Strings To Your Heart

Chapter 2: Unspoken Words

After a long and exhausting first day back at school, I finally arrived home. The moment I stepped inside, I let out a heavy sigh and dropped my bag on the floor near the couch. I fixed my guitar case, which I had carelessly placed earlier in my rush. I carefully placed it against the wall before kicking off my shoes. I had left my phone inside the bag with the souvenirs, the one I thought I'd lost. Somehow, it felt like it had doubled in weight throughout the day.

"Ugh, it's so hot," I muttered, wiping the sweat off my forehead as I walked toward my room. The air conditioner was already on, thanks to my mom, who must have anticipated my arrival. I sat down on my bed and pulled out my phone, scrolling mindlessly through my notifications.

Then, a message popped up in our class group chat.

Mayor: "Class, we need to decide on a display picture for our GC. I'll leave a poll open until 11:59 PM. The themes are Orange and Blue."

I chuckled to myself. Our class didn't call the class president a "president"—instead, they called them "Mayor" for whatever reason. Maybe it made things sound more official, or maybe it was just some inside joke that stuck. Either way, it was funny.

A new notification from Jakarta g**g appeared.

Cath: "Jade, Mayor just made a DP Blast poll. I made the blue one just so you know, so obviously, I voted for mine!"

I rolled my eyes but laughed. Typical Catherine. I clicked on the poll and saw that her design was actually nice, so I voted for it. The other design was nice too, but it was too bright and had too much going on.

Then, another message from the GC popped up, and this time, it made my stomach drop.

Cath: "Jade, have you seen this?"

She sent a picture.

I clicked on it, and my eyes widened. It was a photo of me and River, taken secretly during class. I was sitting at my desk, looking at my notes, while River, who was beside me, was focused on something else. We weren’t even talking, but somehow, the angle of the picture made it look like we were in sync.

Cath: "Do they look good together?"

Ana: "Hell yeah!"

Jade: "What do you mean ‘look good together’?? You guys are crazy. Stop it."

Cath: "Just admit it. You’re just shy, HAHAHA."

Ana: "We know you’re blushing. Just confess, Jade."

Gea: "A little flirting on the first day of school, huh?"

I groaned, throwing my phone on my bed. "What is wrong with these people?" I muttered, covering my face with a pillow.

A few seconds later, my phone buzzed again.

Cath: "Anyway, Jade, maybe you could ask some of our classmates to vote for our design, especially River. You know what they say—if a girl makes the first move, it’s meant to be!"

I choked on my own breath. "Cath?! What the hell?!"

Ana: "Yeah, Jade! You never know, there might be something there! Hahaha!"

Gea: "Go for it! Do it for the economy!"

Cath: "Come on, Jade! The Orange theme is getting more votes. River might switch sides! 🥺🙏"

River had already voted for the Orange theme, probably because more people had voted there, but whatever! Support your friend! I sighed, shaking my head as I stared at the chat. These girls never ran out of things to tease me about. But I couldn't stop thinking about Diana—these girls didn’t know anything about her.

I changed into my home clothes—a loose shirt and comfy shorts—before grabbing my phone again. My hair was a mess, and I was too lazy to fix it, so I just tied it up into a messy bun. As much as I hated to admit it, part of me was considering what they said.

As I lay on my bed, I stared at my phone for a long moment before finally giving in.

I clicked on River's name and opened our chat. I hesitated. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure of what to say. After a deep breath, I finally typed.

Jade: "Hellooo, River. Mayor sent a poll for our DP blast. Would you mind voting for the Blue theme? Thanks!"

I tried to sound really friendly. I hit send before I could overthink it. And now... I waited. A notification popped up almost instantly.

River: "Sure."

"Sure? That’s it? That’s all he’s going to say?" I grumbled. But then again, I had replied curtly to him before.

Then another message appeared.

River: "What were the options again?"

I breathed out, relieved that he hadn’t asked anything too complicated.

Me: "It’s in our section's GC. Blue themed :)"

I glanced over the message, rereading it. Was I being too formal? Too casual? I couldn't tell anymore. Just as I was about to second-guess myself, my phone buzzed again.

River: "Ah, the one Catherine made."

I blinked.

How does he know?

Me: "How do you know that?"

The bubbles popped up, then stopped. I was left staring at my phone, wondering what his answer would be. After a moment, the reply came through.

River: "Nothing. I just noticed."

I frowned slightly.

Noticed?

It was a vague answer. Was he really just paying attention, or was there something more to it? Before I could overthink it, another message came in.

River: "But why did you message me?"

I paused. My heart skipped a beat.

What does he mean by that?

Was he teasing me? Was he curious? My fingers hovered over the keyboard. I needed to say something, but what? I cleared my throat, deciding to answer honestly but still keeping it light.

Jade: "Because Cath told me to ask classmates that I know."

There. Simple. Casual. Done. I set my phone down for a moment, my heart pounding. Then—

River: "So you know me?"

My eyes widened. I had to reread that message.

Is he messing with me?

I quickly typed my response, trying to keep it cool.

Jade: "Haha, of course. I know you."

I pressed send before I could second-guess myself again. There was a long pause, and my nerves started to get the best of me.

Finally, another message popped up.

River: "Okay, voted."

I blinked. He voted already? That was fast.

Jade: "Thanks."

And just like that, the conversation ended. I stared at my phone screen, trying to figure out what had just happened. My pulse was still racing, and I couldn't help but replay every single word in my head.

Why did he ask that?

I flopped back onto my bed, trying to push the thought out of my mind. There was no reason to overthink it. But deep down, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted—just a little. Suddenly, I was distracted by the faint buzzing of my guitar resting against the wall. I had intended to practice a little after school, but now seemed like a good time to tune it. When I grabbed it and strummed the strings, my fingers barely made contact before one of them snapped with a sharp twang. I froze, staring at the broken string.

Great. Another one down.

This guitar had been through a lot, and with all the traveling from the recording session, it seemed like the strings couldn't handle it anymore. I sighed, placing the guitar down gently. I'd probably have to buy new strings, but the thought of getting the right ones bugged me. I wanted strings that would last longer, ones that wouldn’t break so easily.

Who better to ask than River?

I sighed and quickly grabbed my phone again, typing up a message to him.

Jade: Hey, River. I just wanted to ask what kind of guitar strings you use? Mine broke, and I want ones that’ll last longer, especially with all the commuting I do.

I hit send before I could overthink it, and this time, I waited a little longer for his reply. It felt like I had already gotten used to the pacing of our conversation.

The text bubbles appeared on my screen, and I read as he typed back.

River: I use Elixir strings. They're really durable and hold up well, especially when you're on the go.

I smiled a little, glad he responded so quickly. I had heard of Elixir strings before, but I hadn’t really looked into them. Now seemed like the right time to give them a try.

Jade: Thanks! I'll check them out.

I could feel the excitement about fixing my guitar start to fade as I laid back on my bed, thinking about the rest of the day. The poll, my conversation with River—it was all a little overwhelming, but in a good way. Things were shifting, and I had no idea where it would lead.

My phone buzzed, pulling me out of my thoughts. River replied again.

River: Elixir strings lasted a long time for me. Actually, I might change mine too—it’s been six months already.

Wow, six months? Just like the amount of time he ghosted me… JOKE!

River: Just be sure to get the ones with the coated wound strings. The sound quality is better.

I typed quickly, already planning my trip to the music store tomorrow.

Jade: Got it. Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely grab the coated ones.

I stared at the screen for a moment, fingers hovering over the keyboard.

What should I say next?

Was this conversation just… normal? Or was there more to it? I didn’t want to make it weird, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was brewing.

Before I could decide, River’s name flashed on my screen again.

River: So… I’ve been meaning to ask you something.

My heart skipped a beat, and I sat up straight.

What?

His sudden shift in topic caught me off guard. He’d been casual before, but this felt different. I glanced down at the screen, waiting for him to finish. The bubbles appeared, then stopped, leaving me in suspense.

River: Do you… do you ever think about the past? About us?

I froze.

The words hit me like a truck.

The past? Us?

What did he mean? Did he know something I didn’t? Or was he just talking about… something else?

I stared at the screen, my heart pounding in my chest. This wasn’t the kind of conversation I had expected.

What was he getting at? I didn’t know how to respond. Part of me wanted to push the conversation forward, but another part of me was terrified of where it might lead. Did I want to know what he meant by us?

I typed something, deleted it, then typed again.

Jade: What do you mean by "us"?

The message felt heavy. I hit send, feeling like I was opening a door to something I wasn’t sure I was ready for. There was no turning back now.

I waited.

The screen went blank for what felt like an eternity, and just when I thought he wasn’t going to reply, a new message popped up. It was short, direct.

River: Never mind. Forget I said anything.

My heart dropped. Then he unsent it.

What? Forget?

I quickly typed a response, but before I could hit send, the screen went dark. A notification popped up—my phone’s battery was low. I grabbed my charger and plugged it in, my hands shaking slightly as I thought over the message.

What just happened?



I stared at the screen, hoping for another message, anything. But nothing came.After sending my last message to River, I set my phone aside and exhaled. That was… weird. What was he even trying to say? And why did he backtrack so fast? I shook my head. Not my problem. If he didn’t want to explain, then I wasn’t going to waste my time figuring it out. I stretched my arms and stood up, heading to the bathroom for my usual evening routine. The cold water against my skin felt refreshing, washing away the weight of the day. After brushing my teeth, also tied my hair into a loose ponytail. By the time I climbed back onto my bed, my phone was buzzing nonstop. I unlocked it and immediately saw a message from Mayor in the group chat.

Mayor: "Alright, everyone! The results are in. The official DP blast theme will be...

ORANGE!"

I froze.

Oh. My. God.

Before I could even react, Catherine’s name popped up in the Jakarta Girls chat.

Cath: "WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. HELL."

Here we go.

Cath: "I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS. WHO VOTED FOR ORANGE? SHOW YOURSELVES."

I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing as the chat exploded with messages.

Ana: "HAHAHAHAHA, CATHERINE, PLEASE."

Gea: "She's so triggered!"

Cath: "EXCUSE ME, GEANNE. IT'S SO HARD TO DESIGN A DP FRAME!?!?! WHAT IF I TOLD YOU THAT YOU'LL REDESIGN IT?"

I snorted, quickly typing a reply.

Jade: "Girl, you just lost, why are you acting like that so suddenly?"

Cath: "YES, JADE. THIS IS SO BIG DEAL TO ME. I WON'T USE THAT. OUR CLASSMATES TASTE IS SO BAD!"

Jade: "To be honest, same. I won't ever use that frame. Over my dead body."

Cath: "THERE! YOU FINALLY GET ME."

Ana: "Tsk tsk. Artist pain. An underappreciated art."

Gea: "Justice for Catherine’s theme."

Cath: "I DON'T CARE. I'LL BOYCOTT THIS. JADE, WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER."

I chuckled, shaking my head.

Jade: "Relax, girl. As if I’d ever use it. Not a chance."

Catherine spammed heart emojis in response.

Cath: "You’re my real bestie. The rest of you are fake."

Ana: "Whatttt?!?"

Gea: "Hey please don't be toxic, HAHAHA."

Smirking, I put my phone down and let out a deep breath. The chaos in the chat was entertaining, but sleep was calling me. I pulled my blanket over me, staring at the ceiling. My mind, however, wandered back to my conversation with River.

"Do you... do you ever think about the past? About us?"

I frowned. What was that about? And about us? What does he mean by "us?" And why did it make my chest feel weird?

I exhaled sharply, turning to my side. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to overthink it.

I was over it. Right?

Shaking my head, I closed my eyes. Whatever this was, I'll deal with it tomorrow.

I leaned to my side and closed my eyes. Before I could even sleep, my phone buzzed again, and I expected that it was River.

But it was from—

Damian?