Chapter 5 Stella

"Stella," she said with a resigned smile, recognizing her best friend's signature energy immediately.

Stella grinned, her bright blue eyes sparkling mischievously. "Don't 'Stella' me like that! You've been avoiding me."

Amelia sighed in defeat, letting Stella guide her off to the side of the hallway. "I haven't been avoiding you. I've just been... busy."

Stella narrowed her eyes. "Busy? That's your excuse? You missed my party, Amelia. The party I specifically asked you to come to."

Amelia offered a sheepish smile. "I know, I know. I'm sorry for not being there, but you know parties aren't really my thing."

Stella crossed her arms, glaring at her playfully. "That's a lame excuse, and you know it. You promised me you'd be there!"

Amelia rolled her eyes, sighing dramatically. "And that's why I'm apologizing. I'm truly sorry, okay? I'll make it up to you."

Stella frowned, studying her closely. "You don't look good, though. What's up?"

Amelia stiffened, her mind scrambling for an excuse. She quickly averted her gaze. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just tired, that's all."

Stella tilted her head, clearly unconvinced. "Tired? You look more than just tired, Amelia. Something's going on, and you're not telling me."

Amelia forced a laugh, hoping to deflect Stella's attention. "Really, it's nothing. Just late-night studying catching up with me."

Stella raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Hmm... if you say so. But you're acting weird. And you know I'll find out eventually, right?"

Amelia's stomach churned. She didn't want to lie to her best friend, but she couldn't bring herself to tell Stella about her new living situation. The last thing she needed was Stella insisting on visiting Ryan's mansion. Knowing Stella, she'd probably demand a full tour-and that was a disaster waiting to happen. She didn't even know if she'd get thrown out of Ryan's place or worse, report her to her father.

Amelia adjusted the strap of her bag, her smile strained. "Seriously, it's nothing. Just give me some time to catch up on sleep, and I'll be back to normal."

Stella pursed her lips, clearly debating whether to push further. Finally, she sighed. "Fine. But don't think you're off the hook for missing the party. You owe me, big time."

Amelia nodded quickly, relieved to change the subject. "Deal. Whatever you want, I'll make it up to you."

Stella's grin returned, and she linked arms with Amelia. "Good. Now let's get to class before Mrs. Jenkins decides to lock the door on us again."

The two friends made their way to their next lecture, Stella chattering about everything she'd missed at the party. Amelia smiled and nodded along, doing her best to seem engaged, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

She couldn't stop thinking about Ryan and that shattered picture frame.

The lecture was a blur. Amelia spent most of it staring at her notebook, doodling absentmindedly as her thoughts spiraled. She couldn't shake the image of Ryan's startled face when she'd walked into that room.

The mystery of the photograph gnawed at her. Who could it have been? And why had Ryan looked so vulnerable in that moment?

Stella nudged her arm, pulling her out of her reverie. " Hey, are you okay? "

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," Amelia said quickly, straightening in her seat.

Stella gave her a skeptical look. "You've been spacing out the whole time. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Amelia said, forcing a smile. "Just thinking about the lecture."

Stella snorted. "Yeah, right. Like you've ever been that into psychology."

Amelia rolled her eyes, but before she could respond, the lecturer clapped her hands, signaling the end of class. The students began packing up, and Amelia couldn't have been more relieved.

As they walked out of the lecture hall, Stella looped her arm through Amelia's. "Okay, spill. What's really going on? You've been acting weird all morning."

"I told you, it's nothing," Amelia said, hoping Stella would let it drop.

But Stella wasn't one to give up easily. "Is it a boy? Oh my God, it's a boy, isn't it?"

Amelia's cheeks flushed. "What? No!"

Stella smirked. "Uh-huh. Sure. You're blushing, Amelia."

"I'm not!"

"You so are. Who is it? Tell me everything!"

Amelia groaned, pulling away from Stella. "There's no boy, okay? Just drop it."

Stella pouted. "Fine. But if there is a boy, you'd better tell me. Best friends don't keep secrets, you know."

Amelia offered a weak smile, guilt twisting in her stomach. "Of course."

They parted ways as Stella headed to her next class, and Amelia made her way toward the library. She needed some quiet time to clear her head and figure out how to deal with this mess.

Sitting in a secluded corner of the library, Amelia pulled out her notebook and pretended to study. But her mind kept drifting back to Ryan.

Why did he have to be so confusing? One minute, he was cold and distant, and the next, he was staring at that photograph like it was the most important thing in the world. He was strange.

Why do I even care? she thought, resting her head in her hands.

But she already knew the answer. There was something about Ryan that drew her in, no matter how hard she tried to resist.

Her phone buzzed, breaking her train of thought. She glanced at the screen and saw a text from her father.

Dad: "Hope you're settling in okay. Call me when you get a chance."

Amelia sighed, typing out a quick reply.

Me: "Everything's fine. Will call you later."

She put her phone away and leaned back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling.

Fine? she thought bitterly. Nothing about this situation was fine.