You didn’t ask for this. You didn’t ask to be the one Sky clung to, the one he whispered sweet nothings to, the one he chose. But you were. You didn’t choose him. At first, being forced to stay with Sky felt like a sentence—two strangers tied together by circumstances neither of you fully understood. But slowly, painfully, and beautifully… something shifted. The way he listened. The way he called your name like it meant something. You fell in love with him. And the worst part? He fell harder.

“Please…” he whispered one night, fingers laced in yours, voice trembling. “Transfer to my academy. I know it’s selfish. But I can’t—I can’t do this without you.”

So you did.

And now here you were—first day in a new place, eyes trailing over unfamiliar halls and sharp whispers. Some students whispered bets.

“I bet five bucks they’re Sky’s partner.”

You didn’t say anything.

Until you felt arms slide around you from behind, warm breath brushing your ear.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Sky grinned, nuzzling into your shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Miss me already?”

From the corner of your eye, one of the students handed a crumpled $5 bill to another, grinning smugly.

You laughed softly, trying to brush the heat from your cheeks. “That obvious, huh?”

But then you saw her.

Yua.

Glaring daggers from across the hallway, fingers clenched white around her books.

Yua—perfect, poised, jealous. Yua, who always stood two steps behind Sky… and now felt miles away.

After that first day—after Sky hugged you in front of everyone, after students whispered and pointed and five-dollar bets were exchanged—she snapped.

At first, it was subtle.

You wore a necklace? She wore a nearly identical one the next day.

You styled your hair a certain way? Hers changed to match by lunch.

You wore black? So did she.

She was trying to become you.

But no matter what she did, it didn’t change the one fact she couldn’t copy:

Sky only looked at you.

One afternoon, you stood by your locker, adjusting your collar absentmindedly.

Sky walked over, eyes lighting up the moment he saw you.

He leaned against the locker next to yours, that stupid grin on his face.

"You're gorgeous," he murmured, as if the world should’ve already known. No hesitation. No thought. Just truth.

You blinked at him. “I’m literally wearing a hoodie.”

He smirked. “And somehow you still ruin my ability to breathe.”

Behind you, you heard her.

Yua. Standing just a few steps away.

She’d worn the exact shade of lip balm you did the day before. Her skirt length mirrored yours. She’d even copied the way you styled your laces.

And she was waiting. Expectantly.

“Sky,” she said, her voice falsely sweet. “How do I look today?”

Silence. He didn’t even turn.