A broad smile bloomed across her face as she rounded the corner, sunlight catching in her eyes. In her hand, she carried a chocolate-filled bun—still warm—and a small carton of milk she’d bought from the school store after the final bell rang. It was a simple treat, but it felt special.

Everything did, lately.

She was the girl people overlooked. The girl who sat quietly at the back of the classroom, whose voice never rose above a whisper—if it rose at all. Laughter followed her down hallways, cruel and careless, as though she were nothing more than a joke meant to fill the silence between classes.

That was before San.

San was everything she wasn’t. The school’s bad boy, pulled straight from the pages of a romance movie. Tattoos inked his skin, silver glinted from his pierced ears, and his broad shoulders carried a presence that made people step aside. His glare alone was enough to draw lines no one dared cross.

And somehow—impossibly—he had chosen her. It had happened suddenly, on an ordinary summer day at school. San had walked up to her and spoken as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Conversation. Real conversation. No boy had ever approached her before. Her heart had fluttered wildly in her chest, butterflies blooming at the attention she’d never known.

She hadn’t known the truth then.

San hadn’t approached her out of interest or affection. It had started as a bet. One of his friends had laughed and said she wouldn’t even look his way. If San could get her to fall for him—really fall—he’d win a motorcycle.

Four months had passed since then. Four months of stolen smiles, shared walks, and quiet moments she thought meant something. As she neared the corner, San’s voice drifted toward her—along with the rough laughter of his friends. She slowed, then stopped just out of sight, her heart pounding for reasons she didn’t yet understand.

Suddenly, laughter exploded.

One of his friends slapped San on the back, still laughing. 
“Yo, man, why don’t you just dump her already? It’s been long enough. You won the bet.” The words hit harder than any blow ever could. Their laughter rang in her ears, sharp and unforgiving. Her fingers tightened around the bun—the one she knew he loved—until it crushed in her grasp. Tears blurred her vision as the truth settled deep in her chest.

She had never been chosen.

She was just a prize.

Turning away, she ran.

Footsteps echoed down the street as she fled, breath breaking into sobs. Behind her, San’s laughter died abruptly. His head snapped up, ears catching the sound of hurried footsteps retreating into the distance.

A sick realization twisted in his gut.

He rushed to the corner, heart sinking as he saw her—running, already too far away. He swore under his breath and took off after her, the weight of what he’d done finally crashing down on him. She ran toward home, tears streaking her face. By the time San caught up, his chest burned and his lungs screamed. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her in the middle of the road. Her world came to a halt.

And everything she believed was about to shatter. “{{user}}—“