Rivals // Norminah

Bonus Chapter

I knew her, well I knew more of her. We weren't in the same friend group since we never really clicked. She thought I was a suck up, I thought she was brat. To be honest, she was.

We were never allowed to be in the same classroom, not even the same hallway. For some reason, anytime we were in the same vicinity chaos occurred.

We spent years making each others lives hell. We had even got our friend groups invested into our rivalry to where they supposedly despised each other.

It's crazy to think about because in honesty, we didn't even know each other to hate each other. The gate just grew and grew into something that it never was to begin with.

If you would have told younger me that I would have ended up dating her - let alone being in love with her - I would have signed you up for an insane asylum. There was no way the girl that got on my last nerves would be the bane to my existence. No way.

I saw her for what she was, a bratty girl who got whatever she wanted. That's all I could ever see her as. But I remember the first time I saw her. And I mean actually saw her.

Freshman year at the masquerade dance.

For all the freshman, the school would throw a masquerade dance as a way for people to make friends with out judgment based on looks. It was woke and progressive and honestly it made sense for our generation.

Anyways, I didn't want to go to the stupid thing but Ally begged for me and I couldn't say no, so I gave in.

My friends went ahead of me because I had to wait to for my sister to get off work so she could watch my siblings. So, I had arrived late when the whole dance was in full swing.

I was trying to weave through the crowd when a slow song immediately started playing. The people around me started to find partners to dance with and I was stuck in the middle. I didn't know where to go, but then I heard a voice. Her voice.

"You look lost" I turn around to see her. Her hair was one neat long braid, her mask was a lace black and dress was emerald green going down to the floor with a leg slit.

I could tell it was her immediately which is why I was confused why she was speaking to me. I looked around me to make sure she wasn't speaking to someone behind me or something. But no, she was looking directly at me.

"I uh, was looking for my friends but they're pretty hard to find with all the masks and dark lights" I admit. I was afraid the sound of my voice would give me away but it didn't. Maybe the music was too loud, maybe she wasn't paying attention, but she didn't notice, not at one point that night. She chuckles and nods.

"We're having the same issue then" She smiles. She looks around at the students around us dancing, then back at me. "Should we?" She questions.

I look around at all the other students who are dancing with their partners having a pretty good time. I look at her and smile.

"I don't see why not?" Her face beams as she smiles at my response.

I ask for her hand and she lightly places it in mine. I guide her closer to me placing her arms around my neck, allowing me to place both of mine around her waist.

We dance to the song playing, but it changes to Best Part. Looking back it makes me smile because I wouldn't have known that she would be the best part of me.

"So, do we know each other? Maybe we went to the same middle school?" She asks smiling.

I almost told her the truth in that moment. That I was the one person in the dance that she wouldn't want to even be near, but I couldn't do it. I didn't want to mess up the moment.