CHAPTER 6
EYES ON ME
POV: Aiden Hart
Tuesday
I wasn't paying attention when it happened.
Hallways at Kingswood High School always felt like a blur in the mornings, too many voices, too much noise, too many people moving like they had purpose. I was just trying to get to second period without someone throwing a crumpled flyer at my head.
I turned a corner too fast, shoulder-first, and nearly slammed into someone.
My reflexes kicked in and I stopped just in time, but not before I caught the look.
Kieran Monroe.
He didn't flinch. Didn't apologize. Just stood there, right in front of me, like he'd been waiting. His eyes were dark, unreadable. Studying me like I was something under a microscope. And then just like that, he smirked.
Didn't say a word. Just kept walking.
I stood there for a second, blinking like I'd just stepped out of a weird dream. My chest buzzed not in the normal I-almost-hit-someone way, but like something about that moment stuck to my skin.
Whatever. I shook it off and kept moving.
Except… I didn't stop thinking about it.
By lunch, it wasn't just that one hallway moment.
He was everywhere.
Kieran was in my English class. Two rows back. Never noticed before. Now I couldn't stop noticing.
I saw him again outside the gym after third period, leaning against the brick wall, smoking like he was in some indie movie no one asked him to star in. He didn't even try to hide it, just stood there, black hoodie half-zipped, head tilted back, letting the smoke rise like he owned the sky.
And then again in the parking lot. Just passing by.
Was it a coincidence?
I kept telling myself it had to be that way. Our schedules overlapped. Maybe I was being paranoid.
But I felt it. Everytime.
That stare.
Like he knew exactly where I'd be before I got there.
And what bothered me the most, the part that made my chest clench, I kept wondering where he was next.
Why do I care where he is?
By the time I got to the lunch table, I already felt off-balance. The usual crowd was there: Maddie, Tyler, Vanessa, and a couple of the JV guys from defense. Not Brandon. Not anymore.
I slid into my seat across from Maddie. She was in the middle of a rant about some TikTok girl who wore the same sweater as her last Friday.
"And I'm like, if you're gonna copy someone, at least do it right."
I half-listened, unwrapping my sandwich. My eyes drifted to the other side of the cafeteria, and yeah. There he was.
Kieran.
Alone, technically. But people were around. Girls mostly. Talking near him, trying not to be obvious about it. He wasn't paying attention to any of them. Just sitting there. Watching.
Watching me.
"Seriously," Maddie said, suddenly shifting topics. "He's, like, the new obsession. You know that, right?"
I looked back at her. "Who?"
She rolled her eyes. "Monroe. You're slow today."
Tyler followed my gaze across the room and grinned. "The way that guy keeps staring over here, it's like he's plotting a takeover. Probably wants your throne, QB."
Everyone laughed.
I forced a smile. "He'll have to fight me for it."
Another round of chuckles. But my hands felt cold.
When I looked up again, Kieran was still watching. Didn't smile. Didn't blink.
Wednesday wasn't better.
Practice sucked. I couldn't focus. Every pass felt a second late. Every play I called sounded wrong in my ears.
Coach kept yelling, but it was like my body was moving separately from my head.
I kept seeing him. In flashes. Outside the class windows. In the hall near the vending machines. That hoodie. That stare.
He used to be invisible. Kieran Monroe, the quiet kid from freshman year. Ghosted through the halls like he didn't exist.
Now he felt like gravity.
And it was screwing with me.
After school, I walked into the locker room early, hoping for some quiet.
No luck.
Kieran was already there. Alone. At the back lockers. Shirtless.
His head tilted up slightly as I entered. Like he already knew it was me.
Our eyes locked in the mirror for a second too long.
I looked away first. Fumbled with my bag. Mumbled something about needing tape. Left without getting it.
Didn't tell anyone.
Friday Night Lights. Game Day.
Everything felt tight: my jersey, the air, my chest.
The stadium buzzed with life. Lights glowing down like we were gods on a stage. Mayor Hart is in the front row. Maddie is waving from the cheer line. Tyler slapping my helmet, shouting something about crushing it tonight.
The first quarter started smoothly.
I was in the zone. First, drive clean, touchdown pass. The crowd went wild.
Then… I looked up.
And there he was.
Kieran. Front row bleachers. Black hoodie. Hands folded. Face calm.
Staring straight at me.
The moment our eyes met, something short-circuited. I stumbled. Threw wide. Almost got picked.
The second quarter was worse. I kept catching glimpses of him between plays. Standing up now. Arms crossed. Still watching.
I could hear Coach screaming from the sidelines.
"Get your head in the game, Hart!"
But it was already gone.
By the final whistle, we'd lost. The other team danced across the field. Our crowd stood in stunned silence. Mayor Hart's arms stayed folded as he walked away.
Tyler muttered beside me, "Dude… what the hell happened out there?"
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't know.
The locker room was dead quiet.
I sat there, breathing hard, helmet still on.
And then I snapped.
I stood and punched the nearest locker. Hard. Metal clanged. My knuckles burned.
Tyler winced. "Whoa. Chill, man."
"Just leave it."
He held his hands up, not joking anymore.
I sat again, head in my hands.
What is his deal? Or is it mine?
Outside, the stadium was clearing out.
I walked alone, helmet tucked under my arm, the weight of the loss dragging behind me like chains.
And then, of course, there he was.
Kieran.
Leaning against his bike just outside the gate, arms folded, helmet on the seat beside him. That same damn smirk.
Like he knew exactly what would happen.
Like he planned it.
I didn't stop walking.
But my heart didn't stop pounding either.