The Note That Changed Everything: A Schoolyard Tale of Love and Jealousy
Oliver was rummaging through his backpack when he spotted a folded piece of paper tucked between his notebooks. He unfolded it carefully, and his heart gave a little leap:
“Hey! I really like you. If you want to meet, I’ll be waiting behind the school at four today.”
He blinked in surprise, even a bit flustered. Who on earth could’ve left this? Curiosity got the better of him. At exactly four, he was there—and suddenly, he saw Emily. The quiet, shy new girl.
“Was this from you?” he asked cautiously.
“What?” Emily looked baffled, as if he’d spoken in riddles. “Me? No!”
“Then why are you here? Are you… waiting for me?”
“Well… Charlotte told me you liked me,” she mumbled, turning scarlet.
Oliver frowned. Things were getting weirder by the second.
**The Move That Turned Everything Upside Down**
Emily’s parents had bought a bigger house in a nicer neighbourhood, which meant switching schools. Sure, the new place was lovely, but her old friends were miles away. Her parents insisted: “There’s a school right here! You’ll settle in.”
Emily protested—loudly. Starting fresh in Year 10, when cliques had long since formed, was terrifying. But no one listened.
“You’ll make friends!” her mum chirped. “You’re such a sociable girl!”
Except she wasn’t. Emily had always struggled with people. At her new school, she hovered on the edges, answering questions in monosyllables, avoiding eye contact. Soon, everyone stopped trying.
She didn’t mind—she was just different. Quiet, watchful. And secretly, she admired Oliver—the class charmer, quick with a joke, everyone’s favourite.
She fancied him. Badly. But the idea of actually speaking to him? Impossible.
**Green-Eyed Monsters in the Classroom**
Charlotte noticed. Confident, sharp-tongued Charlotte, who’d fancied Oliver forever but was firmly stuck in the “just mates” zone.
Seeing Emily’s shy glances at Oliver boiled her blood. Time to put the new girl in her place.
“Let’s prank her,” she told her mates. “We’ll slip Oliver a note from a ‘secret admirer,’ then tell Emily he fancies her. Watch her embarrass herself!”
After some hesitation, they agreed. Charlotte sidled up to Emily with saccharine sweetness.
“Oliver likes you. Want me to check if it’s true?”
Emily’s eyes lit up—which only made Charlotte angrier.
“He’ll ask to meet you,” she said. “Behind school, at four. Keep it quiet, okay?”
“Okay,” Emily whispered, equal parts thrilled and terrified.
**The Ending No One Saw Coming**
The next day, Charlotte slipped the note into Oliver’s bag. He read it—puzzled, intrigued.
He showed up. And there was Emily. Emily, who looked just as shocked to see him.
“Did you write this?”
“No… I was told you…”
Oliver pieced it together. He sighed. He knew Charlotte’s games too well.
But Emily had come. Did that mean…?
“If you’re here, does that mean you *do* like me?” He grinned.
Emily turned crimson. She wanted to bolt. But Oliver stopped her.
“Since we’re both here… Fancy a walk?”
Charlotte, hiding around the corner with her phone recording, gaped. This wasn’t the plan. None of this was supposed to happen.
Worse? The next day, Oliver and Emily walked into class together. Laughing. Smiling.
**Aftermath**
“Was this payback?” Charlotte hissed at Oliver at break.
“Nope. You introduced us. Cheers for that, honestly. We get on brilliantly.”
Charlotte refused to believe it. She waited for the fallout, for it all to collapse.
Months passed. They stayed together. School ended. They moved in. Eventually, a wedding.
And only then did Charlotte finally accept it: her prank had backfired spectacularly.
**The Moral?**
Before you scheme or sneer—think twice. Sometimes fate has a funny way of fixing things itself.
