The fluorescent lights of the school hallway buzz overhead as I lean against my locker, pretending to check my phone. Really, I'm watching Mischa out of the corner of my eye. He's standing at his locker across from mine, the one he specifically requested after we first started talking. The memory makes me smile - how he'd tried to act casual about it, like it was just a coincidence.

He slams his locker shut and glances over at me, his signature scowl softening almost imperceptibly when our eyes meet. My heart does that stupid flutter it always does when he looks at me like that.

"Ready to go?" he asks, shouldering his backpack.

"Where are we going?" I close my phone, tucking it into my pocket.

"Nowhere special," he says, but there's a glint in his eye that tells me he's planning something. "Just need to show you something."

I push off from my locker, falling into step beside him as we head toward the exit. The hallway is nearly empty now, most students having left for the day. His shoulder brushes mine occasionally as we walk, and each time, I have to resist the urge to lean into him.

We step outside into the crisp April air, and he turns to me, suddenly serious.

"Noel, there's something I need to tell you..."

My stomach drops. Here it comes. The breakup speech I've been dreading since we decided to try being more than friends again.