Ariana Miller opened her eyes slowly.
Today was different.
She was fifteen now.
And she was no longer in middle school.
Grade 10.
A big class. A board year. A year everyone kept calling "important."
She took a deep breath and sat up on her bed.
The morning sunlight entered her room quietly, touching her study table where her books were already arranged neatly. Physics. Mathematics. Literature.
Everything looked organized.
Unlike her thoughts.
From the kitchen, her mother's voice came gently,
"Don't forget, Ariana. This year decides your future."
Future.
She heard that word almost every day now.
She stood in front of the mirror, tying her hair into a simple ponytail.
Fifteen.
A new class.
A new school.
She didn't know yet…
That this year would teach her something no book ever could.
The first day at her new school felt strange.
The building was bigger than her old one. Louder too.
As soon as she stepped inside the classroom, noise surrounded her.
Some students were laughing loudly.
A group of boys were standing near the window, joking about something.
Two girls were taking selfies.
Someone was playing music softly from their phone.
Ariana paused near the door.
This didn't feel like a "board exam class."
This felt like a different world.
In her old school, everything was simple. Only girls. No distractions. No drama.
Here… everything felt new.
And slightly overwhelming.
She walked to an empty seat and placed her bag carefully.
That's when she noticed something she had never seen so closely before.
A boy leaning towards a girl, whispering something that made her blush.
Another girl playfully hitting a boy's shoulder.
Secret smiles.
Hidden laughs.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Was this normal?
Was this how co-ed schools always were?
She didn't know much about boys. She had never needed to.
Until now.
"Excuse me… is this seat taken?"
A calm voice interrupted her thoughts.
She looked up.
A boy was standing beside her desk.
Not too tall. Not too loud. Just… calm.
"No," she said quickly. "It's free."
"I'm Ethan," he said with a small smile.
"Ariana."
He nodded and sat down.
During math class, she struggled with one of the problems. She kept erasing and rewriting the same line.
"Want help?" Ethan asked quietly.
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
He explained it slowly. Patiently.
And for the first time since morning, she felt a little relaxed.
"Don't worry," he said. "It's not that hard."
She gave a small smile.
Maybe this school wouldn't be that scary.
Days passed.
Ethan would sometimes save her a seat.
Sometimes share his notes.
Sometimes just ask, "Did you understand the homework?"
Small things.
But to Ariana, they felt big.
She started noticing when he entered the classroom.
Started waiting for his "good morning."
Started feeling strange whenever he leaned closer to explain something.
Her heart would beat faster.
She didn't understand why.
She watched other girls laughing with boys.
She saw how some of them talked confidently.
How they flipped their hair.
How they teased.
Ariana didn't know how to do any of that.
But slowly…
She realized something.
She liked it when Ethan talked to her.
She liked it when he smiled at her.
She liked him.
One evening after school, the sky looked soft and orange.
Students were leaving in groups.
Ariana stood near the gate, holding her bag tightly.
Her hands were slightly shaking.
"Ethan," she called.
He turned. "Yeah?"
She took a deep breath.
"I… I think I like you."
The world suddenly felt quiet.
For a second, he just looked at her.
Then his smile faded.
"Ariana… you're really nice. But I don't see you that way."
Simple words.
But they felt heavy.
"Oh," she said softly. "It's okay."
But it wasn't.
Not really.
That night, she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling.
So this was what attraction felt like?
Warm at first.
Then painful.
Her first crush.
Her first confession.
Her first rejection.
And she didn't know…
That this wasn't the end of her story.
Because sometimes, the boy who rejects you…
Is not the one meant to stay.
And somewhere nearby—
Someone had already started noticing her.
Very quietly.
Very carefully.