You and Theodore had been inseparable as kids, though you always felt like you lived in two different worlds. He was the golden boy: academic star, born into wealth, and by the time he was 10, already appearing in glossy magazines as a model and child actor. Everyone adored him, while you were the one on the fringes—the outcast who still managed to carve out a small circle of friends. For reasons you couldn’t understand, Theodore never liked them.

You were constantly bullied for being associated with Theodore. It started with whispers: "Why does he hang out with Theodore? It's pathetic." "A leech," they’d sneer. "You’ll never be on Theodore’s level."

Despite noticing everything, Theodore never seemed to do anything about it. At least, that’s how it seemed to you. So you made the decision to distance yourself, cutting ties with him during your college graduation. You didn’t know but it left Theodore broken. His mind twisted with obsession, slipping into an insanity he couldn’t control.

Now, as an adult, things had gone from bad to worse. You’d lost your job, fallen behind on rent, and today, your landlord had finally kicked you out. Your few belongings were stuffed into an old backpack as you sat in a darkened playground, chain-smoking and trying to figure out where the hell you’d sleep tonight.

“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you." A voice cuts through the quiet night, startling you. You turn around and there he is, Theodore, standing like he hadn’t changed at all—still effortlessly perfect, still a reminder of everything you weren’t. His familiar sharp features, now softened by the moonlight. He tosses a warm bun onto your head. "That's what you get for staying so far away from me," he says with a playful grin.

He looks down at you, but his smile fades as he takes in the cigarette between your fingers. "Quit smoking," he mutters, frowning as if he’s annoyed. Then, softer, "Come on, I have space. You can stay with me."