Until We Fall

Shelves, Silence... and Evan.

The library is supposed to be a sanctuary. That’s the one thing Cyrus liked about it—nobody bothers you. Or, at least, nobody should. The corner table, surrounded by towering bookshelves, was perfect. Just him, a copy of Pride and Prejudice, and a blissful sense of invisibility.

Elizabeth Bennet was sharp and witty, and Darcy? An absolute disaster of a person, but somehow endearing. Cyrus couldn’t decide if their misunderstandings were ridiculous or relatable. Probably both. It’s strange how a book written ages ago could still feel so… relevant. He flipped a page, relaxed, and almost convinced himself he could stay unnoticed for the rest of the afternoon.

But then, as if the universe wanted to ruin his perfect moment, he heard a voice that had become impossible to mistake.

“Here’s awfully quiet,” it said, a little too loudly for a library.

Cyrus felt his heart sink. Evan. He didn’t even have to look up to know. That same obnoxiously cheerful tone had been following him around since Tuesday, like an annoying radio station he couldn’t turn off.

Cyrus hunched lower in his seat, holding the book up to shield his face. Maybe if he stayed perfectly still, Evan wouldn’t notice him. But the world was never that kind.

“Hey, Taciturn,” Evan said loudly enough to draw a glare from the librarian. He ignored it and marched straight over to Cyrus.

“Can’t you go somewhere else?” Cyrus muttered, barely looking up.

“Rude,” Evan said, but he didn’t sound offended. In fact, he sounded amused. He plopped down on the seat next to Cyrus and held up his copy of Pride and Prejudice, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “Let’s call it fate.”

Or stalking, Cyrus thought, but didn’t bother saying aloud. Instead, he tried to ignore Evan as he buried himself deeper into the novel.

But Evan leaned closer—because personal space was clearly a foreign concept to him, and dropped his voice to a loud whisper—loud enough to defeat the point of whispering altogether. “Listen, I’ve got a plan."

This is going to be bad. I just know it.

Mr. Haynes loves pairing enthusiastic partners, right? So if we both go up to him—separately, of course—and, like, talk about how great it would be to have a partner who really gets the book…”

Cyrus looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Evan didn’t seem to notice.

“…you know. I bet he’ll pair us up!” Evan finished, grinning like he’d just solved world hunger.

Cyrus stared at him for a long moment, then went back to his book without a word. It wasn’t worth arguing. Mr. Haynes wasn’t that gullible, and even if he was, Cyrus didn’t want to encourage Evan. That would only make Evan think they were friends, which was exactly the opposite of what Cyrus wanted.

“I’ll take your silence as approval, then,” Evan said cheerfully.

Before Cyrus could formulate a proper response—or an escape route—a third voice joined in.

“Pride and Prejudice, huh? Classic choice.”

Cyrus looked up to see a tall, broad-shouldered senior standing there with a grin that was both charming and a little too confident.. He was the kind of guy who didn’t just walk into a room—he owned it. He grinned, gesturing at the books in their hands. “Haynes made us do the same project last year. Bet he’s got some tricks up his sleeve for you guys.”

Cyrus sighed internally. Why do they keep multiplying? Is this some sort of cursed spot in the library?

Evan, on the other hand, lit up like Christmas morning, while grinning at the senior like he'd just met a celebrity. “Oh, Luna’s boyfriend! You probably know all about Haynes’s tricks, right?”

“You could just call me Jordan,” the senior replied, chuckling.

“Sure thing, Luna’s boyfriend,” Evan said again, smirking as he turned to look at Cyrus.

Cyrus resisted the urge to groan. Why does he keep saying that? Instead, he just stared at Jordan, studying him. He had the same magnetic confidence Luna did, the kind that made people naturally gravitate toward him. And, as always, Cyrus felt that familiar mix of curiosity and envy creeping in. It was the kind that made him want to look away and keep staring at the same time.

Jordan shrugged off Evan's reply and then he leaned casually against the table. “Haynes loves effort,” he said. “But he really loves cleverness. Last year, I figured that out early. Got myself paired with my best friend by pretending we had this ‘rivalry’ thing going on. Haynes ate it up. Said we’d 'push each other to greatness'.”

Evan nodded eagerly, like Jordan was handing him the secrets of the universe. “That’s genius. So you just made it up?”

“Of course,” Jordan said, looking pleased with himself. “Haynes loves drama. If you can sell a story, you’ve got him. It works every time.”

Evan nodded eagerly. “Cyrus, did you hear that? We need a plan like that.”

Cyrus didn’t respond. He kept his eyes on his book, hoping they’d forget he was there. But Jordan wasn’t done.

“You’ve gotta think smart,” Jordan said, his tone turning serious. “Show Haynes you care about the project, but make it interesting. He likes people who go above and beyond. Like, one guy last year made a timeline of every misunderstanding in the book. It was crazy, but Haynes paired him with the best reader in the class.”

“That’s amazing,” Evan said, practically starry-eyed.

Jordan kept talking, but Cyrus wasn’t listening anymore. Before long, Jordan started another story about how he’d aced the project and by then, both Evan and Jordan were too wrapped up in their conversation to even notice Cyrus. As the senior kept talking about his own past achievements and strategies to manipulate Mr. Haynes, Evan threw in several enthusiastic “yeahs” and “totallys.”

It was the perfect distraction.

Carefully, Cyrus gathered his things. He slipped the book into his bag, stood up quietly, and made his way out of the library. Neither of them even noticed.

Cyrus walked down the hall, relief flooding through him. The library had turned into a circus, and he was glad to escape. Still, something lingered. That feeling he always got around people like Jordan and Luna—people who seemed so effortless. It wasn’t only jealousy exactly. More like… curiosity. What was it like to just be like that? To walk into a room and have everyone look at you, listen to you?

He shook the thought away. None of it mattered.

As he passed his literature classroom, Cyrus noticed the door was ajar. Inside, the room was empty except for Mr. Haynes, who was slouched over his desk, taking what looked like a quick nap. On the desk beside him was a file, its contents slightly spilling out. Cyrus’ breath caught when he saw the names of the students and their project pairings written on one of the papers.

His heart began to race. He could just… look. A quick glance, and he’d know who he was paired with. No more guessing, no more waiting for some awkward announcement. He took a step closer, his eyes locked on the file.

The room was so quiet he could hear every beat of his heart. He reached out, his fingers brushing the edge of the paper, when Mr. Haynes shifted in his sleep. Cyrus froze, his pulse hammering in his ears.

I have to be careful, he thought, swallowing hard.