Monday, January 18th

—

Ava could only stare at him, unable to speak. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her mind racing with a million different thoughts. What did this mean for their friendship? Did Jack like her as more than just a friend? Did she feel the same way about him?

Without a word, Ava turned and ran off into the night, leaving Jack standing there alone.

As she made her way home, Ava's thoughts ran wild. She replayed the kiss over and over again in her mind, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She had never felt so overwhelmed and confused in her life.

When she finally arrived home, she collapsed onto her bed, still lost in thought. She knew she needed to talk to Jack about what had happened, but she didn't know how to start that conversation.

The next day, Ava arrived at school early, her mind still racing from the kiss Jack had given her the night before. As she walked down the hallway, she saw Jack coming towards her, but as they got closer, he quickly looked away and walked past her without a word.

Ava was hurt and confused. Had she misread the signals? Did Jack regret kissing her? She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened between them and why Jack was acting so distant.

The day seemed to drag on forever. Ava tried to focus on her classes, but her mind kept wandering back to Jack and the kiss. She tried to talk to him in between classes, but he would always find an excuse to leave or simply ignore her.

Ava felt like she was going crazy. She couldn't concentrate on anything, and her grades started to slip. She was so preoccupied with Jack and the kiss that she didn't know how to move on.

In English class, Ava is still distracted and can barely focus on the lesson. Sophie notices her friend's unusual silence and leans over to ask what's going on.

"Ava, you seem really preoccupied. What's up?" Sophie whispers, her voice barely audible over the sound of their teacher's lecture.

Ava looks up, her mind still foggy from the rush of emotions that hit her after the kiss. She tries to brush it off and shake off the feeling of confusion, but Sophie's concern only makes her more aware of the turmoil inside her.

"It's nothing, really," Ava replies, hoping to end the conversation quickly. But Sophie can sense that something is bothering her friend and presses on.

"Come on, Ava. You can tell me. We're friends, right?" Sophie says, a comforting hand on Ava's arm.

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Ava takes a deep breath and decides to confide in Sophie. "It's just...Jack kissed me yesterday," she admits quietly, still processing the moment in her mind.

Sophie's eyes widen in surprise. "Jack? You mean, like, Jack from your art class?" she asks.

Ava nods, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and excitement. "Yeah, we were working on the art project and...it just happened," she explains, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

Sophie's face falls as Ava tells her about Jack kissing her. "Oh," she says softly, looking down at her notebook. "I see."

Ava's heart sinks. She'd hoped Sophie would be happy for her, but now she's not so sure. "What do you mean, 'you see'?" she asks, feeling defensive.

Sophie looks up at her, her expression inscrutable. "It's just... I don't know. I didn't expect that."

Ava doesn't know what to say. She can feel the awkwardness settling between them like a thick fog. "I didn't either," she admits finally. "It was so sudden."

Sophie nods, but she still seems distant. "I'm sure," she says quietly. "It's just... it's complicated, you know?"

Ava nods, even though she doesn't know. She wishes Sophie would just say what she's thinking. But instead, Sophie goes back to her notebook, and the rest of the class passes in silence.

Ava was hurt by Sophie's reaction. She couldn't understand why her best friend was being so unsupportive. As soon as the class was over, Ava confronted Sophie about it.

"What's going on with you, Sophie?" Ava asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

Sophie just shrugged. "Nothing. I'm fine," she said, avoiding Ava's gaze.

Ava sighed. "No, you're not. You were acting weird in class, and now you're being cold to me. What's going on?"

Sophie's face suddenly contorted with anger. "What's going on? You're being reckless with your feelings, Ava. You're so focused on this scholarship that you're not thinking about anything else. You're not thinking about Jack's feelings or mine."

Ava was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

Sophie crossed her arms. "You're acting like a teenager with a crush. You need to be more responsible with love. You can't just go around kissing boys and then acting like nothing happened."

Ava felt a lump form in her throat. "It wasn't like that, Sophie. It just happened."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Of course it did. You're so impulsive. Just be careful, Ava. You don't want to lose everything because of a silly crush."

Ava felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She didn't understand why Sophie was being so harsh. She just wanted her friend's support.

Ava feels overwhelmed and hurt by the successive confrontations. She walks out of the classroom, hoping to find some space to breathe and gather her thoughts. As she makes her way down the hallway, she bumps into Max, who looks visibly upset.

"Hey," she says tentatively, unsure of how to react to his angry expression.

"I can't believe you didn't even tell me," Max says through gritted teeth. "I thought we were friends, Ava. I thought we could be honest with each other."

"I'm sorry," Ava says, her voice shaking. "I didn't know how to tell you."

"Well, you could have just said something instead of leading me on," Max says, his tone still harsh.

"I wasn't leading you on, Max," Ava protests, feeling hurt by the accusation.

"Sure seemed like it," Max retorts before storming off, leaving Ava standing alone in the hallway, feeling more alone than ever.

Ava takes a deep breath and tries to gather herself, feeling like everything in her life is spiraling out of control. She can't believe how quickly everything has changed.