Chapter Fifteen: The Color of Confidence
(Zaria's POV)
The Monday after our mall trip smelled like rain and pencil shavings — the kind of morning that made you question every decision that led you to waking up before sunrise.
Maya and I were trudging through the hallways of Alderbridge High, half-awake, half-regretting tennage years.
"I hate Mondays," Maya muttered.
"You hated Sunday night first," I reminded her.
"Consistency is key."
I laughed, shaking my head. My hair — thick, dark, and forever at war with humidity — had actually behaved that morning. For once, the mirror didn't argue back. Lia had braided the front strands loosely last night, saying it made me "look like the heroine in a coming-of-age movie."
I'd rolled my eyes then. But maybe she was a little right.
People stared a bit more lately — not in the weird foreign girl way they used to. More like curiosity. Like they were slowly realizing I wasn't invisible.
Maybe brown skin glowed brighter when you finally stopped trying to blend in.
---
First period was History. Ethan slid into the seat beside me, smiling that calm, steady smile.
"Morning," he said, sliding a coffee cup toward me. "The library café ran a special."
I blinked. "You… brought me coffee?"
"Consider it caffeine diplomacy," he said. "You looked like you needed it."
"Always," I said, grinning.
From the back row, someone whispered, "Rivera's got moves."
I pretended not to hear. Ethan definitely did, but he only smiled faintly, turning back to his notes.
---
Lunch was chaos. The cafeteria buzzed with overlapping voices, the smell of fries and disinfectant hanging in the air.
Emma was already waving us over to her table. Miles sat across from her, spinning a football on his finger like it was a part-time job.
I froze.
Maya noticed. "Oh no," she said flatly. "Not him again."
Emma grinned. "Come sit! He promised not to injure anyone today."
Miles looked up, eyes glinting. "Temporarily."
I sat — reluctantly — and focused on my fries. "You seriously carry that football everywhere?"
"It's called commitment," he said, smirking. "Something you wouldn't understand."
"Excuse me?"
"Last time I saw you, you ran away mid-conversation."
"Last time I saw you, I was almost turned into roadkill."
Maya nearly choked on her soda laughing. Ethan, passing by with his tray, stopped at our table. "You okay, Ria?"
Miles's smirk faltered for just a second.
"Yeah," I said quickly. "Just— surviving my daily concussion risks."
Ethan chuckled. "Call me if you need backup."
As he walked away, Miles muttered, "Backup? What's he gonna do, throw a book at me?"
(A/n:he could?)
"Maybe," I shot back. "You could use one."
He grinned — not offended, not angry — like he enjoyed it. "You know, you're more fun when you're mad."
I blinked. "What?"
He leaned back, arms crossed, confidence dripping from every line of his body. "Just saying."
My stomach did a weird flip I immediately blamed on cafeteria food.
---
After school, Maya and I walked home together. The clouds were low, the air heavy with pre-rain silence.
"You know," she said, glancing sideways, "I think you and Miles might actually—"
"Don't even finish that sentence."
"I wasn't going to say like, I was going to say argue until graduation."
"Good," I said. "Because that's accurate."
She smiled. "You looked… different today."
"What do you mean?"
"Confident. Like you know who you are."
I thought about it for a moment. Maybe she was right. Somewhere between long walks, loud laughter, and quiet calls home, I'd started to feel less like a visitor and more like… myself.
Still Ria — brown skin glowing under sunlight, noir hair brushing her shoulders, heart split between two worlds — but no longer lost.
When I got home, Lia had left dinner waiting. I sat by the window with my food and my thoughts, rain tapping the glass.
Home wasn't a single place anymore. It was a patchwork of people, smells, and sounds — the crackle of frying oil from Lia's cooking, Maya's laughter echoing through my headphones, Ma's voice on the phone saying, "My Ria sounds stronger every day."
I smiled. Maybe I was.
---
End of Chapter Fifteen.