Melodies with you.

Tatee stood at the school gate, her fingers gripping the strap of her bag tightly as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded. Every step felt heavier than the last, each one echoing the whispers and stares she knew awaited her. Her heart hammered in her chest. The rumors, the gossip, and the video had already spread like it had spread through school like a bad disease.

As soon as she got into the hallway, she could hear them clearly. The whispers intensified becoming more specific, crueler. They weren't just general murmurs anymore; they were targeted, pointed, like tiny daggers aimed directly at her.

"Poor girl, she didn’t know what she was getting into."

Someone rolled their eyes dramatically “Poor thing? Please. She was totally blind. Everyone else could see what he was like.”

“Or maybe she was just… boring.”  A girl snickered, nudging her friend with her elbow.

“Did you see the way she used to look at him? Like he hung the moon. So pathetic. No wonder he got bored.”

“She should have seen the red flags. They were practically waving in her face. Max has always had a temper. It’s not like he was hiding it.”

“Yeah, but have you seen his smile? I’d forgive him for anything.”  Another voice defended Max, “Maybe she was just too clingy. Guys don’t like that.”  They tossed their hair and exchanged knowing glances with their friends.

“Max is such a player. He’s always got his eyes on someone new. He doesn’t care who he hurts in the process. It’s like a game to him.”

“But he’s so hot though. I mean, can you blame him for wanting to move on? Maybe she just wasn’t exciting enough.”

This last comment hit Tatee hard. Her throat tightened, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Should she have seen it? Had she been too blind? Or was she really that boring that she couldn’t keep his attention? It made her doubt herself.

She quickly walked to the classroom, hoping to avoid any more attention, but then she heard the familiar voice calling her name.

"Tatee!"

She turned, startled, her heart leap into her throat. Beam was hurrying towards her, her brow furrowed with deep concern. Behind her, Owen’s usual playful grin was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a serious, almost protective expression.

"Tatee, are you okay?"  Beam asked as she grabbed the brown-haired’s shoulders, her eyes scanning her face for signs of distress. "We saw the video. It’s everywhere. What happened yesterday?"

Tatee took a deep breath. She wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in her throat.

"You’ve… seen it?"

"See it?" Owen scoffed, his voice was laced with frustration and disbelief.

“Tatee, the whole school has seen it. It’s the only thing anyone is talking about. The comments are brutal. Some people are even defending him. Why didn’t you call us? We’re your friends. We would have been there for you.”

“I… I didn’t know what to say.” Tatee whispered, her voice barely audible, thick with unshed tears. The shame and embarrassment were overwhelming. How could she explain everything, how could she admit how foolish she’d been?

“Didn’t know what to say?”

Owen repeated, getting more frustrated. 

“You let him treat you like that, let him drag you into this mess? You didn’t even tell us he was cheating on you? You don’t need to carry this alone."

Beam glared around to those whispers that were still hanging in the air. "So, is it true?"

She didn’t want to confirm it, didn’t want to give the rumors any more power, but she couldn’t lie to her friends, not to Beam and Owen, who had always been there for her.

“I saw him making out with a girl… I think she’s from the photography club that I’m in.”  she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion, the words tasting like ash in her mouth.

The memory flashed through her mind, sharp and painful, the image of her boyfriend with another girl’s burning itself into her brain.

“That bitch- “

A single tear escaping and tracing a path down her cheek, followed by another, and another. 

"I didn’t know what to do. These days he has been so distant, and I secretly followed him to the place he used to go to and then I was completely blindsided. I was in shock. I couldn’t process it. He was there making out; I didn’t want to believe it was real. But he saw me then dragged me out, he said something but maybe cursed some words or stuffs like that… it felt like i don’t even know him at all.”

"I screamed at him and asked about who that girl was, but he got mad, kicking everything he saw and… I don’t know what could have happened if that girl hadn’t pulled him off me.” Tatee added.

Owen’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. “Fucking snake.”

“I should have seen it,”  Tatee repeated, her voice laced with self-reproach, her eyes filled with a deep sadness.

“There were so many signs. The late nights, the secret texts, the way he’d pull away whenever I tried to talk about us. I just… I chose to ignore them. I wanted to believe in him so badly. I was so stupid.”

Beam said firmly, squeezing Tatee’s arm reassuringly. “It’s not your fault, Tatee. He’s the one who lied. He’s the one who betrayed your trust. He’s the one who should be ashamed.”

"I’m gonna kill that motherfucker.”

When Owen was about to storm off to find Max, Tatee, her cheeks still stained with tears grabbed his arm. “Don’t, please don’t do anything owen, I beg you. I just want this to stop.”

"You want this to stop? Then you need to break things with him, don’t let him do anything he wants. He also needs to stop acting like a dick, if words can’t through to him then maybe my fist can.”

Just as he finished his sentence, a ripple of whispers went through the hallway, and the atmosphere shifted. It was a different kind of buzz.

Tatee’s breath caught. She felt sick. She didn’t want to see him. Her heart sank more when he was walking toward them as the crowd parted for him as he moved through the hallway.

Owen stepped in front of his friend being so protective of her, but it was clear that Max wasn’t intimidated as a small smile plastered on his face.

Max stopped a few feet away, his dark eyes locked onto his girlfriend.

“Tatee,” he said, his voice soft and pleading, “I’m so sorry I know I messed up. Can we just talk? I want to fix this. Please, just give me a chance to explain.”

He reached out his hand to her but got blocked by the guy that now is standing between the lovers.

“There’s nothing to talk about, we’re done.”  she said, her voice shaking but firm.

The boy’s smile didn’t falter, but his eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of anger flashing across his face.

"You can’t just ignore me, Tatee. We’ve been through too much. You can’t just walk away from everything we’ve built together."

“Leave her alone, Max," Beam said sharply, stepping between them too as she was standing beside Owen who had been throwing glares at him.

Her eyes also blazed with protective fury.

"You’ve hurt her enough. Just stay away from her.”

Max’s smile finally vanished, his expression hardening. His voice dropped to a low, menacing growl. "Don’t be stupid, Tatee. You’re letting your emotions get you the best. I know you still care about me. You can’t just throw everything away." He was trying to undermine her confidence, to make her second-guess herself.

"You’ve messed with the wrong person, Max. If you think you can keep treating her like this and get away with it, you’ve got another thing coming." before the girl could respond, her friend stepped forward.

Turned his attention to the other guy, his eyes narrowing with barely suppressed rage. "This is none of your business, Owen. Stay out of it."

"It becomes my business when you hurt my friends."  without hesitation he shoved Max backward, hard. "Shut it out, it’s already over."

Before Owen could react, Max suddenly lunged forward, throwing a wild punch. Owen blocked it with his arm. They started fighting, grabbing at each other and throwing punches. The hallway erupted into chaos.

Students screamed and scattered, creating a wide circle around the fighting boys while chanting the words fight out loud from their lungs.

Beam pulled Tatee back, away from the fray, her eyes wide with fear.

Max landed a solid punch on Owen’s jaw and got him stumbled back, holding his face. Just then, Mr. Kavee, the gym teacher, ran over. He grabbed Max and Owen and pulled them apart.

“What is going on here?!”  he yelled, his voice booming through the hallway.

Max and Owen glared at each other, still breathing hard, their faces flushed with anger.

“Principal’s office, now!”  Mr. Kavee shouted, dragging them away.

As Max was being pulled away, he twisted his head to look back at Tatee. His face wasn’t sad anymore. It was filled with a possessive look that made her blood run cold.

He mouthed the words, slow but sure so she couldn't mistake them: “You’re mine, Tatee. You’ll see.”

Tatee felt a chill go down her spine. She knew this wasn’t over.

The lunchroom was a whirlwind of noise and activity. Trays clattered, laughter echoed, and the mingled smells of various lunch items filled the air. But today, the usual lunchtime chatter had a different focus. The fight between Owen and Max had become the main topic of conversation. The air crackled with excitement and speculation.

Groups of students were talking about the fight, acting out what happened, and arguing about who won. Some were even betting on who would get detention. The whole atmosphere was tense but exciting for them, like it’s a show or something.

They hadn't seen their only guy friend after the fight, and they were both worried.

“I’m so scared for Owen; I hope nothing bad happened. He got punched a lot, and he’s never been in a fight before,”  Beam said, her voice quiet.

Tatee nodded, her stomach in knots. She was worried about him getting in trouble, but she was also terrified of what Max might do when he returned. His last words to her, the scary look in his eyes, kept playing over and over in her head.

They walked faster, looking for him. They finally saw the tall boy with buzz cut waiting by the lockers. He looked really upset.

“Hey.”  he said quietly, running a hand through his hair while smiling to them.

“How was it? Oh my god… Owen, look at your face. Is it hurt? What can we do for you?”  Beam asked, her face full of worry as her hands started to cup his face, gently rubbing the spot that was turning purple.

“Ouch, don’t touch it… well i got seven days detention.”  He replied as he winced when beam's hand made a contact to his wounded skin “Mr. Kavee saw the whole fight, so I couldn’t get out of it.”

“Oops sorry it looks bad though… and Seven days? That’s crazy, what about Max? What did he get?”

Owen’s face got tight.

“He got a month’s detention. A whole month. I was hoping he’d get expelled or something, but he didn’t. I bet his dad paid the principal to keep this quiet. So, Max gets a month’s detention, a slap on the wrist.” He paused.

“I’m so sorry, Owen, that you had to go through this and get beaten up.”  Tatee said, her voice filled with guilt.

Owen shrugged. “Don’t say that. I’d do it again for sure if something like this happened to you.“ He looked at Tatee. “Are you okay? Did Max say anything else to you?”

“No.”  She lied.

“But a month isn’t that long”  She continued quietly. “What happens when he gets back?”

“Nothing will happen, we won’t let him touch you. We promise, both me and owen will be there for you.”

“But you can’t be with me all the time, what if he catches me alone?”

Beam squeezed her hand. “We’ll figure something out.”

“We’ll walk you to and from school, we’ll make sure you’re never alone. We’ll protect you.”

A heavy silence fell between them. Even with their reassurances, a dark cloud of fear hung over her.

“Maybe… maybe I should just talk to him,”  Tatee said quietly, the thought making her stomach churn. “Maybe if I end this thing and talk to him slowly, he will understand…”

“No!”  Owen and Beam said in unison, their voices firm.

“Absolutely not,”  Owen continued, his voice hard. “Talking to him won’t do any good. He’s not going to listen to the reason. He’s going to try and manipulate you all over again, to convince you to take him back. You saw how he was earlier, pretending to be all sorry. Don’t fall for it.”

Beam nodded in agreement.

“Owen’s right. Talking to him is the worst thing you could do. It’ll just give him more power over you. We must show him that he can’t control you anymore.”

Tatee looked at her friends, their faces full of concern. She knew they were right. Talking to Max wouldn’t fix anything; it would probably just make things worse. But she couldn’t deny how she truly felt. Deep down, a tiny part of her still hoped.

Maybe Max could have realized how bad he messed up. Maybe he could change. It was a fragile hope, easily broken by the memory of his actions, but it was there.

She still cared about him.

He was her first boyfriend, after all. She remembered how exciting it was at the beginning; how special she felt. She’d imagined their relationship would be like her parents’ strong, loving that lasted.

A picture of her parents holding hands and smiling at each other in the park popped into her head. Their love had always felt so real and constant. It was everything she’d wanted with Max. But what she’d gotten was completely different. His actions had shattered her ideal, leaving her hurt and confused.

She bit her lip and looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers nervously. Hoping Max could change was risky. It could lead her right back into being hurt and manipulated.

But the thought of completely giving up, of admitting that their relationship was over, felt like giving up on her dream of finding love.

“I… I know you’re right,”  she said quietly, her voice barely a whisper. “But… it’s hard. I… I still…”  she couldn’t bring herself to say, “care about him.”

It was too painful.

Owen’s voice softened, and he gently touched her arm. “Tatee, it’s okay to still have feelings for him,” he said kindly.

“That doesn’t make you weak. It just means you’re human. But you have to remember what he did. He hurt you, he broke your trust, and he doesn’t respect you. You deserve so much better. You deserve someone who will love you, not try to control you.”

Beam nodded; her eyes full of understanding. “We know this isn’t easy, Tatee. But you’re strong. You can get through this...”

She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the doubts and the small flicker of hope. She knew what she had to do, even if it was hard.

“Okay,”  she said, her voice a bit stronger. “Okay, I won’t talk to him. I’m going to try my best to move on.”

Owen put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “That’s all we ask,” he said. “We’ll get through this together.”

Days passed slowly. The shock of the fight was fading, but Tatee still felt bad. Max’s month of detention didn’t make her feel any better; it just reminded her he’d be back soon. Her phone kept buzzing with his texts and calls, but she ignored them.

Then, a few days later, she got a text from Max that explained a lot.

"I know you’re not answering,”  he wrote, “but I wanted you to know… Dad locked me in the house. I can’t go anywhere. He’s furious about the fight. I’m basically under house arrest.”

Tatee stared at the message. So that’s why his messages were so mixed up. One minute he was begging her back, acting sweet, saying he couldn’t live without her.

The next he was blaming her for everything, saying she’d ruined his life. He was trapped at home, stewing in his anger and frustration.

But on other hand The latter was worried about Anne. She had told Anne everything about the fight, Max’s detention, his texts but Anne hadn’t replied. 

She kept checking her phone, wondering if Anne was avoiding her because of the Max drama. Was she afraid of becoming a target too? She worried that Max’s friends might try to find Anne and bother her. She didn’t want anyone else to get dragged into this.

And now she was hanging out with Beam and Owen, he was back at school after serving his week of detention, a faint bruise still visible on his cheekbone.

He kept touching it gingerly, wincing slightly. But despite the lingering pain, he was trying his best to act normally, cracking jokes and trying to lighten the mood. But Tatee had been unusually quiet, lost in her own thoughts. They noticed.

“Tatee, you’ve been zoning out all lunch.”  Beam said, nudging her gently.

Owen nodded. “Yeah, you seem miles away. Everything okay?”

“It’s just… I’m worried about someone.”

“Who?”  Beam asked, tilting her head in confusion. Owen looked equally puzzled.

“It’s the girl… from the other school,”  Tatee explained. “The one who helped me that day, when Max was being… you know.”  she gestured vaguely, not wanting to go into detail.

“I texted her after the fight, to thank her again and to tell her what happened with Max’s detention and about how Max kept texting me, but she hasn’t responded.”

Before Tatee could say more, a strange glint appeared in her eyes. It was a look Owen and Beam had come to recognize as trouble.

Owen groaned. “Uh oh. We don’t like that kind of eyes.”

“Don’t tell me… you’re not thinking of…?”

Tatee quickly shook her head, offering a weak, unconvincing smile. “Nothing! I’m not planning anything. I’m just… worried.”  she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, avoiding their gaze.

“Really?”  Owen raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. “Because you have that ‘I’m about to do something incredibly stupid look in your eyes.”

Tatee forced a laugh. “Don’t be silly. I promise, I’m fine.” 

She knew she couldn’t tell them her plan. They would definitely try to stop her. She had to do this on her own.

“Look.”  Owen said, “just promise us you won’t do anything rash, okay?”

Tatee nodded quickly. “I promise.”  she lied, crossing her fingers beneath the table.

When the final bell rang, her friends immediately fell into step beside the girl who always wearing her vest, they were ready to walk her home as usual but the girl stopped abruptly, pulling away slightly.

"Actually,” she said, her voice a little too high-pitched, “I just remembered I have to… return a book to the library. A very important book. One that’s overdue. With a huge fine.” She widened her eyes for emphasis.

“I’ll catch up with you guys later. You don’t want to be late for… uh… whatever it is you do after school.”

Owen and Beam exchanged a look. They knew Tatee was lying. The library was in the opposite direction of her house, and she never went there after school, especially not with such dramatic urgency.

“Tatee…”  Beam started; her voice laced with suspicion.

The tiny girl seizing her opportunity, suddenly gasped and clutched her head. “Oh no! I think… I think I left my… my… library card at home! I have to go get it! It’s an emergency!”  With that, she turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, nearly knocking over a passing teacher.

They just stared after her figure slowly moving away, dumbfounded. “Did she just… run away?”  Owen asked, blinking in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Tatee, now out of sight of her friends, slowed to a brisk walk, checking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t being followed. A wave of guilt washed over her for lying to Owen and Beam, but she pushed it aside. She had to do this. She needed to know if the girl was okay. She made her way towards Triam Udom School.

Tatee walked through the main entrance, trying to act like she belonged there, her heart pounding a nervous rhythm in her chest. The polished floors and trophy cases filled with gleaming awards only added to her unease.

“Excuse me.”  she said politely, trying to keep her voice steady.

The younger students exchanged curious glances, then their eyes lingered on the stranger that just greeted them. It was noticeably different from theirs, a different shade of blue, a different style of collar.

One of them, a small girl with braces, tilted her head, her brow furrowed. “Your uniform… it’s not from here.” she observed.

The culprit felt a blush creep up her neck. She hadn’t thought about that. “Oh, uh, I’m… visiting,”  she stammered, trying to sound casual. “I’m from… a different school.”

“And I’m looking for someone. Her name is… Anne, she has long black hair and, a mole on her chin if I am not mistaken. Oh and she plays violin... I guess?”

The students exchanged more glances, a mixture of curiosity and suspicion in their eyes. One of them, a boy with thick glasses, spoke up. “You’re looking for Anne? Anne Lee?”

Tatee’s heart leaped. “Yes! That’s her! Do you know where she is?”

The girl with braces pointed down a long hallway. “She’s probably at the practice room right now. It’s orchestra practice.”

“The practice room?”  Tatee asked.

“Yeah, it’s down that hallway,”  another student chimed in, pointing down a long corridor. “Then turn left. You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks,”  Tatee said but then, an idea struck her.

“Actually,”  she added pulling out her wallet, “would any of you… happen to have an extra uniform shirt I could borrow? I kind of… need to blend in.”

The students looked at each other, surprised, then back at Tatee’s obviously different uniform. The girl with braces grinned. “Maybe,” she said, a mischievous glint in her eye.

After some quick negotiations and a small exchange of cash, Tatee found herself holding a slightly too-big, but thankfully ink-stained, uniform shirt.

She quickly changed in a nearby restroom, pulling the borrowed shirt over her own. She checked her reflection in the mirror, smoothing down her hair and trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Now, disguised, she just had to find Anne.

The corridor was mostly empty, save for a few students heading to their own after-school activities. The quiet hum of the building was punctuated by the occasional locker slamming shut or a burst of laughter echoing from a distant classroom.

As she neared the end of the hallway, she heard it – the unmistakable sound of music. It was faint at first, a delicate melody woven with the soft sounds of tuning instruments, but it grew stronger as she approached.

She reached the double doors marked “Music Room,” but instead of barging in, she noticed a large window set into the wall beside them. It looked into the music room. Perfect. Tatee quietly sidled up to the window, pressing herself against the cool wall to avoid being seen from inside.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, and carefully peeked through the glass.

The room was large and bright, filled with rows of chairs and music stands. Students were seated, each holding a different instrument– violins, violas, cellos, a few flutes and clarinets scattered amongst them.

At the front of the room, standing on a slightly raised platform, was Anne.

Tatee recognized her instantly: the long, dark hair, the slight ink stain on the left pocket of her uniform shirt.

She held a violin under her chin, her eyes closed, her posture still and elegant. The conductor raised his baton, and the room fell silent. Then, Anne began to play.

The opening notes were soft and delicate, like the first whispers of a gentle breeze stirring through the leaves of a willow tree. It was A Whole New World,  a song Tatee knew by heart from the Disney movie, Aladdin. But this wasn’t the pop version she was used to, this was something entirely different.

The melody was richer, more nuanced, filled with a depth of emotion that the recorded version simply couldn’t capture. Anne’s bow moved across the strings with a fluid, almost hypnotic grace, drawing out long sustained notes that seemed to hang in the air, shimmering like sunlight on water.

As the melody began to build, Tatee noticed another violinist, standing slightly to Anne's left, begin to play a lower, richer countermelody.

It was a beautiful contrast, the two violins weaving together like two voices in a duet. Anne’s violin soared, hitting the higher notes with a clear, bell-like tone, while the other girl’s violin provided a warm, grounding harmony.

It was as if their instruments were having a conversation, talking to each other, singing to each other. The cellos provided a deep, resonant foundation, while the violas added a warm, mellow counterpoint. The piano chimed in softly in the beackground with delicate flourishes, like birdsong echoing through a forest.

The observer was completely mesmerized.

The dark-haired musician’s eyes remained closed, her face serene and focused, completely absorbed in the music.

Her fingers danced across the fingerboard with breathtaking precision and fluidity, as if they had a mind of their own.

The light from the windows behind her caught the polished wood of her violin, making it gleam like liquid gold, almost as if it were radiating its own light.

She looked incredibly beautiful, almost otherworldly, bathed in the golden light and the enchanting music.

The brown-haired girl was struck by the sheer beauty of the moment. The scene felt surreal, like something out of a movie. For a fleeting moment, she wasn’t the girl struggling with a possessive ex-boyfriend. She was Jasmine, transported to a magical, enchanting world by the power of music, her heart filled with wonder and awe.

She was completely captivated, lost in the beauty of the dark-haired girl’s playing, the music washing over her like a warm wave.

Tatee leaned forward slightly, her voice barely audible, a whisper meant only for herself.

“Look at her.” she breathed, her eyes tracing the curve of her jaw, the way her lashes fluttered as she lost herself in the music, it’s as if the violin is an extension of her soul, and every note she plays is a piece of her heart.

“I’ve never seen anyone so… alive and It feels like… like the world bends just to be near her.”  Her heart ached, a sweet, heavy ache that she couldn’t explain.

Like the first light of dawn breaking through the shadows, the violinist appeared— painting the world in colors the observer had never known existed.

And with that, Tatee let herself fall, one heartbeat at a time, into the warmth of something she couldn’t yet name but knew she never wanted to lose.