By recess…
The school was on fire.
Not literally.
But socially?
Burning.
The photo had spread everywhere.
The forum.
Group chats.
Class discussions.
Whispers in corridors.
Even teachers heard rumors.
Yuan Mi smiling.
Irene wide-eyed.
His hand over her mouth
The caption?
"Caught hiding together???"
"What's really going on?"
Speculations exploded.
Some were excited.
Some were jealous.
Some were cruel.
Irene walked through the hallway and felt it.
The stares.
The murmurs.
Girls who once admired her now looked at her differently.
Some boys who used to greet her warmly avoided eye contact.
Envious eyes flared.
Judging eyes followed.
It felt like her privacy had been peeled open and displayed on a billboard.
She hated it.
She didn't sign up for this.
She didn't ask to become gossip material.
But not everyone turned away.
Bella stayed glued to her side like protective glue.
Leo asked if she was okay.
A few others ignored the rumors and treated her normally.
Still…
It wasn't normal.
And Irene wanted her normal life back.
So she made a decision.
She would ignore Yuan Mi.
When he entered class?
She focused on her notebook.
When their eyes almost met?
She turned first.
She succeeded.
Completely.
All day.
And she did.
When he passed her in the hallway?
She looked past him.
But every time she avoided him…
Something inside her twisted slightly.
That evening.
Her room was quiet.
She sat in her chair.
Chips beside her.
Laptop glowing.
She logged in.
LavenderQuin has entered the game.
Immediately her team lit up.
"YOU'RE ONLINE!"
"Big news!"
"Eclipse Tournament Round 1 starts tomorrow!".
The Eclipse Tournament.
The biggest regional e-sport competition for high school teams.
Elite squads.
Massive streaming audience.
Serious ranking points.
ShadowByte joined seconds later.
"Did someone say we're about to dominate?"
His tone was lighter tonight.
More playful.
Less distant.
Less… controlled.
Lavender smirked.
"Don't get cocky. You almost died last match."
"I was testing your reflexes."
"You panicked."
"I calculated."
"You screamed."
"That was a tactical sound effect."
She laughed.
And it felt good.
Different from school.
Here… she wasn't gossip.
She wasn't rumor.
She was skill.
She was sharp.
She was respected.
The match started.
They played like fire.
Perfect coordination.
ShadowByte covered her flank twice without her asking.
She secured the final elimination.
Victory screen flashed.
QUALIFIED — FOR ROUND 1
Their voice chat exploded.
"We did it!"
"This is insane!"
"Round one here we come !"
ShadowByte's voice softened slightly.
"Told you we'd dominate."
Lavender rolled her eyes but smiled anyway.
After the celebration calmed down, one of the teammates asked casually:
"So… when we win finals…"
"We're meeting in real life, right?"
Another voice chimed in.
"Yeah, we deserve a celebration."
"Lavender, what kind of person are you anyway?"
"Are you loud?"
"Quiet?"
"Short?"
"Tall?"
"Scary?"
ShadowByte added teasingly,
"She's definitely bossy."
She scoffed.
"Excuse me?"
He continued.
"Cold outside. Soft inside."
She froze slightly.
Her fingers paused on the keyboard.
"How would you know?" she typed.
"Instinct."
The others laughed.
But the question lingered.
"What are you really like, Lavender?"
Silence stretched.
Her chest felt tight.
She didn't like that question.
Not because she didn't know the answer.
But because…
She didn't know who she was anymore.
"I'm just normal," she typed finally.
Simple.
Closed.
Safe.
ShadowByte didn't push further.
For once.
He let it go.
After logging off…
The room became too quiet.
No crowd.
No teammates.
No noise.
Just her.
And the darkness.
She leaned back in her chair.
Stared at the ceiling.
What was she?
The popular girl?
The target?
The gamer?
The rumor?
The "almost something" with Yuan Mi?
Who was she really?
Her chest hurt.
Not because of school.
Not because of Yuan.
But because of something deeper.
She missed her mum.
She missed when her family was together.
When laughter filled the house.
When evenings weren't so heavy.
When she didn't feel like she was pretending to be strong all the time.
Tears slipped down quietly.
No dramatic sobbing.
Just silent crying.
The kind that feels older than your age.
She hugged her pillow.
And whispered softly,
"I'm tired…"
Her eyes closed slowly.
Tears drying on her cheeks.
The screen of her laptop still faintly glowing.
Logged out.
Disconnected.
Alone.
And she fell asleep.