The harsh laughter echoing through the classroom made my heart clench. At that moment, no one seemed to notice me, but I felt every detail. Lando’s laughter blended in with the others; how normal everything was for him, wasn’t it? I tried to avoid staring at him, but I failed. He was always the same; bright, cheerful, unattainable.

Even when my eyes avoided him, they gravitated toward him; watching Lando was like being drawn into the sun. Every time he entered the room, the air around him changed, everything suddenly became more alive. But that day… that laughter burned me.

“Why did you let him touch her?” I thought to myself. A voice inside me was screaming. I didn’t like that girl, Clara, who was walking next to him, every time she smiled while talking to him, a knot inside me was knotted. When the two of them stood side by side, my eyes could see Clara’s fingers lightly touch Lando’s arm. That touch may have been a simple gesture, but it felt so heavy to me that I took my breath away.

For a moment, an entire world fell apart inside me. There were small moments that most people didn’t understand. Those were the moments when Lando didn’t notice my gaze. Those were the moments when I followed him with my eyes, interpreting every smile, every step. I never told him I loved him. I was a prisoner of my own emotions; a fight inside me, a war outside me.

“Notice me.” My heart screamed the words with every beat, but he never heard. He saw Clara. He couldn’t see my jealousy, my crushed pride. Our eyes met for a moment, and there was something there, but it was only a moment. When he turned his head and smiled at Clara, something inside me snapped.