Episode 5: That look again POV : Alex

Episode 5 — Alex’s POV*

Title: “That Look Again”*

I don’t know when it started—maybe the first time she laughed at one of my jokes, or maybe the first time she *didn’t*.

Sandra had a way of looking at people. Like she saw through them, and didn’t need to say anything about it. And lately, I’d caught her looking at me more than once.

Not like Joan used to.

Joan’s gaze always came with questions—expectations. Sandra’s… hers just *watched*.

And for some stupid reason, it made me nervous.

At lunch, I sat across from Henry, letting him ramble about this soccer match we had coming up, but I wasn’t really paying attention. My eyes wandered—habitually, unwillingly—to the far corner where Sandra and Joan were sitting.

Sandra was stirring her drink with a straw, half-listening to Joan’s dramatic rant about someone stealing her locker mirror. She smiled politely, but I could tell she wasn’t all the way there either.

Her gaze flicked up. Met mine.

And this time, *she didn’t look away*.I held it for a second too long before Henry snapped his fingers in front of me. “Yo. Earth to Alex.”

I blinked and forced a laugh. “Sorry. Zoned out.”

“You always zone out when I talk,” he muttered, mock offended. “You’re lucky I’m loyal.”

“Yeah, yeah. Love you too,” I said, grabbing an apple and tossing it toward him.

But I wasn’t zoning out. I was spiraling.

Because things were getting complicated. Again.

I’d promised myself I wouldn’t go near anything messy this year. Not after everything with Joan. Not after how it ended—and definitely not when we were finally *cool* again.

But Sandra wasn’t just anyone.

She was her cousin.

And the way she made me feel when she smiled—like the world narrowed down to one chair in a noisy cafeteria—was becoming a problem.

After school, I caught up with Joan in the parking lot. She was scrolling through her phone, humming some new R&B song she was obsessed with.

“I’ll drive you today,” I offered casually.

She looked up, surprised. “You sure? I was gonna grab a ride with Sandra.”

Of course she was.

“Nah, it’s fine,” I said quickly. “Just thought we haven’t talked in a bit.”

She smiled and slid into the passenger seat. “Aw. You miss me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

She laughed, leaning back. “You’re lucky I’m over you.”I chuckled, but something about the way she said it made me glance at her.

Over me?

I wasn’t so sure.

The ride was short, filled with her usual playlist and stories about classmates I barely knew. But the quiet part of me—the one I didn’t let speak too often—was screaming.

Because Sandra wasn’t supposed to matter.

But she did.

And Joan wasn’t supposed to care anymore.

But she might.

That night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling fan as it spun above me.

I checked my phone more times than I should’ve.

No message from Joan.

No message from Sandra either.

And for some reason, that last part bothered me the most.

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