CHAPTER 1: Trio

Ruby stared at her friend Kimberly, who was sitting across from her, as she scribbled non stop in her notebook, not paying attention to the teacher's ongoing discussion. It was a typical scene — Kimberly, her best friend, always lost in her thoughts, and Ruby trying to keep up with whatever lesson was happening. But today, it felt like Kimberly was writing a book, and Ruby couldn't help but wonder what was consuming her attention so deeply. The hum of the teacher's voice faded into the background for Kimberly, who seemed lost in what she was doing.

'What on earth could she be writing for so long?' Ruby wondered. It wasn't unusual for them to pass notes during class, but this time, Kimberly was taking too long. Ruby leaned slightly forward, narrowing her eyes as Kimberly's pen raced across the page. 'She's probably writing a whole novel at this point, Ruby thought with a smirk.'

Kimberly was about to tell Ruby about a dream she had the previous night when their homeroom teacher, Mr. Denise, walked over to make an announcement.

"Don't tell me she's writing down the details of the whole dream," Ruby muttered under her breath, trying her best to focus on what Mr. Denise was saying while keeping an eye on Kimberly. Ruby was a good listener, but when it came to reading, she felt oddly distracted and tired.

"Kimberly," Mr. Denise called out, his voice firm as he folded his arms across his chest. Upon hearing her name, Kimberly's head snapped up instantly. "What is it you're writing right now while I'm giving important information to the class?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his tone, and his stern gaze locked on her.

Ruby bit down on her lip nervously, clutching the edge of her desk, praying that Mr. Denise didn't ask Kimberly to hand over the notebook. They had written some pretty risky things in there, things that would definitely get them in trouble if Mr. Denise read it.

"Oh, this?" Kimberly said, casually raising the book before placing it back down on the desk. All eyes were now on her, but she remained unfazed, a cool smile tugging at her lips. "I'm writing a note to Mrs. Clara. I planned on doing it during the lunch break, but since you're taking up that time, I figured I'd just finish it now," she explained, her tone calm and casual.

Mr. Denise locked eyes with Kimberly for a moment, considering her response. He glanced around the room, clearly unconvinced, but then decided to let it go. He had asked the class to wait behind on short notice, so he didn't mind if Kimberly had something to finish before the end of the day.

Ruby exhaled sharply, relief washing over her. "Phew, that was close," 

Kimberly turned to her and winked, her caramel complexion glowing with mischief. "Close one," she mouthed.

Kimberly had an admirable caramel skin tone and expressive brown eyes, always wearing her black 4C hair in two playful buns, giving her a distinctly youthful look.

Ruby, on the other hand, was a tall girl with smooth, pale skin. She wore glasses and styled her fringe haircut in two neat ponytails.

"Alright, class, enjoy the rest of your day," Mr. Denise concluded as he made his way out of the classroom.

"Yeah, right," Kimberly muttered. "Like school is a place to enjoy the rest of our day," she sighed dramatically, turning to face Ruby.

"Huh?" Ruby adjusted her glasses, momentarily distracted as she looked up at Kimberly, who had already gotten to her feet.

"I said," Kimberly dragged out the words, "how can we enjoy the rest of our day when we're stuck in school? God, let this day end already." She rolled her eyes.

Ruby shook her head and followed suit, standing up from her seat. "Oh. What were you writing, anyway?" she asked.

"Nothing serious, just a poem. If you don't mind, I could read it to you," Kimberly offered, clearing her throat dramatically.

"Please, no," Ruby interrupted, feigning irritation and giving Kimberly a look.

"Ladies," Tobi suddenly interjected, bowing as he passed by the two girls on his way out. His gaze lingered on Ruby a little longer than usual.

Kimberly raised an eyebrow as she watched him leave the room. "I'm starting to think Tobi likes you," Kimberly teased with a smirk, turning back to Ruby.

"Oh, please! He acts that way with every girl," Ruby replied, dismissing the idea with a flick of her hand.

"That's not true," Kimberly insisted, her voice slightly more serious. "You don't have to be embarrassed. At least someone's attracted to you."

Ruby groaned, clearly uninterested in the topic. "You know, I don't think Dave is picking up on the signals you're sending his way. Maybe it's time you confess your feelings to him."

"Shh!" Kimberly quickly placed a hand over Ruby's mouth. "Someone might be listening," she hissed before letting go of Ruby's mouth.

"Someone like who?" Ruby raised her voice, exaggerating the situation. "We're literally the only ones in class! But seriously, you need to let him know and get it off your chest." She placed a finger on Kimberly's chest as if to emphasize her point.

"I'll think about it... yeah, my answer is still no," Kimberly said, shaking her head, though her expression was less certain.

"Why?" Ruby asked, crossing her arms in confusion.

"Because boys are the ones meant to confess their feelings to a girl, not the other way around," Kimberly replied matter-of-factly.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "If you're serious about being an independent woman, it starts with taking decisions like this," she stated, grabbing Kimberly's notebook as she began to exit the classroom. Kimberly looked confused, trying to piece together what Ruby meant with her last statement.

"How?" Kimberly called out loud as she walked fast to catch up with Ruby.

After their lunch break, the girls headed to their next class. As usual, they quickly lost interest in whatever the teacher was saying. The desks in the room were meant to accommodate three students at a time, and the girls had chosen a seat at the back, in the second-to-last row, where they shared the space with Mirabel, a slim, tall friend of theirs who balanced her life as both a student and a model. Mirabel sat between Ruby and Kimberly.

As soon as they lost focus on the lesson, the girls immediately pulled out their gossip book, which had a hard pink cover. It was their secret way of communicating in class without drawing attention from the teacher. Mirabel started the conversation, as usual, by talking about boys. She told them about a new guy she met at the modeling agency and how he was "to die for."

Mirabel, ever the model-in-the-making, filled the pages with tales of her glamorous life. 'You guys won't believe someone like Norman exists. I took a picture with him last week, and soon we'll be traveling to France together. It's like a vacation! I'll show you his runway videos and some shots. Oh my god, he's like a fallen angel.'

Ruby scribbled back, 'Sounds like a fantasy.' Mirabel pouted as she read the note.

 The conversation quickly turned to Ruby as the gossip book made its way between them.

Ruby denied having a crush on any boy, not even one from their school. 

'Girls your age already have boyfriends,' Mirabel commented with a teasing smile.

"I'm only fourteen," Ruby countered in writing. 'besides, you and Kimberly are my peers, but still single.' She gave Kimberly a pointed look, smiling mischievously. 'You should ask Kimberly though,' Mirabel added. 'She has a huge crush on Dave, but he hasn't even noticed her.'

As soon as Mirabel took the paper from Ruby and read the contents, she glanced across the class at Dave before turning back to Kimberly. "Uh-uh," Mirabel shook her head, clearly unimpressed.

"What?" Kimberly whispered, grabbing the book from Mirabel's hands. She threw Ruby a side glance, but Ruby just shrugged her shoulders.

'You didn't have to say it that way,' Kimberly wrote down, frustrated.

Mirabel's shock was so great that she forgot they were supposed to communicate silently and spoke out loud. "Wait, hold up, is it true?"

"Mirabel," "Mirabel!" Mrs. Clara's voice cut through the classroom, silencing their whispered argument. Other students were reading their textbooks, and Mrs. Clara assumed the girls were doing the same, given their occasional glances down at their books and the writing.

"Sorry, ma'am," Mirabel apologized before hastily looking down at her textbook.

"Don't look at me that way," Mirabel said to Ruby, trying to defend herself. "I just can't believe of all people, you like Dave. Have you seen how he treats girls he doesn't like?"

"That's what love is," Kimberly replied quietly, almost as if trying to convince herself. "Overlooking the person's red flags."

Behind the three girls sat three boys whose attention had shifted toward the conversation. They heard Dave's name being mentioned multiple times, and their curiosity was piqued.

As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of class, one of the boys swiftly grabbed the pink notebook.

"Hey!" Kimberly jumped to her feet, trying to grab the book back. "Come on, Tobi, give the book back."

"Is this where you keep all your secrets or what?" Tobi teased, holding the book out of reach.

Kimberly, now more concerned about the notebook than anything else, was frantic. "Ruby, help me out here!" she cried, looking for backup.

Ruby sighed, standing up. "Stop acting like a child and just give her the book back." But as Tobi focused on Ruby, Kimberly tried to snatch the notebook from his hands. Reflexively, he raised his arms above his head, making it impossible for her to reach.

In frustration, Kimberly ended up grabbing hold of Tobi's trouser belt.

"Is there a problem?" Mrs. Clara asked sternly, raising an eyebrow as she look over her reading glasses.

"Mrs. Clara is only a few feet away," Tobi said, smirking as he tightened his grip on the book. "I could tell her about this and hand over the book, or you can let go of me now, and I'll return it before the day is over."

Kimberly froze. She didn't want the teacher getting her hands on that notebook. Reluctantly, she let go of Tobi's belt and watched helplessly as he walked out of the class with his friends.

"I can't believe you let him take the book," Mirabel said, sighing as she slumped back into her seat.

"What was I supposed to do?" Kimberly snapped, crossing her arms and plopping down grumpily. "It's not like you guys helped."

"Fine," Ruby said, rising from her seat. "Let's go get the book back. Tobi is the last person you'd want knowing your secrets. He'll use it to blackmail you."

The three girls left the classroom, Kimberly leading the way, Mirabel trailing behind.

"I imagine he's already flipping through those pages and digesting every word," Ruby muttered bitterly.

"I still can't believe you have a crush on Dave," Mirabel added, shaking her head as they hurried down the hall.