lazyytyper
"Distance isn't measured in miles," Ryujin whispered, his dark eyes fixed on the Texas sun.
"It's measured in this."
He tapped the three inches of wooden fence sitting between him and the only people who actually knew his name. Close enough to touch. A million miles away from the truth.
To the rest of George High, Ryujin was an untouchable masterpiece: flawless grades, a perfect face, and a life curated by a father who controlled his every breath. But perfection was a strategy for survival. Behind the gates of his estate lay a violently abusive reality where Ryujin survived only by keeping his head low and his smile fixed.
Only Ryan, the observant outsider, noticed Ryujin's lips were always a sick, terrifying shade of blue. To let Ryan in was to risk everything--not just defying social norms, but exposing the violence hidden at home. Pushing him away meant safety, but it also meant total isolation.
They were an unlikely circle: Haru, dodging the forced 'elegance' of her mother's fame; Divya, fighting from the wrong side of the tracks for a seat at the table; and Jasper, a king defending a crown that grew heavier by the day. On that high ledge, they were just five kids chasing sun rays, hoping for a 'good day' that never seemed to arrive.
Then the "Daylight" broke. A rumor claimed Ryujin moved overseas, leaving a void where their friendship used to be. For three years, they lived with the bitterness of being ghosted--until a dusty phone in a store room flickered to life.
An unplayed voice memo from 2018 is about to play. And the perfect lie they all survived is about to get ripped wide open.