The next day, Rafaela arrived at school crestfallen, unsure how to tell Ava that she would be leaving the school next week. Upon meeting Ava, she noticed that her friend was very excited and invited her to a party on Saturday.
"Come on, Rafa! It'll be fun!" Ava insisted, practically pulling Rafaela by the arm as they walked towards the classroom. "You need to go out, get distracted a little, don't think I didn't notice your sad face today? I miss one day and you're already like this?"
Rafaela tried to refuse. She wasn't in the mood for parties, especially with the move looming over her like a storm cloud. But with Saturday being her birthday and Ava's insistence, she gave in.
"Okay, I'll go..." Rafaela agreed, rolling her eyes.
"That's the spirit!" Ava smiled, satisfied. "You'll see how a party can change everything."
Rafaela preferred not to tell Ava that she was leaving at that moment; it would be the first and last party she would attend with her friend, so she thought about delivering the news on Monday.
And the week flew by. On Saturday, she had tried something different. She wore a more fitted blouse, put on new jeans, and even put a little gloss on her lips. She styled her hair to make it look more stylish.
"Maybe I'm not so bad..." She thought, taking a deep breath. Before leaving, she met with her father.
"You look beautiful, daughter."
"Thank you, Dad..."
"I know you didn't want to move..."
"Don't worry, Dad, I understand..." She said, giving her father a kiss.
Ava arrived to pick her up shortly after. The two got into a car with an acquaintance, where loud music already heralded the tone of the night.
"Where is this party, anyway?" Rafaela asked, looking out the window.
"At a classmate's house. Relax, you'll like it. And before I forget, happy birthday!" Ava gave Rafaela a hug. "I'll give you your gift on Monday at school."
"Thank you." Rafaela was happy that she had remembered her birthday. "I think tonight will be incredible..." Rafaela sensed that something was going to happen.
It wasn't until the car stopped in front of a large house, with colored lights and many people coming and going, that Rafaela froze upon seeing her schoolmates and discovering that they were at Nick's house.
"Wait, this is Nick's house?!" Rafaela almost shouted in surprise.
Ava laughed, pulling her out of the car.
"Surprise!" She joked. "Don't make that face, Rafa, if I told you, you wouldn't come. It'll be fun, I promise!"
Rafaela wanted to turn around and leave. She wasn't prepared to see Nick, especially with the move so close. But Ava was already pulling her into the house, where loud music and laughter drowned out any protest.
The room was crowded. Groups of teenagers danced, talked, and took selfies. Rafaela felt like a fish out of water in the middle of all that commotion. Ava, on the other hand, seemed to be at home, greeting everyone who passed by.
"I'm going to get us a drink, wait here!" Ava said, disappearing into the crowd.
Rafaela crossed her arms, feeling out of place. Then, as if the universe had a cruel sense of humor, she saw him.
Nick was leaning against the kitchen counter, laughing with his friends. He was wearing a black t-shirt and ripped jeans, and seemed to be the center of attention, as always. Beside him, Vitoria was more attached than ever, and said something in his ear with a smile.
Rafaela quickly looked away, but it was too late.
"Hey! Look who showed up!" Nick's voice sounded louder than she would have liked.
Some eyes turned to her. Rafaela felt her face heat up, but she maintained her posture.
"What are you doing here, Rafa?" Nick asked, approaching with an annoying smile that he loved to use with her.
"I was invited, obviously," she retorted, crossing her arms.
Nick chuckled, observing her from head to toe.
"But I don't remember inviting you. You look... different."
"I can leave if you want..." Rafaela said, looking away.
"Nick!" Vitoria appeared out of nowhere, holding his arm. "Let's go! You promised you'd show me something in your room," she said without greeting Rafaela.
Nick hesitated for a second, still looking at Rafaela, but ended up going with Vitoria. Rafaela let out the air she didn't even realize she was holding.
"What am I doing here?" She thought, regretfully. "It's my birthday, I deserved something better than seeing him with someone else..." Rafaela imagined what Nick and Vitoria were about to do in his room.
Rafaela was turning to leave when Ava returned, holding two glasses.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're leaving!" Ava complained.
Rafaela looked at Ava, then to the corner where Nick was with Vitoria. She thought for a moment, and gave up on leaving because of her friend.
"I'm not going..." She replied, firmly. "You can give me one of those glasses."
Ava smiled, satisfied, handing over the drink.
Rafaela decided to enjoy the party, without worrying about Nick or the impending move.
The party continued lively, and Rafaela no longer paid attention to the noise around her. Nick's constant presence made her restless, even when he wasn't around, and she still wondered what she was doing there, but now she didn't want to run away.
After some time, while Ava was dancing with other friends, Rafaela went to the table to get something to drink. That's when she felt a presence behind her.
"Alone again?"
She turned around and came face to face with Nick, who was inches away from her. His smile was the confident, provocative one. But his look, there was something different in his eyes that night.
"It's none of your business, Nick..."
"Nervous as always..." he laughed. "But you don't look like the same Rafaela as before... What happened?"
"Nothing. Maybe you just paid attention to me now..."
Nick raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her response.
"Come with me..." Nick said suddenly, holding her hand without giving her time to protest.
"Hey, wait!" Rafaela tried to break free, but he kept pulling her away from the crowd.
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