Episode One: The Day Dante Looked Back
295 Words
Nene had always believed that some people were meant to be in our memories.
Dante was one of them.
They attended the same high school, walked the same dusty paths, and shared the same morning bell, yet they lived in completely different worlds. Dante was the boy everyone noticed. Tall, calm, always quiet in a way that made people curious. Teachers trusted him. Students respected him. Girls whispered about him.
Nene was just… Nene.
Smart, soft-spoken, and always trying not to be seen.
Every morning, she sat by the window in class, watching Dante laugh with his elder brother, Darius, who was also a senior in the school. Darius was louder, more confident, and very protective of Dante. Everyone knew not to mess with either of them.
At home, Nene lived with her mother and younger sister. Life wasn’t fancy, but it was warm. Her mother always said, “Focus on your books, love can wait.” Nene believed her. Or at least, she tried to.
But that day, something changed.
As Nene bent to pick up her fallen notebook in the hallway, someone else picked it up before her fingers could reach it.
“Here,” a calm voice said.
She looked up.
It was Dante.
Her heart skipped. Her mind froze. She took the notebook with shaky hands and whispered, “Thank you.”
Their eyes met for just a second. One quiet second that felt louder than the school bell. Dante smiled slightly and walked away, joining his brother.
Nene stood there, stunned.
That night, she couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking about that moment. About how he looked back at her like he had finally noticed she existed.
She didn’t know it yet, but that small moment was the beginning of everything.
- Writer
