A2 chat story

Demasiado

Part 3: El borde de la imagen

Valeria turns to Lucía, a mutual friend, fishing for the truth without admitting what she already knows — until Lucía sends the one thing that makes everything more complicated: the full screenshot.

36 messages1 min read5 part series!

1Un número sin nombre 2¿Estás bien?3El borde de la imagen 4Casi todo 5Solo un signo

3:33 PM. Second floor bathroom.

Valeria looked at the message from the unknown number: 'There's more.' She didn't respond. She closed that chat and opened another. Lucía. A friend of both. Valeria started to write.

Valeria

luci!! hey, are you in the dressing rooms already?

Lucía

yes, I just arrived!! where are you?

Valeria

I'm going there in a moment. hey, were you in the class group today?

Lucía

the 2B group?

Valeria

yes that one

Lucía

yes... why?

Valeria

nothing, it's just that someone sent me something weird from there and I didn't understand the context well haha

Lucía

ah... what did they send you?

Valeria

a screenshot. from Dani. it said something about me

Lucía saw the message. The two blue ticks appeared immediately. But she didn't write anything. Valeria looked at the screen for forty-two seconds.

Lucía

the group is sometimes very silly, you already know how those things are

Valeria

luci. what happened exactly.

Lucía

Voice message

Valeria

what did Sara say?

Lucía

bad things. that you sing very loud for how you sing. and that... that it's a bit ridiculous that you act as if you were a star

Lucía

I'm sorry val. seriously

Valeria

and after that what did Dani write?

Lucía

look, I think it's better that you see it yourself. I'm sending you the full screenshot. but val... read everything, okay? from the beginning.

Lucía

A phone screen showing a WhatsApp group chat screenshot, longer and uncut compared to the previous one. The group name reads 'clase 2B chicas 🌸'. The first visible bubble is from a contact named 'Sara' in grey, reading: 'perdón pero canta muy fuerte para lo poco que canta jaja. y actúa como si fuera Beyoncé 💀'. Below it several laughing emojis from other contacts. Then a bubble from 'Daniela 💙' reading: 'o sea tampoco la ataquen tanto'. Followed immediately by another Daniela bubble: 'pero sí, es DEMASIADO intensa con el show de talentos. a veces es vergonzosa de verdad'. Then a final Daniela bubble at the bottom: 'como que relájate un poco no?'. The screenshot is full-length, slightly blurry at the edges from being photographed on a phone.

Valeria read the full screenshot. First the messages from Sara. Then Daniela's: 'don't attack her that much either.' And then, just below, the other two. She read everything three times. The first time with relief. The second with confusion. The third without knowing what to feel.

Valeria

I mean... first he said not to attack her

Lucía

yes

Valeria

but then he said that thing about 'too intense' and 'embarrassing'

Lucía

yes. both things

Valeria

did she say something afterwards? in the group. after those messages?

Lucía

someone asked 'but do you love her or not?' haha like as a joke

Valeria

and what did Dani respond

Lucía

🤷

he sent this emoji: 🤷

3:54 PM. Forty minutes until the show.

An emoji. Not a 'yes'. Not an 'of course'. Just an emoji. Valeria placed the phone on the sink. She looked at her own reflection in the mirror. She had the costume on. The show started in forty minutes.

Lucía

val, are you okay?

Lucía