The Party Everyone Talks About
2030 Words
By Thursday morning, the storm had disappeared.
Sunlight spilled across the city in soft gold reflections, warming the wet streets left behind by the rain. Westbridge High looked brighter than usual beneath the clear sky, almost harmless from the outside.
Valentina Reyes knew better.
Nothing about Westbridge was harmless.
Especially rumors.
She walked through the school entrance while trying very hard not to think about the messages Lucas had sent the night before.
Which was impossible.
Because unfortunately, her brain had decided to replay every single word repeatedly since six in the morning.
You look exhausted all the time.
Nobody noticed things like that.
Nobody except him.
And the worst part?
He was right.
Valentina barely slept anymore. Between grades, scholarship applications, family expectations, and the constant pressure of needing a future bigger than the city she grew up in, exhaustion had become normal.
Safe, even.
Because being tired meant she was working hard enough.
At least that was what her mother always said.
“Valen!”
Emma nearly attacked her from behind beside the lockers.
Valentina jumped slightly.
“One day,” she muttered, “you’re actually going to kill me.”
“Worth it.”
Emma narrowed her eyes immediately.
“You’re smiling.”
“I’m literally not.”
“You absolutely are.”
Valentina opened her locker quickly.
Emma gasped dramatically.
“Oh my God. You texted him.”
Valentina froze.
Then sighed.
“You need psychiatric evaluation.”
“That’s not a denial.”
“It was about the project.”
Emma stared at her silently.
“…And?”
“…And nothing.”
“You’re the worst storyteller alive.”
Before Valentina could respond, loud voices echoed through the hallway.
The basketball team.
Again.
At this point Lucas Ferreira’s existence apparently came with background music.
Students moved aside automatically as the players crossed the corridor laughing loudly about something.
Lucas walked beside them wearing his varsity jacket and carrying a basketball under one arm.
He looked normal. Relaxed. Untouchable.
Then he saw Valentina.
And immediately slowed down.
Emma physically stepped backward like she wanted front-row seats to the interaction.
Coward.
Lucas approached casually.
“Morning.”
Valentina tried very hard to sound normal.
“Hi.”
“You disappeared last night.”
Emma’s eyes widened so dramatically it looked painful.
Valentina glared at him immediately.
“I went to sleep.”
“At nine-thirty.”
“You noticed the time?”
Lucas shrugged lightly.
“You stopped replying.”
Emma looked seconds away from exploding.
Valentina grabbed her locker door before she could hit either of them.
“We were discussing literature,” she said firmly.
“Were we?”
“Yes.”
Lucas smiled slightly.
That stupid smile.
The one that looked effortless but somehow never arrogant around her.
Before the conversation could continue, Noah Klein appeared beside Lucas carrying three energy drinks and zero emotional awareness.
“There you are,” Noah said. “Coach is looking for—”
Then he noticed Valentina.
And grinned immediately.
“Oh.”
Valentina already hated where this was going.
Noah looked between them knowingly.
“So the rumors are true.”
“They’re not,” Valentina answered instantly.
Lucas looked entertained.
Noah ignored both of them completely.
“Dude,” he told Lucas quietly but not quietly enough, “Sophia’s going to commit homicide.”
Lucas’s expression changed slightly at her name.
Only slightly.
But Valentina noticed.
Of course she noticed.
“You talk too much,” Lucas muttered.
“It’s one of my gifts.”
Then Noah looked at Valentina.
“You coming tonight?”
Valentina frowned.
“Coming where?”
Noah stared at her like she’d just confessed living under a rock.
“The party.”
“What party?”
Emma looked deeply offended.
“You seriously didn’t hear about it?”
Valentina crossed her arms.
“I actively avoid information that lowers my life expectancy.”
Lucas laughed quietly beside her.
Noah shook his head dramatically.
“Tyler’s throwing the biggest party of the semester tonight.”
“I don’t go to parties.”
“You should,” Lucas said casually.
Valentina looked at him immediately.
“What?”
He leaned one shoulder against the locker beside hers.
“You spend ninety percent of your life studying.”
“That’s called responsibility.”
“That’s called psychological warfare.”
Emma nodded enthusiastically.
“See? Even Lucas thinks you need help.”
“I hate both of you.”
“No you don’t,” Lucas said automatically.
The answer came so naturally that both of them went quiet for half a second afterward.
Something strange passed between them.
Brief. Warm. Dangerous.
Then Noah ruined it immediately.
“So that’s a yes?”
“No,” Valentina replied instantly.
“Come on.”
“I’d rather eat glass.”
“You’d survive,” Emma added helpfully.
Valentina glared at her best friend.
Traitor.
Lucas watched her carefully for a moment.
Then, unexpectedly, his expression softened.
“You don’t have to stay long,” he said quietly.
The tone of his voice caught her off guard.
It wasn’t teasing anymore.
It sounded almost sincere.
Like he actually wanted her there.
Which made absolutely no sense.
Before Valentina could answer, the warning bell rang through the hallway.
Students immediately started moving toward classrooms.
Noah groaned dramatically.
“Great. Time for educational suffering.”
Lucas pushed himself away from the locker.
“I’ll text you the address.”
Valentina blinked.
“I never said yes.”
“You will.”
“That’s incredibly arrogant.”
“Probably.”
He smiled once more before walking away with Noah toward the gym hallway.
Emma stared after them silently for exactly three seconds before grabbing Valentina’s shoulders violently.
“YOU’RE GOING TO A PARTY WITH LUCAS FERREIRA.”
“I’m literally not.”
“You literally are.”
“I said no.”
“You hesitated.”
Valentina sighed heavily.
Unfortunately, Emma knew her too well.
Because the truth was: a tiny part of her was considering it.
And that tiny part was already becoming a problem.
The rest of the morning passed slowly.
Too slowly.
By lunchtime, half the school seemed obsessed with Tyler Morrison’s party.
Students talked about:
alcohol,
music,
hookups,
fake IDs,
who would be there,
who would embarrass themselves,
and who would probably cry before midnight.
Westbridge parties apparently followed traditions.
Valentina sat beneath a tree outside during lunch, hoping fresh air would help her focus on scholarship essays.
Instead, Emma kept talking.
“You need experiences.”
“I need academic stability.”
“You sound seventy years old.”
“You sound clinically insane.”
Emma stole one of Valentina’s fries.
“Seriously though,” she said, “you should go tonight.”
“I don’t belong at parties.”
“That’s exactly why you should.”
Valentina frowned slightly.
Emma looked at her carefully.
“You spend so much time trying not to be noticed that sometimes I think you forget you’re allowed to actually live.”
The sentence hit harder than Valentina expected.
Because deep down…
Part of her feared Emma might be right.
For years, her life had followed the same pattern:
study,
achieve,
stay invisible,
repeat.
Everything revolved around escaping the city through grades and scholarships.
There was never time for distractions.
And Lucas Ferreira was starting to feel like the biggest distraction of all.
Her phone vibrated suddenly against the table.
Unknown Number.
Though it wasn’t really unknown anymore.
Lucas:
You’re thinking about saying yes.
Valentina stared at the message.
Emma immediately leaned over.
“Oh my God he texted you first.”
Valentina ignored her and typed back.
Valentina:
You’re weirdly confident.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Lucas:
You’re weirdly predictable.
She hated that tiny smile appearing on her face.
Immediately hated it.
Valentina:
Parties are stupid.
A pause.
Then:
Lucas:
Most people there are stupid.
Valentina laughed quietly before she could stop herself.
Emma looked scandalized.
“Did Lucas Ferreira just make you laugh through text?”
“Please stop talking.”
Another message appeared.
Lucas:
Come for one hour.
Lucas:
If you hate it, I’ll personally drive you home.
Valentina’s heart skipped once.
Stupidly.
Dangerously.
Emma watched her expression carefully.
“That bad?”
Valentina locked her phone immediately.
“I’m ignoring him.”
“You’re blushing.”
“I’m leaving.”
“You’re definitely blushing.”
Valentina stood up so fast she nearly dropped her notebook.
Unfortunately for her, Emma’s laughter followed her across half the courtyard.
That afternoon, something felt different.
Not dramatic. Not obvious.
Just… heavier.
Valentina noticed it during literature class.
Lucas looked distracted.
More than usual.
Mrs. Bennett was discussing symbolism again while students pretended to care, but Lucas barely touched his notebook the entire period.
His phone kept vibrating under the desk. His jaw stayed tense. And every time the screen lit up, his entire expression darkened slightly.
Valentina tried not to notice.
Failed completely.
At one point, Mrs. Bennett called on him unexpectedly.
“Mr. Ferreira?”
Lucas blinked once.
“What?”
The classroom laughed quietly.
Mrs. Bennett crossed her arms.
“Wonderful attention span.”
“Sorry.”
“You usually know the answer.”
Valentina glanced at him.
That was true.
Lucas wasn’t lazy. Distracted sometimes, yes. But intelligent.
Today he looked somewhere else entirely.
Mrs. Bennett sighed.
“The question was about emotional repression in the novel.”
Lucas let out a quiet humorless laugh.
“That’s ironic.”
The answer slipped out softly. Almost accidentally.
Valentina looked at him immediately.
So did Mrs. Bennett.
Lucas realized what he’d said and leaned back in his chair.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “Long day.”
But Valentina noticed something then.
His hands were shaking slightly beneath the desk.
Tiny tremors.
Barely visible.
Nobody else seemed to see them.
Nobody except her.
Again.
After class ended, students flooded into the hallway noisily.
Lucas moved slower than usual while gathering his books.
Valentina hesitated near the classroom door.
She should leave.
Ignore him. Go home. Study.
Simple.
Instead she walked back toward his desk.
“You okay?”
Lucas looked up.
There it was again: that surprised expression.
Like concern still confused him.
“I’m starting to think that’s your favorite question,” he said quietly.
“You never answer it.”
He stared at her for a second too long.
Then finally exhaled softly.
“My father’s just being difficult.”
The sentence sounded painfully incomplete.
Valentina leaned lightly against the desk beside him.
“You don’t have to tell me things if you don’t want to.”
“I know.”
“Then why do you look guilty?”
Lucas laughed quietly under his breath.
“You seriously notice everything.”
“Apparently.”
A faint smile appeared on his face again.
But it didn’t reach his eyes this time.
“My dad wants me focused on basketball,” he admitted finally. “That’s basically my entire personality to him.”
Valentina stayed quiet.
Lucas looked down briefly before continuing.
“If I stop playing, I stop mattering.”
The honesty in the sentence stunned her.
Because for one second, Lucas Ferreira didn’t sound popular or untouchable.
He sounded trapped.
And suddenly the perfect image everybody worshipped seemed painfully fragile.
Before Valentina could respond, voices echoed from farther down the hallway.
The basketball team.
Lucas immediately straightened.
The mask returned instantly.
Perfect posture. Easy expression. Controlled voice.
It happened so fast it almost hurt to watch.
“I should go,” he said.
Valentina nodded slowly.
Then Lucas hesitated.
“About tonight…”
She sighed immediately.
“You’re seriously not giving up?”
“Nope.”
“That’s concerning.”
“You’ll survive one party, Reyes.”
He started walking backward through the hallway.
Then added:
“Wear something that makes people regret underestimating you.”
And before she could process the sentence properly—
He disappeared into the crowd.
Valentina stood frozen in the hallway afterward.
Her heart was beating annoyingly fast again.
And the worst part?
She still hadn’t decided whether she was going to the party.
Which probably meant she already knew the answer.
- Writer
