During recess, Anaís was in a corner of the courtyard with her two best friends, Clara and Marisa. Both were the kind of girls who were always up to date with everything happening at school, though sometimes they went overboard with their opinions. That day, however, Anaís was quieter than usual, staring fixedly at the ground while nervously fiddling with the hem of her skirt.
"What's wrong with you today, Anaís?" Clara asked, leaning toward her curiously. "You look weird."
"Yeah, you're never this quiet," Marisa added. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Anaís looked up and, after a brief silence, let out a sigh. "I confessed..."
Both friends stared at her, wide-eyed.
"What? To whom? When? Why didn't you tell us anything?" Clara fired the questions like bullets.
"To Tomás," Anaís replied in a low voice, as if ashamed to say it aloud.
For a moment, the two friends were silent, processing the information. Then, Clara burst out laughing in a way that seemed more incredulous than mocking.
"To the weirdo? You confessed to the weirdo?"
Marisa didn't laugh, but her expression was a mix of bewilderment and disapproval. "Are you serious? Tomás? The guy who barely talks to anyone and always hangs out alone with Sunny and Sam?"
Anaís frowned. "Yes, to him. And what's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong with that?" Clara exclaimed, still with a smile of disbelief. "He's a strange kid. He's always in his own world, writing or who knows what, as if the rest of the planet didn't exist. And you... you're Anaís, the best in the class. How could he even reject you?"
"It just doesn't make sense!" Marisa added, crossing her arms. "You're pretty, smart, kind. You literally have everything any guy would want. How could he say no?"
Anaís lowered her gaze, feeling the weight of her friends' words begin to sink into her spirits. Until that moment, she had tried to justify Tomás's rejection, telling herself that perhaps it was a matter of time or that he simply wasn't ready. But now, with every comment Clara and Marisa made, she began to feel humiliated.
"And what exactly did he say?" Marisa asked, leaning toward her with interest.
"He said... he said he had just been rejected by another girl and couldn't feel anything for anyone else so soon," Anaís murmured.
Clara rolled her eyes. "Seriously? That was his excuse? Please, Anaís, that's ridiculous."
"Besides, who rejected him? Sunny?" Marisa asked sarcastically. "Because it wouldn't surprise me. That girl thinks she's better than everyone and always does whatever she wants."
Anaís felt a knot form in her throat, but she didn't let the tears fall. "I don't think it has anything to do with Sunny."
"Well, it should," Clara snapped, crossing her arms. "Because if it's not Sunny, then there's no excuse for him to reject you. Who does he think he is? He's nobody. He's just a weird guy who should be grateful that someone like you even talks to him."
Marisa nodded, agreeing with Clara. "That's right. And if he can't see it, then the problem is his. Don't waste your time on someone who doesn't appreciate what they have in front of them."
Anaís pressed her lips together, but said nothing. Although her friends' words sought to comfort her, deep down they also made her feel worse. Because, at that moment, something inside her began to change. That small hope she had felt after his rejection, that idea that perhaps one day he might see her differently, was transforming into something darker. It was no longer about hope, but about wounded pride, a sense of injustice she couldn't ignore.
"You know what you should do?" Clara said, with a malicious glint in her eyes. "You should ignore him completely. Don't give him a second of your time. Let him see what he's missing."
Marisa nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly. Make him regret rejecting you. He doesn't deserve anything else from you."
Anaís nodded slowly, though she wasn't entirely convinced. Inside, the idea of ignoring Tomás hurt her, because she didn't want to distance herself from him. But at the same time, her friends' words resonated in her mind, fueling a rage she hadn't known she had until then.