Being Isabella

episode 2

Jade didn't sleep much that night.

Every time she closed her eyes, the messages came back.

You really think changing schools will make everyone forget?

See you soon.

The words replayed in her mind.

By morning, she was exhausted.

By afternoon, she was irritated.

And by evening, she was sprawled across her bed, staring at the ceiling

Her mother had spent the entire day talking about fresh starts

Her father tried talking to her too

Neither of that helped.

she then grab her phone

Social media wasn't helping.

Then an advertisement appeared.

MEET ME

Talk to someone who knows nothing about you.

No names , photos or judgments.

Jade paused.

No judgments.

That sounded nice.

too nice

she got curious

A few minutes later, she was downloading the app.

she signed up

Choose a username.

Choose a few interests.

Start talking.

Jade stared at the username box.

She wasn't using her real name.

Moments later, she typed:

Moonie

Then she selected a few interests

Maybe this was stupid.

Maybe it wasn't.

Either way, she didn't expect much from it.

---

Isabella was having a completely different problem.

She sat at her desk, staring at a notebook.

At the top were four words:

Freshman Class Representative Campaign

That was the only thing written on the page.

Isabella groaned and dropped her pen.

A few days ago, she thought is was a good idea

Now?

Now she was starting to wonder if she'd loose her mind

How was she supposed to convince people to vote for her?

She opened a page and started brainstorming.

Vote Isabella: Free Pizza Fridays

"No."

She crossed it

Vote Isabella: Because Homework Is Evil

"nahhhh."

Crossed out.

Vote Isabella: Because the Vending Machines Deserve Rights Too

She stared at it.

Then laughed.

"Okay, maybe not."

Closing the notebook, she grabbed her phone instead.

A quick search for How do you find yourself? led her down an internet rabbit hole.

One article caught her attention.

"Sometimes the easiest way to understand yourself is by talking to strangers."

Below the article was a recommendation.

MEET ME

An anonymous friendship app.

Isabella tilted her head.

That actually sounded interesting.

Twenty minutes later, she was creating an account.

Username?

Not Isabella.

Definitely not Isabella.

After several failed ideas, she finally typed:

PopySky

The app loaded.

A notification appeared.

Finding a match...

Isabella waited.

And waited.

Then suddenly:

You have been matched with Moonie.

For several seconds, neither person typed.

Then a message appeared.

Moonie: So... do people actually make friends on this app?

Isabella laughed.

PopySky: I was literally about to ask the same question.

A few seconds passed.

Moonie: That's either a good sign or a terrible one.

PopySky: Let's pretend it's a good sign.

Moonie: Deal.

The conversation started slowly.

They talked about food.

Movies.

Music.

Favorite snacks.

At one point, Moonie confessed that pineapple on pizza wasn't actually that bad.

PopySky immediately threatened to end the friendship.

Moonie called her dramatic.

PopySky proudly agreed.

For the first time that day, Jade found herself smiling.

For the first time in weeks, she laughed.

It felt strange.

Talking to a complete stranger should have felt awkward.

Instead, it felt easy.

Comfortable.

Safe.

Hours passed without either of them noticing.

Eventually Moonie asked:

Moonie: Biggest pet peeve?

PopySky: Easy.

Moonie: Go on.

PopySky: People who chew with their mouths open.

There was a pause.

Moonie: That's weirdly specific.

PopySky: Trust me. There's a story.

Moonie demanded the story.

So Isabella told her the story about her crush that ended in two minutes because he was chewing with his mouth opened

Moonie laughed so hard she nearly dropped her phone.

For a little while, she forgot about transferring schools.

Forgot about the messages.

She was just Jade.

Or Moonie.

And somehow, that felt enough.

Eventually the clock struck midnight.

Moonie: I should probably sleep.

PopySky: Same.

Moonie: This was less terrible than I expected.

PopySky: Wow. Such high praise.

Moonie: Don't get used to it.

PopySky: Too late.

A smile tugged at Jade's lips.

Moonie: Goodnight, PopySky.

PopySky: Goodnight, Moonie.

The chat ended.

Neither girl immediately put their phone away.

Both found themselves staring at the screen for a few extra seconds.

Thinking.

Smiling.

Wondering.

Neither knew the other's name.

Neither knew the other's face.

which was a great start for a perfect friendship

---

The next morning, Isabella skipped down the stairs.

it's been a while she had genuinely enjoyed talking to someone.

"Someone looks happy," Mrs. Ashford observed.

"I'm just excited for school."

Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"On the second day?"

"I know."

Mrs. Ashford laughed.

Breakfast passed quickly.

Before leaving, Isabella kissed her mother on the cheek.

"Have a good day."

"You too, sweetheart."

Grabbing her backpack, Isabella headed for the door.

By the time Isabella arrived at Westhill, the campus was already buzzing with students.

She spotted Clara almost immediately.

Clara was leaning against her lockers, scrolling through her phone.

"There you are!" Clara said.

"You sound like I've been missing for days."

"You took three whole minutes longer than usual."

"How tragic."

They laughed and started walking toward class together.

They talked about homework.

weird amount of assignments they had somehow received within the first school week

And, Isabella's campaign.

"I still can't believe you signed up for class representative," Clara said.

"I still can't believe I signed up either."

"You'll be great."

"You don't know that."

"I do."

Before Isabella could respond, someone rounded the corner too quickly.

THUD.

The stranger crashed directly into her.

Her notebook slipped from her hands.

Papers scattered across the floor.

"Oh my God!" the boy exclaimed.

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Isabella said, kneeling down.

Three of them began gathering the papers.

The boy picked up a loose sheet.

Then suddenly froze.

A grin appeared on his face.

"No way."

"What?" Isabella asked suspiciously.

The boy held up the paper.

Written across the top was one of her campaign ideas.

Vote Isabella: Because the vending machines deserve rights too.

The boy burst out laughing.

Clara immediately snatched the paper.

"Oh my God."

She started laughing too.

"Okay, in my defense—"

"There is no defense," Clara interrupted.

"I was brainstorming."

"You were failing," the boy replied.

"Rude."

The three dissolved into laughter.

The awkwardness disappeared almost instantly.

When they finally calmed down, the boy extended his hand.

"I'm Ethan."

"Isabella."

"Clara."

Ethan smiled.

Then his eyes widened.

"Wait."

"What?"

"I know you."

Isabella frowned.

"You do?"

"You're the girl who volunteered for class representative."

Isabella groaned.

"Please tell me that's not how people know me."

"Actually, that's exactly how I know you."

Clara laughed.

"Miss Future President."

"I haven't done anything yet."

"That's never stopped politicians before."

The three burst out laughing.

The bell rang.

"We should go," Clara said.

"Probably," Ethan agreed.

---

By lunchtime, Ethan and Clara had appointed themselves campaign managers.

The three sat around a cafeteria table.

Isabella's notebook rested in the center.

Ethan grabbed it before she could stop him.

"Let's see what we're working with."

"Give that back."

"No."

"Please?"

"Absolutely not."

Clara leaned over his shoulder.

A second later, she started laughing.

"Oh no."

"What now?" Isabella asked.

Ethan cleared his throat dramatically.

"'Vote Isabella: Free Pizza Fridays.'"

"We can't promise that."

"Not with that attitude."

"Next."

"'Vote Isabella: I'll Try My Best.'"

Clara winced.

"That sounds like you're losing."

"Fair."

For the next twenty minutes, they brainstormed.

Most ideas were terrible.

A few were impossible.

Eventually, Clara tapped her pen against the notebook.

"What do you actually want to do if you win?"

The joking stopped.

Isabella thought for a moment.

"I want students to feel heard."

Both Clara and Ethan listened.

"When I got here, I was terrified," Isabella admitted.

clara nodded.

"I know exactly what you mean."

"So maybe I just want to help make things easier for people."

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Ethan pointed at her.

"That's your campaign."

"What?"

"That."

Clara grabbed the notebook and wrote something down.

Vote Isabella: A Voice for Every Student.

The table fell silent.

---

Few days later, the candidates gathered for a campaign meeting.

That's when Adrian Grant arrived.

Everyone knew Adrian.

He sat in the front row of every class.

Always had perfect grades.

And made study look fun

Which was terrifying.

Adrian adjusted his glasses and placed a binder on the desk.

The sound echoed through the room.

Ethan stared.

"Why does he have a binder?"

Clara peeked over.

"Oh my God."

"What?"

"I think that's his campaign."

"For class representative?" Isabella asked.

Adrian sensed they were talking about him

His eyes landed on Isabella.

"You left your campaign poster draft in English."

He handed her a folded paper.

"Oh. Thanks."

"Your slogan has a grammatical error."

The room went silent.

Clara covered her mouth.

Ethan looked ready to explode.

Isabella blinked.

"...Thank you?"

"You're welcome."

Adrian turned around and calmly opened his binder.

The three of them stared at him in disbelief

---

Over the next two weeks, Westhill became a campaign battlefield.

Adrian's posters were everywhere.

Filled with statistics and plans.

Meanwhile, Isabella's campaign looked different.

She talked to people.

She listened.

She remembered names.

Students started recognizing her.

Stopping her between classes.

As election day approached, the freshman class became divided.

Team Adrian.

Team Isabella.

The final speeches took place in the auditorium.

Adrian went first.

As always, he was prepared.

He spoke confidently about efficiency and academic improvement

The audience applauded.

Then Isabella stepped onto the stage.

Her hands shook.

Her heart raced.

Instead of talking about qualifications, she talked about her first day at Westhill.

How nervous she had been.

How lonely she had felt.

And how one friendly conversation could change everything.

By the time she finished, the room had gone silent.

They applaud her

Louder than before.

---

The results were announced the following afternoon.

Students crowded the notice board.

Everybody was pushing.

Everybody was shouting.

Then Ethan suddenly yelled.

"Oh my God!"

"What?" Isabella asked.

"You won!"

"What?"

"You won!"

Clara wrapped her arms around Isabella.

"You actually did it!"

Isabella couldn't move, she was shocked.

She had won.

Across the hallway, Adrian stared at the results.

Then he walked over.

The crowd quieted.

Adrian stopped in front of Isabella.

Then he extended his hand.

"Congratulations."

Isabella shook it.

"Thank you."

"The students chose the person they believed would represent them best."

Then Adrian adjusted his glasses.

"Your vending machine slogan was still terrible."

Ethan and Clara burst out laughing.

Even Isabella couldn't stop smiling.

---

after the election,

Students knew her name now.

People waved at her in the hallways.

Some asked questions.

Others wanted advice.

Westhill no longer felt huge but comfortable

"Our girl is famous," Clara announced one afternoon.

"I am not famous."

"Keep telling yourself that."

Even Ethan nodded.

"You have fans now."

"I do not."

Despite herself, Isabella laughed.

Maybe winning hadn't been such a bad thing after all.

---

That night, Isabella opened Meet Me.

Almost immediately, a notification appeared.

Moonie is online.

A smile spread across her face.

PopySky: Hey.

Moonie: Hey.

PopySky: Big day tomorrow?

Moonie: Huge day tomorrow.

PopySky: Nervous?

Moonie: Terrified.

Isabella frowned.

PopySky: It'll be okay.

Moonie: You don't know that.

PopySky: Maybe not.

PopySky: But I think you're stronger than you give yourself credit for.

jade stared at the message.

For some reason, hearing it from a stranger made it easier to believe.

Moonie: Thanks.

PopySky: Besides, if tomorrow goes badly, you can complain to me

Moonie: That's actually a pretty good

PopySky: I know.

Moonie: Goodnight, PopySky.

PopySky: Goodnight, Moonie.

The chat ended.

---

Meanwhile, Jade stood in front of her bedroom mirror.

Her new Westhill uniform hung beside her closet.

Everything was prepared.

Tomorrow was her first day at Westhill High.

A fresh start.

Or at least, that's what everyone kept calling it.

Then she switched off the light.

And across the city, Isabella did the same.

One excited for tomorrow.

One dreading it.