HANNAH
The days blended together, and I became an expert at avoiding Jeremy. We still talked in the hallways at school, shared the occasional exchange in class, but it was surface-level now. Small talk, nothing more. If he noticed something was off, he didn’t say anything. But knowing Jeremy, he probably just assumed I was busy with something irrelevant to him, like my life.
He came by the house a few times, but I always made sure I wasn’t there. “She’s at the mall,” Mom told him once, and the other time, “She’s out with Jessica. Sleepover, I think.” I wasn’t sure if Mom was getting suspicious, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t face him right now. Not when everything felt so… off.
Which brought me to Jessica’s bedroom floor, surrounded by blankets, pillows, and an assortment of snacks. The comforting hum of a cheesy romantic comedy played in the background as Jessica leaned back on her elbows, scrolling through her phone.
“You’re being dramatic,” she said, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth.
I glared at her. “Am not.”
Jessica smirked. “You totally are. You’re avoiding him like he’s got the plague, and for what? Because he has a smart, hot friend?”
I groaned, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to my chest. “She’s not just a friend, Jess. Daniela is, like, everything. She’s smart, and she’s gorgeous, and—”
“—and she’s a total robot,” Jessica interrupted, rolling her eyes.
“She’s cool,” I muttered.
Jessica raised an eyebrow. “She’s cold. There’s a difference.”
“Yeah, well, apparently, that’s Jeremy’s type.” I flopped back onto the pile of pillows, staring at the ceiling. “And you didn’t see her, Jess. She’s not just smart; she’s effortless. It’s like she doesn’t even have to try, and people still adore her.”
Jessica snorted. “And you think you’re not effortless? Have you met you?”
“Effortless isn’t enough,” I said quietly. “I’m not smart like her. I’m just… me.”
Jessica sat up, crossing her legs and looking down at me. “Listen, I’m not saying Daniela isn’t great—though, to be fair, I’ve only seen her from, like, thirty feet away in the cafeteria—but you’re acting like you’re competing in some imaginary contest. And you’re not.”
I sat up, hugging my knees. “You don’t get it, Jess. Daniela isn’t just smart; she’s Jeremy-smart. They probably talk about quantum physics and build robots together or whatever it is they do. And me? I barely passed algebra. All I have is… this.” I gestured vaguely at myself.
Jessica frowned. “What are you even saying? That you’re just pretty?”
“Yes!” I threw my hands in the air. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. And you know what Jeremy thinks about pretty? Nothing. It doesn’t even register for him.”
“Okay, first of all,” Jessica said, pointing at me, “you’re not just pretty. You’re creative, you’re funny, you’ve got more personality in your little finger than Daniela probably has in her whole body.”
“Yeah, but Jeremy doesn’t care about personality either. He cares about intelligence.”
Jessica sighed, grabbing a handful of popcorn and chucking it at me. “You’re impossible, you know that? Jeremy isn’t sitting around ranking everyone he knows by their IQs. And even if he was, you don’t see how he looks at you. He doesn’t look at Daniela like that. I’ve seen it.”
“Looks don’t mean anything,” I mumbled, brushing popcorn out of my hair.
“They do if they’re coming from someone who doesn’t normally pay attention to anyone.”
That shut me up.
Jessica softened, her voice less teasing now. “Look, I get why you’re upset. Daniela is intimidating—I’d be lying if I said she didn’t freak me out a little. But you’ve gotta stop tearing yourself down. If Jeremy wanted to hang out with Daniela all the time, he would. But he’s always been around you, hasn’t he?”
“Not lately,” I said bitterly.
Jessica tilted her head, watching me carefully. “Maybe because you’ve been avoiding him?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I picked at the edge of the blanket, my thoughts swirling. Jessica was probably right, but that didn’t make it any easier to shake the feeling of inadequacy.
The movie rolled on, and Jessica didn’t push the subject further. Eventually, she fell asleep, sprawled out on her bed, snoring lightly.
But I stayed awake, staring out her window at the stars. Somewhere out there, Daniela was probably doing something amazing, like solving the mysteries of the universe. And Jeremy… he was probably right there with her, light-years ahead of me in every possible way.
I sighed, turning over and pulling the blanket up to my chin.
No matter how much I tried to convince myself it didn’t matter, the ache in my chest told a different story.
****
I stretched my legs out on the park bench, enjoying the crisp autumn air as Jessica waved a colorful flyer in front of me like it was the answer to all her life’s problems.
“Come on, Hannah. This could be our thing,” she said, practically bouncing on her toes.
I squinted at the flyer she shoved in my face. The words Beginner Ballet Classes—All Ages Welcome! glared back at me in swirly pink font.
“Our thing?” I asked, leaning back against the bench. “Since when are we dancers?”
Jessica flopped down beside me with all the grace of a collapsing Jenga tower. “Since I realized I have zero extracurriculars and zero rhythm,” she said, grinning like this was an actual selling point.
I laughed, shaking my head. “You? In a tutu? I can’t decide if that’s hilarious or terrifying.”
She gasped, clutching at her jacket like I’d mortally offended her. “Excuse you, but I’ll have you know I would rock a tutu. Besides,” she added, leaning closer, “you like artsy stuff. Dancing is art!”
“Dancing is also coordination,” I countered, raising an eyebrow. “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I can barely walk without tripping over my own feet.”
Jessica smirked. “Okay, but who cares? It’s just for fun. Plus, imagine the chaos if Big Jim joined us. He’d probably break the barre.”
At the sound of his name, Big Jim, who was a few feet away tossing a frisbee for Jessica’s golden retriever, Max, looked over. “What about me?” he called.
Jessica turned to him, her grin wide. “We’re talking about ballet class. You should totally join us.”
Big Jim gave her a blank look, then pointed to himself. “Me? In ballet?”
Jessica nodded enthusiastically. “Think about it—grace, poise, you in a leotard. It’s what the world needs.”
I snorted, unable to help myself. “Yeah, Big Jim, you’d really elevate the art form.”
He rolled his eyes but walked over, Max trotting happily beside him. “You two are ridiculous,” he said, plopping down on the bench next to Jessica. “But if you’re going, maybe I should join. Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t break anything.”
Jessica beamed. “See, Hannah? Big Jim gets it.”
I shook my head, laughing despite myself. “This is the most absurd conversation I’ve ever had.”
Big Jim leaned back, his arms stretched across the top of the bench. “Hey, you’re the one who dragged me into this whole best-friend crew thing. Now you’re stuck with me.”
“Right, because that’s what I dreamed of when we became friends—ballet lessons with Big Jim,” I said, rolling my eyes.
He smirked. “Don’t act like I’m not the highlight of your week.”
Jessica nudged me with her elbow. “You know he’s not wrong.”
I laughed, shaking my head again, but my chest felt a little lighter. It was hard to stay in my own head when these two were around.
Still, as the conversation shifted to Max’s overenthusiastic frisbee skills, I couldn’t help but notice what wasn’t there—Jeremy. It had been two weeks since we’d hung out outside of school, and he hadn’t even mentioned it. He still acted normal, like nothing had changed, and maybe it hadn’t—for him.
But for me? Every time I thought about him and Daniela, I felt that tight, sinking feeling again.
I forced myself to focus on the flyer in my hand. Ballet. A distraction. Something to pour myself into, just like my drawing.
“Alright,” I said finally, holding up the flyer. “Let’s do it. Ballet class.”
Jessica squealed and hugged me, and even Big Jim looked vaguely pleased.
Maybe this would be good for me. Something new. Something that didn’t involve thinking about Jeremy. At least, I hoped so.
****