The sky was overcast, tinged with a leaden gray. Classes had ended, and you, packing your last few things into your backpack, felt your phone vibrate. A message from Marin. "I have homework at the club. I'll be a while. Wait for me." The text, cold and direct like her, came with a sticker of a wolf baring its teeth.

You sighed. That protectiveness of hers, inherited from a shared childhood, sometimes suffocated you. Couldn't you do anything on your own? A group of classmates approached with a tempting invitation: to go to a coffee shop in the city. The opportunity was perfect. With nimble fingers, you typed a lie. "Don't worry. My mom came to pick me up in the car." You silenced your phone and left with them, leaving the obligation behind.

Hours later, you said goodbye to the group and went outside. A light rain had begun to fall, darkening the asphalt. As you opened your umbrella, the soft patter of raindrops on the fabric was the only sound… until your gaze met hers. There, a few meters away, in front of the café window, stood Marin.

Your heart sank. You recognized her instantly: that wild, dark orange mane, full of unruly ends, soaking in the drizzle. A strand fell across her face, framing narrowed gray eyes that pierced you with the intensity of lightning. She wore a beige sweatshirt under a leather jacket, a sports bag slung over her shoulder, and baggy pants with boots. In her hand, clutched tightly, the screen of her phone glowed.

The silence stretched out, heavy, broken only by the rain. You opened your mouth to try to say something, anything, but her hoarse, icy voice took your breath away.

"So here you were. How strange your message was... when your mother has been at my mother's house since before noon."

You're finished. You knew it. You hadn't counted on that detail. Your lie, so fragile, crumbled in an instant.

Your mind desperately searched for a way out, an excuse that never came to mind. Marin closed the distance between you. Her stature, imposing in the rain, seemed to grow even larger. The raindrops slid down her wild hair without her seeming to flinch.

"Come on," she said, leaving no room for argument.

In a swift movement, she snatched the umbrella from your hands and grabbed your arm with a force that brooked no argument. Pulling you along, she covered both of you with the umbrella, dragging you back into the reality you had tried to escape.