For the rest of the evening, Tyler found it impossible to focus on anything properly.
Jacob's words had planted a seed inside his mind.
A girl likes you.
Such a simple sentence.
Yet it was enough to completely ruin his ability to think rationally.
Every few minutes his eyes would unconsciously drift toward Clara.
Every time they did, his heart immediately began racing.
What if it was her?
The possibility alone felt ridiculous.
But the more he thought about it, the harder it became to stop.
Maybe she noticed him.
Maybe she enjoyed talking to him.
Maybe she smiled differently when speaking to him.
Maybe...
The dangerous chain of thoughts continued growing until reality suddenly appeared and shattered most of it.
Reality's name was Aaron Foster.
Across the café, Aaron had somehow ended up sitting beside Clara.
The two were talking casually while several other students sat around them. Nothing about the scene was unusual. They were simply having a normal conversation.
Yet Tyler couldn't stop watching.
Aaron said something.
Clara laughed.
Aaron laughed too.
She replied immediately.
The conversation flowed naturally.
Comfortably.
Easily.
Tyler's smile weakened.
He quickly looked away and took a sip from his drink.
Then looked back again.
Immediately regretting it.
Why is he always around her?
The thought appeared before he could stop it.
Aaron wasn't doing anything wrong.
In fact, Aaron was one of the better students in class.
He was athletic, smart, reasonably popular, and generally liked by everyone.
The more Tyler thought about it, the worse he felt.
Because compared to Aaron...
What exactly did he have?
A few decent grades?
A quiet personality?
An unhealthy habit of staring at Clara whenever she wasn't looking?
The comparison alone was painful.
He shook his head and forced himself to focus elsewhere.
Don't be stupid.
They're just talking.
Normal people talk.
You're acting weird.
Unfortunately, logic wasn't particularly effective against first love.
Thankfully, the party itself soon provided a distraction.
After most of the students had arrived and everyone finished eating, Clara stood up from her chair and lightly clapped her hands.
The surrounding conversations gradually died down.
Everyone turned toward her.
A smile appeared on her face.
"Since everyone is here now, we can start some of the activities."
Noah immediately looked suspicious.
"Activities?"
The room laughed.
"That never sounds good."
"It'll be fun," Clara replied.
"That's exactly what people say before something embarrassing happens."
More laughter followed.
Clara rolled her eyes.
"We prepared a few things."
Then she looked around the room.
"One of them is simple."
Nobody trusted that smile.
"We thought it would be nice if everyone showed some kind of talent."
Immediate groans spread throughout the café.
Chris buried his face in his hands.
Kai shook his head.
Meanwhile Clara seemed far too pleased with herself.
"It doesn't have to be anything special."
"That's what makes it worse," Kai complained.
One of Clara's friends volunteered first.
The girl stepped forward and performed a short dance routine that earned enthusiastic applause from everyone.
Another student showed card tricks.
A boy from same class somehow solved a Rubik's Cube in less than a minute.
Someone attempted magic.
The trick failed halfway through.
The failure was somehow funnier than success.
Laughter filled the café.
The atmosphere became increasingly relaxed.
Even Tyler found himself smiling.
Eventually Chris's name was called.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
After losing the argument, Chris reluctantly stood up.
The moment he stepped forward, a grin appeared on his face.
Which immediately worried everyone.
"Alright."
He cleared his throat dramatically and straightened his posture.
"You asked for this."
A few students exchanged nervous looks.
Chris suddenly transformed.
He folded his arms behind his back and narrowed his eyes.
"Class," he said in a perfect imitation of Mr. Parker, "I am not angry. I am simply disappointed."
The room burst into laughter immediately.
Chris slowly walked between the tables, stopping beside Noah.
"Would you like to share your fascinating conversation with the entire class?"
Noah nearly choked laughing.
Without warning, Chris switched characters.
He pushed imaginary glasses up his nose and smiled brightly.
"Good morning, everyone!" he said in Miss Donna's cheerful voice. "Today we're going to have fun!"
Then his smile vanished.
"Unless someone forgot their homework."
The sudden change was so accurate that several students doubled over laughing.
Even Clara covered her mouth.
Chris wasn't finished.
He puffed out his chest and began pacing like Coach Cole.
"Move, move, move!" he barked. "You call that running? My grandmother runs faster than that!"
He pointed dramatically at Kai.
"You! Lap around the field!"
Kai blinked.
"I didn't even do anything."
"Exactly!" Chris shouted in character.
The café erupted.
By now Chris was jumping between teachers effortlessly, copying their voices, expressions, and strange habits. Every new impression triggered another wave of laughter.
Finally he returned to Mr. Parker one last time, letting out a long, exhausted sigh while staring at the ceiling.
The sigh was so perfect that half the café completely lost it.
People were leaning on tables for support.
Noah was wiping tears from his eyes.
Even Amaya nearly fell out of his chair laughing.
Chris finished with a dramatic bow.
"Thank you."
The applause that followed was surprisingly loud.
Noah immediately volunteered next.
Nobody knew whether that was bravery or stupidity.
"Observe."
Everyone watched.
Noah proudly announced that his talent was eating.
Kai physically covered his face.
"This is embarrassing."
Noah ignored him.
Several minutes later he had somehow transformed eating sandwiches into a performance.
Nobody understood how.
Nobody understood why.
Yet everyone laughed anyway.
Even the café staff looked entertained.
Then came Kai.
Unlike everyone else, Kai approached the challenge seriously.
Someone handed him a difficult mathematics puzzle found online.
Kai solved it in less than two minutes.
The room collectively decided he was weird.
Kai accepted the judgment without complaint.
Several more students performed afterward.
One girl sang.
A boy recited poetry.
Another student played a harmonica.
Someone demonstrated impressive football tricks using a small ball brought specifically for that purpose.
The performances varied wildly in quality.
That only made them more entertaining.
Eventually Clara's turn arrived.
The room immediately quieted.
She looked slightly nervous.
Which surprised everyone.
Then she walked toward the small piano positioned near the corner of the café.
Tyler blinked.
There was a piano?
Apparently there was.
Clara sat down and placed her fingers gently on the keys.
The first note echoed softly through the room.
Conversations stopped.
People turned.
The melody flowed naturally.
Elegant.
Comforting.
Beautiful.
Tyler couldn't take his eyes off her.
For several minutes the entire café remained quiet.
Listening.
Watching.
Enjoying.
When Clara finally finished, the applause lasted longer than anyone else's.
Tyler clapped too.
Probably harder than necessary.
Chris noticed.
Of course he did.
Unfortunately.
Before Tyler could recover, Clara began checking names on a list.
One by one she crossed people off.
Then suddenly stopped.
Her eyes landed on him.
"Oh."
Tyler immediately sensed danger.
"You haven't gone yet."
The room followed her gaze.
Every eye inside the café shifted toward him.
Chris smiled.
Noah smiled.
Kai looked interested.
Which somehow felt worse.
Clara pointed toward the open space near the piano.
"Your turn."
For a moment Tyler genuinely considered pretending he hadn't heard her.
Then he looked around the room.
Escape wasn't possible.
Not anymore.
And suddenly the boy who had spent the entire evening secretly watching someone else became the center of everyone's attention.
For a moment Tyler genuinely considered running away.
The café door wasn't that far away.
If he moved quickly enough, maybe nobody could stop him.
Unfortunately, Chris immediately understood what he was thinking.
"Don't."
Tyler pointed toward himself in disbelief. "I don't have a talent."
"Lie."
"I don't."
"Lie again."
Several students laughed, making Tyler groan as he turned toward Noah, hoping for support from at least one person. Instead, Noah pointed directly toward the open space near the piano.
"Go."
Traitor.
Complete traitor.
"I seriously don't have anything."
Chris folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "You've been sitting there judging everyone for the last hour."
"I wasn't judging."
"You definitely were."
More laughter followed, and Tyler immediately looked toward Kai, convinced that if anyone would be reasonable, it would be him. Kai simply shrugged.
"He's right."
Tyler stared at him. "You too?"
Kai remained completely calm. "I suffered through Noah's performance. Now it's your turn."
The room quickly joined in against him. Some students started chanting his name while others simply smiled and waited expectantly. The more attention he received, the less he wanted to move. What had started as a harmless party activity was rapidly turning into a public ambush.
Eventually Clara noticed that he was genuinely uncomfortable. A hint of sympathy appeared on her face as she stepped in to rescue him.
"You don't have to do anything complicated."
Tyler immediately looked at her. Finally, someone reasonable.
Clara smiled reassuringly. "You can just answer a question."
Several students nodded in agreement.
"Yeah."
"That's fair."
"Easy."
Tyler relaxed slightly.
A question wasn't bad.
He could survive a question.
Before Clara could suggest anything else, Miles suddenly pointed toward her.
"Or he could say something about the Organizer."
Several students immediately agreed.
"Oh, that's easy."
"Just a compliment."
"No talent needed."
Clara laughed.
"That's not what I meant."
"Too late," Evans said. "The people have spoken."
Tyler nodded. That sounded harmless enough. A few compliments, a few words, and then he could sit back down. Simple.
Unfortunately, his brain had already stopped functioning properly several hours ago.
Ever since Jacob's stupid rumor.
A girl likes you.
That single sentence had completely destroyed his ability to think rationally. Every smile from Clara, every glance, every conversation, and every interaction had been analyzed far more than they deserved. Throughout the entire evening he had secretly convinced himself that maybe, just maybe, the mysterious girl was her.
So when he finally stepped forward and everyone looked at him expectantly, he walked directly into the trap without realizing it.
Tyler cleared his throat as the room gradually quieted. Clara stood nearby smiling politely, waiting for him to begin.
"Well..."
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Clara is kind."
Several students nodded. It was a safe answer.
"She gets along with everyone."
More nodding followed.
"She helps people whenever they need it."
Clara smiled awkwardly, clearly embarrassed by being praised in front of everyone. Tyler should have stopped there. Any intelligent person would have stopped there.
Unfortunately, Tyler was currently operating with the decision-making abilities of a hopelessly lovestruck fourteen-year-old.
So he kept talking.
"She's also the kind of person who makes people comfortable."
A few students exchanged glances.
Tyler didn't notice.
"When she enters a room..."
He paused briefly.
"...the atmosphere feels lighter."
Chris slowly sat up.
Noah immediately looked toward him.
Both boys shared a look.
Meanwhile Tyler continued.
"People naturally want to talk to her."
Kai raised an eyebrow.
Several girls covered small smiles.
Still Tyler didn't notice.
"She makes difficult situations easier."
Now students were actively looking between Clara and Tyler.
"She's someone everyone likes being around."
Chris was biting his lip.
Noah looked seconds away from exploding.
Tyler kept talking.
"She's thoughtful, reliable, and friendly."
Clara's face was gradually turning red.
Around the room, students had already started whispering.
Tyler noticed none of it.
Then someone from the back laughed.
"So is there anything else you want to say?"
Tyler should have stopped.
Instead he decided to finish with one last compliment.
His biggest mistake.
He looked toward Clara.
Actually looked at her.
For a brief moment everything else disappeared.
Then he smiled.
"I think she's probably the most beautiful girl in our class."
Silence.
Complete silence.
For one second Tyler thought nothing was wrong.
Then reality arrived.
Chris's eyes widened.
Noah froze.
Kai stared.
Several students looked toward Clara.
Then back toward Tyler.
Then toward Clara again.
The realization spread through the room instantly.
Chris broke first.
A loud laugh exploded from him.
Noah immediately followed.
Within seconds both boys looked like they were dying.
"Oh my God."
Chris slapped the table repeatedly.
"Oh my God."
Noah couldn't even form complete sentences anymore.
Several students covered their mouths.
Others started pointing between Tyler and Clara.
Suddenly everything made sense.
The staring.
The awkwardness.
The way Tyler kept looking toward Clara.
The way he reacted whenever she spoke to him.
Even the way he kept glancing toward Aaron earlier.
Every piece clicked together.
Only then did Tyler realize what he had done.
The smile vanished from his face.
His eyes widened.
And the entire evening replayed itself inside his mind. The staring, the jealousy, the awkward conversations, the compliments, the rumor, the hope everything came crashing together at once.
A horrifying realization struck him.
He had just exposed himself.
In front of the class.
Tyler wanted to die.
Immediately.
Preferably right now.
Across the room Clara covered her face.
Then she started laughing.
Tyler barely noticed anything else.
Not the embarrassment on her face.
Not the shock.
Not the fact that she looked just as caught off guard as everyone else.
All he saw was Clara laughing.
That image burned itself into his memory.
Chris refused to let the moment die.
"Most beautiful girl in class!"
Noah nearly fell out of his chair.
"Tyler!"
"You romantic idiot!"
"I'm leaving."
Tyler immediately turned around.
"I'm leaving."
The laughter only got louder.
Tyler wished the floor would open beneath him.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur.
Every conversation felt awkward.
Every glance felt suspicious.
Every smile felt dangerous.
By the time he finally left Maccha Café that night, the excitement he had carried for weeks was completely gone.
What had begun as one of the most anticipated evenings before the end of middle school had transformed into one of the most embarrassing experiences of his life.
And unfortunately, it was a memory he would never forget.