Between two hearts

Chapter 1: New Encounters, New Opportunities

It's funny how everything can change in just a few seconds.
One minute, you're laughing like nothing's wrong. The next, you're standing there, pretending you don't care... when you actually do.
That's exactly how it felt the day he stopped talking to me.
No explanation. No message. Nothing.
I kept checking my phone like something would magically appear-like maybe he'd text me and say it was all a joke, or that he missed me, or anything that made sense.
But nothing ever came.
And the worst part? Just a few days before, everything had felt... different.
Better.
I was in an ocean of emotions, nothing had any sense, my head, my heart, everything was a mess. I just wanted to know, what if love wasn't so complicated? I didn't have the answer, yet...
It was a morning evening like any other. I woke up at five in the morning, did my usual morning routine and rushed off to school with my mom yelling because we were late again. I arrived at school, happy but nervous. In the distance, I saw my friends, ran to them, and they gave me a big hug-those good morning hugs my friends gave me, their smiles and contagious laughter make everything better. Our shared craziness, new gossip, family dramas, new admirers-all those things we share make getting up early and coming to school worthwhile.
In the distance, I heard a voice calling my name: "Ivy!" I turned my head to see who it was. My gaze fell on a tall, peculiar, familiar boy with unmistakable features. It was him, Alex, the boy I had a crush on in fifth grade, but who never reciprocated my feelings.
"Alex! What's up, how are you? It's been a while."
"Everything's great, and you? Yeah, it's been a while since we talked."
"Good, thanks. What's new? How were your holidays?"
"They were boring. I was at the beach and, you know, the usual."
"That 's cool."
That conversation was kind of awkward. I just wanted to run away. I looked away to avoid eye contact. My best friend noticed my discomfort and dragged me out of there with the excuse that we were late for class.
It was a new school year, new classroom, new classmates, new opportunities. I was determined not to get involved in complicated relationships; I was just going to focus on my studies and my friends. I had just started seventh grade, and I didn't want anything to ruin it.
We all introduced ourselves to the class. Luckily, I was seated next to my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without her. I was listening to everyone's different names. Of course, I already knew several of them, but not all. Suddenly, I heard a name that caught my attention: Rodrigo. I'd heard that name before. I turned to look at him, and sure enough, it was Ryan, the super-mega crush of a "friend."
I looked at him closely and asked myself, "What does she see in him?"
Suddenly the alarm rang; it was time to go to our next class. The day passed, and I realized that my new classmates, both male and female, were very strange, different, definitely not from around here. You could see the different social statuses. From the beginning, I knew who would be popular and who wouldn't. I don't consider myself popular; I consider myself someone in the middle, someone who knows everyone and gets along with a lot of people, but I'm not exactly popular.

At the end of the day, I ran into my friend Dafne, who likes Ryan. She looked a little excited, but at the same time, I noticed a certain unease on her face.

"Hey Dafne! How are you?"
"Hey Ivy! Good, and you?"
"Good, thanks. What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Yes, it's just that I'm not in the same class as you-know-who."
"Ryan?"
"Yes."
"I'm in his class, sadly, hahaha."
"Really?"
"Yes."
*Her face immediately lit up.* "Would you do me a favor?" Please.
Sure, tell me.
At that moment I didn't know what I was getting myself into.
Do you think you could, like, keep an eye on what Ryan does and who he talks to? I mean, if you can, become his friend, talk to him and stuff, and keep me updated on his movements and conversations in the classroom.
Um... Yes, sure, why not? I was watching him today and I realized he's kind of antisocial; he only talks to two boys whose names are... What are their names? Oh yeah! Matias and Marco.
Oh yeah, he's kind of antisocial at the beginning of the year, but then he gets over it.
We finished the conversation and each went our separate ways.
That afternoon I couldn't stop thinking about the first day of school, those new people, new teachers, new subjects. I was happy to be back at school, but there was something that kept going around in my head that I couldn't figure out why. Ryan, that simple person I couldn't get out of my mind, was very strange since I hadn't interacted with him before. I thought that if I talked to him and became his friend, I could help him stop being the antisocial kid who always sat alone in the corner, not talking to anyone. I'd been through that, and it wasn't pleasant, so I was determined to help him.

The next day I approached Ryan. Our eyes met, and I felt a strange connection. Just as I was about to speak to him, the teacher came into the classroom, and class began, so I couldn't start a conversation with him.
I sighed and walked back to my seat, trying to act like nothing had happened. But it had.
The whole class, I kept glancing at him. Not in an obvious way... or at least I hoped it wasn't obvious. He sat there, quiet, occasionally laughing with his two friends, like he didn't have a care in the world.
Meanwhile, I was overthinking everything.
Why did that moment feel so... different?
I barely even knew him.
When the bell finally rang, I hesitated. This was my chance. I grabbed my notebook, took a deep breath, and started walking toward him.
"Hey... Ryan, right?"
He looked up at me, a little surprised, but then smiled.
"Yeah. And you're Ivy, right?"
I froze for a second.
He knew my name.
"Yeah," I said, trying to sound normal. "I just wanted to say hi."
"Hi," he replied, smiling again.
I was a little nervous and didn't know what to say, so I just ended the super awkward conversation with "have a nice day." I was mortified, wondering over and over, "Does he think I'm weird, or that I'm just making fun of him?" I didn't know what to do; I didn't want to give him that impression of me. Regina noticed some concern in me, and rightly so, but I had to carry on with the day as if nothing had happened.
As I was leaving school, I saw Alex in the distance. He was with his friends, laughing in that peculiar way he has. I looked at him and asked myself, "Why him?" I didn't know how to answer that question; I just felt it. That excitement of seeing him at any time, hoping with all my heart that he'd talk to me about anything, no matter how stupid the conversation might be. But I know I like Alex, so why am I thinking about Ryan?
When I got home, I did my homework, went to my golf practice, and everything went as planned. But was everything really normal? That's something I'm not sure about.