The Note That Changed Everything: A School Tale of Love and Envy
Oliver was rifling through his backpack when he spotted a peculiar folded slip of paper tucked between his notebooks. Carefully unfolding it, he felt a strange flutter in his chest:
“Hello! I fancy you. If you’d like to meet up, I’ll be waiting behind the school at four.”
Baffled and intrigued, Oliver had no idea who could’ve left it. Yet curiosity won out. At four sharp, he stood in the shadow of the brick building—only to spot Emily. The quiet, timid new girl.
“Was this you?” he asked cautiously.
“What?” Emily blinked, bewildered. “Me? No!”
“Then why are you here? Were you… waiting for me?”
“Well… Charlotte said you liked me…” she muttered, flushing crimson.
Oliver frowned. Things were getting stranger by the second.
***
The Move That Changed Everything
Emily had only just relocated when her parents bought a bigger house in a nicer neighbourhood. Though the new place was cosier, her old school was now miles away. Her parents insisted: if there’s a school just down the road, she’d attend it.
Emily resisted fiercely. Starting fresh in Year 10, when cliques had long solidified, was terrifying. But no one listened.
“You’ll make friends!” her mum chirped. “You’re such a friendly girl!”
Except she wasn’t. Emily had always struggled with people. At the new school, she hovered at the edges, answering questions in monosyllables, eyes downcast. Interest in the “new girl” faded fast.
She didn’t mind. She was different—quiet, watchful. Secretly, she observed one boy: Oliver. Popular, cheerful, the class darling.
She fancied him. Desperately. But speaking to him? Unthinkable.
***
Envy in the Hallways
Charlotte noticed. Bold, sharp-tongued Charlotte, who’d fancied Oliver for ages but remained squarely in the “just mates” zone.
Seeing Emily’s shy glances, irritation prickled under Charlotte’s skin. Time to put the new girl in her place.
“Let’s prank her,” she told her friends. “Slip Oliver a fake love note, then tell Emily he fancies her. Watch her humiliate herself!”
After some hesitation, they agreed. Charlotte sidled up to Emily, honeyed malice in her voice.
“Oliver likes you. Want me to confirm it?”
Emily’s face lit up. That sealed it.
“He’ll ask to meet you,” Charlotte lied. “Behind the school. Four o’clock. Keep it quiet, yeah?”
“Okay,” Emily whispered, equal parts thrilled and terrified.
***
The Twist No One Saw Coming
The next day, Charlotte slipped the note into Oliver’s bag. He read it—puzzled, but curious.
He showed up. Saw Emily. She saw him.
“You wrote this?”
“No… they told me you…”
Oliver understood. He sighed. Charlotte’s handiwork, no doubt.
But Emily had come. That meant something, didn’t it?
“Since you’re here… do you fancy me?” he grinned.
Emily nearly bolted. But Oliver caught her.
“Now that we’re here… Fancy a walk?”
Charlotte, lurking around the corner with her phone recording, froze. This wasn’t the plan. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
Worse yet, the next day, Oliver and Emily walked into class together. Laughing. Sitting side by side.
***
The Aftermath
“Did you do this to spite me?” Charlotte hissed at Oliver at break.
“Nah. You introduced us. Cheers for that, honestly. We get on brilliantly.”
Charlotte refused to believe it. She waited for the charade to crumble.
But months passed. They stayed together. School ended. They moved in. Then came the wedding.
Only then did Charlotte finally admit it: her prank had backfired spectacularly.
The lesson?
Before you scheme or mock—think. Sometimes fate has a way of setting things right.
