Astria hummed. "We kinda are."
I shot her a look. "Shut up."
Aurelle chuckled, but there was something sharp in her gaze. Something that wasn't amusement at all.
I hated that look.
"Well," she said smoothly, turning her attention back to Astria, "don't forget about the event this weekend. Everyone's expecting you."
Astria's expression barely faltered, but I still caught the hesitation before she nodded.
"Of course," she said. "I wouldn't miss it."
Aurelle smiled, but her eyes flickered toward me one last time before she walked off.
Once she was gone, I turned to Astria. "What was that about?"
Astria exhaled, rubbing her temple. "Nothing. Just… Aurelle being Aurelle."
I studied her. "You don't like her much, do you?"
She gave me a small, almost tired smile. "What makes you say that?"
I shrugged. "Because when she talks to you, you stop looking like yourself."
Astria stilled.
And for a second—just a second—something in her expression cracked.
But then, she smirked, rolling her shoulders. "You really study me that hard, huh?"
I rolled my eyes. "I just have eyes."
She grinned. "Well, do your eyes see that I'm stunning in any lighting, or—"
"Shut up, Astria."
She laughed, and for some stupid reason, I laughed too.
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Later That Night – Morana's Dorm
The hoodie was still on my desk.
Astria's hoodie.
I should've thrown it in the laundry and given it back. Or burned it.
Instead, I just stared at it, arms crossed, like it had personally offended me.
Why was she making a home in my head?
Why did I remember the way she looked when Aurelle talked to her? Why did I feel like—beneath the charm, the reputation, the flawless golden-girl act—there was something else?
Something almost fragile.
Something I wanted to understand.
I gritted my teeth, grabbed my sketchbook, and flipped to an empty page.
Then, without thinking, I started drawing.
And before I knew it, before I could stop myself…
I had drawn her.