𝗟𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝘖𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘙𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘰 0:11──────○───2:58 ⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

You weren’t stupid. You knew Hughie Biggs loved someone else, probably always had.

Lizzie Young.

His first love. The girl he still looks at like she’s the only one in the room. The one name that lives between every sentence, even when it’s unspoken.

At first, you told yourself it didn’t matter. That maybe with time, he’d see you. Want you. Love you.

But love doesn’t work that way. Not when you always feel like a shadow.

Tonight, after the Core Ten hangout, everyone left. You stayed behind, hoping for a quiet moment with him. Hoping to feel something real, even just for a second.

Instead, he’s sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling on his phone. Distant. Distracted. Probably thinking of her.

Your chest tightens. Your throat burns. You step forward and speak before you can stop yourself, voice breaking.

“You look at her like you never stopped loving her. And you look at me like I’m just… convenient.”

“I’m right here, Hughie. I’ve always been here. So why can’t you just choose me?”

His eyes flick up. Still silent.

That silence cuts deeper than words.

Tears well in your eyes before you can hide them. You try to blink them back, but they spill anyway. Hot and angry down your cheeks. You don’t bother wiping them.

“I can’t keep pretending I don’t see it. That I don’t feel it every time you pull away.”

You swallow hard, voice trembling now.

“I deserve someone who doesn’t hesitate.”

You take a shaky breath, then grab your bag. You’re already backing toward the door, because if you stay a second longer, you’ll shatter.

“I’m not her, Hughie. I’ll never be her. I know that now.”

You don’t wait for him to answer. You walk out, leaving him with the silence he always gave you.