Zach looked at Madelyn closely. Usually, he'd seem distant and cold when he looked at her. But this time, there was a bit of gentleness in his eyes, like how he looked at Jadie.

Madelyn felt surprised and kinda nervous. 'He's acting weird... What could have gone wrong? I can't recall doing anything out of the ordinary.'

Zach broke the tension. "Jadie would like that you care about her. But what about you? Do you like Ethan?"

"Huh?" Madelyn's bewilderment deepened, her thoughts racing. 'Why is he suddenly bringing up Ethan? Is he on drug or something? This is so strange.'

Zach didn't say anything. He just watched her closely, like he was waiting for her reaction. Then suddenly, he pulled his hand back and went back to being distant and cold, like the soft look he gave her didn't even happen.

"No!"

Madelyn then exhaled a relieved breath. She wanted to get away from there, but Zach grabbed her wrist, stopping her. Her voice shaky, she asked, "Zach... What's wrong? Do you need somet