Jane had been in her room all evening, lying quietly with her thoughts. When dinner time came, it was Britney who stepped up to bring her a tray of food.
"Hey, girl," Britney said gently as she entered, giving Jane a small wave.
Britney, just like Jane, was a shy little girl. They were about the same age and understood each other in ways others didn't, yet despite sharing a room every night, neither of them had found it easy to communicate. Their shyness built invisible walls between them.
The only difference between the two was in their habits—Britney buried herself in books, while Jane lost herself in music.
"Hello," Jane replied, raising her head before closing the small book on her lap, a book that looked very much like a diary.
"I brought you dinner. Didn't think you'd come down since you seemed upset earlier."
Right. She was upset. Upset about what happened during the movie. She hadn't forgotten—it was still there, lingering—but she didn't want to think about it.
"Yeah. Uh… thanks," she said shyly, taking the food from Britney's hands.
Britney perched on her bed, which sat directly opposite Jane's. "Uh… tell me about you. I've been kinda nervous to ask… hehe," Britney said slowly, her voice soft and unsure. The question made Jane blush. What a cutie.
"Well… let's see," Jane began, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "My name is Jane. I'm from Nigeria, Africa. I love food… and, um, I can dance…" Her words trailed off as she started to feel self-conscious, worried she was saying too much and that Britney would think she was weird.
"Why'd you stop?" Britney giggled, leaning forward curiously.
"Uh…" Jane laughed softly too.
There was something about Britney she liked. Sure, Kiara and Chloe were really nice, but Britney was just… different.
"Ryan can be a real jerk sometimes," Britney whispered, "but I got you. And I think Ivan got you too…"
Ivan. The name alone made Jane's cheeks warm. Britney's words made her heart flutter strangely, a weird but happy feeling spreading through her chest. She wanted to ask more, to know what Britney really meant about Ivan having her—but she stayed quiet.
Ivan… Ivan… Ivan.
A few hours ago, after everything had happened, Ivan's patience finally snapped.
"That was uncool," he said sharply the moment Jane disappeared upstairs.
Ryan barely flinched. He leaned back, looking smug.
"As if," Ryan scoffed, his tone dismissive.
"Man, don't piss me off," Ivan shot back, his voice low but edged with anger. "You've gotta stop being an asshole all the time. It's stupid. For real."
Without waiting for Ryan's reply, Ivan turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, leaving Ryan sitting there, smug as ever.
Ryan was an asshole—a bitch, really—and one day, he needed to learn.
Ivan walked slowly along the street, his hands tucked into his pockets. He wasn't heading anywhere in particular; he just needed space, a quiet moment to be alone with his thoughts.
Ryan could be a lot to handle sometimes. For years, Ivan had called him a best friend, put up with his moods and his arrogance—but lately, it was too much. Something had to change.
His mind drifted to Jane. She barely spoke to anyone in the house, except for short greetings or when she had to answer a question. She rarely joined them at the dining table. She kept to herself, distant, like she was always guarding something no one else could see.
And somehow… Ivan found that interesting.
He never doubted that love was real, but he didn't think it would sneak up on him so quickly, so unexpectedly. Yet here he was—curious about her in ways he couldn't ignore. He wanted to know why she always had her headphones on, what she was listening to. He wanted to understand the calm, cool way she carried herself, like nothing could shake her.
He wanted to know everything about this girl.
Ivan wasn't sure of many things in his life, but one thing had become clear—he wanted to be with Jane. He wanted to talk to her more, learn more, and hopefully, if fate allowed it, build something real between them.