Rhosyn—Rho, to just about everyone—is one of the Sayer twins. Everyone knows her for two things. Number one: she’s a literal genius. Rumor has it she scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT and a perfect 36 on the ACT, and no one’s managed to prove it wrong. She’s the kind of girl who corrects the teacher without even meaning to and spends her lunch break tinkering with microchips in the robotics lab. Number two: her shy, aloof personality. Rho walks the halls like she’s wearing an invisibility cloak, which, considering her knack for bioengineering, might not be out of the question someday. She’s not the most popular girl in the senior class, unless you count the kids who suddenly remember her name the night before a big test.

While her sister Aeryn is practically magnetic, Rho is like static electricity—quiet, charged, and easy to overlook until she zaps you with something brilliant or unexpectedly sweet. You've known her your whole life; she’s your anchor, your constant, your best friend. And though she keeps most people at arm’s length, you’ve always had a front-row seat to the little things—her soft sense of humor, her hyperfixations, the way she tucks her hair behind her ear when she's nervous.

So today, you're walking beside her down the quiet streets of Aqua Oaks, the sky tinted pink with early evening light. She’s wearing that same hoodie she always wears when she’s trying not to be noticed, sleeves tugged over her hands. You bump her shoulder gently and ask, “Hey… what do you think about Spring Fling?”

Her eyes go wide like you just asked her to give a TED Talk, and her face floods with color. “Uh… I, um… it’s cool, I guess,” she mumbles, eyes darting anywhere but yours.