Highschool romance

'Hey,wake up ' Charlotte tapped Lyla " it's already closing hours". "Oh, really? , how long did I sleep?" Lyla yawned as she stretched her body. The classroom was empty, it was just the two crazy friends. "Woahw, everywhere is deserted like there have been an apocalypse" Lyla said as she stood up from her chair. "You slept throughout the whole period dumb head" "Let's go" Lyla yawned again. The journey home was quite long but filled with laughter, chuckles,giggles as both girls chatted along the way . " Charlotte,I have something to tell you " "Oh, really?" " Yeah,it's really crazy though " " We both are crazy bitches ,so common spill'em crazy speeches out" " You're really crazy" Lyla teased " I know I am ,you don't need to tell a b***h about her own identity " Charlotte said as the both laughed to it. " Okay,so this is it" "Speak I'm listening " " You know ..... it's actually nothing " "Oh really?" Charlotte squinted " Yeah" "I don't believe you, you've been all strange after lunch time" Just then her dad's car pulled up right . " Hey,my little princess " Lyla's dad called out to his daughter " Dad" she responded less enthusiastically. " I'll text you" she told her friend. "You better do . Else I'll beat it out of you tomorrow. " Lyla gave a nervous laugh,waved goodbye and slipped into the backseat of the car The seat felt too soft beneath her,too safe ,too easy to disappear into. Her dad glanced at the mirror " My sweet little princess.." " Oh daddy please,I'm no longer a kid" she said as she buckled her seatbelt. To her dad she was no longer a girl with secrets but his charming princess. She wished she had just told Charlotte. " How's school today?" John asked his daughter cutting her thoughts. " Same as always dad" she said still trying to bring back herself into the present world. Silence. Silence . Silence. Only the sound of the engine could be hard. " What's bothering you sweet?" " It's nothing dad. I'm just trying to relax my head from the days stress." "Oh,my sweet little charming princess" "You must be so exhausted,No worries,dad got you" "Yaaay" she swings her arms in the above her head and pretends to be excited. " That's my big baby " John smiled. But it wasn't just getting to her ,she couldn't still believe what had happened few hours ago . She wasn't prepared for such . The drive home was silent but her thoughts kept breaking it . Pressing her head against the window as she watched the city roll before her. Earlier that day......... That hallway. That moment. She had gone to her locker between classes to get her materials for the next class. Same as always,head down ,quiet ,unbothered. She loved the peace she felt. The hallway was as quiet as a graveyard. She felt at ease. Few lockers away from hers . There he was . Jake. Leaning against his locker ,his face having lots of expressions as a sly smile crossed his face. Tall,dark-eyed , frustratingly calm Jake. She hadn't paid attention to him , etrieving her books from her locker her face met his —calm,reserved ,yet looking suspicious. He hadn't said anything at first. Then—like it was the most casual thing in the world—he asked . " Got plans after school?" She had looked around and behind her to check maybe anyone else was there . " Uhn...... why?" Jake shrugged " No reason. To just talk.... hangout.... " She hasn't even got the time to process the whole event when the bell went off. "Think about it " he said as he made his way through the hallway . Now , riding home in silence she could feel the echo of that moment in her chest . The letter . Her mind also drifted to the letter . Was he serious? Was it a dare? Why her ? And how was she supposed to tell Charlotte? Charlott who made jokes about marrying him one day — half-laughing, half-serious. Although it was just once . They didn't seem to be on good terms anyways . Apart from Charlotte every other girl in the school had a huge crush on him .And they often showed it without shame. Some girls were even caught fighting over him . Was he just teasing her ?. Lyla closed her eyes . Maybe it was nothing. She's probably just overthinking. Maybe she imagined all of it . But deep down ....... she knew she didn't. --- They pulled up to her house. A soft, two-story brick home tucked between garden hedges and palm trees. Her dad kissed her forehead before she got out. “Dinner’s at six. Don’t lock yourself in your room again.” She nodded absently, entered the house, and dropped her bag at the door. The silence was heavier than she expected. The kind of silence that knew your name. Her eyes scanned the living room. Everything in place. Picture frames. Couch pillows. The same worn carpet that creaked when you stepped too hard. She made her way upstairs, to the sanctuary of her room, and closed the door behind her. Collapsed onto the bed. Stared at the ceiling. Her hand drifted across the blanket… and landed on a small object. She picked it up. A hairclip. Her favorite one. Pink with a tiny gold bow. She hadn’t worn it in weeks. A faint smile touched her lips as a wave of nostalgia hit her like warm rain. This was the hairclip she wore on her first day at this school. The day everything started. --- And just like that, the memory pulled her back. The nerves. The unfamiliar corridors. The way everyone already had their cliques and corners — and she was just… floating. New. Unanchored. Until she met Charlotte.Loud, wild, fearless Charlotte— who took one look at her shy awkwardness and said: “You. Sit with me. I need someone quiet to balance out my chaos.” And then she had laughed like they’d known each other for years. That was the beginning of everything. The start of comfort. Of friendship. Of safety. And now… something was threatening that. Lyla clutched the clip tight in her hand. --- The sun dipped lower, shadows crawling across her room. The weight of the day pressed down on her chest. She hadn’t even told anyone yet. Not Charlotte. Not even herself, really. But she knew. Something had shifted. And tomorrow... she wouldn’t be able to avoid it. She reached for her blanket, pulled it over her chest, and stared at the ceiling again. Just as her thoughts began to spin, her body began to quiet. And as her lashes grew heavy, she felt it — the strange comfort of sleep reaching out with open arms. The soothing hands of sleep drew her near to the broad chest of dreams, her eyelids heavy with tiredness. The clip laid right beside her . --- Tomorrow would come. And with it, a truth she couldn’t outrun. But tonight, silence would keep her safe — if only for a little while.