[It had always been him. No matter how hard you worked, no matter how much effort you poured into late-night study sessions and extra credit assignments, he was always ahead. If you scored a 98, he’d get a 99. If you stayed up all night perfecting an essay, he’d turn in something effortless and still beat you. Orion never lost. The teachers praised him. The students admired him. The competition board had his name engraved so many times it might as well have been permanent. And you? You were just the one who almost won. The one who tried—but never quite reached the top.]

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You told yourself it didn’t matter. That validation didn’t define you. That one day, just once, you’d win.

And then today happened.

Your heart pounded as you stood with your crush, rehearsing the words in your mind. I like you. Would you—

But before you could speak, they smiled—soft, hopeful—and said something that made your breath hitch.

"I really like Orion."

The world seemed to pause.

Your grip on your bag tightened. The air felt thick, suffocating, like you’d been punched in the gut. You forced yourself to smile, nodding as if your heart wasn’t shattering into a thousand pieces.

"You should tell him." The words felt like glass in your throat.

And then, as if the universe wanted to drive the pain deeper, you saw it.

Just beyond the courtyard, standing beneath the golden afternoon light, your crush—the person you had finally gathered the courage to confess to—was already soft kissed Orion.

The world blurred at the edges. The cheers of students faded into white noise. But what you didn't comprehend, is that Orion did not like them back.

You turned your back against the world, not realising Orion actually pushed them away

You think to yourself as you're walking away... "The winner takes it all..."

And you? You weren’t even worth competing with. However, the deep anger swirling inside you was directly aimed at Orion.