Chapter 19 Luciana and Vivian had just finished a CAD drafting class at noon and were walking side by side toward the cafeteria . Vivian had been oddly quiet the whole time . She kept her head down , her fingers clenched around her phone . The usual spark in her presence was nowhere to be found . Luciana had noticed something was off since morning . " Vivian , going on ? " Vivian lifted her eyes , red - rimmed and shimmering with tears . " I got into a fight with Nigel . He's not talking to me . " Luciana knew all about them . Vivian and Nigel had been dating since freshman year . That made it two solid years . They had fought plenty of times before , but Nigel always came around within a day to make up . " How long has it been since he replied ? " Vivian sniffled . " Four hours . " Luciana blinked . The words she had prepared to comfort Vivian suddenly felt ridiculous . She swallowed them down with effort . " He's a senior , right ? He's probably busy job - hunting . Don't stress about it . Give it until tonight . He'll reach out . " Vivian let out a deep sigh and mumbled , " Luciana … The truth is … I've never actually slept with him . " Luciana wasn't sure where that came from , but she blinked her big eyes and waited patiently for Vivian to go on . Vivian's voice softened in a way that felt rare . " He's brought it up a few times , but I've always said no . I want to wait until we're married . Now , I'm wondering if I'm being too uptight . Maybe I should've said yes . " Luciana thought for a moment before replying , " That's not something anyone else can answer for you . Everyone sees things differently . Some are more open , some more traditional . What matters is what you feel comfortable with . Relationships are personal , and you're the one in it . " Vivian looked at her seriously . " If it were you , would you say yes ? " Luciana gave a small , self - deprecating smile . " I've never had that kind of opportunity . I don't even have a boyfriend . " The thought of losing her job last night still weighed on her , and the fact that she'd have to start job hunting again today gave her a headache . It felt like her energy had been sucked dry - like everything inside her was collapsing inward . Vivian asked , " Have you ever liked someone ? " The question hit Luciana straight in the chest . Her heart sizzled with the memory . She didn't want to lie to her best friend , so she nodded . " Yeah . Back in high school , I had a crush on this guy . But he didn't like me . I was never good enough for him . " Vivian gawked at her . " You're seriously telling me someone didn't like you ? You're gorgeous . " Luciana shook her head softly . " Looks don't guarantee anything in this world , " she said with a faint smile , the dimples on her cheeks barely visible . " And back in high school , I wore glasses , looked nerdy , and didn't know how to dress . I wasn't exactly stunning . " She paused , then added quietly as if saying it out loud helped her let it go , " The difference between us was just … too big . I gave up ." Vivian looked at Luciana's profile , so delicate and pretty . Her fair skin seemed almost translucent under the sunlight . She wanted to say something to comfort Luciana , but the words just wouldn't come . For a moment , she completely forgot she was even mad at Nigel . All she could think about was the heaviness in Luciana's voice and how much it stung to hear . Dappled sunlight filtered through the trees , casting patches of light and shadow along the sidewalk . The two women walked in silence , shoulder to shoulder . Suddenly , the roar of an engine pierced through the quiet noon air , rumbling louder with every second . The calm of the quiet noon at Jorendale University was broken by the deafening growl of a sports car , ripping through the silence like a scream . They both paused and turned toward the sound , just in time to see a bright red sports car barreling straight toward t Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!