Rhaine dropped her bag onto the floor the second she stepped into her room. She didn't even bother to change out of her uniform; she just collapsed onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Her head was pounding—not from classes, not from assignments, but from one person.
Sam.
Sam sitting beside her.
Sam calling her "cute."
Sam laughing, leaning close, eyes warm and sharp at the same time.
Rhaine groaned and buried her face in her pillow.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered into the fabric. "Absolutely ridiculous. Why does it have to be her?"
She sat up suddenly, restless. Her room felt too small, like the walls were listening. She crossed to her desk, pulling out her notebook. Maybe writing would help clear her head.
But the moment her pen touched paper, her mind betrayed her.
Sam's smile.
Sam's voice.
Sam's eyes.
She scrawled a few random words, then scratched them out angrily.
"No. Stop. She's just… she's just a friend. A classmate. That's it."
Her chest ached with the lie.
She stood, pacing. She ended up in front of her mirror, glaring at her own reflection.
"You're not like that," she whispered at herself. "You're not… like that. You like boys. You're supposed to like boys. That's normal. That's safe. That's what everyone expects."
Her reflection stared back, unconvinced.
Rhaine's throat tightened. She pressed her palms against the dresser, leaning close to the glass. "So why…" Her voice cracked. "…why can't I stop thinking about her?"
She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the heat rising in her chest, the memory of Sam's laugh echoing in her ears.
Then her phone buzzed on the desk. The sudden vibration startled her, and she snatched it up like it might burn her fingers.
A message from Maya lit the screen:
You okay? You looked tense today.
Rhaine hesitated, fingers hovering. What could she even say? She started typing— I'm fine but deleted it. Then typed— Just tired—and deleted that too.
In the end, she dropped her phone back onto the desk, unanswered. She couldn't bring herself to admit anything. Not to Maya, not to Eli… and especially not to herself.
She collapsed back onto her bed, hugging her pillow tightly, as if it could keep her thoughts contained.
"No," she whispered fiercely. "This is just a phase. Just… confusion. It'll pass. It has to."
But even as she forced the words out, the truth pressed against her chest, heavy and undeniable.
Because deep down, she knew it wouldn't pass.
Not when it was Sam.