Noelle reached her room and flopped onto her bed, pressing her palms against her cheeks. She felt hot all over, like she'd been running laps around the entire school. Her heart was still racing, thundering against her ribs as if it was about to burst. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ren's face too close to hers, the warmth of his hand gripping her wrist, the sharp glint in his eyes that made her forget how to breathe.
With a groan, she rolled onto her side and snatched up her phone. Her thumb hovered over the screen for a second before she opened her messages and tapped Mei Ling's name.
Noelle: Mei, you're not going to believe what just happened.
She paused, biting her lip, her fingers flying again before she lost courage.
Noelle: I was with Ren after practice and a ball almost hit me. He blocked it but it hit his shoulder instead.
Noelle: I tried to help him, like… massage his shoulder a little?
Her face burned as she typed the next part, but she couldn't stop herself.
Noelle: Then it got weird. Like REALLY weird. He grabbed my wrist and looked at me like… I don't even know. I thought my heart was going to explode.
She buried her face into her pillow, muffling a scream of embarrassment before adding one last message.
Noelle: Mei, what do I do???
She hit send, tossed her phone aside, and rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. The memory replayed over and over in her mind, each time making her cheeks flame hotter. She couldn't decide if she wanted to see him again immediately… or never show her face in front of him again.
Noelle's phone buzzed almost instantly.
Mei Ling: … omg. WAIT. HE WHAT??
Mei Ling: Noelle. NOELLE. You can't just drop "he grabbed my wrist and looked at me" and then leave me hanging.
Another message came through before she could even roll over.
Mei Ling: Okay, first of all—girl, of course your heart almost exploded. He's Ren. Soccer captain. Walking daydream. And apparently now he's into wrist-grabbing drama scenes??
Noelle groaned, burying her face into her pillow again. The phone buzzed once more.
Mei Ling: Second of all… have you even looked at yourself lately?
Mei Ling: You're not the same girl you keep thinking you are. The baby fat? Gone. Your face is all delicate now, your arms, your legs… you've grown into yourself, Noelle. You move differently too. Lighter. More confident.
Mei Ling: And don't even get me started on your hair. The waves?? They literally frame your face like a shampoo commercial. I'm so jealous.
Noelle's cheeks heated for an entirely different reason. Her fingers flew clumsily.
Noelle: Stopppp. I'm still clumsy and awkward, you know that. I'm the same chubby, unsure girl inside.
The reply came back fast, Mei Ling clearly not letting her wallow.
Mei Ling: You THINK you are. But trust me, Ren doesn't see "awkward little Noelle." He sees the Noelle who's grown up right under her own nose. The one who makes him nervous enough to do something stupid like block a ball with his shoulder and then grab your wrist like he's in a drama scene.
Noelle stared at the words, her stomach flipping. She hugged her pillow tighter, biting her lip to fight back the ridiculous smile tugging at her mouth.
Noelle: You're exaggerating.
Mei Ling: Am I? 😉 Tell me again how close his face was to yours. I'll wait.
Noelle dropped her phone on her chest, hiding her grin with a groan. She hated how much her best friend was right.
Her phone buzzed again, and Mei Ling's texts came rapid-fire, like bullets she couldn't dodge.
Mei Ling: Girl. He's INTO you.
Mei Ling: Why else would soccer prince Ren sacrifice his shoulder and then turn into Mr. Drama Hero grabbing your wrist like that??
Noelle buried her face deeper into her pillow, groaning while trying to rebut Mei Ling, furiously typing her reply.
Noelle: You're being ridiculous.
Mei Ling: Am I? Or am I the only one saying out loud what's screaming in your head rn?
Before Noelle could type, another text popped up.
Mei Ling: His face was what, like… inches from yours? Did you count? Be honest.
Noelle: MEI LING!!
Mei Ling: 😂 I KNEW IT. Silence = guilt. You totally thought about kissing him.
Noelle flailed on her bed, cheeks blazing.
Noelle: I did NOT.
Mei Ling: Liar. Anyway, enough of you denying reality. How can I make you believe that my deduction is right? Operation Does Ren Like Noelle is officially ON.
Noelle blinked at her screen.
Noelle: …What?
Mei Ling: You heard me. We're going to test him. See if his big soccer-captain self can hide it when we poke at the edges.
Noelle: This sounds dangerous.
Mei Ling: Dangerous? No, darling. Fun. Here's the plan:
Step 1: I "accidentally" mention you were staring at him during practice (don't argue, I know you were). See if he blushes.
Step 2: You text him something casual, like asking about homework. If he replies instantly = confirmed obsessed.
Step 3: I'll casually ask him if he's going to the school festival, and when he says yes, you're suddenly "free" that day too.
Noelle thought about his message replies and smiled to herself when she recalled how readily he agreed to lunch earlier.
Noelle: You've thought way too much about this.
Mei Ling: Babe, this is what best friends DO. Besides, do you want to keep lying in bed imagining his abs or do you want to KNOW if he actually likes you?
Noelle's phone slipped from her hands as she let out another strangled groan, rolling back and forth on the bed.
Mei Ling's final text chimed like a victory bell:
Mei Ling: Get ready, Noelle. Ren's about to flunk this "hide your feelings" test and when he does, you owe me bubble tea.