The Boy She Could Never Reach
847 Words
Chapter 1
The first bell always rang at exactly 7:15 in the morning.
Students hurried through the hallways of St. Augustine Academy, some running to avoid being late while others casually walked in groups, laughing about things that seemed so important only to teenagers.
Among the crowd was Ariana Reyes.
She wasn't popular.
She wasn't invisible either.
She was simply... there.
Ariana was the type of student teachers adored—quiet, respectful, and always sitting in the front row with neatly organized notebooks. She consistently ranked among the top of her class, yet she never bragged about it. She preferred books over parties and libraries over crowded cafeterias.
Most people knew her only as "the smart girl."
But no one knew her biggest secret.
Every morning, before entering the classroom, Ariana secretly looked toward Room 12-A.
Not because she had friends there.
Because Ethan Villanueva was there.
The school's academic star.
Science quiz champion.
Captain of the debate team.
Honor student.
He was intelligent without trying too hard, kind without seeking attention, and somehow managed to make every school uniform look effortlessly neat.
To everyone else, Ethan was admirable.
To Ariana...
He was everything.
She had liked him since freshman year.
Three years.
Three years of stolen glances.
Three years of pretending she wasn't looking whenever he walked by.
Three years of writing his name in the corners of old notebooks only to scribble it out before anyone noticed.
She had never spoken more than three sentences to him.
"Can you pass the worksheet?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
That was it.
Pathetic.
She often laughed at herself because she knew how ridiculous it sounded.
How could someone fall so deeply for a person they barely knew?
Yet every little thing Ethan did only made her heart sink deeper.
When he helped a freshman carry books.
When he congratulated classmates after competitions.
When he smiled.
Especially when he smiled.
It felt unfair that someone could look that effortlessly kind.
"Earth to Ariana."
Her best friend, Mia Santos, snapped her fingers in front of her face.
"You've been staring at Room 12-A for five minutes."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
"You totally were."
Ariana sighed dramatically.
"Am I really that obvious?"
"To everyone?"
Mia leaned closer.
"No."
"To me?"
"Painfully."
Ariana buried her face in her arms.
"I'm hopeless."
"You are."
"I know."
"You've liked him forever."
"I know."
"You've never talked to him."
"I know."
"You'll probably marry him in your imagination before saying hi."
"I KNOW."
Both girls burst into laughter.
Later that afternoon, school ended earlier than usual.
Students poured out through the front gates.
Ariana hugged her books tightly while reading the chemistry reviewer she planned to study before tomorrow's quiz.
Big mistake.
She wasn't watching where she was going.
THUD.
Books scattered across the pavement.
"Papers! My notes!"
She knelt down in panic, gathering pages before the wind carried them away.
Another pair of hands reached down and picked up her notebook.
"I'm sorry."
A deep voice spoke.
"I wasn't looking either."
Ariana looked up.
The first thing she noticed was a black hoodie despite the warm afternoon.
The second...
Those eyes.
Dark.
Calm.
Almost amused.
The boy looked older than the students around them.
He wore headphones around his neck and had messy black hair that looked like he had just run his fingers through it.
He handed her notebook back.
"You highlight... everything."
Ariana immediately blushed.
"I... um..."
He chuckled softly.
"Sorry."
She quickly stood.
"It's okay."
There was an awkward silence.
He looked at her ID.
"Ariana Reyes."
She blinked.
"You know my name now."
"I guess I do."
"And you are...?"
Before he could answer—
"KUYA!"
Someone shouted from across the parking lot.
Ariana turned.
Her heart stopped.
Walking toward them...
Was Ethan.
He smiled the moment he reached them.
"There you are."
Then Ethan looked at Ariana.
"Oh."
"You two know each other?"
Before Ariana could even process what was happening—
The older boy smirked.
"We just met."
Then he casually threw an arm around Ethan's shoulder.
"I'm Lucas Villanueva."
"Ethan's older brother."
Ariana felt like the entire world froze.
His brother?
The boy she had admired for three years...
...had an older brother.
And somehow...
She had literally crashed into him.
Lucas studied her expression for a second before smiling.
"See you around, Ariana."
Then the brothers walked away.
Halfway to the parking lot, Ethan glanced back.
Only for a second.
Just enough for their eyes to meet.
Then he smiled politely before following Lucas.
Ariana stood frozen.
Mia suddenly appeared beside her.
"What happened?"
Ariana blinked.
"I..."
"...I think I just met Ethan Villanueva's brother."
Across the parking lot, Lucas looked over his shoulder one last time.
"She's cute."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"You noticed that after bumping into her for thirty seconds?"
Lucas smiled to himself.
"No."
"I noticed how different she is."
He didn't know why.
But something about the quiet girl with highlighted notes...
Made him want to see her again.
And that was the beginning of everything.
- Writer
