Chapter 3 : Butterflies Wings

Tulip's day started like a storm. The math test-her last hope for redeeming herself in the class-had turned into a disaster. Despite pulling an all-nighter, her brain had failed to connect the dots. The numbers danced on the paper, mocking her. She stared at the test in front of her, and the sinking feeling in her chest grew heavier. What was the point of all that studying if I can't even remember the basics?

The frustration bubbled up inside her, like a pot on the verge of boiling over. She scribbled a hasty doodle in her notebook, the lines shaky and uneven. Stupid, stupid, stupid... Her mind churned with doubt, but she couldn't find a way to stop the flood of thoughts.

"You're gonna rip through the paper at this rate."

The message from Ren yanked her from her spiral. She glanced at the screen and found an image of a squiggly cat wearing oversized glasses. It was so absurd it almost made her forget about the test. Almost.

"Trying to out-doodle me, huh?" she typed back, snapping a picture of her own notebook. Her doodles were random-patterns of spirals and stars-but they seemed to lift the weight, if only a little.

"Wow, you're a prodigy," Ren replied, complete with a "Wow" emoji. Tulip couldn't help but smile, even if it was just a twitch at the corners of her lips.

After a few more exchanges, the conversation shifted.

"You good? You seem... off today."

Tulip paused, fingers hovering over the keyboard. She wasn't used to people seeing past the mask she wore so well. But Ren was different. He had a way of breaking down her walls, even if she didn't want him to.

"Just one of those days," she typed, "where everything feels meh. You know?"

His response was swift, and surprisingly, not probing. "Yeah. I know those days."

Tulip felt a small, unexpected comfort in his simple acknowledgment. He didn't push, didn't try to fix her.

"You're the kind of person who'd crush this eventually. You're... what's that word? Oh, persistent."

"You mean stubborn?" she shot back, the familiar spark of their banter lighting up her chest.

"Same thing," he replied, adding a shrug emoji.

The playful back-and-forth lightened her mood a little more.

"So, what made you start drawing?" Tulip asked, curious. She hadn't asked him this before, but his art was part of the person she admired.

Ren was quiet for a moment. "Honestly? I don't know. It's like... I can't not draw. It's one of the few things I feel like I'm good at. Even though I'm still figuring stuff out."

Tulip's brow furrowed in disbelief. "Still figuring stuff out? You're insanely talented. Like, I don't know anyone who can do what you do."

Ren paused again. The ellipsis lingered, almost as if he were trying to find the right words. "Thanks, but... Sometimes it feels like I'm faking it, you know? Like people just hype me up because they feel bad."

Tulip's fingers hovered over the keyboard, her heart heavy for him. She wasn't expecting this side of him-the self-doubt that gnawed at his thoughts. She had always seen Ren as someone confident, maybe even a little too aloof at times, but never as someone who carried that much weight inside. Her mind raced, trying to come up with something to say, but the truth was, she didn't have all the answers either.

She leaned back in her chair, staring out the window as she typed. "That's not true, Ren. You're incredible. And I'm not just saying that to be nice. Butterflies can't see their wings. They can't see how truly beautiful they are, but everyone else can. You're just like that."

For a moment, there was only silence from Ren on the other end of the conversation. The usual stream of emojis and quirky responses didn't come. Instead, Tulip felt a strange stillness settle in. She didn't know if he was thinking or if her words had even reached him.

When he finally responded, it was quieter than usual. "Maybe," he said, his tone soft and uncertain. "It's just hard to believe it sometimes. When you're stuck in your own head, it's like... no one can really see the full picture. They just see what you show them, you know?"

Tulip felt a pang in her chest as she read his words. It was the kind of vulnerability she rarely saw, especially from him. Despite the carefree humor he often hid behind, Ren was just as lost in his own self-doubt as anyone else. And that made her heart ache for him.

"Ren..." she typed, not quite knowing what to say, but feeling the need to say something. "I get it. Believe me, I do. But you don't need to hide behind your insecurities. Not with me. Not ever."

There was a long pause after she sent that message, and she found herself holding her breath, waiting for his reply. When it came, it wasn't the typical witty comeback she was used to. Instead, he just wrote, "Thanks, Tulip. I needed to hear that."

The simplicity of his response struck her. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make her realize how important those small moments were. It wasn't about having everything figured out. It was about being there for each other, even when the doubts felt like they might swallow them whole.

"Anytime," she replied, her heart feeling a little lighter. "And hey, you are talented. Don't forget that."

His message didn't come immediately, but when it did, it was direct: "Yeah. I know those days."

Tulip groaned, leaning back in her chair. "One of these days," she repeated, and despite the sting of defeat, she found herself genuinely smiling. The weight of the test, of her doubts, seemed to lift just a little. Maybe it wasn't so important to have everything figured out all the time.

Ren, too, found comfort in their conversations, his mind temporarily escaping the self-doubt that often lingered. The hours passed by, unnoticed, until the sound of a phone buzzing interrupted his thoughts.

He glanced at the screen, and his brow furrowed as he saw the name that popped up.

It was Maya.