My name is Ellie—or at least that’s what everyone calls me. Officially, I’m Eliana Bernadette Mendoza, a name too fancy for someone like me, if you ask me. I’m fifteen years old, a first-year student at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic School. If you were to look at my life from the outside, you’d probably think it’s nothing extraordinary—and you’d be right.
My family isn’t wealthy, but we make do. My mom, Eleonora, is the heart of our home. She’s always bustling around the house, balancing her time between her sewing projects and making sure my younger brother Ethan and I behave. My dad, Bernie, is the one who spoils me. He works long hours at a construction company, but somehow, he always manages to get me the things I want—even if it means sacrificing for himself.
Ethan, my annoying yet lovable twelve-year-old brother, is the mischief-maker of the family. He’s constantly breaking things or trying to wriggle out of homework, but he’s also my greatest ally when it comes to sneaking cookies from Mama’s freshly baked batches.
Despite our simple life, I’ve always felt loved and cared for. But there’s one part of my life that’s anything but simple: my best friend Nathalie Rivera and her older brother, Lucas.
---
It all started six months ago when Nathalie transferred to St. Mary Magdalene and ended up sitting next to me in history class. Nathalie was smart, outgoing, and always had a witty comeback ready. We clicked instantly.
“You don’t look like you belong here,” she’d said on our first day as seatmates.
I raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She grinned. “You’ve got the face of someone who should be on TV, not sitting in Mrs. Torres’s class listening to lectures about the Spanish colonization of the Philippines.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, thanks, I guess. But you’re stuck with me now.”
“Good,” she replied. “Because I think we’re going to be great friends.”
She wasn’t wrong.
---
Soon, Nathalie and I were inseparable. We did everything together—school projects, lunch breaks, even weekend hangouts at her house. And it was during one of those hangouts that I first met Lucas.
The first time I saw him, I was standing on Nathalie’s front porch, knocking on the door. It was a warm Saturday afternoon, and I was nervous about meeting her family for the first time. The door swung open, and there he was—Lucas Rivera.
Tall, with tousled black hair and deep brown eyes that seemed to look right through me, he had the kind of smile that could make you forget your own name. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt and jeans, but he might as well have been a movie star stepping out of a limousine.
“Oh, uh, hi,” I stammered.
“Hi,” he replied, his voice smooth and casual. “You must be Nathalie’s new friend.”
I nodded, feeling my cheeks heat up. “Yeah, I’m Ellie.”
He stepped aside to let me in. “Nice to meet you, Ellie. Nathalie’s in the living room.”
And just like that, I was smitten.
---
Over the next few months, I found every excuse to visit Nathalie’s house. Of course, I told myself it was because she was my best friend, but deep down, I knew the truth. I wanted to see Lucas.
He was older than me—already in college and way out of my league. He had a girlfriend, of course, a gorgeous girl named Mia who looked like she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine. But that didn’t stop me from imagining what it would be like if he noticed me the way I noticed him.
“Ellie, you’re staring again,” Nathalie teased one afternoon as we sat in her room working on our math homework.
I quickly looked down at my notebook, pretending to be absorbed in the equations. “I am not.”
“You totally are,” she said, smirking. “You’ve got that dreamy look in your eyes.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to play it cool. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t.” Nathalie leaned back on her bed, twirling her pen between her fingers. “You know, Lucas has a girlfriend, right?”
“Of course, I know,” I muttered, my chest tightening.
“Good,” she said. “Because you’re my best friend, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
I nodded, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”
But I wasn’t.
---
Every time I saw Lucas, my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. He was kind and funny, always teasing Nathalie and me when he found us in the kitchen raiding the fridge. He had this way of making everyone around him feel special, even if they weren’t.
“Ellie, you’re practically part of the family now,” he said one evening as we all sat around the dinner table.
“Really?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Of course,” he replied with a grin. “Anyone who can put up with Nathalie’s terrible jokes deserves a medal.”
“Hey!” Nathalie protested, throwing a piece of bread at him.
I laughed, even as my heart ached. Being close to Lucas was both a blessing and a curse.
---
At home, things were simpler. My dad was my rock, always ready to support me no matter what.
“Ellie, you’ve got to focus on your studies,” he would say, handing me a new set of pens or a fresh notebook. “I want you to have every opportunity I never had.”
“I know, Papa,” I would reply, hugging him tightly. “Thank you.”
And I meant it. My family might not have had much, but we had each other.
Still, no matter how much I tried to focus on school and my family, my thoughts always drifted back to Lucas. He was my first crush, my first love, even if he didn’t know it.
---
This was my life: a balancing act between family, school, and unrequited love. Little did I know, the choices I made now would shape everything that came next.
---
YOU ARE READING
Forever starts with us
RomanceEllie has always loved Lucas, her best friend's older brother, though he's only ever seen her as a little sister. Even as he dated someone else, Ellie quietly cared for him, until one fateful night when she gave herself to him. Overwhelmed by her em...
