Being Isabella

Episode 4 : Group Project

Jade bolts awake from her nightmare.

Her phone lights up.

Unknown Number.

Three chilling words appear on the screen.

"See you soon."

The message leaves her shaken, but eventually exhaustion pulls her back to sleep.

---

The next morning, Mrs. Parker announces a major group project worth thirty percent of their final grade.

Students immediately begin forming groups.

Isabella joins Ethan and Clara.

Ethan glanced across the room.

Adrian was sitting alone.

As usual.

"Adrian!"

The boy looked up.

"What?"

"Join our group."

Adrian blinked.

"Why?"

"Because you're smart."

After a moment, Adrian sighed.

"Fine."

Now they had four members.

Meanwhile, Jade discovers every group is already full.

Meanwhile, Jade looked around the classroom.

Every group was full.

Mrs. Parker checked her watch.

"You have one minute left."

Jade clenched her jaw.

Slowly, she approached Isabella's group.

"Do you still need one person?"

Everyone looked up.

Before anyone could speak, Isabella smiled.

"Sure."

Jade blinked.

And just like that, the group was complete.

---

After class, the group begins discussing the project.

After ten minutes of planning, Ethan suddenly sat up.

"We need research materials."

"We have the internet," Adrian said.

"We need better research materials."

Clara immediately caught on.

"Exactly. The library probably has everything."

Adrian narrowed his eyes.

"You two are planning something."

"No we're not," Ethan lied.

"You're terrible at lying."

Ignoring him, Ethan turned to Isabella and Jade.

"Why don't you two go find some books while we organize the presentation?"

Isabella immediately looked suspicious.

"Why us?"

"Because you're both responsible."

"That's definitely not the reason."

Clara smiled innocently.

Isabella pointed at them.

"You two are weird.

But eventually she agreed.

Jade simply followed.

---

At the library, Isabella and Jade begin searching for materials.

What starts as a simple disagreement quickly turns into an argument.

They disagree on books.

Sources.

Research methods.

Almost everything.

Finally, Jade snaps.

"Why are you always trying so hard to be perfect?"

The question catches Isabella off guard.

The question slipped out before she could stop it.

Isabella didn't immediately respond.

The usual confident expression on her face faded.

She looked down at the book in her hands.

A strange look crossed her features.

Jade expected her to argue.

Instead Isabella quietly said,

"Because I want attention."

Jade blinked.

"What?"

A small laugh escaped Isabella, but there was no humor in it.

"I want attention."

For a moment she stared at the bookshelves.

Then she spoke again.

"Specifically my dad's."

The words surprised even her.

She had never told anyone that before.

Her fingers tightened around the book.

"My dad's always busy."

Her voice was softer now.

"Work. Meetings. Business trips."

She shrugged as if it didn't matter.

But it did.

"So I figured if I was perfect, he'd notice me."

Jade remained silent.

A memory flashed through Isabella's mind.

Eight-year-old Isabella running into the living room holding a test paper.

One hundred percent.

The highest score in her class.

"Dad! Look!"

Her father had barely glanced up from his laptop.

"That's nice, sweetheart."

Then he returned to work.

Another memory.

Twelve-year-old Isabella standing on a stage after winning an academic competition.

Scanning the crowd.

Searching for one face.

One person.

Her father never showed up.

The day she became class representative.

Everyone had congratulated her.

Everyone except the person she wanted to hear it from.

The memories faded and Isabella looked down.

"So I kept trying harder."

She laughed quietly.

"Better grades. More activities. More achievements."

Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I thought eventually he'd pay attention."

Jade listened without interrupting.

she understood something about Isabella.

All the confidence and all the perfection.

It wasn't because Isabella thought she was better than everyone.

It was because she was trying desperately to be noticed.

Jade understood that feeling more than she wanted to admit.

But she didn't say that.

"That's stupid."

Isabella's head snapped up.

"What?"

Jade shrugged.

"If your dad needs all that just to notice you, that's his problem."

For a second Isabella stared at her.

Then she laughed.

A real laugh this time.

"Wow."

"What?"

"That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"It wasn't nice."

"It kind of was."

Jade groaned.

"Can we get back to the project now?"

Isabella smiled.

"Sure."

They returned to sorting through books.

But something had changed.

The tension between them wasn't completely gone.

Yet it felt different now

For the first time, they feel connected.

As they continue working, they occasionally glance at each other.

Neither understands why.

---

Back in the classroom, Ethan and Clara immediately notice the difference.

Neither Isabella nor Jade are arguing anymore.

Their plan worked.

---

That evening, Isabella video calls her older brother, Leo.

During the conversation, she finds herself talking about Jade.

The library.

Their argument.

Their conversation.

And the strange comfort she felt around her.

As she talks, she flashes back to the library and remembers opening up to Jade.

Leo quickly notices.

He jokes that Isabella seems unusually invested in this girl.

Then he asks a question that completely catches her off guard.

"Bell... Do you like her?"

Isabella nearly drops her pillow.

The conversation leaves her confused.

She doesn't know.

And that's exactly what scares her.

After the call ends, Isabella finds herself thinking about Jade again

Before she went to bed that night, she had a conversation with Moonie.

Popysky : hi.

Moonie : hey popy.

Popysky : how was school like today?

Moonie : school was cool, things happened and it ended.

Popysky : I want to ask you something.

Moonie : go ahead.

Popysky : have you ever had feelings for you own gender?

Moonie : well to me gender doesn't matter, so don't worry it's not weird, maybe to some people though.

Popysky: hmm well thanks.

Moonie: is there a story behind this?

Popysky: maybe soon, I need to sleep now, goodnight moonie.

Moonie: okay, good night popy.

They both turned of their phone and lay down.

---

The following day, Ethan and Clara notice Isabella acting strangely.

She keeps disappearing during breaks.

Naturally, they decide to investigate.

Following her through the school, they discover a storage room.

It turns out Isabella has been secretly using it as a place to escape whenever she wants to be alone.

Ethan immediately falls in love with it.

Clara declares that it should become their official hideout.

After school, the three of them approach the principal.

After a long series of questions and negotiations, he reluctantly agrees.

However, he establishes several rules.

No damaging school property.

No parties.

And he keeps a spare key.

The group happily agrees.

That evening, after most students leave school, they decorate the room.

Old chairs.

Fairy lights.

Beanbags.

A whiteboard.

Snacks.

By the time they're finished, the hideout finally feels like theirs.

---

Later, the group meets again to continue their project.

While everyone is working, Jade's phone vibrates.

Another message.

Unknown Number.

Her stomach drops.

The message contains a simple instruction.

Let's meet.

Jade immediately excuses herself.

Outside, she calls Greg and told him about the meeting request

Unbeknownst to her, Isabella steps out to use the bathroom and overhears part of the conversation.

Concerned, she approaches Jade afterward.

At first, Jade refuses to talk.

But after everything that happened in the library, she finds herself trusting Isabella.

Slowly, she tells her everything.

The messages.

The threats.

The anonymous person who has been following her across schools.

Isabella listens carefully.

When Jade finishes, Isabella immediately tells her not to meet the person alone.

The two agree to speak with Greg first and come up with a plan.

When they return, Ethan and Clara immediately sense something is wrong.

But neither Isabella nor Jade explain.

---

The next day, the group gathers inside their new hideout.

While Adrian works on the project, Ethan and Clara corner Isabella.

Naturally, they want answers.

They ask about Jade.

Why they've suddenly become so close.

Isabella admits she enjoys spending time with her.

But she keeps Jade's secret.

Ethan and Clara exchange knowing looks.

Isabella immediately regrets saying anything.

---

That evening, Isabella meets Greg and Jade.

Together they discuss what to do about the anonymous messages.

After a long debate, they decide Jade should respond.

She asks for a meeting location.

A reply arrives almost immediately.

A location.

A time.

Greg and Isabella insist on going with her.

Jade argues.

They refuse.

Eventually she gives in.

The plan is simple.

Jade goes inside alone.

Greg and Isabella stay somewhere nearby to watch.

If anything goes wrong, they intervene.

---

Night falls.

Jade checks the location on her phone.

It was a coffee shop.

Jade steps inside one of the coffee shops near school.

For a moment, she wonders if she has been tricked.

Then-

A door swings open.

Jade freezes.

Her eyes widen.

"You," Jade said.

The figure smiled.

"Hello".