Chapter 1: The Reflection
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I sat in front of the mirror again this morning—just staring. Not adjusting my hair, not putting on makeup or trying to look pretty. Just staring. At my face. At the girl no one sees.
My name's Ariana. But it honestly feels like nobody knows that. Maybe the teachers do, and that one girl who sits behind me in biology and always borrows my pen without asking. But other than that… I'm just kind of here. Breathing. Existing. Not really seen.
And weirdly, I don't mind.
I've always liked being alone. I know that sounds strange to people, but there's something peaceful about being invisible. No drama, no expectations, no need to impress anyone. I can just drift through the halls like smoke—quiet, unnoticed. It's been that way since junior year. And now that I'm in my final year of high school, nothing's really changed.
People say high school is supposed to be the best time of your life. Full of memories, parties, friendships, love stories, heartbreaks, laughs. But for me? It's been… silent. Like watching everyone else live their stories while I stand in the background like extra furniture in a movie. Present, but never part of the plot.
I guess you could say I made it that way. I chose this. I pushed people away before they could get too close. When you grow up learning that people don't stay, you start to believe you're better off without them.
But this morning feels different. I don't know why. Maybe it's the way the light hit my reflection, or maybe it's just a random feeling. But I caught myself wondering if today will be the same. If I'll sit alone at lunch again, headphones in, staring at nothing. If I'll walk past a hundred people and not get a single "hey" or smile.
And then the thought hit me: what if something changes?
What if someone actually sees me?
I laughed at myself right after thinking that. Why would they? Nothing about me stands out. I'm not the girl with perfect skin or the loud laugh or the stylish clothes. I'm the girl who keeps her head down, always carries a book, and speaks only when she's called on. The quiet one. The weird one. The ghost in the corner.
And maybe that's okay. Maybe it's who I'm meant to be.
But sometimes—just sometimes—I wonder what it would feel like to be noticed. Not because I want attention, but because… I want to feel like I matter. Like my presence actually takes up space in the world. Like I'm not just watching life pass by, but living it too.
Anyway, I should get ready for school. My uniform's already wrinkled, and I think I forgot to charge my earbuds. Which means I'll actually have to listen to the noise today. Ugh.
Another day of slipping through the halls like a shadow.
Another day of being invisible.
Or maybe… not?