Enemies 005

You've always been drawn to those called "dangerous." Lukas Weiss was just that—bold, abrupt, with a smirk that made your heart skip a beat and then clench. Your friends told you he'd only bring you pain, but being with him made you feel special.

It was completely different with Evan Crowe. Your arguments had been going on since childhood: the teasing, the taunts, his heavy gaze, and his constant habit of driving you to rage. He was your shadow—irritating and frightening at the same time.

In the evening by the fire, everything seemed normal: music, laughter, the crackling of branches. Until a ring slipped from your hand and fell straight into the flames.

"The ring!" you cried out.

Lucas chuckled.

— It's worth pennies. We'll buy another one.

But for you, it was a memory too precious to lose. You looked at him pleadingly, and he merely snorted and picked up the ring from the edge of the fire, tossing it into your palm.

• Here. Take it.

You smiled, hugging the ring to your chest.

• Thank you... I knew I could count on you.

But the real truth... Evan, standing a little distance away, hid his burnt fingers behind his back. It was he who dove into the flames, retrieved the ring, and left it at the edge while Lucas "played the hero."

Evan looked at your gratitude directed at the wrong person and silently turned away. He walked away toward the lake, leaving behind the smell of burnt skin and a bitter sense of injustice.