Mira remembered how it started.
Not a sound. Not a show. Yet it left its mark.
Just small things.
She had thought she was doing something right.
Amanda had smiled so easily back then too easily, but Mira hadn't known the difference. She only knew how it felt to finally have someone listen. Someone who asked questions that weren't about Aiden or Jake.
So when Amanda said,
"Do you think Aiden likes girls who talk a lot?"
or,
"What kind of music does he listen to?"
Mira answered honestly and happily.
Simple things.
"He's quiet."
"He picks up on little things."
"He liked to draw."
She thought she was helping.
She thought that was what friends did.
But Aiden never liked Amanda.
There had been something off from the start.
Her smile stayed too long.
Her eyes watched instead of listened.
Her laugh came half a second late, like she was measuring reactions.
Whenever Amanda stood too close, Aiden stepped back.
Whenever she tried to linger, he found a reason to leave.
Mira noticed it, though the meaning slipped past her. Still, the air between them quietly changed.
Amanda started ignoring Mira without saying it outright. There was always somewhere else she needed to be. And not long after, whispers began to spread.Ugly ones, with Mira's name attached.
It started with whispers she couldn't trace.
"She's always around boys."
"She likes attention."
"She acts innocent, but…"
The words followed her down hallways, clung to lockers, floated behind her in classrooms. She never heard them directly at first—only the pauses when she entered a room. The way laughter dipped. The way eyes slid away.
She told herself it was nothing.
Until one afternoon.
She was walking past the Playground corners when she heard Amanda's laugh.
Low laughs, shared like a secret meant to hurt.Too loud.
Mira slowed without realizing it, fingers tightening around her book. Amanda stood with a group of girls near the steps, leaning in, hand covering her mouth like she was sharing something delicious.
"…I mean, have you noticed?" Amanda said, voice bright.
"She's always with them."
The girls laughed.
One said, "Yeah, she knows what she's doing."
Mira's breath caught.
Amanda turned slightly—and their eyes met.
For a second, Amanda didn't stop smiling.
She just tilted her head.
Mira felt it then.
Not confusion.
Betrayal.
Her chest tightened so suddenly it hurt. Her ears rang, the world narrowing into that one sound, laughter that no longer belonged to her.
She turned.
And ran.
Her shoes slapped against the pavement, breath breaking apart, vision blurring. She didn't know where she was going, only that staying felt impossible. The air burned her lungs, tears spilling before she could stop them.
Her book slipped from her fingers and hit the ground.
She didn't go back for it.
She collided with someone hard enough to stumble.
Strong hands caught her arms.
"Mira—hey."
Jake.
His teasing smile was gone instantly. His brows pulled together, eyes scanning her face like he was afraid she might disappear if he blinked.
"Why are you crying, little girl?" he asked softly.
The tone stripped of humor, leaving only worry behind.
Mira shook her head, lips trembling, words tangled somewhere she couldn't reach. Her shoulders shook as another sob tore out of her, raw and helpless.
Jake didn't ask again.
He stepped closer, careful, one hand lifting to her cheek like she might break. His thumb brushed away tears without pressure, without urgency.
"It's okay," he murmured, even though nothing was.
That was all it took.
Mira grabbed his shirt and pressed her face into his chest, crying like something inside her had finally split open. Her hands clenched tight, knuckles white, body shaking as if she'd been holding this in for too long.
"I just wanted one friend," she whispered, barely audible.
Jake's arms came around her fully then, steady and warm, holding her without questions.
Footsteps approached fast.
"Mira?"
Aiden.
His voice was sharp with fear.
He stopped when he saw her curled into Jake, crying like the world had turned its back on her. His breath stilled, chest rising slowly as if he were bracing himself.
"What happened?" Aiden asked, eyes flicking to Jake. "Jake, did something—"
Jake shook his head once.
Just once.
A silent request.
Not now.
Aiden forced the words down.
He stepped closer but didn't touch her. Just stood there, hands curled at his sides, jaw tight, watching her shoulders shake. His gaze moved—her red eyes, her clenched fists, the way she looked so small between them.
Something hardened quietly in his chest.
Mira cried harder then, the sound muffled against Jake's shirt. Like a child who'd lost something she couldn't name. Like someone who had trusted the wrong place to rest her heart.
She didn't know who started the rumors.
She didn't know why.
She only knew this—
When the world turned cold,
these two stayed.
Jake held her.
Aiden watched over her.
And from that moment on, neither of them would ever let that happen to her again.
Not without standing in the way.
---
The air felt heavier after Mira finished speaking.
It wasn't loud or dramatic. It was simply full
Lily didn't rush to say anything. She could still feel it—
the way Mira's breath had gone uneven at the end of her story,
the way her fingers had curled into the fabric of her sleeve as if holding onto something that had already slipped away.
It felt too familiar.
Close in a way that felt already known.
Before Lily could think, her arms moved.
She hugged Mira tightly.
It wasn't shaped for comfort. It was simply honest.
Mira stiffened for a second, then melted into it, her forehead pressing lightly against Lily's shoulder. Lily felt the warmth of her, the slight shake in her breathing.
A long moment passed.
"I know, Lily," Mira said quietly.
Her voice tried to sound light, but it cracked at the edges.
"This isn't… something so dramatic, right? I'm acting like it's a big tragedy. It's such a simple situation."
She laughed softly—but it didn't reach her eyes.
Lily felt it then.
That fear.
The fear of being judged again.
Lily didn't answer right away.
She loosened the hug just enough to look at Mira's face.
Her eyes were red, not crying hard, just tired.
Her lips were pressed together, like she was bracing herself.
"Mira," Lily said gently.
She lifted her hand, hesitated for half a second, then rested it lightly on Mira's arm.
"I know why you think like that," Lily continued.
Her voice was calm, steady and more confident than she felt.
"But don't think that way, my friend."
Mira looked up.
Lily met her eyes.
"Don't give permission to others to judge your feelings," she said, a small honest smile forming on her lips. Her faint dimple appeared without her noticing.
"It's how you feel. No one else knows how much it hurt you."
Mira's lashes trembled.
"Jake and Aiden care about you," Lily went on softly.
"So please… care about yourself too, Mira."
She swallowed, then added quieter,
"We don't want you to be sad.We want our happy Mira.Every day."
The words came straight from Lily's heart—unpolished, unplanned.
"We haven't known each other long, I know. But you trusted me. And I'm grateful for that… for letting me understand you, even a little."
Lily looked up once more, meeting Mira's eyes. She chose her words slowly, speaking with a careful, sincere honesty.
"No matter what happens in the future," Lily said, her brown eyes steady, her dark hair brushing her cheeks as she tilted her head slightly,
"you're the reason I'm happy to be here today. Thank you… for being my friend. And for believing in me."
Mira broke—not all at once, but in the small, silent way that hurt the most.
Tears spilled suddenly, warm and fast.
"L-Lily—" she tried to speak, but her voice collapsed.
Lily panicked instantly.
"Oh—no—wait—don't cry—" she said, fumbling, her hands awkward, unsure where to go.
Then she remembered.
Quickly, she pulled a small lollipop from her bag and held it out like a peace offering.
Mira blinked through tears.
"…Are you serious?
And… You're talking a little more today… I like it."
she murmured, her eyes wet, lips curving into a fragile smile.
"You're like a little child," Lily said with a soft chuckle, her shoulders finally relaxing.
Mira stared at the lollipop for a second.
Then she laughed.
A genuine laugh burst out of her—loud, sudden, and impossible to hold back.
Behind them, footsteps approached fast.
Too fast.
Jake bent over slightly, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
"Damn," he muttered with a crooked smirk.
"We almost died running."
Aiden stood beside him, chest rising and falling slowly, eyes already fixed ahead.
They hadn't been seen yet.
From a distance, the two boys watched.
Mira laughing.
Lily beside her, shoulders slightly hunched, oversized clothes making her look smaller than she was—but her presence steady.
Jake straightened, smiling softly.
"…Finally," he said, voice low, breathless.
"Our Mira found herself again."
Aiden didn't answer right away.
His gaze lingered—
not just on Mira,
but on Lily.
The way she stood slightly turned toward Mira.
The way she held herself quietly, like she didn't want to take up space, yet somehow anchored everything.
"Yes," Aiden said at last.
After a brief pause, he said more, his voice betraying nothing.
"After a long time."
His face showed nothing.
But his eyes stayed there,
just a moment longer.
And Lily, unaware of being watched, laughed softly as Mira wiped her tears, the lollipop forgotten between them.
For the first time in a while—
Everything felt… warm.
End of chapter 13