The school compound buzzed with a nervous kind of energy. Everywhere Rita turned, there were clusters of students, hunched over textbooks and scribbled notes, trying to cram the last bits of information into their tired minds. The exam season had finally arrived.
Rita sat on the edge of the bench near the assembly hall, her textbooks forgotten beside her. She should have been revising — she knew that — but her thoughts kept wandering, slipping away from English dates and mathematical formulas to Anne and Evelyn.
Anne was nearby, flipping through a science notebook, her brow furrowed in deep concentration. Rita watched her quietly, a soft ache blooming in her chest. Anne was her friend, yes, but lately, Rita had been feeling something deeper — a fierce kind of admiration mixed with something almost painful. Anne's calmness, her quiet strength, made Rita feel safe, even when everything else felt overwhelming.
And then there was Evelyn.
Evelyn, who wasn't in her class, but whose laughter could make even the heaviest day feel lighter. Evelyn, with her easy way of slipping into conversations and her sharp, mischievous smile. Around Evelyn, Rita felt a different kind of pull — not the quiet, steady affection she felt for Anne, but something more electric, more alive. Evelyn made her feel brave, like she could face anything — even these dreadful exams.
Anne looked up from her notes, saw Rita sitting nearby, but quickly looked away.
No smile. No greeting.
Rita felt a cold knot twist in her stomach.
She wanted to go over, to say something — anything — but the memory of their argument still burned too hot between them.
She blames me, Rita thought miserably. Maybe she's right.
Evelyn was a few steps away, surrounded by some other students. She caught Rita's eye briefly, but her face stayed blank, unreadable. No teasing grin this time.
It was like Rita was invisible to both of them.
She hugged her knees tighter to her chest, feeling the loneliness settle around her like a second skin. The exam tomorrow felt huge, terrifying — but even more terrifying was the thought that she might have lost them for good.
She had thought, somehow, that today would be different. That maybe they would all laugh again, forget the anger, pretend everything was normal.
But it wasn't.
Nothing was normal anymore.
Rita pulled out her English notes and tried to focus, but the words blurred on the page. How could she think about Shakespeare when her heart felt like it was cracking in two?