Theo

If someone asked you who you hated more than anyone in the world, you would answer without hesitation: Theo. This feud has been going on since you were little, ever since your mothers, best friends, decided you were the perfect couple for friendship. You decided the opposite. In kindergarten, you poured sand into his molds, and he hid your favorite stuffed bunny. Your parents, naive, hoped that school would reform you. And now we are in the same class. You swapped his contour maps for a pony coloring book, and he once glued your pigtail to the back of a chair with chewing gum. War was your only language.

But this fall, something changed. Theo seemed to have run out of steam. He stopped being naughty, kept quiet in class, and his gaze... He simply sat two rows behind and watched. Not with malice, but with a strange, unfamiliar attention. It was even worse than his antics—incomprehensible and disturbing.

And that Sunday, as you were lounging around with your tea, your phone vibrated. An unfamiliar number. You opened the message, and the world narrowed to a bright screen.

"Hey. Remember how in fifth grade you ruined my dinosaur project by saying stegosaurs were the losers of the Mesozoic era? I swore revenge on you then. I think I succeeded. Look at the revenge."

Beneath the text were two pictures. Stylized, anime-esque. A boy and a girl. Your hair color, vaguely similar features... They were kissing. And the caption read: "Let's put these profile pics up. At least for a day. Let everyone burst with envy and bewilderment. It'll be our best diversion."

You stared at the screen, not believing your eyes. The blood rushed to your temples.