Ever since that day, things have been a little different between Wren and I. Of course, we still sat together during lunch and had our usual after-school talks on the way back home, but there was always something a little off. It felt like I had somehow managed to build a wall between us, and no matter how far I stretched to reach Wren on the other side, she seemed to only build-up, adding bricks upon bricks until I finally gave up for the day. This continued for the rest of the week, and before I knew it, exams crept around, leaving us no room at all to speak, let alone have our daily discussions. And even after all that time being cooped up in our rooms studying, in the end, she only fell farther from my grasp. Today was no different.

"So how did your exams go?" I asked her, watching as her long feather pen fluttered with the strokes of her wrist. She scribbled something down in her notebook before closing it shut, taking a seat beside me. She lay her head on the door of my locker, her gaze flicking up momentarily before finding mine.

"Pretty well," she declared with a smile. Her eyes darted over to her hands, fiddling briefly with the silver ring around her middle finger. "How about you?"

"I'd say decently well," I replied. A brief silence enveloped us as neither of us spoke, only fueling the awkwardness between us.

I shifted in my spot, causing Wren to do the same as she nibbled on a piece of bread. And just when I thought things couldn't get any more awkward, the universe found a way to make it happen.

"H-hey Vince . . ."

Oh, shi-

"Angelese?" Wren muttered, not even bothering to hide the look of surprise taking over her expression. She glanced over in my direction, her hazel eyes widening ever so slightly to express her unease. I mimicked her expression before casting my eyes towards Angelese.

"Can I talk to you privately?" she asked, pushing up against the bridge of her glasses. I stole another glance at Wren. Judging by the way she fidgeted with the end of her pen, she seemed to be just as, if not more, uncomfortable than I was. But given the information I told her about Angelese about a week and a half ago, it was understandable. 

"You could tell me what you want to say now," I replied, mustering up the suppressed confidence within me. Angelese seemed taken aback at my remark, but quickly recovered. 

Knowing Angelese, I knew that all she was ever concerned about was Wren and herself, and judging by our previous conversation, I'd guess that it was about Wren. That being said, I did respect Wren, and if she wanted to know about something involving her, she had the right to. 

I also didn't want to talk to Angelese period.

"Vince, this is really important," she persisted, shooting an uneasy look down to Wren. I couldn't help but feel that she was bluffing, and given the lies that she had been feeding to Wren, and false alarms she threw at me already, I was probably right.

"If it's so important, then you should be able to tell me right now," I declared, watching as Angelese squirmed in her spot. "I think we could trust that Wren could keep this a secret. There's no need to leave her in the dark this time."

A shy smile crept over Wren's face upon my words, as she turned her head. But the moment she lay her eyes on Angelese, her lips fell flat into a straight line.

Angelese stood still for a few moments, trying to muster something up to stop the tense silence wrapping around her. She opened and closed her mouth, only to find no explanation or reasoning as to why she needed to talk to me in the first place. Finally, she burst.

"What the fuck has gotten into you recently?" she cried, her words glazed over in frustration. I raised an eyebrow at her, stopping myself from gaping. Wren seemed to be started from her outburst, flinching at her words as if they were a physical blow. "I just want to talk to you, is that a crime?"

Well, I thought to myself, vandalism is.

"And you," she snapped, sending an icy glare in Wren's direction. Wren simply stared up at her, her expression blank. Her fingers trembled, giving me the sign that maybe her neutral face served as a mask hiding the fear inside of her.

"Did you also have something important to say to Wren?" I cut in, directing Angelese's rage towards me instead. Instantly, her gaze softened, as a wave of guilt flooded over her expression of anger.

Again, she stood in silence, not muttering a single word.

"You know what, nevermind."

Without turning to face us, she stormed off, leaving Wren and I alone once more.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Woah," Wren murmured, turning to face me. Her hazel eyes were still wide in shock. "Even after what you said I was not expecting that at all."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

Slowly, Wren leaned over, placing her head on my shoulder. I felt myself flush as she did, feeling a rush of heat rise up from my chest.

"You're too kind to me," she joked, earning a smile from my end. Locks of golden-brown hair fell across her face, leaving just enough room to let her bright hazel eyes peek through. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

I caught her gaze through the empty gaps between her golden-brown locks, causing her eyes to dart away. A lively chuckle tumbled out of her lips amid the silence.

"What?"

"Nothing."

A mischievous grin slid over her lips as she kept her gaze ahead, clutching her notebook closer to her chest. I let my lips curl into a smile as I tilted my head, letting it rest against Wren's.

At that moment, I knew that maybe things were finally starting to fall back into place.