The Turning Point

The school bell rang, and Kiara gathered her books from her desk, but the excitement she normally felt about heading home was gone. Her mind was preoccupied, heavy with thoughts of Kelly. Since he started dating Cherry, things had been different. Every time Kiara tried to hang out with him after school, he would always be busy with her. He used to make time for her; now, it felt like she was constantly being pushed aside.

As she walked out of the classroom, she saw Kelly again, surrounded by his usual crowd, but this time, Cherry was standing right next to him, leaning into his side. Kiara felt a pang in her chest, but she quickly brushed it off. She had to get out of there before she made things worse.

But it was too late. Cherry's voice reached her ears as she approached.

Kiara wait up!Cherry called, her high-pitched voice cutting through the chatter.

Kiara froze. She didn't want to deal with this, not now. But she turned anyway, knowing that Cherry wouldn't stop until she got her attention.

Cherry's smile was wide and sugary. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" She raised an eyebrow as if the question was as simple as asking for a pen.

Kiara crossed her arms, a little defensive. "What's up?"

Cherry stepped closer, lowering her voice, though not enough to make it discreet. "I was wondering if you could talk to Kelly for me. I mean, you guys are best friends, right? You could convince him to date me, maybe?"

Kiara blinked, caught off guard. "What? You want me to convince Kelly to date you?"

"Yeah," Cherry said, her voice sweet but tinged with impatience. "You know him better than anyone. He listens to you. You could make him see that we'd be great together."

Kiara opened her mouth, but no words came out. The shock settled in, quickly followed by a flood of anger. She wasn't sure if it was because Cherry was asking her to do something that felt so wrong, or if it was the realization that Cherry was trying to step in and take something that was hers.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Kiara finally managed to say, her voice laced with a forced calmness.Oh please ,Cherry scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You know how he is. He's always so... awkward with these things. But you, you're his best friend. You know how to talk to him.

Kiara looked down at the ground, her hands tightening into fists. This was ridiculous. Was this how things had changed? Was Cherry really asking her—her, his best friend—to play matchmaker?

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Kiara said slowly, looking at Cherry with narrowed eyes. "You should talk to him yourself."

But Cherry wasn't deterred. "Come on, Kiara. You know you're the only one who can make him listen. Besides, he's just been so distant lately. I know you two are close, so it'd be easier if you just convinced him to give us a chance."

Kiara's jaw tightened. This was it. She could feel the tight knot in her stomach again, the knot that had been forming every time she saw Kelly with Cherry. She didn't want to get involved, but at the same time, she couldn't stand the thought of Kelly getting pushed further away. She couldn't lose him to Cherry. Not like this.

"Fine," Kiara finally said, her voice tight. "I'll talk to him."

Cherry's eyes lit up. "Thank you! You're the best, Kiara. I knew I could count on you." As Cherry walked away, practically skipping with excitement, Kiara stood frozen in the hallway, her mind racing. She had agreed to do it, but she didn't know why. Did she really think that by pushing Kelly to be with Cherry, it would make her feel better? Would it really fix everything? Or would it just make things worse.

The next hour was a blur. Kiara found herself in the school courtyard, pacing, waiting for Kelly to walk by. Her thoughts kept bouncing from one scenario to the next each one worse than the last. Finally, when Kelly did appear, she knew this was it.

He smiled brightly when he saw her, and for a moment, she thought she saw the flicker of the old Kelly—the one who wasn't so caught up in someone else.

"Hey, Kiara! What's up"

"Hey," she said, her voice shaky. "I... I need to talk to you about something."

Kelly raised an eyebrow, concern flashing in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Kiara hesitated for a second before blurting out, "Cherry asked me to convince you to date her."

Kelly blinked, clearly thrown off guard. "What? Why would she—"

"She said she didn't know how to talk to you about it. She wants you to give her a chance." Kelly ran a hand through his hair, his eyes flitting away for a moment. "I don't know, Kiara. I... I don't think I'm ready for a relationship with her."

Kiara could feel her heart drop. She had hoped for a different answer. She had hoped that maybe, just maybe, Kelly would want to stay with her—his best friend. But instead, he was still caught up in the idea of dating someone else.

"You're sure" Kiara asked, almost desperately.

Kelly hesitated, looking torn. "I don't know what to say. I don't think I should lead her on, but I also don't want to hurt her feelings."

Kiara nodded, her throat closing up. "I get it. It's complicated." She could feel the heat rising in her face, the jealousy she tried so hard to suppress creeping in.

Kelly smiled at her, the warmth in his expression something familiar, something that made Kiara ache. "Thanks for helping me with this, though, Kiara. I really appreciate it."

But Kiara didn't feel appreciated. She felt frustrated, confused, and heartbroken. This wasn't the conversation she'd hoped for. She thought helping Kelly with Cherry might fix things, but instead, it was only making her realize how much more she was losing him.

"Yeah," she said softly. "Of course."

As Kelly walked away, Kiara stood still, the weight of her feelings pressing down on her chest. She hadn't expected it to feel this bad. She hadn't expected to feel so left out, so ignored.

And deep down, she knew that this was just the beginning of something much more complicated.

End of Chapter 3