The clock on the wall is moving in slow motion. I swear someone replaced it with a broken one, because there's no way time actually moves this slowly under normal circumstances.
I'm supposed to be working on my side project. The screen is open, the code is right there, and my fingers are technically on the keyboard. But my brain? My brain has left the building.
Luna glances over at me, and I can tell she's noticed I'm not actually doing anything productive. Those big violet eyes of hers are filled with concern, and honestly, it makes me feel even worse because now I'm worrying Luna, and Luna doesn't deserve to be worried.
"Um... Adam...?" she asks quietly. "What… family stuff... are you dealing with...?"
I pause, trying to decide how much to tell her.
"It's kind of a mess," I admit, running a hand through my hair. "I can't really say too much, but I messed up and now Bianca's mad at me."
"Oh... I see..."
Yeah, I'm being incredibly vague. I'm basically giving her nothing to work with here, which is probably frustrating.
"I'm sorry." I chuckle, though there's not much humor in it. "I'm being kind of vague, aren't I? It's just… complicated."
That's the understatement of the century. "Complicated" is when you forget someone's birthday. This? This is whatever comes after complicated.
"It's okay..." Luna says softly, then pauses, fidgeting with her hoodie sleeve. "But… I can tell... Bianca really cares about you... Even if she's angry... I think… she'll forgive you..."
The words hit me harder than I expected. Luna doesn't even know what happened, doesn't know the details of how spectacularly I've fucked things up, but somehow hearing that from her is incredibly reassuring.
"Thanks, Luna. That helps a lot."
She smiles at me, a soft blush spreading across her pale cheeks. "You've... helped me so much... If I can do anything... to help you... I want to..."
I reach over and pat her head gently, my fingers running through her soft purple hair. "You being my friend is more than enough."
She practically melts at that, turning back to her computer with her face now completely red, staring intently at her screen like it's the most fascinating thing in the world.
God, she's adorable.
…Stop it, brain. We have a crisis to manage.
"Oh, heads up though, I'll probably spend lunch talking to Bianca. Not sure how long it'll take." I grimace. "Sorry if that messes with our usual plans."
"That's okay..." She glances back at me shyly. "I'll just... eat in the… club room today... Good luck..."
"You're the best, Luna. Seriously."
For the rest of class, I'm trying to figure out what the hell I'm going to say to Bianca. Do I apologize? Do I explain? Do I grovel? All of the above? I'm running through scenarios in my head, but they all end with Bianca telling me to fuck off, which isn't exactly encouraging.
Finally, finally, the bell rings.
"Good luck..." Luna says as I'm gathering my stuff, and there's so much genuine concern in her voice that I almost want to hug her.
"Thanks Luna, really."
And then I'm walking out of the classroom, my feet carrying me toward what is very likely going to be one of the most uncomfortable conversations of my life.
I walk to the cafeteria like a condemned man heading to the gallows. Each step feels heavier than the last, and I'm deliberately moving slowly, trying to use the time to prepare myself for whatever hell awaits.
You can do this. Just talk to her. Explain yourself. She loves you. Probably. Maybe. Possibly not anymore after today.
My internal pep talk is going fantastic.
The closer I get, the worse my anxiety becomes. What if she won't even look at me? What if she tells me to fuck off? What if I've permanently destroyed our relationship?
I shake my head and force myself to walk faster. Worrying about hypotheticals is pointless when reality is about to hit me in the face.
When I finally round the corner to the cafeteria, I see a scene that makes my blood run cold.
Selene and Bianca are near the entrance, but they're not alone.
Standing with them, leaning against the wall, is the tanned transfer student from earlier today.
Selene looks ready to commit violence. Her arms are crossed, pink eyes narrowed, glaring at him like she's mentally calculating which body parts to remove first. Her usual cheerful demeanor is completely gone, replaced with pure, unadulterated "get the fuck away from me" energy.
Bianca seems similarly uninterested. She's frowning, one eyebrow raised in what I recognize as her "are you fucking serious right now" expression. She looks like she's about three seconds away from telling this guy to eat shit.
I start moving closer, ready to insert myself into whatever conversation is happening here and extract both of them from this douchebag's presence.
But then, both sisters spot me approaching.
Selene's expression instantly shifts to one of joy. Her pink eyes light up, and even from this distance I can see her face brighten. It's like watching the sun come out from behind a cloud.
My heart, however, immediately drops when I see Bianca's reaction.
She notices me and her frown gets harder. Like, I didn't even know it was possible for someone to frown harder than she already was, but apparently when you really hate someone, you can unlock new frown tiers. She's looking at me like I'm the last person in the entire world she wants to see right now.
Which, yeah, fair.
But then something changes. Her eyes widen slightly, like an idea has just occurred to her, and her lips curve into a smile that's all wrong. Too sharp. Too calculated.
Oh no.
She steps closer to him.
My heart stops.
She places her hand on his arm, tilting her head and saying something I can't hear from this distance. The douchebag's face lights up like he's just won the fucking lottery.
Selene is staring at her sister with pure horror, mouth slightly open in shock.
What the fuck? Fuck no. Bianca's—
The thought completes itself before I can stop it.
Bianca's mine.
I don't just want Selene. I don't just want Bianca.
I want both of them.
The realization hits me like a freight train, followed immediately by a wave of pain and jealousy so intense it makes my chest physically hurt. I want Bianca to only smile at me like that. I want her to only touch me.
I want Selene to look at me with those pink eyes full of nothing but affection.
I want them both, exclusively, completely.
And yeah, it's true, I'm reaching biblical levels of greed here. But also? I couldn't care less. I need both of them. I don't want anyone else coming near them.
They're mine.
My legs are moving before my brain catches up, closing the distance in a near-sprint.
That's when I see the asshole's arm start to snake around Bianca's waist, his hand clearly aiming for her ass.
Oh, hell no.
I reach them just in time, practically barreling into the tall guy and shoving him away from Bianca. He stumbles back, more surprised than anything, and I quickly position myself between him and the sisters.
"Bianca, what the hell are you doing?" The words come out harsher than I intended, laced with confusion and hurt.
She looks down at me, and fuck, I hate that she's taller right now, her teal eyes are as cold as ice. "What the hell am I doing? What the fuck are you doing?"
"I just—can we please talk?" My voice cracks slightly. "Please?"
"Hmph." She turns away, arms crossed, deliberately dismissive.
"Yo, what the fuck?" The tanned dude's voice cuts in from behind me, indignant and annoyed. "This is the second time today you've gotten in my way, pipsqueak. You got a death wish or something?"
I turn to face him, keeping Bianca behind me. The protective instinct is so strong it's overriding literally every other thought in my head. This fuckboy is not touching her.
"Get lost," I say flatly. "I'm talking to her."
And that's when Bianca decides to twist the knife.
"Well, I don't want to talk to you." Her voice takes on this flirty tone that makes my chest hurt. "I'm more interested in getting to know the hot guy, actually."
"Bianca, what the fuck?!" Selene practically shouts, her usual bubbly demeanor completely shattered.
I turn to look at Bianca, and I know my face is showing everything I'm feeling right now: hurt, jealousy, desperation, all of it laid bare. "Bianca, come on. Don't... Please don't do this."
She rolls her eyes and deliberately turns away from me.
Oh, so that's how this is going to be? She's going to try to make me jealous because I hurt her? Well, congratulations… it's fucking working.
"See?" The asshole says, his arrogance cranked to maximum. "The hot goth chick wants me, not you. So why don't you run along, little man?"
Something in me snaps.
"Nobody wants you," I shoot back, my voice deadly calm. "You're disgusting. I'm pretty sure I can smell your STDs from here."
His handsome face contorts with rage. "You little shit—"
He shoves me. Hard. Or at least, he tries to shove me hard.
I stumble back a couple of steps, but I catch my balance easily. Way more easily than I expected. My feet plant, my core stabilizes, and I'm fine.
Huh. Guess all that working out is actually paying off. He looks momentarily confused that I didn't go flying backward like he expected.
I'm about to lunge at him, when Bianca steps forward.
Oh no.
Please don't—
She shoves him. Hard. Way harder than he shoved me.
He stumbles backward, nearly losing his footing, his eyes going wide with surprise.
"Touch him again and I'll break your fucking jaw," Bianca snarls. Her voice is pure venom.
And just like that, I fall a little bit more in love with her.