The school auditorium had never been this loud.
Music echoed against the walls. Students were running around with costume pieces in their hands. Someone was shouting for the microphone. Someone else was arguing about stage positions.
Ariana stood near the edge of the stage, holding a printed script in her hand.
"I still don't know why I agreed to this," she muttered.
"Because I forced you," Lily replied proudly.
It wasn't a dance performance.
Thank God.
It was a spoken-word presentation — a short reading about "Change and Growth." The irony wasn't lost on her.
She had avoided stage attention her whole life.
And now she was rehearsing lines under bright lights.
"Louder!" the coordinator called out.
Ariana took a breath and read her lines again. Clear voice. Steady tone.
But inside?
Her heart was beating too fast.
After rehearsal, she sat on the auditorium stairs, drinking water.
Lily dropped beside her. "You'll do great."
"I don't like being watched."
"You're always watched," Lily smirked. "You just don't notice."
That sentence stayed with her longer than it should have.
At home, her mother was surprisingly supportive.
"Stage confidence is good," she said while serving dinner.
"It's just reading," Ariana replied.
"Still. Stand straight. Speak clearly."
Her father nodded. "Confidence matters."
Later that night, she opened the app.
UnknownUser: Busy.
She blinked.
SilentStar15: How do you know?
UnknownUser: You reply slower on rehearsal days.
She exhaled.
Of course he noticed.
SilentStar15: Practice was chaotic.
Pause.
UnknownUser: Nervous?
She hesitated.
SilentStar15: A little.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
UnknownUser: Don't be.
She frowned.
SilentStar15: Easy for you to say.
Pause.
Then—
UnknownUser: I'll be there.
Her fingers froze.
SilentStar15: What?
UnknownUser: At the event.
Her heart skipped.
SilentStar15: You don't even live here anymore.
Silence.
Then—
UnknownUser: Doesn't mean I can't visit.
Her breathing slowed.
Was he serious?
SilentStar15: And how would I know it's you?
Long pause.
Then—
UnknownUser: You won't.
Her stomach flipped slightly.
SilentStar15: That's creepy.
UnknownUser: Or interesting.
She stared at the screen.
Her heart was racing for no clear reason.
SilentStar15: You're not serious.
Pause.
Then—
UnknownUser: I am.
Her chest tightened softly.
The thought of him being somewhere in the crowd…
Watching.
Recognizing her.
While she wouldn't know.
That felt terrifying.
And strangely exciting.
Before logging off, he typed—
UnknownUser: Just focus on your lines.
She swallowed.
Focus.
Right.