LOVE PAINTED IN LIES

Eliana woke the next morning with a heaviness she couldn't name sleep had been a tangled mess of questions, half-formed thoughts, and blurry dreams of shadows whispering her name. She sat at the edge of her bed for a long moment, breathing slowly, reminding herself that strength sometimes begins with simply standing up. Today, she told herself, would not defeat her. She arrived at school earlier than usual, the corridors were still waking up lights flickering on, cleaners sweeping floors, a few students yawning as they dragged their bags behind them eliana clutched her sketchbook tightly, a shield for her shaking heart.

‎As she turned into the courtyard, she saw Adrian and Selena standing together near the fountain adrian's hands were shoved into his pockets tense, selena's expression was uneasy, eyes darting around as if afraid of being seen, eliana felt her stomach twist. They didn't notice her at first, she stood still, watching, studying their body language like a painting she wished she didn't understand adrian leaned closer to selena, saying something too soft for eliana to hear. Selena nodded, lowering her gaze. When she looked up again, her eyes widened she had spotted eliana.

‎"Eliana!" selena called, too brightly "hey!" adrian turned his smile looked forced, weak around the edges. "Morning" eliana managed a calm nod, "morning" her voice surprised even herself steady, clear, betraying no tremor she walked past them without slowing down.

‎Behind her, she heard selena whisper, "She's acting weird..." and adrian reply, "Just give me time, okay? I'll figure it out."

‎That sentence echoed in her chest long after she reached her classroom.

‎The first bell rang, students filled the room with noise, gossip, and energy, eliana sat at her desk, staring blankly at her notes, her best friend, mara, slid into the seat beside her, "you look like you didn't sleep," mara said gently.

‎"I didn't.", "Is it adrian?"

‎Eliana hesitated she hadn't told Mara about what she overheard in the music room saying it out loud might make it too real.

‎"Something's off," she admitted. "I just don't know what yet."

‎Mara squeezed her hand. "Then let the truth come. You don't have to chase it."

‎Eliana nodded, appreciating the comfort. But deep inside, she felt the truth wasn't coming fast enough  and she refused to be the last to know.

‎During break, she made a decision if adrian had secrets, she would stop waiting for them to break her,she walked to the music room again, the corridors were noisy, but the room itself was quiet, sunlight glowing on the wooden floor, she entered slowly, half-expecting to find them together again. But the room was empty.

‎Her eyes drifted to the piano. On top of it sat a small notebook  adrian's handwriting on the cover personal Journal her heart raced, she shouldn't open it she knew that but the pain, the uncertainty, the confusion,  they all pushed her hand forward before she could overthink it, she flipped it open she didn't read everything, only a single page just enough to confirm what her heart already feared.

‎I don't know what to do selena says her feelings are real, eliana doesn't deserve this, I never meant to hurt anyone why did things have to get so complicated Eliana closed the notebook, fingers trembling she didn't cry the tears sat behind her eyes but refused to fall, stuck in that space between breaking and holding on, she backed away from the piano, turning quickly and bumped straight into someone.

‎"Looking for something?"

‎Adrian stood at the doorway, eyes sharp, voice low. Eliana froze. She didn't know if he saw her with the journal or if she looked guilty enough to suspect, he stepped forward, confusion and worry written across his face.

‎"Eliana... are you okay?"

‎She swallowed hard. "Are you?"

‎He blinked. "What do you mean?"

‎She exhaled, the words burning. "I heard your in here with Selena."

‎His face went pale. "Eliana"

‎"Don't lie," she whispered. "Please... not anymore."

‎He looked at her for a long moment, jaw tightening.

‎Then he said the one sentence that made the ground shift beneath her:

‎"It's not what you think  but I can't explain. Not yet."

‎Her chest stung. "Why? Why can't you just tell me the truth?"

‎His silence was louder than shouting.

‎Then, quietly:

‎"I don't want you involved."

‎"Involved in what?" she breathed.

‎But he shook his head. "Please, Eliana. Trust me one last time."

‎Trust. A word that felt like a knife now.

‎She left the room before her heart shattered in front of him.

‎The day passed in a blur her teachers' voices sounded like distant waves, she drifted through hallways, hearing fragments of whispers that may or may not have been about her, by the time the final bell rang, she was exhausted emotionally more than anything, she stayed behind after school to work on her exhibition painting. The art room felt familiar, safe, brushes, paints, silence, things she could control, she began mixing colours, brushing strokes onto the canvas, letting her emotions pour into the artwork , she didn't hear footsteps behind her until someone cleared their throat.

‎Selena stood in the doorway.

‎"Eliana," she said softly. "We need to talk", eliana didn't answer she continued painting selena stepped forward, "Please... I'm not trying to take him from you."

‎Eliana paused, brush hanging in midair. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

‎Selena bit her lip,"what's happening isn't what you think, adrian didn't tell you because he's trying to protect you."

‎Eliana turned slowly "Protect me from what?" Selena hesitated  too long.

‎"Selena," Eliana said, eyes narrowing, "what are you hiding?" selena looked away, voice cracking "I can't say I promised him", eliana dropped her brush, paint splattered like a burst of emotion across the floor.

‎"You're both lying to me," she said quietly "both of you." Selena stepped back, guilt flooding her face. "Eliana... just be careful, okay? Please things are going to get worse before they get better."

‎Before eliana could respond, a voice echoed from the hallway:

‎"Eliana! Are you still inside?"

‎Mara.

‎Selena panicked and slipped out the back door, disappearing like a guilty shadow.

‎That night, Eliana lay in bed staring at the ceiling her mind refused to rest.

‎Adrian's journal, selena's warning, their secret, their lies, their fear.

‎What could possibly be so serious that both of them were afraid to speak?

‎And worse...

‎Why did they both think she needed protection?

‎She grabbed her sketchbook, flipping to a blank page her pencil moved on its own, guided by instinct more than thought.

‎When she finished, she stared at the drawing three figures drowning in a swirl of shadows, a bright light behind them, and in the centre... one girl standing alone, watching the storm spread toward her.

‎A chill ran through her.

‎For the first time, she realised something:

‎This wasn't just about betrayal.

‎Something bigger was happening.

‎Something none of them were saying.

‎And somehow... she was in the middle of it.

‎Her phone buzzed suddenly a message from an unknown number:

‎"ELIANA, YOU DON'T KNOW THE FULL STORY MEET ME TOMORROW. ALONE."

‎Her breath caught.

‎The sender?

‎Selena.

‎