The beginning of the,,,

I was a perfectly ordinary high school girl.

I lived with my parents in a house that felt just the right size — not too big, not too small — and my life, by every measure I could think of, was almost perfect. No storms on the horizon. No cracks in the walls. Just the quiet, golden hum of a life that hadn't yet learned what trouble tasted like.

But nothing stays perfect forever. That's not cynicism — that's just the way the universe works.

On my eighteenth birthday, we threw a party at my house.

I invited the people who mattered most: Crystal, Rony, Yang, Johan, and Ali. Five friends who had threaded themselves so deeply into my life that I could no longer imagine it without them. The night was loud and warm and exactly everything I'd hoped for. We laughed until our stomachs hurt, ate until we couldn't move, and stayed up so late that by the time the last song faded, none of them had the energy to go home.

So they stayed.

We sprawled out across the big dining room floor, blankets pulled over us like a fortress of limbs and laughter.

"Guys," I said softly, staring up at the ceiling, "thank you so much for coming."

"We're always here for you," Ali said simply. "You know that."

"I really am lucky," I whispered, "to have friends like you all."

"We're lucky too," Crystal murmured, her voice already drowsy at the edges. "Don't forget that."

We exchanged sleepy smiles in the dim light, pulled each other into brief, warm hugs, and then — one by one — let sleep take us.

Some hours later.

My name was called like honey poured through the dark.

I jolted awake, heart stumbling before my eyes had even fully opened. Yang was crouched beside me, already dressed, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and urgency.

"Get up, sleepyhead," he said, his voice low but firm. "Or we're going to be late."

I pulled my blanket tighter and groaned. "Five more minutes."

"No."

"Yang—"

"I will leave you behind."

That got me. My eyes snapped open.

"What — no, don't you dare—"

"The others already left." He stood, crossing his arms. "They're probably already at school. So move, or I walk out that door."

I squinted at him, deploying my most pitiful puppy eyes. He stared back, unmoved, then sighed so heavily it seemed to come from somewhere deep in his soul.

"You're insufferable," he muttered. "You have ten minutes."

I was ready in nine.

It took us another ten minutes to reach school, half-jogging the whole way, and we arrived breathless and flushed just as the bell screamed through the hallways.

I spotted the staircase ahead. Yang's classroom was on the second floor; mine was on the first. This was where we split.

"Go!" I spun around and pointed dramatically at the stairs. "You can do it, Yang! Don't be late! Go, my boy, go!"

He turned scarlet. The blush started at his ears and swept all the way down his neck, and I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.

I had known for a long time that Yang liked me — not just as a friend, but as something more. And if I was being honest with myself — truly, quietly honest — I felt the same way. Had felt it for years, actually, tucked somewhere in my chest like a secret I wasn't brave enough to say out loud.

But we were good, Yang and I. Solid. Built from years of shared lunches and whispered jokes and the kind of trust you don't risk breaking unless you're absolutely sure. So neither of us had ever said anything.

Not yet.

I filed that thought away and bolted for my classroom.

I arrived at the door winded, my heartbeat hammering loudly enough that I was almost convinced my teacher could hear it.

I knocked.

"Teacher, may I come in? I'm sorry — I'm a little late."

A pause. Then: "Yes. Come in. Don't let it happen again."

"Yes, teacher. Thank you."

I slipped inside and dropped into the empty seat beside Crystal, exhaling slowly.

She looked at me sideways, a small smile already forming. "I honestly thought you and Yang weren't going to make it."

I pouted. "That's your fault, you know. Why didn't you wake me up?"

Her smile widened — the dangerous kind, the one that meant she'd been saving something. "Well," she said lightly, "I didn't want to disturb you. Not when you looked so peaceful." She tilted her head, eyes glinting. "Sleeping in Yang's arms."

The heat hit my face like a wave.

"Crystal—!"

I said it too loudly. Heads turned. The entire classroom swiveled toward me, including the teacher, whose eyebrows had climbed nearly to his hairline.

"Is something wrong?"

I froze. "No — no, nothing. I'm completely fine, sir."

"Then why the outburst?"

"I... I thought I saw a bug." I winced internally even as I said it. "But there wasn't one. I'm sorry."

He stared at me for a long, excruciating moment. "Right. Sit down. One more disruption and you're out of my classroom."

"Understood. Sorry."

I lowered myself into my seat, cheeks still burning. Beside me, Crystal was practically vibrating with suppressed laughter, her smile wide and unrepentant.

One day, I thought, narrowing my eyes at her. One day, I will embarrass you right back. And it will be glorious.

I nodded to myself firmly, sealing the promise.

Now. Where were we?

Oh — right. The hallway. I'd been thinking about something before all of that happened. I can't remember what it was.

My memory has always been terrible. And honestly? It's only gotten worse. A lot of things have gotten worse, after everything that happened.

I know, I know — you're curious. You want to know what the "complicated things" are. What changed. What cracked the perfect little life I'd described so carefully just moments ago.

Relax. I'll tell you everything. Every detail, every moment, every piece of the story that broke me open and put me back together wrong.

Just stay with me.

Little by little.

…To be continued.

Author's Note — Hey, everyone! This is my very first time writing, and I'm genuinely so grateful you're here. I hope this story makes you feel something. If I stumble along the way, please be patient with me — I promise I'm giving it everything I've got. Thank you, truly, for the support. It means more than you know.

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