CHAPTER 4
382 Words
Friday arrived faster than anyone expected.
Excitement filled Maple Ridge High as preparations for the Autumn Festival officially began.
Classrooms buzzed with ideas for performances, decorations, and competitions.
Mrs. Carter handed every student a list of volunteer committees.
"We still need people to help decorate the school," she announced.
Almost immediately, Ethan raised his hand.
"I'll help."
A second hand slowly lifted.
"I'll volunteer too," Lily said.
Mrs. Carter smiled.
"Excellent."
That afternoon, they joined several other students decorating the school gymnasium.
They hung banners, arranged tables, and carefully placed colorful paper lanterns across the ceiling.
After nearly two hours, most students headed home.
Ethan noticed Lily wasn't with the others.
He eventually found her standing quietly on the school's rooftop garden, watching the sunset paint the sky with shades of orange and pink.
"I've been looking for you."
She turned and smiled.
"I just wanted some fresh air."
He walked beside her.
"The view's amazing."
"It really is."
For a few minutes, neither of them spoke.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable.
It felt peaceful.
Finally, Ethan asked the question he'd been wondering about for days.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You can."
"Why did you transfer here?"
Lily's smile faded ever so slightly.
She looked toward the distant mountains before answering.
"My parents thought... a fresh start would be good for me."
"A fresh start?"
She nodded.
"Sometimes people need a new place."
Ethan sensed there was more to the story.
But he also understood she wasn't ready to share it.
Instead of asking another question, he simply nodded.
"I hope Maple Ridge becomes a place you're happy."
Lily looked at him, surprised by his sincerity.
"I hope so too."
The evening breeze gently stirred her hair.
For the first time in many months, she felt something she hadn't expected to find at a new school.
Comfort.
As they headed downstairs together, Lily glanced back at the fading sunset.
Quietly, almost to herself, she whispered,
"Maybe coming here was the right decision."
Ethan didn't hear her words.
But somehow, he felt that their friendship had taken its first real step forward.
Neither of them realized that, somewhere else in the school, another pair of eyes had been watching them from a classroom window.
And whoever that student was... they didn't seem happy.
- Writer
