INTERTWINED FATES: THE RED STRING

CHAPTER 3

Nabi called Isa's number, pacing her room with a mix of confusion and excitement. It was late, and she couldn't sleep because she was thinking about Zade.

"Hello," Isa answered, sounding tired.

"Hey..." Nabi started, her voice a bit shaky.

"What do you want to talk about?" Isa asked, trying to stay awake.

"It's just..." Nabi hesitated, not sure how to explain her feelings.

"Is it about your crush on Zade?" Isa asked, sounding like she already knew.

"Yeah... How did you know?" Nabi was surprised.

"You've called me four times about him. It's almost 11 pm. Go to sleep," Isa said, with a bit of concern.

Nabi complained, "Just answer me, Isa."

Isa groaned. "How can you talk about him for hours without getting tired?"

"When you have a crush, you can talk about them forever," Nabi said with a dreamy smile, thinking about Zade.

Isa said, "Go to sleep. We'll talk about this at school."

"But—" Nabi began to argue.

"Go to sleep, Nabi," Isa insisted, cutting the call. Nabi was left to think about Zade and the day's events.

Meanwhile, Zade sat on his balcony, thinking about everything that had happened. Joshua appeared from the shadows, greeting him casually.

"Hey," Zade said, his tone subdued.

"I heard about what happened at school," Joshua said, looking at Zade's bruised face.

"I should have seen it," Joshua added with a chuckle.

"Seen what?" Zade asked, confused.

"You getting punched," Joshua clarified with a smirk.

Zade smiled slightly. "What's her name?"

"Who?" Zade pretended not to know, but he was already feeling uncomfortable.

"The girl who punched you," Joshua said, curious.

"Kim Nabi," Zade said, his tone almost affectionate.

Joshua's smirk grew. "Interesting. She's got quite a reputation."

They chatted for a while before deciding to go to bed, their conversation winding down.The next morning, Nabi woke up excited and nervous for the Talent Fiesta. Breakfast with her family was a blur as she thought about Zade and the event. She happily walked to school, excited for the day. At school, Nabi met her friends in the dance room, looking thrilled.

"Hey, guys!" Nabi greeted.

"Hey," Helena said with a smile.

"Morning," Isa said, looking up from her notes.

"Hello," Tiana added, excited.

"Should we start choosing songs?" Isa asked, ready to prepare for the competition.The girls worked on their routine, laughing and enjoying themselves during breaks. They practised hard until they were tired.

At lunch, they were hungry and ready to eat when a loud commotion broke out. Screaming and shouting filled the air, and a crowd gathered outside.

"What's happening?" Tiana asked, trying to see.

"It's Zade's group and Thyme's group fighting!" Isa said, shocked.

The girls watched in disbelief as the two groups fought, exchanging punches. The cafeteria was full of panic and excitement. Nabi's heart raced as she saw Zade. For a moment, everything seemed to freeze. Zade looked angry and determined, but before anything could happen, Thyme took advantage and hit Zade.

A teacher quickly broke up the fight. The boys were taken to the principal's office, and the noise began to fade. The other students went back to their tables, gossiping about what happened.

Nabi and Tiana looked at each other, feeling guilty and conflicted. The fight had happened so fast, and they felt helpless.

As the day went on, the mood was heavy from the fight. Nabi couldn't stop thinking about Zade and Thyme, feeling worried and disappointed. The Talent Fiesta seemed far away now, overshadowed by the fight.

That night, as Nabi lay in bed, she replayed the day's events in her mind. Her feelings for Zade were mixed up with the fight, and she struggled to understand it all. With the rivalry between 

Zade and Thyme growing, she knew things weren't over yet.

She hoped things would calm down soon and that the Talent Fiesta would be a break from the drama. For now, she had to deal with her feelings for Zade, the fight's fallout, and changing friendships.