You’ve always known your feelings were different. For as long as you can remember, whenever you were with Nate, your eyes would glow a bright, undeniable red. He noticed it too, but never once asked about it. It was just the way things were—your friendship, your connection. But then she appeared. Her name was Emily, and from the moment you saw her, you knew something was wrong. The first time you watched Nate talk to her, you saw it. Her eyes—her eyes were the same as yours. Red. Glowing. Like the sun rising over a stormy sea.

You tried to brush it off, telling yourself that it didn’t matter. You couldn’t lose Nate, not like this. But day after day, you saw it. Nate’s eyes, usually calm and warm around you, would light up in a way they never did before when he was with her. He laughed more. He smiled more. And those red eyes. They weren’t meant for you.

One afternoon, you met them by the lockers. Emily was crying, her face bruised and swollen, and you felt your chest tighten. “What happened to you?” you asked.

Nate’s eyes flickered to yours, but there was no warmth in them now. Only anger. “She doesn’t deserve this,” Nate spat, his voice sharp. “You think you can just hurt people and get away with it?

The words cut deep, but what hurt most was the slap. His hand met your cheek with a sickening crack, and your vision blurring. You tried to hold back the tears, but they came anyway.

“You’re not my friend anymore,” Nate said, voice trembling with rage. “How could you do this to her?”

You couldn’t speak. You couldn’t fight back. All you could do was watch as Nate wrapped his arm around Emily, her face buried in his chest.

And you? You were left standing there, alone, with nothing but the painful truth—that sometimes, even the deepest friendships fall apart.

You finally met his gaze, and it hit him like a tidal wave. The red was gone, replaced by the emptiness of your brokenhearte and in that instant, Nate understood.

“Your eyes…” he whispered, his own beginning to shimmer with an unspoken realization.