Silence was my safest place.
If I didn't talk, no one laughed.
If I didn't look, no one noticed.
That's why I always sat in the last row, hiding behind books, as if blending into the walls could make me disappear.
At least… that's what I wanted.
"Why do you always sit back here?"
My pen froze. My chest tightened. That voice—it wasn't just anyone's. It was his.
The boy everyone adored.
The boy with the loud laugh, the easy smile, and the dimple that made half the class melt.
The boy I had promised myself I'd never look at.
I didn't answer. I never did.
But instead of leaving, he leaned down, his shadow spilling over my desk.
"You think you're invisible, don't you?" he whispered, his tone low—almost teasing, almost serious.
My heartbeat roared in my ears.
He wasn't supposed to notice me.
But he did.
And that's where everything started