Lina's Secret

• Lina had always been a quiet girl. Not shy, exactly, but reserved—content to sit at the back of the classroom, letting life unfold around her without ever drawing too much attention to herself. She had friends, of course, but most of her time was spent with her head buried in books, her eyes tracing the words on the pages as if they could offer answers to all the questions she kept inside.

But later, Ethan entered her world.

He was everything Lina wasn’t—outgoing, effortlessly charming, with a natural confidence that seemed to draw everyone to him. His laughter was loud and infectious, and the way he interacted with people made it seem like the world was his to navigate. He had a way of looking at you, as if he were genuinely interested in what you had to say, and for a brief moment, Lina found herself wondering if that same attention might be directed toward her one day.

The thought was enough to make her heart race.

But that was where the fantasy stopped.

Lina wasn’t the type of girl who would make the first move. The idea of confessing her feelings—of putting herself out there only to be rejected—was too much for her to bear. She would stay in the background, quietly admiring Ethan from a distance, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he would notice her.

And so, she found herself turning to something a little unconventional to cope with the fluttering feelings she could never express.

The acrylic shaking notebook was her secret.

It wasn’t a special notebook at first glance. The cover was transparent acrylic, and inside it were tiny sparkles, beads, and glitter that shifted and danced every time the notebook was shaken. Lina had bought it on a whim one afternoon, drawn to its whimsical, almost magical quality. But soon, it became more than just a notebook. It became a vessel for all the things she couldn’t say aloud.

Every day, after school, Lina would sit at her desk in her room, surrounded by the quiet hum of the evening, and write. But instead of recording her typical thoughts—her homework, her dreams for the future, the books she was reading—she wrote about Ethan. She wrote down everything she noticed about him: his laugh, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, the way he ran his fingers through his messy brown hair when he was thinking. Every tiny detail, every fleeting moment, went into the notebook. She made careful notes of his habits,his likes, his dislikes, and every time he glanced her way in class. It was as if, in writing it down, she could keep him close, even if she couldn’t have him.

September 18th
Ethan wore his favorite hoodie today. The one with the band logo. I saw him and Mike joking in the hallway during lunch, and for a moment, I thought he was looking at me. But then he looked away too quickly, so maybe I imagined it. I think his eyes are brown, but they always seem darker when he's serious. I wonder if he notices me.

October 2nd
I overheard Ethan talking to Jake about his favorite movie. I was walking by the classroom, and they were talking about Inception. I wanted to jump in and say something, but I was too shy. He was so animated when he spoke about it, his hands gesturing wildly. I love the way he gets passionate about things. I wonder if he would talk to me like that if I ever spoke to him.

The notebook became Lina's escape, a place where she could pour out her feelings without fear of rejection. It was safer that way, to hide behind the pages of the notebook and fantasize about what could never be.

One chilly afternoon in October, things changed.

History class was dull that day, and the teacher was droning on about the Civil War—facts and dates that Lina had already memorized, but still, she couldn’t concentrate. Her mind was elsewhere, fixated on Ethan, who was sitting a few rows in front of her, his head slightly tilted as he listened to the lecture. His hair fell into his eyes, and Lina felt that familiar flutter in her chest.

She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out her acrylic notebook. It wasn’t unusual for her to jot down a note or two during class—sometimes it helped her focus—but today, it was different. She was trying to capture that fleeting moment when Ethan had laughed at something the teacher said, his eyes bright and full of life.

As she flipped open the notebook, her pencil poised to write, she heard a voice from behind.

“Lina, is that your notebook?”

She froze.

It was Ethan.

Lina turned, her heart pounding in her chest. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat. There was no hiding now. She quickly tried to close the notebook, but Ethan was already leaning over, peering at the sparkling contents inside.

“Whoa, that’s so cool,” he said with a grin. “It’s like a snow globe, but for your thoughts.”

Lina’s face turned bright red. “It’s—um—it’s nothing,” she stammered, pushing the notebook closer to her chest.

Ethan chuckled, a soft, genuine sound that made Lina's heart race. “You don’t have to hide it. I think it’s awesome. I like how the beads move around when you shake it.”

Lina felt her nerves unravel slightly at his casual, almost intrigued tone. “Yeah, it’s kind of... comforting, I guess,” she said, her voice soft.

“Do you write in it every day?”

Lina hesitated. “Sometimes,” she replied. “It’s more like... a journal.”

“A journal, huh?” Ethan said, his eyes twinkling. “I think that’s pretty cool. Maybe you can show me sometime.”

Lina blinked, unsure if she’d heard him right. “Show you?”

He nodded. “Yeah. You seem like the type of person who notices the little things. I’d like to see what you’ve written. Maybe I can add to it—y’know, some thoughts of my own.”

Lina couldn’t believe it. Ethan—the boy she’d admired from afar—was actually asking to see her notebook, the one that contained all the secret details she had written about him. It was surreal.

For the first time in her life, Lina realized something: she didn’t have to keep everything to herself. Maybe, just maybe, she could share a little of her world with him.

The next day, she handed him the acrylic shaking notebook. And when he gave it a little shake and smiled at the way the beads danced, Lina felt something shift inside her. The world felt a little less scary, a little more open. And maybe, just maybe, Ethan was closer to her than she had ever imagined.