WHAT COULD BE
1355 Words
The school courtyard buzzed like it always did—loud, bright, full of people pretending they weren’t watching each other.
I stepped out of the car, my shoes hitting the pavement with a soft click. The driver closed the door behind me before I could even reach for it.
“Have a good day, miss,” he said.
I gave a small nod. “You too.”
The car pulled away almost immediately, disappearing into the line of identical black vehicles dropping off identical students with identical lives.
I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and walked through the gates.
Everything looked polished. The grass was too green, the buildings too clean, the students too put together for it to feel natural. Even the laughter sounded curated, like people were performing it instead of feeling it.
“Ariana!”
I barely had time to turn before someone slammed into me from the side.
“Well, good morning to you too,” I said, steadying myself.
“Did you miss me?” Grace asked, grinning like she had just caused a scene on purpose.
Grace was… a lot.
Her hair was in two messy buns that somehow still looked expensive, her blazer hung off one shoulder, and her tie wasn’t even pretending to do its job. She always looked like she got dressed in a rush—and still ended up looking better than everyone else.
“You texted me at 2 a.m.,” I said. “About aliens.”
Her eyes lit up. “Okay, but hear me out—what if they’re already here, and they’re just rich people?”
I stared at her.
She stared back.
“…You’re not serious.”
“I’m extremely serious,” she said, lowering her voice like she was about to expose something life-changing. “Have you ever seen a poor alien?”
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
“You need help.”
Before she could respond, another voice cut in.
“She’s not wrong.”
We both turned.
Nia stood a few steps away, her arms crossed loosely as she watched us. Her expression was calm, unreadable, like she was always thinking about something she wasn’t saying out loud.
Nia noticed things. Too many things.
“Don’t encourage her,” I said.
“I’m not,” she replied simply. “I’m observing.”
“Observing what?” Grace asked.
“That you didn’t even deny it.”
Grace gasped. “Exactly!”
I sighed, already tired. “It’s eight in the morning.”
“And your brain is already shutting down,” Grace added.
“Lucky you,” I muttered.
“Excuse me?”
Before that could turn into something louder, a dramatic sigh echoed behind us.
“If you two are done arguing like a married couple, I have news.”
We all turned.
Zara walked toward us like she had been waiting for that moment. Her hair was perfect, her uniform fitted like it had been tailored that morning, and her expression was already halfway into a story.
“Please tell me it’s good,” Grace said.
“It’s messy,” Zara replied, which was even better.
Grace clapped once. “Even better.”
Zara leaned in slightly, lowering her voice even though no one was close enough to hear.
“Okay, so—apparently—Chloe and Daniel broke up.”
I blinked. “They were together?”
“That’s not the point,” Zara said quickly. “The point is—she found out he was texting her best friend.”
Grace gasped like someone had just announced a tragedy. “No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
I shook my head, already losing interest. “Why is this surprising?”
“Because,” Zara said, placing a hand on her chest, “he told her she was ‘different.’”
Grace burst out laughing. “That line should be illegal.”
“It should come with a warning label,” I added.
Nia hummed softly. “It usually means the opposite.”
Zara pointed at her. “Exactly.”
We started walking toward the building, falling into step without thinking.
The conversation shifted easily, moving from gossip to nonsense to whatever Sade decided to invent next.
It felt… normal.
Light.
Easy.
Like nothing existed outside of this.
For a moment, I almost forgot.
Almost.
We sat under the shade of a large tree during break, our bags scattered around us like we planned to stay there forever.
Grace lay on the grass, staring up at the sky like she was waiting for something to appear.
“I still think about it,” she said.
“About what?” I asked.
She turned her head slightly, her eyes narrowing at me. “Your house.”
I paused for a second. Then I leaned back on my hands. “What about it?”
“It’s too big,” she said simply.
“That’s your issue?”
“Yes,” she replied. “It doesn’t make sense. No one needs that much space.”
Zara nodded. “It’s giving secrets.”
I let out a small laugh. “Everything gives secrets to you.”
“Because everything has secrets,” she shot back.
Nia didn’t say anything.
She was watching me. I felt it. I ignored it.
Grace pushed herself up slightly, resting on her elbows. “Okay, but seriously—what’s in the basement?”
There it was.
I shrugged lightly. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Zara repeated.
“Nothing,” I said again.
Sade sat up fully now, her eyes lighting up like she had just been handed a challenge.
“That’s suspicious.”
“It’s a basement.”
“Exactly,” she said. “That’s where all the weird stuff happens.”
I shook my head. “You watch too many movies.”
“No,” she said, pointing at me. “You live in one.”
Zara leaned in, clearly enjoying this. “Your dad definitely has a second family down there.”
I snorted. “That’s your first guess?”
“It’s always the first guess,” she said. “Rich man, hidden life.”
Grace waved a hand. “No, no—think bigger.”
“That is big.”
“Bigger,” she insisted. “He’s running experiments.”
I blinked at her. “Experiments?”
“Yes,” she said, completely serious. “Like—illegal ones. Science stuff. People in tubes.”
Zara’s eyes widened. “Oh my God.”
“You’re both insane,” I said, laughing now.
“Or,” Grace continued, raising a finger dramatically, “a prisoner.”
That made me pause.
Just for a second.
Zara leaned forward, her voice dropping. “Rich people love prisoners.”
I let out a small laugh, shaking my head. “That’s not even a real thing.”
“It could be,” she said.
“It’s not.”
Grace tilted her head at me. “So you’ve been down there?”
The question slipped in easily.
Too easily.
I smiled.
Light.
Careless.
“No.”
“Why not?” Zara asked.
I shrugged again, keeping it simple. “I’ve never needed to.”
That was true.
Technically.
Grace studied me for a second, then leaned back again. “See? Suspicious.”
“Everything is suspicious to you.”
“Because everything is hiding something.”
Nia finally spoke. Quiet. Calm. “But some things don’t want to be found.”
Not enough to ruin the moment. Just enough to be noticed.
I glanced at her. She was still watching me. Not smiling. Not joking. Just… observing.
I looked away first, letting out a small breath.
Grace flopped back onto the grass. “Anyway, when you finally discover your dad’s secret lab, I expec
t full access.”
“Of course,” I said dryly. “I’ll bring you along for the tour.”
Zara grinned. “I’ll document everything.”
Nia didn’t say anything. She just looked at me again with no hint of amusement on her face.
- Writer
