❝ 𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 ❞ ʲᵃˢᵖᵉʳ ʰᵃˡᵉ ( EN )

☇ 𝟭𝟮

That day, Theodora arrived at school, sneakers on her feet, her hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing her favorite jeans and a long coat that lightly trailed behind her. As soon as she spotted Eleanor at their usual locker, a smile spread across her face. They met up like usual, but this time, instead of diving into rumors or stories, they started joking about the teachers' clothes and the funny situations from the day before.

"You know Thomas got rejected by Sarah again?" Eleanor said, opening her locker, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Again? That's the third time this month," Theodora replied, shaking her head. "You've got to give him credit for persistence... or maybe he just enjoys getting turned down!"

Eleanor burst out laughing. "Do you think he keeps a collection of all the times he's been rejected? Like, a secret journal of 'Thomas's Defeats'?"

"Totally," Theodora agreed, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "He probably keeps stats like, 'Attempt number 47: Epic fail with Sarah. New strategy needed.'"

They burst out laughing, imagining the scene. As they joined Chloe and Thomas at the cafeteria table, they couldn't help but share the story, and soon, the whole table was caught in contagious laughter.

"Wait, wait!" Thomas said, trying to catch his breath. "It's not that funny... well, a little, but I'm sure Sarah just didn't get my legendary charm."

"Oh yeah, of course," Chloe responded, her face red from laughing. "Because you've got so much charm, even automatic doors close when you walk by."

That remark triggered an even louder burst of laughter, so much that Theodora felt tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to calm down, but every time she looked at Thomas, who was trying to defend himself in vain, she would start laughing all over again. "I... I've never laughed this hard in my life!" she managed to say between fits of giggles. "Seriously, Thomas, you should write a book about your flirting techniques, it'd become a best-seller!"

"Titled 'How Not to Flirt in 10 Lessons'," added Eleanor, clutching her sides from laughing so hard.

"You guys are terrible!" protested Thomas, but even he couldn't stop laughing. "I knew I should never have told you about this."

"Ah, but it's too late now," Chloe replied, wiping away a tear of laughter. "We're going to have to talk about this for weeks, you know."

The laughter lasted a few more minutes, echoing through the room like a sweet melody. Every burst of laughter seemed to fuel the next, creating an irresistible wave of joy that swept them all up. Theodora, her cheeks still flushed and her breath short from laughing so hard, finally straightened up, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her stomach ached slightly from all the laughing, but she didn't mind. This moment, this simple burst of shared happiness with her friends, was precious, almost sacred.

As she gradually regained her composure, she realized she had never felt so alive. It was as if, through this laughter, she had reclaimed a part of herself she thought she had lost since meeting the Cullens. This simple moment of pure humanity brought her back to the surface, far from the supernatural worries and existential questions that had plagued her since discovering their secret. Here, surrounded by her friends, there was no mystery, no danger, just the warmth of human connections, the carefree spirit of youth, and the genuine bond that linked her to them.

She found herself wondering, almost instinctively, how she could ever give this up. How could she choose to become a vampire? To lose these moments of shared laughter, the warmth that bloomed in her chest with every burst of joy, these emotions so deeply rooted in her human nature... It was unimaginable. Just thinking about it sent a shiver through her.