It was a warm summer afternoon in the library. The smell of fresh ink and paper was in the air, along with the sound of students chatting. Lia was sitting at a table by herself, looking at her laptop with headphones on.
Prelims just ended, but she's already studying for Midterns. She sees everyone else just hanging around, mindlessly gossiping. Lia had always been an introvert and preferred to study alone. She stared at the screen for a long moment before finally getting up from her desk.
Wanting a change of scenery, she went to the university park, where there were less students.
Lia sighed with relief as she lifted her face toward the sky and closed her eyes for a moment.
The moment was soon over when a shadow moved over her face.
"Hey," a familiar voice said, a voice she knew all too well even with her eyes closed.
As Lia opened her eyes she sees a pair of brown orbs looking down at her. From her position it looked like the face was upside down.
It was the face of her class rival, the school's number 1 - Shin Ryujin.
"Ms. Shin, you're blocking my view." Lia said, a little annoyed. She just wanted to sit back and relax for a bit.
"Am I not pretty enough to be the view."
Ryujin bent forward to shade Lia's face.
"Besides, in this heat you might get sun burn or worse, a heat stroke."
Lia just gave her an appropriately doubting look.
Ryujin just smirked in return.
"Here..it's important to stay hydrated." She gave Lia a water bottle as she stood up straight.
"T-Thanks.." Lia blushes at the sudden gesture.
"Don’t want the school's #2 to faint just after the exams."
Lia was about to retort when Ryujin started running away cheekily.
Ugh
Lia immediately reprimands herself for feeling embarrassed earlier.
But a smile breaks on Lia’s face as she drinks the water.
She's still the same, she thinks.
Lia and Ryujin were childhood friends.
The first time she laid eyes on the other
was when they just moved in their new house, which was next to Ryujin's.
As neighbors, they quickly became friends. They were inseparable, always playing together in the woods behind their houses, or sitting side by side at school.
But as they grew older, their friendship grew more complicated: they became rivals in school, vying for top grades and bragging rights.
It also didn't help that Ryujin joined the volleyball varsity team. Having good grades and a great personality Ryujin became popular got surrounded by a lot of people.
This made Lia feel strange inside. She felt she had no place in Ryujin’s side anymore, so she distanced herself, and the only thing that remained close together was their grades.
Back in her room, Lia's internet started acting out. With an unstable connection, she looked for other networks that she could connect.
Oh
She found a network with the name, RJ
Could this be Ryujin's? It's possible since she's just next door.
