I arrived at the new school , my family waving goodbye as the car pulled away . My stomach twisted with nerves and excitement — boarding school life is about to begin .
Stepping into the hostel , I took in the room . Ten beds lined the walls , each with a matching locker marked with a number . Eight other students were already settling in , laughing and unpacking their things .
I scanned the numbers and muttered , "I guess I'll take this one ," pointing to a bed near the window . Sliding open the locker with the matching number , I placed my bag inside .
The room was noisy , unfamiliar , and a little overwhelming , but this was my new beginning .
Before coming here , my family took me shopping for supplies to prepare for life in the hostel . I also got a new phone because my little siblings accidentally broke my old one , which meant I lost all the photos and videos I had taken , along with all my contacts from old friends and everything else I had saved .
As the days passed , I actually started to enjoy living in the hostel . The only downside was that I couldn't use my phone freely — it had to be kept in the warden's room and could only be retrieved on weekends when we were allowed to go home .
One of my friends had secretly kept his phone instead of handing it in , and I wondered to myself , Should I do the same ? I decided that next week , after returning to the hostel from home , I would keep my phone in my locker instead of sending it to the warden . Everything went smoothly … until someone texted me ...
Unknown Number: Hi! Remember me ?
Aizat: Who is this ?
Unknown Number: Any guesses ?
Aizat: None in mind .
Unknown Number: Well, I'll give you one week to figure out who I am .
That was… unexpected .
Who could it be ? A prank ? A wrong number ?
Still , something about the tone felt familiar .
I stared at the screen for a while before putting the phone down .
"One week, huh ?" I muttered .
Guess I'll find out soon enough .
From that day on, every time I came back from school to my room, I carried this small hope — maybe I'd find a message waiting. Maybe a bit of happiness, or just someone to talk to.
Aizat : Halo! I'm guessing you're a girl ? Right ?
Unknown Number : Sure . But you still need to guess who I am. Any suspicions?
Aizat : None right now .
Unknown Number : I thought you'd guess it right away ...
Aizat : I'm not good with games . You sure have high hopes for me .
Unknown Number : Well ...
And then, silence. She ghosted me.
This had happened once before . Could it be… her ?
The next morning , everything felt normal again . Breakfast , school , same routine . But part of me kept checking my phone , waiting for another text that never came .
Did she actually wait for me to text first ?
I guess I had no choice but to start the conversation .
Aizat : Halo!
She replied instantly — as if she'd been waiting all along .
Unknown Number : You miss me ?
Aizat : If you're the Nadia Alisha I know , then part of me misses you so much .
Silence .
Nadia : Shut up .
Aizat : Aaa ? What did I do wrong ?
Nadia : You're an idiot .
Aizat : I guess you're still as cute and shy as ever .
Nadia : 🛇 This number has blocked you.
Aizat : Humph . Still love to pout , huh ? You want me to come comfort you or what?
A small grin tugging at my lips as I imagined her making that same cute face she always did when she was annoyed.
Nadia : Humph . Fine , I don't wanna be friends anymore . Humph .
Aizat : Hahaha .
Yeah … I guess I really did fall for her if I'm behaving like this .
I lay there grinning like an idiot , the glow from my phone screen fading as I slipped it under my pillow — as if hiding a secret the world didn't need to know .
It start raining hard , and with nothing to do , I figured I should probably study since the mid-year exams were coming up . But if it's Aizat Fayyaz we're talking about — he'd never take studying seriously .
That same night , I texted her again . It felt strange — after all this time , there was so much to catch up on . Through our chats , I learned that Nadia had also transferred to another school . We talked about everything — school , teachers , friends , random things that didn't even matter — until we eventually ran out of topics . But somehow , even the silence between us felt comfortable .
After a few minutes , she texted again .
Nadia : You're still bad at replying fast , huh ?
Aizat : Old habits die hard .
Nadia : I can see that .
Aizat : You missed me that much , didn't you ?
Nadia : Hah , as if .
Aizat : Then why are you still texting me this late ?
Nadia : … Because someone didn't text me first .
I couldn't help but smile . Even when she's pretending to be annoyed , she's still the same girl — the one who made my boring nights feel alive .
Aizat : So , what if I did text you first ?
Nadia : Then maybe I wouldn't be this grumpy .
Aizat : You're always grumpy .
Nadia : Excuse me ? I'm adorable .
Aizat : Adorably grumpy, maybe .
Nadia : You're pushing it, mister .
Aizat : Heh. So, you admit you missed me ?
Nadia : Stop fishing for compliments .
Aizat : I'll take that as a yes .
Nadia : Ugh , I hate you .
Aizat : You say that , but somehow … I can almost see you smiling through the screen .
Nadia : I'm blocking you .
Aizat : Again? I lost count .
Nadia : This time, for real .
A few seconds passed — no more messages came through .
I laughed quietly and stared at my screen .
Aizat : Fine . Goodnight , for real this time .
She didn't reply , of course .
But a minute later …
Nadia: Goodnight .
I smiled . "Knew it ," I muttered , placing my phone on my chest .
Some things never change — and maybe, that's what makes them special .
Nadia : Morning
Aizat : Morning , sleepyhead . Surprised you're up this early .
Nadia : I was already awake . Unlike someone who probably just rolled out of bed .
Aizat : Excuse you , I've been up since—uh … 10 minutes ago .
Nadia : Knew it
Aizat : You stalking me or something ?
Nadia : I just know you too well .
Aizat : Dangerous level of knowledge. Should I be scared ?
Nadia : You should. I know your secrets .
Aizat : Like what ?
Nadia : You talk to your phone when you're bored .
Aizat : That's false information . I only talk to kitty .
Nadia : Haha, idiot .
Aizat : See ? You do think I'm adorable .
Nadia : Don't push it , we're just friends, remember ?
The words hit harder than I expected .
Just friends .
For a second , I didn't know what to reply . The chat bubble blinked … then disappeared .
Nadia : Hey , you there ?
Aizat : Yeah .
Nadia : You went quiet .
Aizat : Just thinking .
Nadia : About what ?
Aizat : How I'm lucky to have you as a friend . That's all ...
Nadia : … Oh .
There was a pause ...
Nadia: You're weird sometimes .
Aizat: I get that a lot .
Nadia: Still, I'm glad you didn't get mad or anything .
Aizat: Why would I ? Friends are good too .
And even through a small screen, I could tell .
That smile wasn't just hers — it was mine , too .
A smile trying to hide what words couldn't .
The thing is , I'm just too in love with her . No matter what I say , no matter how I act — it's her . Always her .
There were new things happening every day in my life now . Every morning started the same — checking my phone , waiting for her message . We talked about everything: school, friends, little annoyances , random thoughts that came to mind . She'd tell me about her new classmates , how her school was different , how she missed some of the old faces. In return , I'd share my stories — the teachers I couldn't stand , the food at the hostel , the pranks my roommates pulled when the warden wasn't around .
It became a routine , one I didn't realize I had grown to depend on . No matter how tiring or dull my day was , her messages always managed to make it feel lighter . It was strange , really — how a few words on a screen could turn an ordinary day into something that felt almost special .
At school , my friends started teasing me about a girl in my class . Her name was Hana Arissa . They said she liked me because she often talked to me or smiled whenever I passed by . But honestly , she was just like that with everyone — friendly , cheerful , easy to talk to . Still , my classmates wouldn't let it go .
I didn't think much of it . She was nice , sure — probably the most charming person in class , the kind who could make a whole room feel brighter just by being there . But that was it , or at least that's what I kept telling myself . I never thought things would actually turn out the way they did .
One day , while I was playing games with my friends , they decided to mess with me .
"If we win ," one of them said , "you have to confess to Hana ."
I didn't even like her that way , but I went along with it — because why not ? Luck had never been on my side anyway .
And of course, I lost .
They were serious about it , too — forcing me to ask around for her number . I didn't really care , but they were annoyingly persistent . Lucky for me , I was one step ahead of them . I'd already told Hana everything .
She just laughed when I explained it .
Hana : Why would you even agree to such a bet ?
Aizat : Haha … good question ...
She didn't seem upset — actually , she looked amused .
Aizat : Well , you wanna prank them back or no ?
Hana : Sure. What's your plan ?
Aizat : I have none .
Hana : Then just forget it .
...
Hana : Don't worry , I'll handle them when you finally 'confess' — if that's the right word to use .
Aizat : I'm counting on you .
Hana : Alright , alright .
The next day , when boredom hit , they came up with the dumbest ideas , they grabbed my phone .
"Time to make history , bro ," one said while typing like a maniac .
They sent her a message:
"Hey … so I've been thinking about you a lot lately"
"Every time you smile , my heart kinda stops ."
"Would you maybe , uh … be my forever ?"
They burst into laughter before I could even snatch my phone back .
"Bro, you're doomed ," one said , half-crying from laughing too hard .
I just sighed . "You guys are idiots."
A few seconds later , Hana replied ,
"Aww , how sweet , I'll think about it , Romeo ."
Now they were the ones who went silent .
I couldn't help but smirk . "Guess she's taking it better than any of you expected ."
They looked completely confused .
And from that day , the prank somehow turned into an inside joke between me and Hana — one that my friends would never live down .