Before the Bell Rings (A short high school love story)
Before the Bell Rings
(Chapter 1)
The Quiet Pause
The halls of Crestwood High were alive with the usual chaos of the first bell ringing. Lockers slammed shut, footsteps echoed against polished floors, and voices buzzed with excitement and gossip. The energy was high — the kind that only a new school year could bring.
But in Room 109, tucked in the back corner, sat Aarav. His desk was a sanctuary from the bustling world outside. He was the kind of student who was easy to forget, not by choice, but because blending in was simpler than standing out.
With messy black hair that always fell over his dark eyes and a notebook filled with doodles, Aarav preferred the quiet of his thoughts to the noise around him. He wasn’t antisocial, but he certainly wasn’t popular. His friends were few, but true. Rahul, his best friend since childhood, was his closest companion. He didn’t need more than that.
The day was starting like any other. Mrs. Patel, their literature teacher, was already in front of the class, enthusiastically arranging a stack of books on her desk. She was a romantic at heart, always eager to inspire her students with the beauty of words. But today, there was something different in the air. She was smiling a little wider, almost mischievously.
“Class!” she exclaimed, drawing the attention of the chatterboxes in the room. “I have an exciting project for you today! Your midterm is about love.”
A collective groan echoed from the students, a few sighs of disbelief mixed with eye rolls. Love wasn’t exactly the most thrilling topic for a bunch of teenagers — it was messy, complicated, and, most importantly, awkward.
“Here’s the catch,” Mrs. Patel continued, holding up her hands as though she were presenting the greatest gift in the world. “You will create something—a poem, a short story, or a drawing that expresses what love means to you.”
Aarav shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his fingers already twiddling with the edge of his sketchbook. He had never been good at verbalizing feelings. But expressing them through art? That, he could do.
“There’s one more thing,” Mrs. Patel added, her voice gaining momentum. “You’ll be working in pairs.”
The groans grew louder. Aarav immediately sank lower in his seat, wishing he could blend into the desk completely.
“You’re paired with… Maya.”
Aarav’s heart skipped a beat. He froze, unsure whether the air in the room had suddenly thinned or if it was just his breath catching in his chest. Maya.
Maya Singh. The girl who effortlessly floated between cliques, her popularity as easy as breathing. She was everything Aarav was not — outgoing, confident, and stunningly beautiful. Her hair fell in perfect waves, her eyes always sparkling with mischief, and her smile was the kind of smile that made boys trip over their words.
Aarav had admired her from afar, as silently as he admired the beauty of a painting in a museum. She was untouchable, a dream that was too far out of reach. But now… now she was his project partner.
The class erupted into laughter and teasing, but Aarav barely heard it. His thoughts swirled around Maya, around her smile, around the chance that he would have to talk to her… actually work with her.
The First Glance
The next day, Aarav found himself walking alongside Rahul in the crowded hallway, his sketchbook tucked under his arm. Rahul’s voice broke through his thoughts.
“You’re seriously going to draw her, aren’t you?” Rahul grinned, nudging him in the shoulder.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Aarav mumbled, avoiding his gaze.
“Come on,” Rahul teased. “We’ve been friends for years. You can’t hide it from me. You’ve been drawing her for months. Heck, you’ve been drawing her since the first day of tenth grade. Just admit it.”
Aarav sighed, feeling a mix of embarrassment and guilt. He couldn’t deny it. Since he’d first seen Maya, he’d been sketching her face in his notebooks, capturing fleeting moments of her beauty — a glance, a laugh, a soft moment when no one was looking. His sketchbook had become a private gallery of his unspoken admiration.
“You know I don’t like to make things complicated,” Aarav said quietly.
“Ha! Complicated?” Rahul raised an eyebrow. “You’re overthinking this, man. She’s just a girl.”
“Yeah, but she’s Maya,” Aarav said softly. He didn’t mean to sound as wistful as he did, but there was something about her that made his heart race and his palms sweat.
Rahul didn’t press him further, sensing the shift in his friend’s mood. He slapped Aarav’s back. “Well, good luck with the project, bro. If you’re going to get all heart-eyes on me, I might need a seat change.”
Aarav smiled weakly, but his mind stayed on Maya, his nerves already starting to tangle. The project was more than just an assignment now. It was a chance to get closer to the girl who had captivated him without even trying.
A Quiet Beginning
The next day, Maya showed up at the library after school, just like Aarav knew she would. She always slipped away after the final bell rang, finding solace among the books. No one knew she came here — not even her friends. It was her secret place, the one where she could breathe freely without the pressure of being Maya, the girl everyone adored.
Aarav had been coming to the library for the past few days, trying to gather his thoughts for their project. He never expected to run into her here, though. But Maya, it seemed, had been waiting for him.
When she appeared between the rows of books, Aarav’s heart leapt into his throat. She walked toward him, glancing around as though she hadn’t quite expected to find him there.
“I guess I’m not the only one who likes the quiet,” she said, her voice warm but soft, as though she was unsure whether to break the silence or leave it untouched.
Aarav smiled awkwardly, adjusting his sketchbook in his hands. “I like to draw in peace.”
Maya raised an eyebrow. “Draw? You mean like… art?”
“Yeah.” Aarav shuffled through his bag and pulled out his sketchbook. He opened it carefully, flipping through the pages until he reached the one he had drawn of her.
Without thinking, he handed it to her. “It’s… It’s just a sketch,” he mumbled.
She took the book gently and paused on the page. The light from the window fell softly on the drawing of her face, captured with an honesty Aarav hadn’t realized was so raw. Her expression was one of serenity, the soft curve of her lips almost shy. It was her, but it was also something more — something Aarav had seen in her when she wasn’t paying attention.
“This… this is me?” she asked, her voice quieter now.
Aarav nodded, his heart beating in his throat. “Yeah. I’ve been drawing you… Well, for a while.”
Maya looked up at him, her eyes softening. For the first time, Aarav felt like she wasn’t just the girl everyone noticed. She was someone who had seen him, too.
“Thank you,” she said, handing the sketchbook back. “I… I didn’t know you saw me like that.”
Aarav didn’t know how to respond. He wasn’t sure if she meant the drawing or something deeper, but he wasn’t about to ask her. Not yet.