Serena's POV
We pushed through the dorm doors with takeout bags in our hands, the smell of fries and spicy chicken filling the air like heaven.
"Couch, couch, couch!" Sarah yelled the second we stepped inside. She dropped her bag like it had personally offended her and made a dramatic dive for the cushions, sprawling across them as if she hadn't just been sitting for the past two hours.
"My app, my app, my app!" I shouted back, trying to sound playful but failing miserably. My voice cracked halfway through.
Sarah propped her chin on a pillow and smirked. "Food first, nerd. Your precious little app can wait."
But my chest was tight, buzzing with nerves and excitement. I set the takeout on the coffee table and yanked open my backpack, nearly tearing the zipper in my rush.
Sarah groaned dramatically. "At least let me get one fry before you vanish into coding land."
I ignored her, plopping down cross-legged on the floor. My laptop blinked awake, the soft glow reflecting against my face. For a second, I just stared at it, biting my lip so hard it hurt.
This was it. Weeks of late nights, skipped meals, and scribbled notes all came down to this.
My fingers hovered, trembling a little. I clicked the icon. The program loaded with a low chime, and a black screen filled with tiny green text opened up. My code. My world.
Sarah shifted and tore open her food bag. "You're seriously not gonna eat, are you?"
"Shh," I whispered, leaning closer. "Just let me… set it running."
One more click. A confirmation window popped up, asking if I was sure. I pressed enter before my nerves could betray me.
The app whirred to life, a faint progress bar creeping across the bottom of the screen.
I let out a shaky laugh. "It's… it's running."
Sarah chewed on a fry like it was the most boring news in the world. "Cool. Now can you stop hyperventilating and eat? You sound like you're about to give birth."
I rolled my eyes, but the tightness in my chest wouldn't ease. My app was alive breathing, ticking, ready to either prove me right or embarrass me in ways I wasn't prepared for.
Still, I forced myself to shut the laptop lid halfway. "Fine. I'll eat. But just know… this is history in the making."
Sarah stuffed a fry in my mouth. "History tastes like salt and grease. Now chew."
I did. And despite my racing thoughts, it tasted like heaven.
That night, after laughing with Sarah until my sides ached, after my eyelids grew heavy, I left the laptop glowing faintly on my desk. The app running, waiting.
I fell asleep with the taste of fries on my tongue and the hum of possibility in my chest, completely unaware of what I'd wake up to.
I woke up to the shrill, unforgiving beep of my alarm clock except it wasn't 6:00 a.m. like I had planned. My blurry eyes focused on the numbers glowing red: 6:50 a.m.
"Crap!" I shot up so fast my blanket tangled around my legs, nearly sending me face-first into the floor.
From across the room, Sarah groaned, rolling over. "What? Why are you ..holy shrimp fried rice, no way. Serena, it's almost six!"
That woke her up real quick. She practically leapt off the bed, hair sticking out in every direction like a cartoon character struck by lightning.
"What were we thinking?" I muttered as we rushed around the room, grabbing uniforms, brushing teeth in record speed, and stuffing books into our bags like we were preparing for war.
We scrambled. Clothes flying, shoes missing, backpacks half-zipped. My heart pounded as I shoved my stuff together, mentally kicking myself for not hearing the first alarm. Today of all days we couldn't afford to be late.
By the time we stumbled out of the dorm, we looked like survivors of a tornado. My shirt was wrinkled, Sarah's shoelace was undone, and neither of us had time to even glance at a mirror.
The walk to school felt worse than any nightmare. Every step I kept bracing for the whispers, the laughter, the stares that usually followed me around like shadows. But… nothing.
The students we passed didn't even look at us. Not once.
Sarah slowed down, confusion written all over her face. "Okay… did we miss something? Why isn't anyone pointing at you? Or laughing at me?"
I blinked. She was right. Instead of their usual cruel attention, everyone's faces were buried in their phones, their eyes glued to their screens like zombies.
The strangest part? No one cared about us. Not the bullies, not the jocks, not even the cheerleaders. For once, walking through those hallways felt… quiet. Too quiet.
We made it to class, and that's when it got weirder. Normally, entering meant bracing myself for sarcastic comments or mean giggles. But today? Nothing. Not even a glance. Every single person was hunched over their desk, scrolling.
Even when the teacher walked in, the whole class didn't budge. Not a single "good morning." Just the sound of fingers tapping screens.
Sarah squinted, suspicious. Then she leaned over someone's shoulder to peek at their phone. Her eyes widened like she'd just seen a ghost.
"Serena…" she hissed, waving at me frantically. "Come here. You need to see this, Fast like right now."
I hesitated, then shuffled over, curiosity gnawing at me. The second I saw the screen, my breath caught in my throat.
It was my app.
The same app I'd been working on late into the night, doubting if anyone would even care. And now? It was on everyone's phone.
"Wait what? This is…" My voice cracked as I stared, too shocked to believe it.
A sudden warmth spread through me, pushing away the exhaustion from our morning rush. I couldn't stop the small smile tugging at my lips.
I pulled Sarah toward the corner of the class, my excitement too big to hide.
And of course, Sarah smirked at me. "See? I'm not the only one who pulls people."
For once, I didn't care about her sass. My chest felt light, almost giddy. I hadn't expected this. Not like this.
I'd spent so long trying to just survive school, to make it through the day without breaking but here I was, watching my little creation spread like wildfire.
And for the first time in forever… no one was laughing at me and it felt great.
Sarah's POV
I've seen Serena sad. I've seen her worried that she won't Survive here. I've seen her with dark circles under her eyes from little cries and coding trying to get her app running last night like some caffeinated hacker straight out of a movie.
But this?
This was new.
Her face practically glowed. Sitting there in the classroom corner, her lips twitching like she was trying not to grin too hard, her whole expression screamed Yes, I did it. Bow down, peasants.
And honestly? She deserved it.
I glanced around the room again, taking in the sight of every single student glued to their phone. Not one of them looking up to roll their eyes at her. Not one snide comment. Not even the cheerleaders cared enough to flip their hair dramatically.
It was insane.
All because of her.
I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed, and let myself smile. Serena had no idea how amazing this was not just for her, but for me too. For the first time since she got here even though it was just yesterday,it felt like she has been here for foever.I didn't feel like I had to shield her from the world, like I was standing guard against a storm that never stopped. The storm had… shifted.
Now the school wasn't looking at her with judgment. They weren't looking at her with disgust.They weren't even looking at her at all. They were looking at her work.
And that? That felt way better than I expected.
Still… a tiny knot of worry twisted in my stomach. I couldn't help it. I'd seen enough movies and lived enough high school drama to know that when something blows up this fast, it's never just smooth sailing. Things that rise this quickly… can crash just as hard.
But when I glanced back at Serena's proud little smirk, her eyes sparkling like she had just pulled off the ultimate magic trick, all of that melted away for a second.
She was happy.
And her happiness made me happy.
Even if disaster was waiting right around the corner… right now, I was just going to enjoy this moment with her.
Because for once, Serena wasn't invisible
She wasn't the target. She wasn't the punchline.
She was the spark that lit the whole school on fire.