It was the weekend. Clarissa and Benjamin lay on her bed, books tossed aside, faces upturned to the ceiling. The reading had long since stopped; now, it was just conversation, easy and familiar.
Clarissa turned toward him. "So… the craziest thing happened the last time Alex was here."
Benji's eyes lit up. "What? What? Tell me. You know I live for this stuff."
She laughed. "Of course you do."
"Come on. Spill."
"Alex came over… we kissed. It was… really intimate."
Benji groaned dramatically. "TMI, honey. Don't forget, I'm a single man."
"Okay, okay, sorry," she giggled. Then she paused, voice softer. "But in the middle of all that… I couldn't stop thinking about Isabel."
Benji froze. "…Wait. What?"
Clarissa stared at the ceiling. "It's hard to explain. My head… it just got tangled. I mean, I felt… something else. Something I wasn't expecting."
Benji turned toward her fully, curiosity and concern mixing in his expression. "Clarissa, slow down. What are you saying?"
She swallowed. "I don't know exactly. Isabel… she makes me feel… fluttery. Like nervous butterflies, but stronger. Unexpected. It's confusing."
Clarissa blinked at Benji after he said, "Clarissa… that doesn't sound like nothing."
She shrugged lightly. "I never said it was."
And with that, the weekend moment ended.
Monday morning arrived. Isabel returned to school, and the hallways seemed to notice immediately. Whispers, sideways glances, subtle pointing—it all made her want to disappear. But when she spotted Clarissa and Benji by the lockers, a sense of relief washed over her.
She headed toward them, steps careful but quick.
Benji spotted her first, his eyes lighting up. He turned to Clarissa with a grin. "Your crush… twelve o'clock."
Clarissa immediately followed his gaze. Isabel was walking toward them, looking surprisingly composed.
"Be cool," she muttered under her breath. "Quit staring. Don't make this awkward."
Benji smirked. "Relax. Won't say a word."
Isabel reached them, a small smile forming. "Hey," she said. "Really nice walking into some familiar faces today."
"Everyone's staring at me weird," she added, rolling her eyes slightly.
Benji chuckled. "Oofs. Sorry about that. You've got us, though."
Benji grinned at Isabel. "I've got communication in English. Clarissa here has got use of English," he added, snapping Clarissa out of her awkwardness. "How about you?"
Isabel nodded. "Communication in English."
Benji's eyes lit up. "Oh, you're with me then."
Clarissa groaned, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, that's boring…"
Benji laughed. "Come on, it's not that bad. You'll survive."
Clarissa shook her head. "Barely."
Benji leaned closer, teasing. "You always make it dramatic."
Clarissa smirked. "Someone's gotta keep life interesting."
Just then, a boy walked past, smirking at Isabel. "Hey Isa… hope your brother's still kicking after last week's overdose drama!"
Laughter rippled through the hall.
Clarissa narrowed her eyes. "Buzz off, Jose."
Jose smirked. "Or what, Isa? Gonna cry again like last week?"
Isabel's eyes darkened. Without thinking, she spun and punched him square in the face.
He staggered back, shocked, but quickly recovered, raising his fist.
"Whoa!" Benji shouted, stepping in. "Not happening, man." As he shoved Jose
Before anyone could react, Benji and Jose were grappling, shoving each other, shouts echoing down the hallway. Students whipped out their phones, recording as chaos erupted.
"Benji! Enough!" Clarissa yelled, panic rising in her voice. "Somebody stop them!"
Isabel stepped back, holding her wrist where she'd just thrown the punch, breathing heavily, eyes flashing.
Then the hallway doors slammed open. The principal appeared, stern and towering.
"Enough!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. Immediately, the hallway fell silent. Phones lowered, students froze, and even Benji and Jose stopped mid-throw.
"My office. Now. The four of you," he barked.
Clarissa froze. "Four??" she muttered.
"You too, Miss Whitmore," the principal added, pointing toward her.
The four of them, Isabel, Benji, Jose, and Clarissa, had no choice but to follow him, the tension heavy in the air.
They all sat down, the tension thick in the small office. The principal scanned them, disappointment heavy in his eyes.
He started with Clarissa. "Mrs. Whitmore, I expected better from you."
Clarissa held her hands up defensively. "Jose was being a jerk, and besides, I didn't do anything other than try to break them up!"
He turned to Benjamin next, his expression stern. "Mr. Benjamin… your involvement was reckless. You escalated the situation instead of calming it."
Jose squirmed under the gaze. "And you," the principal said sharply, "have absolutely no excuse. Fighting in the hallway is completely unacceptable."
Finally, he looked at Isabel. "Miss Andreas… violence is never the answer, no matter the provocation."
He leaned back and exhaled. "All of you will serve detention for two weeks."
Clarissa nearly jumped out of her chair. "What?! Detention?! No, no, no! My dad is gonna kill me!"
The principal didn't flinch. "You should have thought about that before getting involved."
He waved them toward the door. "You may leave."
As they all got up, the principal's voice stopped Isabel. "Miss Andreas! A moment, please."
Isabel turned slowly and walked back toward him, a mixture of apprehension and curiosity on her face.
The principal's expression softened. "I know things have been hard on you since your brother's incident. But he's going to be fine. And I want you to come to me… anytime, for anything. I wouldn't want history to repeat itself."
Isabel nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah… of course, Dad. I'm fine."
"You can go join your friends now," he said.
Isabel left the principal's office, taking a deep breath as she met Clarissa and Benji outside.
The bell rang for second lecture, but everyone's stomachs were already reminding them it was lunch.
Clarissa sighed with relief. "Oh, thank God. I wouldn't have been able to sit in that class with detention hanging over my head."
Benji smirked. "Food should help with that, he said."
They all laughed as they headed toward the cafeteria.
Clarissa plopped down at a table. "Two weeks of detention… can you believe it? Two whole weeks!"
Isabel muttered, "At least it's not longer. Could be worse."
Benji nudged her. "You? Worse? You're always so… calm about stuff. I'd have flipped."
Isabel shrugged. "I've had practice. Family drama does that to you."
Benji suddenly perked up, his eyes lighting up. "Ohh, there's Julie… she gets prettier by the day."
Isabel raised an eyebrow. "You like her?"
Benji blinked, pretending to be casual. "What gave it away?"
Clarissa rolled her eyes. "Other than your huge obsession? Nothing at all."
Benji grinned sheepishly. "Oh, stop."
Isabel smirked. "Go talk to her. She's coming over."
Benji gulped. "Uhhh nooo… now isn't the right time."
Clarissa nudged him. "It's never the right time with you. Come on, just do it."
He took a deep breath and walked toward her. "Umm… hi. I didn't see you there."
Julie smiled politely. "Benjamin, right? You're in my English class."
"Yeah… that's me," he said, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "I mean… we, uh… we do English stuff together sometimes."
Julie giggled softly. "Sometimes, yes. You're the one always answering all the questions, aren't you?"
Benji's face turned red. "Uh… yeah, I like… you know… reading and stuff. Helps with the… um… English."
Julie smiled, tilting her head. "That's cute. You're… enthusiastic, I'll give you that."
"Thanks," Benji said, fumbling with his hands. "I mean… I'll see you around?"
"Yeah," Julie replied, still smiling. "See you around."
Benji practically skipped back to Clarissa and Isabel, excitement written all over his face.
"So?" Clarissa asked, teasing.
Benji beamed. "She smiled! She actually smiled at me!"
Isabel rolled her eyes but smirked. "Finally got some courage, huh?"
Benji puffed out his chest. "Yep. Mission accomplished. And you two witnessed history."
Clarissa laughed softly. "Oh, we witnessed it alright. Don't get too full of yourself now."
Benji puffed out his chest, grinning. "Hey, I'll take the credit I deserve."
Just then, a pen slipped off the cafeteria table, rolling toward them. Both Clarissa and Isabel bent down at the same time to pick it up. Their hands brushed, fingers lightly touching, and for a moment, neither pulled away. They stared at each other, breaths catching in the quiet pause that seemed to stretch on far too long.
Benji, noticing the tension, cleared his throat loudly. "Uh… are you guys going to kiss, or are y'all gonna give me my pen?"
Isabel laughed, shaking her head. "Don't be gross, Benji." She handed him the pen.
Clarissa straightened, giving a small, disappointed smile. "Yeah… Benji."
Benji noticed the subtle shift in her expression, how she seemed a little offended by Isabel's words. He grinned and quickly tried to lighten the mood. "Don't worry, Clary. If she steals your pen next time, I'll teach her the ancient art of pen defense. Moves are legendary."
Clarissa let out a small laugh, shaking her head. Isabel smirked quietly at the exchange, her eyes briefly meeting Clarissa's in a glance that made her heart skip. For a fleeting moment, everything else around them, the noise, the cafeteria, the laughing students, faded into the background. It was just them, two unspoken thoughts lingering in the air, neither ready to voice what they were beginning to feel.
The three of them returned to their lunch, chatter resuming around them, but something unspoken lingered between Clarissa and Isabel…warm, confusing, and undeniably electric.