The Moon Shines when the Sun Isn't Around

47

The quiet mornings had always been King's favorite. He would wake up to the sunlight streaming through his window, the peaceful stillness of the house wrapping around him like a warm blanket. It was a rare comfort, a brief moment where everything felt right, before the day's chaos began. For a long time, he had shared those mornings with Oreo. She would send him a text before school—something simple, like "You up yet, slowpoke?"—and it would make him smile. It felt like their little secret, their own rhythm, and it had only deepened over time.

But today, that familiar good morning text didn't come. The glow of his phone was empty, and the quiet didn't feel comforting. It felt... hollow. King lay there for a few minutes longer, staring at the ceiling, wondering if he had somehow missed something. Their last night together had been perfect—full of laughter, snacks, and the kind of easy conversation that made everything else fade away. Oreo had curled up next to him, close and warm, their heads sharing the same pillow as the hours slipped by. Nothing had seemed wrong.

But now? He didn't know what had changed.

King finally sat up, scrolling through his phone, hoping to find some explanation. But instead, he found confusion—texts from his friends about Oreo, and worse, her social media posts. The caption hit him like a punch to the gut:

"Some people really think they're something... but they ain't."

His heart dropped. Was that about him? It had to be, right? The knot in his stomach tightened as he opened the comments, seeing Oreo's friends piling on, laughing with her, agreeing with her cruel words.

King felt his chest tighten, a wave of disbelief crashing over him. This wasn't Oreo. Not the Oreo he knew. They'd been getting so close, sharing secrets, late-night talks, and moments that felt real. Now, it seemed like she was slipping away, turning into someone else, someone who didn't care. And it hurt—more than he wanted to admit.

The next few days at school only made things worse. Oreo avoided him completely, her usual bright smile replaced with cold indifference whenever their eyes accidentally met across the hallway. King thought it might've just been a rough day, but by the third day, it was clear something had shifted between them.

He caught up with her one afternoon, hoping to talk it out.

"Oreo," he called out, catching her just as she was walking to her next class. "Can we talk?"

She glanced over her shoulder, her expression hard. "About what?"

King stopped, the weight of her tone freezing him in place. "What do you mean, about what? What's going on? You've been... different."

Oreo rolled her eyes, shifting her bag higher onto her shoulder. "Different how, King?"

"I don't know," King replied, trying to hold onto his patience. "You're just acting weird. Distant. Did I do something?"

Oreo sighed, shaking her head. "Not everything's about you, King."

He blinked, the words stinging. "I didn't say it was."

She shrugged, glancing at her phone like she was bored of the conversation already. "I've just got other stuff going on. You're overthinking it."

Overthinking it? King felt the frustration bubbling up. "How am I supposed to not overthink it when you've been ignoring me all week?"

"I'm not ignoring you," Oreo said, her tone clipped. "We're not attached at the hip, King. I can't spend every second with you."

King stepped back, his heart sinking as she brushed him off like it was nothing. "I'm not asking you to... I just thought we were better than this."