“Shit!” Cindy exclaims to herself when she sees her ex down the hallway. Shawn was talking to someone, so she opens the first door she can find and slams it shut once inside.

“Phew,” she sighs once his footsteps continue, unfaltering. He didn’t see her. Thank God.

“Umm….are you ok?” A voice whispers right behind her. She covers her mouth, muffling her shriek. Realizing she is in a coat closet, she thanks the stars that it wasn’t a bedroom that was occupied.

“Cindy? You good?” Oh yeah, she didn’t answer him. “Charlie? I’m so sorry! Shawn was talking to Lindsay, and I really didn’t want to have to talk to him.”

Cindy and Charlie competed against each other to get first rank. They are in the same classes and have a friendly rivalry.

While she is usually reserved and quiet, he was the only person she would ever brag to about her grades. He did the same for her. It was just the dynamic they had with each other.

“I heard about your breakup. Sorry to hear that,” Charlie says. She waves him off. “It’s fine. Shawn and I were never meant to be, it was only a matter time. I just don’t need him to brag about being with Lindsay,” Cindy explains.

He leans his shoulders against the wall, next to the coats. She slumps against the door, more relaxed. “Then I’m not sorry. He wasn’t good enough for you.”

Her eyes widen. Shawn is the popular guy. He is so unserious and goofy. Honestly, she enjoyed his humor and his positive outlook, but it became too much. He never too anything seriously. Any concern of hers would be complaining to him.

“Really?” She couldn’t keep the surprise from her tone. No one ever said that to her. Cindy never thought anyone thought that either.

“Yes really! You are so dedicated and passionate. You do things with your whole heart. I can see that in your projects, in your presentations, and how you talk. If he can’t see that, then he doesn’t deserve you,” Charlie blushes, eyes downcast as he finishes.

Cindy is speechless. When she talked to Shawn, he took her talking as annoying and boring, not dedicated and passionate.

She didn’t realize until Charlie complimented her that she had begun to believe what Shawn said about her.

Wanting to reassure him, she takes a leap that she would never usually do and closes the gap and takes his hand into hers. “Thank you. You don’t know how much I needed to hear that,” she finally speaks, not sure how to encapsulate all that he made her feel with one conversation.”

His eyes meets hers and she holds her breath.

There is something between them. A moment. A connection. A spark.

“You push me to be better. But also myself at the same time,” she confesses. There is so many things she hasn’t noticed whether it be about Shawn or about Charlie.

But now, she sees it all with new eyes.

“Do you maybe wanna work on Mrs. Tonie’s project together?” It may sound like a diversion, but Cindy knows Charlie. And he knows her.

This is his version of asking her out.

“I would love to,” she agrees. He lets out a relieved breath.

“I think if we get high marks apart, we’ll smoke everyone if we work together.”

He opens his mouth to respond but the closet door swings, startling both of them.

“Cindy?”

Shawn stares at her with confusion in the doorway. “What are you doing in a closet with Carter?”

Neither goes to correct him.

“Oh, you know, just talking about a project,” Cindy answers. “Of course you are. Nice to know you haven’t changed a bit,” he says as he pushes past Charlie to grab two jackets, one leather and one clearly feminine with a flowery pattern.

“I haven’t changed, and I’m glad I didn’t for you,” she states, confident with Shawn for the first time.

Shawn gives her a strange look before leaving with the coats slung over one arm muttering, “Weird, fucking nerds,” under his breath.

Cindy and Charlie share a smile with a hidden amusement and meaning behind them.