Lux's POV
Today was supposed to be a good day.
No....today was a good day.
I walked into the classroom with a grin I couldn't hide even if I tried, my bag slung carelessly over one shoulder, my mind replaying the same thought again and again.
Fifth place.
Not tenth. Not barely passing.
Fifth.
I had checked the list three times just to be sure it wasn't a mistake.
And the first person I wanted to tell was Kaizer.
I turned toward the corner desk automatically.
He was already there.
Of course he was.
Same seat. Same posture. Same distant expression like the world around him was just… background noise.
I walked over, still smiling.
"Oi," I said, dropping my bag on the desk. "Guess what..."
My words stopped halfway.
His paper was lying open in front of him.
Marks circled in red.
They were… better.
But still low.
Not just low.
Low enough to be noticed.
My smile faded without me realizing.
For a second, I didn't know what to feel.
Happy for myself?
Or…
Something else.
Kaizer glanced at me.
"What?" he asked.
I blinked.
"Uh… nothing," I said quickly, scratching the back of my head. "I just..."
He didn't look convinced, but he didn't push either.
Instead, he tapped his pen lightly against the desk.
"What did you get?"
That was my cue.
I straightened a little.
"Fifth," I said, trying not to sound too proud but failing slightly.
There was a small pause.
Then Kaizer nodded once.
"Oh."
That was it.
Just… oh.
I waited.
Nothing else came.
The excitement I had walked in with deflated just a little.
"Just 'oh'?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
"What do you want me to say?" he replied, glancing back at his paper. "Good."
"…That sounded even worse."
He didn't respond.
I stared at him for a second, then looked back at his marks again.
They weren't horrible.
Just… not him.
I should help him, I thought. We can study together. It's not even that hard, he just,
"I don't need your help."
I froze.
"What?"
Kaizer didn't even look up.
"I said I don't need your help," he repeated calmly. "So don't think about it."
For a second, I just stared at him.
Then it hit me.
"…Were you just reading my mind?"
He didn't answer.
"Dude, that's creepy," I muttered, stepping back slightly.
"And also," I added, a little more annoyed now, "I wasn't pitying you."
Silence.
That annoyed me even more.
"Forget it," I said, grabbing my bag again. "Do whatever you want."
I turned and walked out of the classroom before I said something worse.
---
The corridor was half empty, the usual noise echoing faintly from different directions.
I wasn't even looking where I was going.
Bad idea.
Something hit my foot.
Hard.
Before I could react, my balance shifted forward and...
"Shit—!"
I went down.
Face first.
My shoulder collided with someone on the way, and there was a soft thud as both of us hit the ground.
For a moment, everything went still.
I lay there.
On the floor.
Face down.
Dignity: gone.
"…You have got to be kidding me," I muttered into the ground.
I pushed myself up slightly, wincing as a sharp pain pulsed through my forehead.
Great.
There was definitely going to be a bump.
I turned my head.
The girl I had collided with was sitting on the ground beside me, not sprawled like me, but still clearly not okay.
Her expression?
Pure irritation.
No...scratch that.
Anger.
"Watch where you're going!" she snapped.
"Me?" I shot back, pushing myself up. "You were literally standing in the middle of....."
"Anya!!"
A familiar voice cut through.
I blinked.
Slowly.
Then I raised my head properly.
And immediately regretted it.
"Sister Iris?" I blurted.
She was standing right there.
Looking at me.
Looking at this situation.
And beside her…
The angry girl.
Anya.
Oh no.
No no no.
This was not happening.
Wrong impression. This is the worst possible first impression.
I quickly looked away, attempting to stand up like nothing had happened.
Maybe if I just… left quietly...
A hand grabbed my collar from behind.
"Where do you think you're going?" Anya's voice came, sharp and dangerous.
I froze.
Slowly turned.
She was glaring at me like she had already decided my fate.
"Leaving," I said weakly.
"After knocking into me like that?" she shot back. "You think you can just walk away?"
"You were in the way!"
"I was walking properly!"
"You were literally a human obstacle!"
"And you were a human disaster!"
I blinked.
"Okay, that was uncalled for."
"No, what was uncalled for was you throwing yourself at me like that!"
"I tripped!"
"On what? Your own ego?"
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
"That doesn't even make sense," I muttered.
"It doesn't have to," she snapped. "You still crashed into me!"
"Sister Iris, say something," I said, looking at her helplessly. "You saw this, right?"
Iris looked like she wanted to disappear.
"Can you both just calm down?" she said, glancing around nervously.
Students were starting to gather.
Whispers. Curious looks. The usual.
"Calm down?" Anya repeated. "He literally...."
"I said it was an accident!" I interrupted.
"And I said you should watch where you're going!"
"And I said you shouldn't stand like a statue in the middle of the corridor!"
"Oh wow, now it's my fault you can't walk?"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"ENOUGH."
The voice cut through everything.
---
Iris's POV
I didn't even need to turn to know who it was.
But I did anyway.
Kaizer stood a few steps away, his expression tight, like the noise itself was physically bothering him.
For a brief second, it looked like someone had turned the volume of the world too high.
Then he exhaled quietly and walked forward.
He stopped beside Lux.
"Why are you crying here?" he asked.
Lux immediately straightened.
"I am not crying."
"Then why does it sound like you are?"
"I said I'm not!"
Kaizer ignored that.
"What happened?"
Lux pointed at Anya.
"She..."
"He ran into me!" Anya cut in.
"I tripped!"
"You fell on me!"
"That was not intentional!"
Their voices started rising again.
I felt my embarrassment increasing with every passing second.
More people were watching now.
Whispering.
Of course this had to happen today.
Kaizer finally turned his head.
His gaze shifted from Anya…
To me.
And just like that,
Everything slowed.
For a moment, the noise didn't matter.
His expression changed slightly, the tension easing just enough to notice.
Then he looked away.
Back at Lux.
"It's your fault," he said simply. "Say sorry."
Lux stared at him.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"But..."
"Say sorry."
Lux looked between him and me, clearly confused.
I let out a small breath.
"Seems like there's some kind of Bluetooth connection," I muttered under my breath.
Anya shot me a look, half annoyed, half amused.
Lux groaned.
Then, very reluctantly, he turned toward Anya.
"…Sorry."
Anya crossed her arms.
"…Fine."
They both looked away immediately after, giving each other identical side-eyes.
I almost smiled.
"Let's go," Anya said, grabbing my wrist lightly.
I nodded.
We started walking away, the crowd slowly dispersing behind us.
But something made me pause.
Just for a second.
I turned.
At the same time,
He turned too.
Our eyes met across the distance.
For a moment, I didn't know what to do.
Then I mouthed, softly,
"Sorry."
He watched me for a second.
Then gave a small nod.
And that was it.
But somehow…
It felt like enough.
By the time we reached our classroom, the corridor had finally gone back to normal, like nothing had happened.
But my mind hadn't.
Anya dropped into her seat with a small huff, still clearly irritated.
"I swear," she muttered, "that guy has a talent for getting on my nerves."
I sat beside her, trying to look normal, trying to act like my heart wasn't still slightly out of rhythm.
But it was.
Because of that moment.
That one second where I had actually turned back.
Where I had actually said something.
Even if it was just a word.
A small smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it.
"What?" Anya immediately caught it, narrowing her eyes. "Why are you smiling now?"
"Nothing," I said quickly, looking down at my desk.
"Don't 'nothing' me," she leaned closer. "You were just embarrassed two minutes ago."
I hesitated.
Then, quietly, I said, "I… said something to him."
Anya froze.
"You what?"
"I mean....not really," I added quickly. "It was just… a sorry."
"That still counts!" she whispered loudly. "You spoke to him!"
I looked away, my fingers lightly tracing the edge of my notebook.
"It wasn't even a proper conversation," I murmured.
"So?" she shot back. "You've been making eye contact for two years. This is progress."
I couldn't help it.
I smiled again.
Just a little.
"I was going to tell you..."
"Anya. Iris."
The voice cut through the moment.
We both looked up.
A teacher stood at the door, scanning the class before her gaze landed directly on us.
"Yes, ma'am?" Anya replied.
"You both are being called to the principal's office," she said.
The smile on my face disappeared instantly.
"…What?"
Anya blinked.
"Wait, why?"
"I don't know," the teacher replied shortly. "Just come."
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
Confusion.
Unease.
I glanced at Anya.
She looked just as puzzled.
Without another word, we both stood up.
---
Kaizer's POV
"I still don't get it."
Lux's voice had not stopped since we left the corridor.
"You literally took her side," he continued, walking beside me. "Your own friend was suffering and you just...what...betrayed me like that?"
"I didn't betray you," I said flatly.
"You did," he insisted. "You told me to say sorry."
"Because it was your fault."
"It was not my fault," he argued immediately. "I tripped."
"And fell on her."
"That was gravity's fault."
I glanced at him.
He looked completely serious.
"You're unbelievable," I muttered.
"And you're a traitor," he shot back.
I exhaled quietly, already losing interest in the conversation.
He was still going to continue.
I could tell.
His thoughts were already forming the next complaint.
"I was just about to help you and you..."
"Lux."
A voice called from behind.
We both turned.
A teacher was walking toward us.
"Yes?" Lux responded.
"You both are being called to the principal's office," she said.
There was a brief pause.
Lux blinked.
"…Us?"
I didn't say anything.
But something about that didn't feel random.
The corridor felt quieter again.
Not because there was no noise.
But because something else had just begun.