Episode 1 - Pilot
PARK – EVENING
It was a calm night at the park, the distant hum of traffic muffled by trees and warm streetlights. A young man with short hair and light stubble sat holding hands with his girlfriend, Tiara. She was dressed conservatively, her expression laced with anxiety.
Tiara had been holding Ryan’s hand the night before, sighing about something that weighed heavy on her mind. Exactly what the problem was, Ryan didn’t know—or rather, didn’t care to remember.
“I’m just… overwhelmed,” Tiara said, concern threading her voice. “Please pray for me, okay?” She was stressed, and went into rambling for 30 minutes straight, or maybe more.
Ryan gave her a flirtatious grin. “Of course I’ll pray for you, babe. My last one worked—I asked for Tiara to like me, and look what happened.”
Tiara rolled her eyes but smiled, she couldn’t handle his sweet words. “You always joke around. You’re always flirting with other girls.”
Ryan chuckled. “That’s not true! Every time I talk to those girls, I’m basically yelling, ‘Back off, Tiara’s guy here!’”
She laughed. “You’re so dramatic, babe.”
“Not my fault you like it,” he teased.
“Thanks for listening, babe,” she said, her voice softening. “I feel a bit better now.”
Ryan smiled but didn’t respond immediately. His thoughts had wandered somewhere else entirely.
“Of course you do, babe,” he said eventually. “If you’re stressed, I’m stressed too.”
She looked concerned again. “But seriously, babe, it’s just that—”
—-------—-------—-------
Flashback fades to present.
—-------—-------—-------
HANGOUT – AFTERNOON
The hangout spot buzzed faintly with the sounds of other students, but Ryan was focused on his story. He raised his hands as if waiting for a high-five.
“So I didn’t really listen to what the actual problem was. Then I told her some sweet nothings, she smiled, and everything’s all good!” Ryan said
Oh, hi guys, I almost forgot. I’m Ryan, and I’m here in my so-called basecamp, right after class.
Across the table, a girl with her brunette hair tied in a casual ponytail was barely paying attention. She sighed a lot, more than she’d care to admit. She didn’t even bother glancing up from her phone. Stephanie being half american speaks in English with Ryan.
“You’re disgusting,” she muttered without looking up.
“Oh c’mon Steph, you said you’ll listen,” Ryan said with mock offense.
“I said I’ll hear it, not listen,” she replied, still not making eye contact.
“You’re an ass, Steph.”
“And you, a jerk.”
And this is Stephanie, one of my longest best friend... She’s also happened to be my ex a few times, but it was ages ago. As you can see, she’s kind of irritating.
A cheerleader and one of the students on the executive board. That was them. Stephanie and Ryan. Best friends who bickered constantly. Exes who never quite grew out of old habits. Their rhythm was natural—an endless back-and-forth of insults that never truly cut deep, even if it sometimes sounded like it might.
Ryan’s voice grew louder, his frustration mounting. “At least I listened when you talk!”
Steph matched his tone, just as irritated. “You lying to girls isn’t exactly news, Ryan! Hell, why do you stay with her anyway? She bores you, and you obviously don’t care.”
“I’m not lying! And maybe I really do like her that much!” he fired back.
“Really now?” she said with a skeptical glance.
“So you were saying Tiara’s open-minded and—”
“—and fun,” he added quickly.
“Yeah, yeah, and fun. Everyone knows that’s not true. Tiara is... whatever the opposite of that is, Ryan! Even you must admit that.”
He hesitated. “What?... No… She is… fun.”
“Really? That’s why you stay with her?” she pressed.
He said nothing.
“Okay, she’s not…”
Steph opened her mouth to continue, but Ryan cut her off. “But! But! She’s hot, Steph.”
She looked at him in disbelief. “That’s exactly the problem! You’re playing the poor thing around ’cause of a shallow reason.”
Ryan gave a sheepish shrug. “Alright, I admit it.”
Then he grinned slyly. “But hey, at least I’m honest about why I flirt with her. Unlike you and Norman!“. He always thought that her flirting with Norman was complete nonsense, but no one bothered to tell her to stop. She’s clearly just using him to do her assignments. Well, sometimes he did, but that was his extent. After all, he’s benefited from her relationship with Norman.
“What? Norman is a great guy!” she retorted, defensive.
“Admit it! You only flirt with him ’cause he’s a nerd.”
“No, I don’t!” Now she’s raising her voice, trying to hide the fact that Ryan was telling her the truth.
“Say it. You only use him for homework and the occasional exam.”
“No I—”
The door suddenly swung open. A tall, athletic guy with tan skin and long hair burst in, eyes wide with panic.
“Adit!” Ryan exclaimed.
“Ryan, Steph! This is super important!”
Yup, this is also my bestest friend, Adit. He’s a prodigy in sports. That pretty much sums up how he is as a person, honestly, because he’s only ever talented in sports. Like, I’m seriously not joking. If only his grades were as good as his scores on the court
Adit looked directly at Steph. “Teach me that History Quiz 2 stuff, Steph. You got a good score last time, right?”
Steph smiled awkwardly, her English changes automatically changed to Indonesian. “Uh... I kinda cheated off Norman’s answers that time.”
Ryan let out a triumphant chuckle, elbowing her playfully. In the background, she muttered, “Shut up, you!”
Adit turned to Ryan, desperate. “Shit, Ryan, what did you get?”
“I cheated off Norman too.”
“Daaamn, what am I gonna do? The exam’s today!”
Steph scoffed. “What the hell is your problem? It’s just a quiz.”
“I’ve already failed two retakes,” Adit groaned, his hands flying up in panic. “And if I fail again, they said my grade can’t be fixed anymore!”
Ryan winced. “That’s messed up.”
Then, in a mocking tone, he added, “That’s what you get for not studying for the quiz.”
From the side, Steph’s voice rang out, dry and sharp. “You cheated too!” She slapped Ryan lightly on the arm.
Adit pointed at Ryan accusingly. “I wanted to study for it, damn it! But you started that stupid eraser-throwing war in class three weeks ago!”
—-------—-------—-------
Jump cut — FLASHBACK
—-------—-------—-------
Inside a messy classroom, Ryan and Adit were tossing erasers around like kids in a snowball fight. The erasers bounced off the whiteboard, pinged off desks, and even smacked the door.
Ryan laughed. “See? This is way more fun!”
They both cackled, completely ignoring the lesson and the chaos they were leaving behind.
—-------—-------—-------
Back to the present.
—-------—-------—-------
Steph’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You did what?!”
Ryan’s face twitched in sudden guilt. “Uhh… pretty sure that wasn’t me, Adit.”
Steph raised a hand. “So you’re the one who made the class super dusty when it was my turn to clean?!”
She smacked his shoulder again.
“Oww…” Ryan whimpered quietly, rubbing his arm.
“Can you two save your married couple fight for later?” Adit complained. “Help me out first!”
Steph paused, thinking. “Hmm… what if I just ask Norman to tutor you?”
From the side, Ryan piped up sarcastically, “Ah yes, the pet nerd.”
Without missing a beat, Steph smacked him again.
“Uhh, I don’t think that’ll work…” Adit said, scratching the back of his neck.
“Why not?” she asked. “I can talk to him for you.”
“Because—”
—-------—-------—-------
Jump cut — FLASHBACK
—-------—-------—-------
Back in the classroom, the eraser war was still in full swing.
The door creaked open and Norman walked in.
Before anyone could warn him, an eraser flew straight into his face—thrown directly by Adit.
—-------—-------—-------
Cut back to the present.
—-------—-------—-------
Adit winced at the memory. “Point is, I can’t be in a room alone with him now. The guy already glares at me in class like he’s plotting revenge. I know he’s planning it, him and his beady eyes...”
Ryan burst out laughing. “Hahaha, that was seriously hilarious!”
Steph sighed and, unsurprisingly, smacked him again.
“Aww, okay, I deserved that one,” Ryan muttered, still rubbing his arm.
Steph turned back to Adit. “Anyway… so, how can we help?”
“Just help me study,” Adit pleaded. “Even if I don’t cheat, maybe I can still scrape a decent score.”
“I can help you later tonight, is that okay?” Steph said. “I need to tidy up the cheerleaders’ room today.”
She grabbed Ryan’s shirt and tugged.“And this idiot already promised to help me.”
From the corner, Ryan groaned, “Damnit.”
“Aww man,” Adit moaned. “The exam is today. There’s no time!”
“Ask Vina to help you,” Steph suggested. “She definitely knows the material.”
“Oh right! Where is she? She didn’t answer my call earlier.”
“She said she was getting lunch at Citywalk after class.”
“Okay, I’ll go look for her. Thank you—thank you!” Adit didn’t even care about their squabbling anymore. He was already grabbing his bag, muttering to himself with determination. With that, Adit dashed out of the room.
Ryan turned to Steph, trying to negotiate, changing back to English again as they are both alone. “You know, I could help him study too…”
She eyed him skeptically. “Uh huh.”
She folded her arms. “You’re not getting out of this, mister. Now if you’re finished with your boring story, we need to clean.”
“Wait, I thought that was just an excuse—” Ryan protested.
Without waiting, Steph grabbed his arm and started dragging him toward the door.
—-------—-------—-------
CITY WALK FOOD AREA – AFTERNOON
On a quiet bench by the outdoor food stalls, a girl sat talking on the phone. Her voice was warm, but her eyes were tired.
“Yeah, Mom, I’m eating enough, don’t worry,” Vina said with a gentle smile she said gently in Indonesian, twirling her pen idly..
And this is Vina, the last of the group and The total opposite of Adit. Always studying, top grades, and her parents’ golden child.
“No, Mom, I have enough money,” she continued. “Don’t send more. It’s better to save it for home—you need it more.”
Her voice lowered with concern. “How about you, Mom? Are you still feeling sick?”
Vina paused, listening intently. “I mean it—if you’re still sick, I’ll just come home and take care of you.”
She sighed. “Ugh, you always say that…”
She tried to hide her worries as she glanced around and noticed Adit approaching from a distance.
Adit froze at the door. He didn’t need to hear the whole conversation to guess who it was. Her mom. The tone said everything—worried mother, responsible daughter, same routine every day. Adit motioned with his fingers, mimicking a phone call. “On the phone?”
When Vina spotted him, she quickly lifted a hand, gesturing for him to wait a second. Adit awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other, gripping his backpack straps, pretending to study the empty desks as she wrapped up her call.
“Alright, Mom, just get some rest, okay? I’ll call again later.”
She slipped her phone into her pocket and spun around with a quick smile, the kind that tried to cover up whatever weight she’d just been carrying.
“Sorry, Adit—I was on the phone just now.”
“No worries, sorry to interrupt.” He took the seat.
“I was just about to pay for my food anyway. Sorry I missed your call earlier—what’s up?”
“I need your help, Vina,” Adit laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m in trouble with my History Quiz 2 score—it might not be eligible for a retake anymore. It’s a whole mess.”
Vina’s eyebrows rose. “Wait, how did that happen?”
“I’ve already retaken it a couple of times. And if I fail again, my score drops below 70. They said I can’t fix it anymore.”
“Oh wow…” she said. “Okay, let me help you review everything from the start.”
Adit beamed. “Ahh thank you so much, Vin! I asked Ryan and Steph earlier, but they said they’d only be free later tonight after fixing the cheerleaders’ room.”
Vina chuckled. “Hahaha yeah, Steph’s been ranting about that all morning. I’m surprised Ryan agreed to help.”
“He got dragged into it, as usual,” Adit laughed.
“Obviously. Like he had a choice,” Vina added with a grin. “Don’t worry, once they’re done, they’ll help out too.”
She stood and gathered her things. “Alright then—but you’re paying for my food, okay? Haha.”
“Alright, alright—thank youuu, Vin! Let me go pay now.”
—-------—-------—-------
CHEERLEADERS’ ROOM – AFTERNOON
Dust motes floated in the slanted sunlight streaming into the cluttered storage room. Pom-poms, mats, boxes, and stacks of DVDs sat scattered across shelves and floors. Ryan looked around, visibly annoyed.
Ryan dragged the broom across the dusty floor with all the enthusiasm of a prisoner on laundry duty. Every few seconds, a long sigh escaped him. The ones that are loud, dramatic, the kind meant to get a reaction.
“Ughhh…”
Another sweep. Another sigh.
“Ughhhhhhh…”
Stephanie, already hauling a stack of boxes toward the shelves, snapped. “Ryan! Can you not sigh like a dying old man every five seconds?”
“I can’t help it,” he groaned, leaning heavily on the broom like it was a walking stick. “This is cruel and unusual punishment. You know I’m allergic to manual labor.”
“You’re allergic to effort in general,” Steph shot back, rolling her eyes. “Quit being such a baby and keep sweeping.”
“Still can’t believe I need to do this,” he grumbled, lifting a half-crushed cardboard box.
“Sucks to be you. You promised,” Steph replied smugly as she swept dust from a corner.
Ryan muttered something under his breath about slavery, dragging the broom again. Then, as if blessed by fate, he spotted a big plastic case shoved against the wall. Dusty, heavy, and stacked with DVDs and USB sticks. Ryan rummaged through the box and pulled out a handful of USBs and DVDs, frowning. “Ooh, what’s this?”
He crouched down and tugged it open. His eyes widened. “Why are there so many DVDs and USBs labeled “movies”?”
Steph, still bent over a pile of gear, didn’t look up. “Oh, we like to watch a few movies here when the coach doesn’t come.”
Ryan’s eyes widened as his mind drifted off into a ridiculous daydream.
—-------—-------—-------
Jump cut – IMAGINATION SEQUENCE
—-------—-------—-------
Gone was the dusty storage space; instead, it glowed under soft pink lights. A TV flickered at the front of the room, playing something far from Disney movies.
Two cheerleaders lounged on beanbags, whispering dramatically.
“This film is sooo hot,” one murmured, flipping her hair.
“Yeah,” the other giggled, leaning closer. “Wanna… make out?”
They did, in slow motion, tossing their pompoms aside as the soundtrack swelled.
The rest of the cheer squad gasped dramatically in the background, then joined in, tossing their uniforms like they were in some weird teen drama fever dream.
Ryan, front-row in his imagination, leaned back in a plush chair, popcorn in hand. “Best. Cleaning duty. Ever.
—-------—-------—-------
Jump cut – BACK TO REALITY
—-------—-------—-------
Steph threw a balled-up rag at Ryan’s head. “Stop imagining weird stuff!”
Ryan blinked and snapped back to reality. “Ow!” he yelped. “How do you even know what I was thinking?!”
“Because you’re you.”
Touché.
He picked up a worn romantic DVD. “I thought the TV’s only used for training videos. I should’ve known.”
“Didn’t we watch these a few weeks ago?”
“Yeah, pretty sweet, huh?” Steph said with a warm little smile.
Ryan smirked. “Nah, still think it’s unrealistic. I mean, who has a big romantic moment at the airport in real life?”
Steph leaned back against a locker, arms crossed. “Well, when you put it that way... yeah, I guess it is.”
The cleaning took forever. It wasn’t just dusting shelves and sweeping floors, it was uncovering years of forgotten pom-poms, tangled ribbons, and enough glitter to choke a vacuum cleaner. By the time they were done, Ryan collapsed dramatically against the doorframe, wiping fake sweat from his forehead.
“I think I lost ten years of my life in there,” he groaned.
“You didn’t have any years to spare,” Stephanie shot back, slamming the storage room shut and locking it. She pointed to a box stacked beside the door. “Pick up that one.”
“We need to give it to Ms. Diah in the teacher’s lounge.”
“And then we’re done?” Ryan asked hopefully.
“Yup.”
—-------—-------—-------
EMPTY CLASSROOM – AFTERNOON
Vina and Adit sat at a desk with a spread of notes between them. Vina looked at the clock.
“I can help you study, Adit. But wait—when’s your exam?”
“It’s at 5.”
Vina’s jaw dropped. “What?! And you’re just starting now?!”
“I mean, I did start yesterday… sort of…” he said, wincing.
Vina narrowed her eyes. “What happened?”
“I ended up watching a World War II documentary on the History Channel.”
He shrugged, sheepish.
“And then late at night, I realized Quiz 2 is actually from the Prehistoric Era.”
(Facepalm) Ughhh... Vina groaned, resting her forehead on the desk.
“Do we even have enough time to go over this?”
“What do I doooo?” Adit said in panic. “Should I just prepare a cheat sheet? Small, compact, just in case I freeze in the middle of the test.””
Vina sighed. “Ugh… if you can avoid cheating, that’s better. But fine—have one ready just in case.”
“Yeah, who knows... it’s Ms. Mince we’re talking about.”
“Alright, come on—let me help you make one.”
“Okay, okay!”
So the two of them sat there in the empty classroom, heads bent over scraps of paper, condensing entire chapters of history into tiny bullet points and keywords. Vina’s handwriting was neat, organized. Adit’s was messy, frantic. But together, they managed to put something together—something small enough to hide in a pocket.
—-------—-------—-------
TEACHER’S ROOM – EARLY EVENING
Ms. Diah smiled as Ryan and Steph placed the cheerleaders’ box on the desk.
“Thanks so much, Stephanie, Ryan.”
“You’re welcome, Ms. Diah,” Steph said politely.
“Here, I brought some cookies to thank you both for helping out.”
Steph raised her hands. “Oh, no need to go through the troubl—”
“Wooow, thank you, Miss!” Ryan interrupted, grinning as he immediately grabbed a handful.
Ms. Diah chuckled. “Alright then, I’ll be heading out now.”
As she left, Ryan and Steph made their way toward the exit. Ryan’s eyes landed on one of the empty desks.
“Hey, Ms. Mince isn’t here today.”
“Huh? Didn’t Adit say his retake was today?”
Ryan leaned in, scanning a paper left on the table.
“It says here she’s sick—and passed the retake duty to Ms. Rose.”
Steph paled slightly. “Oh no… she’s brutal.”
Ms Rose. The lecturer every student dreaded. Known for sharp eyes, a sharper tongue, and a reputation for catching cheaters before they even thought about cheating. If the exam was a battlefield, Ms Rose was the general marching across it, crushing weak soldiers without mercy.
“Yeah, let’s just hope Adit ain’t planning to cheat,” Ryan muttered grimly.
—-------—-------—-------
CLASSROOM – EARLY EVENING
Adit sat at his desk, looking extremely nervous. His hands stayed tucked suspiciously inside his pockets. He could feel the small cheat sheet against his palm.
Ms. Rose strode in with a commanding presence.
“Alright, Ms. Mince is absent today due to illness. So I’ll be supervising the exam in her place.”
She narrowed her eyes at the class. “There will be no cheating or talking to your classmates.”
She began writing essay questions on the board with fierce precision. “You may begin.”
Adit’s internal voice echoed in panic. (Ughhh why does it have to be Ms. Rose?!)
—-------—-------—-------
TEACHER’S ROOM – EARLY EVENING
Ryan, still holding the paper, raised his brow. “Prehistoric era exam, huh…”
Steph giggled. “Hehe.”
“What?” Ryan asked, confused.
“Do you remembe—”
—-------—-------—-------
Jump cut – FLASHBACK
—-------—-------—-------
CLASSROOM – A FEW WEEKS AGO
Ms. Mince stood at the front, mid-lecture. “—so starting from the Neolithic period…”
The camera zoomed in on Adit, clearly not paying attention.
“—fossils of Homo Gigantus and Homo Erectus were discovered…”
Ryan and Steph exchanged a look and burst into suppressed giggles.
“Why are you laughing?” Steph whispered.
“Hehe, “homo”. You too?” Ryan replied.
“No, “erectus.”” she answered with a smirk.
They both broke into quiet laughter.
—-------—-------—-------
Back to present.
—-------—-------—-------
Ryan chuckled. “Oh yeah hahaha.”
Steph leaned over to take another look at the letter. “Hey—this says it’s prep for the fourth retake.”
Ryan blinked. “Didn’t Adit say if he failed the third retake, there’d be no more?”
“Well, this says if someone fails the third retake, they need to buy any book related to prehistory and give it to Ms. Mince.”
“Oh wow,” Ryan muttered.
—-------—-------—-------
CITYWALK FOOD AREA – EVENING
The sun dipped low as Adit walked dejectedly through the plaza, his face cast with the shadow of failure. He spotted Vina still seated with a drink in hand. By the end of the day, Adit failed his exam again—unsurprising, especially with Bu Ros watching like a hawk. The poor guy barely lasted five minutes before sweat drenched his collar, his cheat sheet burning a hole in his pocket he didn’t even dare to use.
But at least this time, there was a safety net. The verdict? He’d need to buy a prehistory book and donate it to the faculty library.
“So… how’d it go, Adit?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Adit slumped onto the bench beside her. “I have to retake it again, Vina…”
He let out a tired breath. “Turns out the reason Homo Erectus went extinct isn’t ‘because they couldn’t reproduce due to being same-gendered.’”
Vina shakes her head, mortified. “Oh my God, you idiot.”
“But,” Adit added, “they said I can buy a book on prehistory instead of taking a fourth retake.”
He scratched his head. “It’s due tomorrow, but I’ve got basketball today. You busy?”
Vina looked apologetic. “Yeah, I can’t today either. Can’t you skip practice?”
“Not this one… Maybe I’ll try to find it tonight.”
From across the food court, Ryan and Stephanie approached, both holding drinks and looking pleased.
Ryan called out, “Hey Adit—got something for you.”
He held out a book, brand-new and still wrapped in plastic. The title: The Prehistoric World: A Beginner’s Guide.
Adit’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what? How did you know I needed this?”
Ryan chuckled. “Haha, long story. I found out, so I picked it up while we were out shopping for the cheerleader stuff. Just pay Steph for it.”
“Dude, you’re the best—thank you so much!” When they handed it to Adit, his face lit up like he’d just been saved from a death sentence. He pulled Ryan into a crushing hug first, then Stephanie. For a moment, the weight of school and stress disappeared. They were just kids again, laughing too loud, teasing each other. They all laughed, a picture of warm friendship under the evening light.
“Hahaha yeah, yeah, okay!” Steph said, chuckling as she returned the hug.
“You got lucky, man,” Vina added, smiling at Adit.
The four of them sat down together, but Ryan remained standing, waving to someone in the distance.
“I’ve gotta head out too,” he said.
Tiara arrived, walking up beside the group. Her arms folded, voice cool but casual. “Oh, so this is where you’ve been?”
“Uhh… yeah,” Ryan replied hesitantly.
Tiara smiled, latching onto his arm. “Alright, shall we go?”
“Yeah, let’s go. See you guys later.”
As they turned, Tiara looked over her shoulder. “Borrowing him for a bit, Steph.”
The laughter died instantly. Stephanie’s polite smile appeared, the kind of smile that wasn’t really a smile at all. Vina and Adit shared an awkward glance, like they’d both just walked in on something they weren’t supposed to see.
“Have fun, guys,” she said, waving them off.
As Ryan disappeared into the crowd with Tiara, the rest stayed seated, chatting and laughing among themselves—just another day winding down.
—-------—-------—-------
POST-CREDITS SCENE
STUDENT RESIDENCE – NIGHT
Under dim street lamps, Ryan walked Tiara home, her hand comfortably looped through his arm.
“—Yeah, and turns out Ms. Rose was the one proctoring,” he said with a chuckle. “Poor guy had no chance.”
“Haha, poor thing,” Tiara giggled. “Lucky you got him that book.”
She stopped and turned to him, gazing at his face. She leaned on his arm the entire way, voice soft but edged with something sharper.
“I mean… I was starting to wonder where you were all day…”
Ryan hesitated.
“I’m not trying to control you or anything,” Tiara added gently. “But it just looks off when you’re always around Steph.”
Ryan reached out, brushing her cheek softly. Ryan forced a smile, even though a knot had already formed in his chest. He knew where this was going—the same conversation they’d had before, just in different words. Still, he slipped into the rhythm like it was muscle memory. “There’s nothing going on, I swear. They’re just old friends, that’s all. Don’t be mad, okay?”
Tiara’s grip on his arm tightened. “But it’s not just that, Ryan. People see you two together all the time. Laughing, fighting like an old couple… what are they supposed to think?”
He chuckled lightly, trying to make it sound easy, harmless. “They’re supposed to think I’m funny and she’s mean, like always. You’re the only one I care about, you know that.”
Her lips pressed together, unsure. “I don’t want to seem controlling. I don’t want to be that girlfriend. But when you’re with her so much, it feels like… I’m just on the sidelines.”
Ryan stepped closer, lifting his hand to her cheek. His thumb brushed across her skin gently, his voice low and careful. “Tiara, you’re not on the sidelines. You’re the one I go home with in my head, the one I think about when I’m zoning out in class. You’re the one I want to see at the end of the day.”
She blinked, searching his face for cracks in his words. “You mean that?”
“Of course I do,” Ryan said quickly, leaning his forehead against hers. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. You’re it for me. Always.”
Her breath slowed, and a faint smile tugged at her lips, though doubt still lingered in her eyes. “You say that like you’ve practiced it.”
He laughed softly, masking his nerves. “Maybe I have. But that doesn’t make it less true.”
There was a silence, long enough for Ryan to feel the weight of her gaze. Then she sighed and let her shoulders relax.
“Alright,” she whispered. “I trust you.”
She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “Thanks for walking me all the way home. Be safe, alright?”
“Yeah, I’ll get going now.”
Ryan smiled again, softer this time, and kissed her forehead. It was the kind of gesture he knew she liked—gentle, reassuring, the perfect period at the end of a shaky sentence.
It worked. Her smile held just enough for her to let him go for the night.
But when Ryan left Tiara’s door and the warm glow of her porch light, he didn’t head to a dorm, or to his parents’ place.
—-------—-------—-------
UNKNOWN HOUSE – NIGHT
The sound of a key turning in the lock echoed as Ryan stepped through the door.
His voice came in, quiet and conflicted: “It’s not that I don’t want to be honest with Tiara. There’s really nothing going on, and I do care about her.”
The camera followed his steps through the dim hallway.
“But if she finds out I’ve been living here all these years... She’d probably lose it.”
He opened a door.
Inside, a girl sat comfortably on the bed, laptop open, headphones around her neck. She looked up with tired, bored eyes.
“Oh, you’re back. Welcome home,” Steph said casually.
Ryan said nothing, he just moved to his place on the bed next to Steph.
Ryan stood in the doorway, sighing. There were a lot of things he could handle: exams, lectures, even Ms Rose’s death glare. But this? Living with Stephanie, while dating Tiara?
Yeah. That wasn’t exactly a secret he was ready to explain.
— END EPISODE —
