Unspoken

The Past

"Attention, everyone!" Mr. Carlos said, his voice cutting through the classroom chatter. "I have an exciting announcement to make—this Friday, we will have an art competition. If you're interested, please give me your names for participation."

The class buzzed with whispers as he continued, explaining the rules and regulations with a tone of enthusiasm.

Selena glanced at the board, twirling her pen thoughtfully.

Ana leaned toward her and whispered, "You should join, Selena. You're good at sketching, aren't you?"

Selena hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Maybe... I'll give it a try."

As Mr. Carlos finished explaining, he asked, "Alright, who's in?"

Selena timidly raised her hand, and shortly after, Ana did the same.

"Great, Selena and Ana," Mr. Carlos noted their names with a smile. "Best of luck to both of you!"

After finalizing the announcement, he turned and left the room. The class erupted into discussions about the competition, with some students nudging Selena and Ana for details.

Selena's gaze shifted across the room and landed on Olivia, who was sitting a few desks away, chatting quietly with Adriana. There was a time when they were inseparable, but now, a strange silence hung between them.

Selena sighed, the weight of unspoken words pressing on her chest. She thought about the message she had sent Olivia days ago—"I'm going out with Daniel, wish me luck!"—but it had gone unread, or worse, ignored. Since that day, Olivia hadn't spoken to her, not even during their class group discussions.

Selena fiddled with her pencil, her thoughts spinning. Did I do something wrong? Or is it because of Daniel? she wondered. She couldn't shake the feeling of being shut out.

"Selena?" Ana's voice jolted her from her thoughts.

"Huh?" Selena turned, realizing Ana was looking at her expectantly.

"I was asking if you're planning to do a painting or a sketch for the competition," Ana repeated, her tone curious but gentle.

"Oh, uh... I think I'll sketch. I'm better at that," Selena replied, her voice distant as her eyes briefly flickered back to Olivia.

"Are you okay?" Ana asked, leaning in slightly. "You seem... distracted."

Selena forced a small smile. "Yeah, just... thinking about stuff."

At that moment, the noise in the classroom grew louder. A group of boys near the back was teasing each other about their drawing skills.

"Luis, you can't even draw a straight line! You're definitely not signing up," Pablo teased, making the others laugh.

"I don't need to draw straight lines to win," Luis shot back, smirking.

Meanwhile, Natalia leaned over to Elena, whispering loud enough for others to hear, "I bet Ana's going to win. She's, like, so talented."

"Don't underestimate Selena, she is quite but she is good." Elena whispered back.

Ana caught the murmurs and nudged Selena playfully. "Did you hear that? You've got fans."

Selena chuckled softly but quickly returned to her more serious thoughts. Her eyes flicked back to Olivia, who was now laughing at something Adriana said.

"Hey, Ana," Selena said suddenly, her voice quieter.

"Yeah?" Ana replied, tilting her head.

"Have you ever... had a friend who stopped talking to you? Like, out of nowhere?" Selena's words were hesitant, as if testing the waters.

Ana frowned thoughtfully. "I guess, yeah. Sometimes people drift apart, but... if they're a real friend, they'll come back. Maybe they're just going through something."

Selena nodded, biting her lip. I hope so, she thought.

"Anyway," Ana said, her tone brightening to lift the mood, "we're going to crush this competition. Let's meet after school and brainstorm some ideas. Deal?"

Selena nodded again, this time with a genuine smile. "Deal."

But as the classroom chatter swirled around her, her thoughts kept circling back to Olivia. What happened to us?

As the bell rang, signaling the start of lunch break, Selena gathered her courage. She decided it was time to confront Olivia and figure out what had gone wrong. Her heart pounded as she made her way across the bustling cafeteria toward Olivia, who was chatting with Adriana. Selena hesitated for a moment before softly calling, "Olivia?"

Olivia turned briefly, her expression unreadable, and then, without a word, rushed off with Adriana by her side. Selena froze in place, the rejection cutting deeper than she expected.

Ana appeared beside her moments later, her tray balanced in her hands. "What happened?" she asked, noticing Selena's crestfallen face.

Selena sighed, her voice low. "She ignored me. Again."

Ana frowned but didn't say anything right away. Selena looked at her, the weight of her curiosity and confusion finally spilling over. "Ana," she said hesitantly, "is there... some past between Olivia and Daniel? Something I don't know about?"

Ana's eyes widened slightly, and she glanced around nervously. "Why do you ask?"

"Please," Selena pleaded, "just tell me. I won't say anything to Olivia or Daniel. I just... I need to understand."

Ana hesitated, biting her lip. "Alright," she said finally, lowering her voice to a near whisper. "But you have to promise me you won't breathe a word of this to anyone. Especially not Olivia or Daniel."

"I promise," Selena said firmly, leaning in to listen.

Ana took a deep breath, clearly uncomfortable. "Well... Olivia and Daniel go way back. They've been best friends since first grade. She... she was in love with him for years. Everyone knew it."

Selena's breath caught in her throat, but she stayed quiet, urging Ana to continue.

"One day, Olivia finally confessed her feelings to him," Ana said, her voice tinged with regret. "But Daniel... he didn't take it seriously. He laughed, made a joke out of it, and ended up embarrassing her in front of a bunch of people."

Selena's eyes widened in shock. "He what?"

"Yeah," Ana said quietly. "Since then, they've barely spoken. Olivia was devastated. And to make it worse, there's this rumor that Daniel already has a girlfriend. Or, well, someone his family wants him to be with. Apparently, their parents are planning to get them engaged eventually."

Selena stared at Ana, the words sinking in like stones. "Engaged?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper."That's the rumor," Ana said with a shrug. "I don't know if it's true, but... it's not hard to believe. Daniel's family is loaded, and you know how these things work sometimes."

Selena felt her chest tighten, her thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and disbelief. Why would Daniel take me out if there's already someone in his life? Why did he hurt Olivia like that?

Ana gave Selena a sympathetic look. "Look, I didn't tell you this to upset you. I just thought you should know the context."

Selena nodded numbly. "Thank you for telling me."

But as she walked away, her mind was spinning. Her day with Daniel flashed in her memory—the smiles, the laughter, the connection. It all seemed so genuine. And yet, the weight of what she'd just learned cast a shadow over it all. Who is the real Daniel Reyes? she wondered, her heart heavy with uncertainty.