Chapter 1: Offline Rivalry

The afternoon sun peeked through the classroom windows, casting a warm glow over the wooden desks. It would have been the perfect, cozy setting for a story—if it weren’t for the absolute menace sitting exactly one desk over.

"You're breathing too loudly," a cold, smooth voice muttered from the right.

I snapped my head around, glaring at Leo. He didn't even look up from his notebook, his dark hair messy but somehow perfectly in place, his school blazer thrown carelessly over the back of his chair. He was the school’s golden boy to the teachers, but to me? He was a walking headache.

"It’s called inhaling oxygen, Leo. You should try it sometime, maybe it’ll reach your brain," I shot back, keeping my voice in a sharp whisper so the teacher wouldn’t hear.

He finally turned his head, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I'd rather save my energy than waste it arguing with someone who spent twenty minutes trying to open a water bottle this morning."

My cheeks flushed pink with anger. That lid was stuck! I opened my mouth to deliver a killer comeback, but the sharp ring of the school bell cut me off.

"Class dismissed," the teacher announced over the chatter of chairs scraping against the floor. "Don't forget your essays are due on Friday!"

I stuffed my books into my backpack as fast as I could, eager to escape Leo's annoying presence. Without giving him another glance, I threw my bag over my shoulder and practically ran out of the classroom, heading straight for my favorite quiet spot under the cherry blossom trees near the school gates.

Sitting down on the bench, I let out a long, dramatic sigh. Finally. Peace.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, unlocked it, and bypassed all my text notifications. I didn't want to deal with real life right now. Instead, I tapped on my secret, anonymous aesthetic account—the place where I posted my creative writing, cute pastel photography, and visual quotes.

The second the app loaded, a little pink notification bubble popped up at the bottom of the screen.

> New Message from: @Xen_0 ✨

>

My heart did a little happy flip. Xen_0 was my online best friend. We had met a few months ago through a mutual love for dream-core aesthetics and late-night writing prompts. I didn't know his real name, what he looked like, or where he lived, but he was the only person who truly got me.

I quickly tapped open our chat.

@Xen_0: Hey. Just survived another grueling day of high school. How was yours? Did your arch-nemesis annoy you again?

A smile instantly broke out across my face. I leaned back against the bench, the pink petals drifting down around me as I eagerly began typing my reply.

@Pink_Glitch: Omg, you have no idea! He was literally breathing down my neck today. He’s so infuriating, I swear he wakes up early just to practice being a hater. How are you so calm? Teach me your secrets.

I hit send and watched the little bubble animate.

Just a few feet away, walking past the gates with his headphones resting around his neck, Leo felt his phone vibrate in his blazer pocket. He pulled it out, his usual cold expression instantly softening into something gentle as he looked at the screen.

He sat down on a nearby stone wall, completely unaware of who was watching him, and tapped on a pink notification from an account named @Pink_Glitch.

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