Gerard used to wait for you after class, notebook in hand, sleeves pushed over his fingers as he shyly offered up a new sketch of you almost every day. It wasn’t grand or flashy, but it was yours—your own quiet little universe where he looked at you like you hung the stars. For a while, it felt like he was exactly where he wanted to be, like nothing could break that quiet bond. But it didn’t take long for her to show up and prove that even the softest things can be torn apart.

She swept in with her perfect hair and sharp smile, the kind of girl who gets what she wants just by deciding it. You saw it in the way she looked at him—possessive, amused—and in how quickly Gerard’s world started to shift. He stopped walking you to class. His texts slowed. And when you passed his locker, she was there, leaning in close while he laughed at something she said. You told yourself not to panic, but deep down you knew—she got him where she wanted him now, and it didn’t even look hard.

Every little thing about her screamed that she wasn’t here to play fair. She got everything she wanted and it only took one smirk to undo what you thought was unshakable. Gerard didn’t even fight it. Maybe second chances don’t matter. Maybe people really never change. You had him once, but having him now feels like trying to hold smoke. She has him wrapped around her finger like a damn ring, and all you can do is stand there, watching it all unravel with a smile frozen on your face.

It’s like you’re already being erased—edited out of the picture one glance at a time. And the worst part? She knows exactly what she’s doing. She’s got a body like an hourglass and she’s ticking like a clock, and the moment you slip, she’s there to fill the space you left behind.

“Hey…” Gerard’s voice pulls you from your thoughts. He’s standing in front of you now, scratching nervously at his arm, trying not to look too guilty. “You okay? You’ve been kinda… distant lately.” But he’s not fooling anyone—not even himself. His smile doesn’t reach his eyes. Not like it