Secrets Between the Pages
955 Words
Ava barely slept.
The sketchbook sat on her desk, closed but impossible to ignore.
She hadn’t meant to take it.
After Noah had rushed out of the library the day before, she’d called after him, but he disappeared before she could catch up. By the time she looked back at the table, the worn black notebook was still there.
She should have returned it immediately.
Instead…
Curiosity won.
She opened it.
The pages were filled with breathtaking pencil sketches.
Trees.
Rain soaked streets.
Old houses.
A woman smiling while holding a little boy’s hand.
And then…
A girl.
The same girl appeared over and over again.
Standing beneath an umbrella.
Laughing with her head thrown back.
Reading beneath a tree.
Looking out a classroom window.
Every drawing felt alive.
What unsettled Ava wasn’t just how beautiful they were.
It was how much the girl resembled her.
The same shoulder-length brown hair.
The same hoodie.
The same thoughtful expression.
It felt impossible.
She’d never met Noah before this year.
So why…
Why did she look so familiar?
⸻
The next morning, Ava spotted Noah standing outside Room 204 before first period.
She tightened her grip on the sketchbook.
Emma noticed immediately.
“You’re actually giving it back?”
“What else am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know… ask why he’s secretly drawing you?”
“He isn’t.”
Emma folded her arms.
“Then explain the sketches.”
“I can’t.”
“You want answers.”
“I do.”
Emma smiled.
“Then go ask.”
Ava took a deep breath.
One step.
Then another.
“Noah.”
He turned around.
His expression changed the moment he saw the sketchbook.
“You found it.”
“I… I’m sorry.”
She held it out.
“I didn’t mean to look inside.”
A lie.
A terrible lie.
His eyes searched hers for a moment before he accepted it.
“You opened it.”
It wasn’t a question.
Ava looked down.
“…Yes.”
Silence stretched between them.
“I shouldn’t have.”
“No.”
His voice was quiet.
“You shouldn’t have.”
The disappointment in his eyes hurt more than she expected.
“I’m sorry.”
He looked at the notebook for a long moment before speaking again.
“You think she was you.”
Ava blinked.
“…Wasn’t she?”
For the first time…
Noah smiled.
Not happily.
Sadly.
“No.”
He gently traced the edge of the cover.
“Her name was Lily.”
“Lily?”
“My childhood friend.”
His voice became distant.
“We grew up together.”
“What happened to her?”
He looked toward the classroom window.
“She died.”
The words landed like stones.
Ava froze.
“I’m… I’m so sorry.”
He nodded once.
“I kept drawing her because I was afraid I’d forget her face.”
Ava’s chest tightened.
“And you…”
He looked at her.
“…You remind me of her.”
Not because they looked exactly alike.
Because they carried the same quiet sadness.
⸻
Word spread quickly through Westbrook High.
Too quickly.
By lunch…
Everyone was talking.
“I heard Ava and Noah are dating.”
“No way.”
“They’ve been together every day this week.”
“I knew it.”
Emma rolled her eyes so hard Ava thought they might get stuck.
“People seriously need hobbies.”
Ava laughed.
“I talked to him for five minutes.”
“Apparently that’s enough.”
Across the cafeteria, Noah sat alone as always.
Except today…
Three boys approached his table.
One of them shoved his tray.
Milk spilled across the table.
The cafeteria fell strangely quiet.
“Hey, transfer.”
The tallest boy smirked.
“You think you’re too good for everyone?”
Noah didn’t answer.
“I asked you something.”
Still silence.
The boy laughed.
“Guess the rumors are true.”
“What rumors?” another asked.
“That he’s weird.”
The first boy shoved Noah’s shoulder.
“Maybe that’s why nobody wanted him at his old school.”
Ava stood before she even realized it.
Emma grabbed her wrist.
“Ava.”
She pulled free.
“No.”
She walked straight across the cafeteria.
Every eye followed her.
She stopped beside Noah’s table.
“Leave him alone.”
The boys laughed.
“You his girlfriend now?”
“No.”
“Then why do you care?”
Ava crossed her arms.
“Because you’re embarrassing yourselves.”
The tallest boy frowned.
“What?”
“It takes three of you to bully one person.”
A few students nearby snorted.
The boy’s face reddened.
“You’ve got a big mouth.”
“And you’ve got a tiny ego.”
Someone actually clapped.
The boys looked around, suddenly aware that half the cafeteria was watching.
With one last glare, they walked away.
Emma hurried over.
“I cannot believe you just did that.”
Ava finally looked at Noah.
“You okay?”
He stared at her as if she’d done something impossible.
“…Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why defend me?”
She shrugged.
“Because someone should.”
Noah looked down.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Finally…
He stood.
Without touching his lunch.
Without looking at anyone else.
As he passed Ava…
He leaned close enough that only she could hear.
“You shouldn’t get close to me.”
His voice was barely above a whisper.
“I’m serious.”
Then he walked away.
Leaving Ava standing in the middle of the cafeteria…
Wondering why the warning sounded less like a threat…
And more like a plea.
- Writer
