Let's get back to my present.
I'm in the same classroom, at the same desk. But everything around me has changed, and so have I.
My long, dark hair is neatly tied back in a half-ponytail. My shirt sleeves are slightly rolled up, my skirt hits perfectly at the knee, and my shoes are polished. My grades are now at the top of my class and grade level.
And yes... I've become someone everyone knows. Not because I'm a school star, but because people started saying, "Ariana has changed so much."
I don't know when it happened, but more people have started to come into my life.
Ethan... the one who made me want to change, is still in my sights.
Lucas... his best friend, who has always been close to me, sometimes in a way that feels like it's more than "just friends."
And two others.
Four people... four stories. But my heart... still hasn't stopped looking at Ethan.
"Ariana."
A voice from behind made me turn. Lucas stood there, smiling, a carton of milk in his hand.
"You didn't eat anything this morning," he said, holding it out to me.
I furrowed my brow. "How did you know?"
"I saw you staring at your notebook the whole class, not eating anything," he said simply, as if it were nothing. But the way he looked at me... made me feel like it was more than just simple kindness.
Maybe... my present is more complicated than I thought. While Ethan's name is still in my heart, Lucas is starting to get so close that I don't know whether to back away or step forward. And I have no idea... how this story will end.