"Uhmmm, are you sure, Luca?" Patricia was the first to react, her voice laced with hesitation.
"I'm sorry, Miss Thomas, I'm not trying to dismiss you or anything."
Luca's grin didn't falter.
"Trust me, you should hear me out first. Her story is going to be our ticket to first place."
He looked down at Harmony, who sat silently in her seat, staring blankly at him. Patricia's words had barely registered with her.
Harmony felt like her brain had short-circuited from the sheer shock of being thrust into the spotlight so suddenly.
"Your story was beautiful," Luca continued, his voice gentler now.
"Really, it was. The moment we chose the play competition, it was already in my mind."
"But…"
Harmony finally found her voice, speaking in a soft, hesitant tone, "…you could have asked me before telling the whole class."
Her expression wasn't angry, merely neutral. The initial shock had worn off, and her usual unperturbed look returned. Luca blinked at her words, then suddenly slapped his forehead in realization.
"Me and my stupid mind," he groaned.
"I did it again—acted without thinking. I'm sorry, Miss Thomas. I didn't mean to startle you."
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Sometimes I get so excited about something, I forget to consider how others might feel. But I'm serious about what I said. Your story is amazing, and I truly believe it will bring our class to first place. Will you let us use it?"
Harmony blinked, momentarily taken aback by the sincerity in Luca's voice. She had always been the wallflower of the class—neither excelling nor failing.
Her average appearance and quiet demeanor meant she was easily overlooked. For the first time since high school began, she found herself at the center of attention, not because of anything she had done, but because of Luca's unexpected enthusiasm.
She had thought he had forgotten about the notebook entirely. After all, days had passed since he first stumbled upon it, and he hadn't approached her once about it. Like everything else she did, she assumed it had slipped from his mind, lost in the background noise of daily life.
Though he was staring, she thought he was simply curious.
But now, as she stared at him, she realized he had merely been waiting for the right moment. He was looking at her now, eyes brimming with expectation and excitement.
Harmony thought back to something someone she admired once said:
"Don't flaunt what you can do, for no one likes a braggart. But if even one person appreciates your work, have the courage to share it. And if it's rejected, move forward and create something better."
Sighing, she reached into her bag and pulled out the very notebook Luca had read from. Her classmates watched with skepticism and even a bit of envy, wondering why the most popular guy in school was so enthusiastic about something belonging to her.
Harmony didn't care.
This wasn't about her seeking validation—it was about the work itself. Luca had been the one to speak for her, to recognize something in her story. If the class didn't like it, so be it. She would simply use their feedback to improve.
She had been searching for an opportunity to know if her story had any worth. Now that chance had come. Why not take it?
She handed Luca the notebook without hesitation.
He blinked, clearly surprised by how easily she relinquished it. After all, the last time, she had snatched it back from him without a word, clearly upset that he had read it.
"You didn't ask for permission," she reminded him, her voice flat but not accusatory.
Luca stared at her for a moment before clearing his throat.
"Right," he said, his smile returning as he turned back to the class.
He was eager now, more than ever, to share the story with them. Harmony, on the other hand, turned her gaze out the window, detaching herself from the situation. She'd wait for their reaction and brace herself for whatever came next.
After all, she wasn't expecting much.
Luca launched into a storytelling session, his enthusiasm captivating his audience.
At first, the class listened purely out of courtesy to him, but as the story progressed, they found themselves drawn in. The depth of the narrative, the quiet beauty of the prose—it resonated with them in ways they hadn't expected.
"And that's how it ended," Luca concluded, closing the notebook with a flourish.
There was a pause before Beatrice Hamilton, one of the school's leading actresses and a member of the drama club, spoke up.
"Wow. That was a great story. It was short, and it felt like there could be more, but it stands well on its own."
Her words seemed to break the spell, and the rest of the class chimed in.
"Well, if Beatrice thinks it's good, why don't we adapt it?" Patricia asked, looking around at her classmates.
"Why not?"
"It was great."
"Luca was right. I didn't expect that at all."
Luca stood there, looking smug as his classmates offered their praise.
"I told you it was good," he said, glancing back at Harmony.
Her classmates, who had overlooked her for so long, were now acknowledging something she had created. Yet, she remained detached, still staring out the window.
Harmony knew this moment would pass.
Despite their praise, her classmates likely wouldn't credit her too much.
She didn't mind.
What mattered to her was that one person had appreciated her work enough to share it with others. Whether or not the class used her story didn't matter as much as the fact that it had reached them at all.
And as for Luca, she could feel his eyes on her even now.
She knew that her quiet peaceful life had shifted. As for how it will affect her future, only time would be able to tell.