Something in class had shifted.
The air felt different — charged. Like the moment before a storm breaks. And at the center of it all was Celine.
Her energy had changed. Like someone had flipped a switch. Suddenly, I wasn’t just a classmate anymore — I was someone to keep under surveillance. Like I held something she couldn’t control, something too special for her comfort.
Usually, I don’t mind when people act a little off. Everyone has bad days. But when someone starts pulling strings in your friendships? That’s where I draw the line.
Celine had become territorial.
First, she told Dev and Sara to keep their distance from me. No explanation. No reason. And even though they didn’t completely cut me off, something shifted. The conversations became shorter. The laughter faded. What used to feel easy now felt... strained.
By then, the distance from Dev and Sara had settled in like fog — not total silence, but a kind of quiet that felt louder than words.
Then, that afternoon, my phone lit up — and suddenly, everything made sense.
Dev: “Hey, Celine wants me to tell you about our relationship. I’ll type out the text. Can you pretend like you never knew?”
I blinked.
Pretend?
Pretend like nothing was weird? Like this cold war hadn’t been simmering between the smiles and small talk?
Me: “Fine.”
A moment later:
Dev: “Hey, just wanted to let you know, me and Celine are dating.”
I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel. Or say. So I just typed:
Me: “Okay.”
No questions. No comments. Just that.
Not because I had nothing to say — but because none of it would matter now.
The next few days blurred. Back-to-back classes. Half-finished assignments. And Celine pushing every button she could find.
I don’t know when things soured between us — when tension replaced the casual peace we once had — but I noticed something. Every time I spoke to Sara, Celine’s expression darkened. And when Dev so much as texted me, it was like something inside her snapped.
She wasn’t just cold anymore. She was mean. And not just to me — to other girls too. It was like she believed Dev and Sara belonged to her. Like they were hers to guard, control, and keep close.
“She’s been acting like she owns us,” Reine whispered during lunch. “It’s exhausting.”
It wasn’t just me anymore. Everyone felt the shift. The air around her had grown heavy, uncomfortable. We all started pulling away — not from fear, but out of instinct. Something about her had become... unstable.
Then one day, out of nowhere, she walked up and hugged me.
Startled, I pulled away.
“What is this?” I snapped, confused and irritated.
She gave me a sugary sweet smile, head tilted like a porcelain doll.
“Can’t I hug my best friend?” she asked, her voice thick with fake innocence.
Then she turned and walked away.
Best friend.
That word didn’t belong to us. Not now. Not ever. That title was part of a different circle — the one with Sara, Reine, the others. Not her.
The final straw came on a day that felt like fate had written the script.
Celine approached us — me, Reine, and Sara — and said she wanted to see Dev after school. Her “master plan” was simple: skip the school bus and sneak off with us.
“I’m not taking the school bus,” she said firmly. “I want to meet Dev. I’ll come with you all.”
We hesitated. If the school found out, it could mean serious trouble.
“Celine…” I began. “If the school finds out—”
“They won’t,” she cut me off, eyes gleaming. “We’ll be careful.”
Reine, Sara, and I exchanged uncertain glances.
“Fine,” Reine muttered. “But this is a bad idea.”
We walked familiar streets, nerves buzzing, eyes darting. Then Dev came into view.
This was it — their first time meeting in person. After all the whispered plans, the secret texts, the buildup… we expected something soft. A hug, a smile. A cinematic beginning to something beautiful.
Instead, Celine walked right up to him — and slapped him.
Hard.
The sound cracked the air like glass shattering.
We all froze, watching the scene unfold. Dev staggered back, stunned, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief. He hadn’t even said a word yet.
Celine’s voice trembled — not with fear, but with a kind of dangerous amusement. “You think you can play me?”
He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out.
My heart wasn’t racing. I wasn’t nervous. All I felt was… irritation. This wasn’t love. This wasn’t magic.
Is this what love looks like? I thought.
A mad obsession?
It didn’t feel like something worth envying anymore. It felt like a trap. A messy, spiraling trap.
And I realized then — I wasn’t jealous of what they had. I was relieved I wasn’t part of it.
But then… I noticed someone was missing.
Prajwal.
He always tagged along. But not today.
I looked around — and that’s when it happened.
A teacher from our school. Walking straight toward us.
We froze.
Sara leapt into action. “Save your love for some other time,” she whispered urgently to Celine. “A teacher’s coming!”
She grabbed Celine and we bolted down a side street, hearts pounding, laughter dying in our throats.
The teacher passed, but her gaze lingered. She had seen us. And that terrified me more than anything.
We all parted ways after that. But I couldn’t get Dev’s smile out of my head — not just before the slap, but even after.
He still spoke about her like she was his entire world. Like nothing had shattered. Like the sting on his cheek meant nothing compared to the shine in his eyes when he said her name.
There was a glow in him I hadn’t seen before — and that’s what unsettled me most.
Even after everything... he still looked at her like that.
Will anyone ever look at me that way?
Will anyone ever talk about me with that kind of warmth?
As soon as I got home, I texted Prajwal.
Me: “Hey, what happened? Didn’t see you around today. Everything okay?”
His reply came almost instantly.
Prajwal: “He was going to see his girlfriend. Didn’t want to bother.”
I paused.
Me: “Ohh.”
And then, as if on cue:
Prajwal: “How was your day?”
Even though my heart was still a mess, I smiled. And because I can never keep things to myself, I sent him a long voice note — every little thing, every weird twist, every feeling. I didn’t skip a single detail.
His reply came a moment later.
Prajwal: “Hmm.”
My heart jumped.
He’s replying fast… is he feeling something too?
Excited, I texted back:
Me: “How was your day?”
Seen? Nope.
Reply? Nope.
The next evening, I finally got a message.
Prajwal: “It was good.”
Typical. Cold. Bare minimum.
But this time? I didn’t feel like fading away.
You can ignore me. You can act like I don’t exist. But I’m still here.
And I won’t fade.
Not this time.
This time, you’ll know I’m here.
This time, you’ll feel it.
This time, you’ll feel my presence.
_______________________________
Hey lil loves
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