Glances

"Hey, sis! Why are you smiling alone?" I asked as I stepped into the room, curious about the sudden sparkle in her eyes.

"Texting with whom?"

She glanced up from her phone with a dreamy smile, hugging her pillow as she sat cross-legged on the bed. “A classmate,” she replied with a playful tone. “He’s funny.”

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow, sitting beside her. “What’s his name?”

“It’s Jay. He’s good-looking and really nice. You know what’s weird? He has long eyelashes—like, really long. It’s kind of unfair that a guy has lashes like that,” she added, shaking her head in disbelief.

I chuckled, watching her face light up. “Do you like him?”

“What?!” She looked at me, eyes wide, then laughed nervously. “No, no. I like someone else,” she said quickly, but the sudden blush on her cheeks betrayed her.

“Hmmm,” I teased. “But…”

She interrupted me with a firm shake of her head. “Stop it! I told you, I like someone else. He’s more handsome, really smart, and good at sports too.”

Oh? I tilted my head in curiosity. “So, who’s this mysterious guy?”

She leaned closer and whispered like it was a state secret. “Keep it a secret, okay? It’s… Ronie.”

My jaw dropped. “Wait, Ronie? As in Ronie our childhood friend? He’s your classmate now, right?”

She nodded, biting her lip as she smiled. “Yeah.”

“Well, not bad,” I replied thoughtfully. “We know him, though we’re not as close as we used to be.”

I was about to say more, but I noticed she wasn’t paying much attention. Her gaze had already drifted back to her phone screen, probably replaying something funny Jay had said.

I tried again. “Then, what about Jay?”

She shrugged. “Nothing. He’s just a close friend. Devy likes him, but Jay likes Dea.”

“What a twist!” I laughed. “Is this some sort of crush cycle?”

She smiled brightly. “Exactly. Teenage life is wild like that. Have a crush, get inspired, laugh at silly things… it’s all part of it.”

With that, she stood up. “Anyway, I’m gonna take a shower.”

“Hmm, okay,” I said, watching her disappear into the bathroom.

I sat on the bed, thoughts drifting. It’s true—most teenagers go through this “crushy” phase and often confuse it with love. I once made the mistake of telling someone that I admired a classmate for his personality, and the next thing I knew, everyone thought I was in love. It turned into a relentless wave of teasing that haunted me for years. No matter how much I explained, they just assumed I was in denial. Eventually, I learned to stop reacting altogether. If you don’t respond, they lose interest in teasing you.

Suddenly, the phone beside me started to vibrate again. Beep. Another message from Jay. I glanced at the screen out of pure curiosity.

Jay: "Hey, still there?"

I picked up the phone and typed back: “My sister’s in the shower right now. You can text her again when she’s done.”

Beep.

Jay: “Oh alright haha.”

Haha? I thought. That’s not even funny. Why end it with "haha"?

Out of boredom, I found myself scrolling through their past conversations. The way he texted, his jokes, his lighthearted teasing—it actually made me laugh a little. He was funnier than I expected.

Without thinking, my fingers typed out a message: “Gosh… I read the conversations, sorry. Just wanted to say, you’re actually kind of funny.”

The moment I sent it, I regretted it. What was I doing? I don’t even own a phone, and now I’m chatting with someone on my sister’s!

Jay: “Haha really? I think I’m not. By the way, who is this I’m texting right now? May I know your name?”

Panic. I hesitated.

“Uhm… sorry for texting you on my sister’s phone. Please don’t tell her, okay?”

I chose not to reveal my name. I don’t know why—it just felt safer that way.

Jay: “Haha it’s alright.”

There it is again. “Haha.”

“What’s with this guy and his ‘haha’?” I muttered under my breath.

“Why do you always put ‘haha’ in your texts? Are you making fun of me or what?” I sent.

Jay replied almost instantly: “No, I just text like that. It keeps the mood light. I guess it’s my thing haha.”

Okay. Still confusing, but oddly disarming.

After that, I deleted the entire message thread. I didn’t want my sister finding out. It wasn’t like anything serious happened, but I didn’t want any awkward conversations either. I sighed and returned the phone to her desk, then went to my room to forget about the brief exchange.

But the truth was, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even if it was just a short, random chat, it left a weird mix of guilt and curiosity inside me.

The next day at school, I got the perfect opportunity to satisfy that curiosity. Just as I entered the gate, I bumped into Devy—my sister’s classmate and one of Jay’s admirers.

“Hey, Devy,” I greeted casually. “Quick question… who’s Jay among your classmates?”

She raised her brows, her lips curving into a sly smile. “Ooooh… do you like him too?”

“What? No!” I quickly defended. “I don’t even know what he looks like.”

Before she could say more, a group of boys walked by—accompanied by our subject teacher. My eyes scanned them briefly.

And then, with a voice loud enough to reach the whole hallway, Devy called out, “Hey, Jay! This is my friend Reign—she’s curious about you!”

Time slowed. I froze.

Jay turned his head, caught the name, and grinned. His lashes really were long—just like my sister said. His wavy, permed hair and soft smile made him stand out effortlessly. He raised his hand and waved.

I felt like melting into the floor.

“Haist! These kids,” our teacher chuckled. “Go to your rooms instead of making cute faces in the hallway!”

Laughter erupted around us.

“Devy!!” I whispered fiercely and whacked her arm.

“Ouch! What? I just helped you recognize him!” she teased, giggling with delight.

“Not the kind of help I needed!” I shouted back, half-laughing, half-panicking as I ran away toward our classroom.

It was unexpected and totally embarrassing. And I had a feeling this wasn’t the last time I’d hear about it.

Even though I tried to avoid his room in the following days, my thoughts betrayed me constantly. No rumors spread, no whispers reached my ears—but the incident replayed in my head over and over again.

“Maybe I’m just overthinking. It probably wasn’t a big deal to anyone but me,” I thought.

Still, it left a mark. A small, awkward, and kind of funny moment that would linger like a secret memory I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep… or forget.

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