"We'll be best friends forever."
The words echoed softly in her ears.
Azure stared down at the photograph in her hands, her fingers tracing its worn edges as if the texture alone could anchor her to reality. The image showed two girls standing shoulder to shoulder, smiling without a care in the world—both of them with the same short haircut, both believing the world was still kind.
Herself.
And Oriel.
Azure closed her eyes.
She hated herself for what she had done. The pain she carried had been real—but it never should have become an excuse. Never a reason.
What did I do…?
FLASHBACK
INT. ALL-GIRLS JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL – DAY
Azure sat alone in the science garden, her shoulders shaking as she tried—and failed—to stop crying.
It was the fifth day.
Five days of silence.
Five days of eating alone.
Five days of feeling invisible.
Girls her age were intimidating. Too confident. Too pretty. Too sure of where they belonged. Azure felt like an intruder in a place she was never meant to stay.
The rusty gate creaked open.
Azure quickly wiped her tears and pretended to focus on her lunch, peeking discreetly through her lashes to see who had entered.
Her breath caught.
The class president.
"Oriel."
"Azure!"
Oriel's face lit up the moment she spotted her, as if she had been searching all along. Azure's heart jumped—an unfamiliar warmth blooming in her chest—but she forced herself to calm down.
"Y-Yes, President?" Azure stood abruptly, nearly knocking over her lunch. "Did I… do something wrong?"
"Oh! No, no." Oriel waved her hands quickly. "I just wanted to check on you."
She sat beside Azure with ease, pulling out her own lunch. "You've seemed like you're having a hard time in class. Is anyone bothering you? Are you being bullied?"
Azure froze, then shook her head too fast, one hand still clutching her utensils.
"No—no! I'm fine. Really."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! I'm okay."
"Have you… made any friends yet?"
The question lingered.
Azure's gaze dropped to her lunch, her fingers tightening around the edge of the container.
Oriel didn't press further. She didn't need to.
Azure had known who Oriel was long before that day—the admired class president. Well-liked. Respected. Someone everyone naturally gravitated toward. She was a little tomboyish, sure, but there was an undeniable warmth about her.
"We can be friends," Oriel said gently.
Azure's head snapped up.
"R-Really?" Her voice wavered as she leaned forward, hope written plainly across her face.
"Of course."
And just like that, they ate lunch together.
No one told Azure that this simple moment—this shared meal—would become the beginning of something that would shape her entire world.
And one day, break it.
Azure had never stayed in one school for long. Moving had always been easier than getting attached.
But for the first time, she argued with her parents. She stood her ground. She begged to stay.
Because of Oriel.
Her best friend.
Being away from her felt unbearable—like something vital would stop working if they were separated.
"This one!" Oriel said one afternoon, pointing excitedly at a magazine. "She's a rising star. I really like her."
Azure read the name aloud. "Zafire…"
It was then she realized—Oriel wasn't the tomboy people assumed her to be. She loved things like this. Fashion. Music. Trends no one ever noticed she followed.
"I like her too," Azure said quickly.
"Right?" Oriel grinned. "Let's buy this brand next time."
They studied together. Worked on projects together. Shopped together.
Somewhere along the way, Oriel stopped being just a friend.
She became a constant.
Azure lay back on her bed one evening, feet propped against the wall, phone pressed to her ear.
"Let's watch the fireworks together," she said.
"Oh! Yes, let's!" Oriel replied instantly.
"Hey, you promised to watch it with me."
A boy's voice echoed faintly through the call.
Azure smirked. "Who's that?"
"Shut up, DJ!" Oriel snapped.
"Oh—it's just DJ," Oriel added quickly. "Remember? The one I always beat at that game."
"You did not beat me!"
"I did. Shut up, DJ!"
"Hey, whoever you are," the boy protested loudly, "she was cheating!"
Azure couldn't help but laugh.
DJ had always been like a brother to Oriel—always walking her home, always nearby. Azure rarely met him since she usually went home early, but she knew of him well enough.
"Why don't you come with us?" Azure said teasingly.
"Eh—are you sure?" Oriel hesitated.
"Yeah. I want to meet him too."
"He's too much!"
"Hey! What are you saying about me again?!"
"How do you even know it's you?"
"…You're glaring at me."
Azure smiled, the sound of their banter filling her chest with warmth.
Back then, she truly believed—
This will last forever.
Next Chapter: Azure finally meets Dhylan—the boy always by Oriel's side. A shy smile, an easy warmth, and a feeling she shouldn't have felt. Jealousy slips in unnoticed, and a quiet confession changes everything. Looking back now, Azure knows—this was where she should have listened.