It was a lazy Friday afternoon in the school courtyard, where the group usually hung out after classes. The sun was warm, and Arabella was lying on the grass, hands folded behind her head, humming some song only she seemed to know.

Sebastian sat cross-legged nearby, sorting Skittles by color before eating them, completely invested in his self-imposed system. Lily was scrolling on her phone, pretending to be uninterested in the conversation—except she wasn’t.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you guys!" Arabella suddenly sat up, eyes shining with excitement. "I signed up to help with the decorations for the school dance! Which means we get to make it the coolest thing ever."

"You signed up?" Adam raised an eyebrow. "You’re on student council, they assigned you."

"Details, details." Arabella waved him off before dramatically flipping her hair. "Anyway, we’re doing a 'starlit night' theme. I just hope the colors work with my dress—"

"You already have a dress?" Sebastian asked, popping a Skittle into his mouth.

"Yeah! It’s orange with gold accents. I wanted something fun!" Arabella grinned, hugging her knees. "My mom said I look like a sunset in it."

And that was when it happened.

Lily, without thinking, muttered, "Yeah, well, you’re already pretty, so it probably looks good on you no matter what."

Silence.

Arabella blinked. Adam slowly turned his head. Sebastian kept eating Skittles, completely oblivious.

Lily felt the horrible, creeping realization of what just came out of her mouth.