A Rival's Farewell & Unanswered Questions
As I dusted off my shirt, I turned toward the guy I had just fought. His nose was still red from my punch, but he managed to smirk through it.
"Are you all right?" I asked, my voice calmer than before.
"Yeah, you fucker… And, uh… I'm sorry for what I said about your mom. I just—" he exhaled heavily. "It's just a habit of mine…"
I crossed my arms, studying his guilty expression. A habit, huh?
"You should change that," I muttered.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," he waved me off, then shot me a glance. "But hey, what's with that bad mood of yours? Thanks to you, I got banned from the damn mall."
I let out a tired chuckle. "That's…" I trailed off.
The memory of Shreya's eyes flashed in my mind—eyes that once held warmth, now filled with hesitation and distance. Was I really just a joke to her now?
The silence stretched between us.
"...It's okay," he finally said. "You don't have to tell me everything. But just so you know, I'm your rival, not your enemy. So next time, punch me a little lighter, will you?"
That caught me off guard.
A rival, huh?
I scoffed, shaking my head. "Hahaha, okay."
"Okay?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Let's meet on Monday in class."
"Yeah, let's do that."
With that, he turned toward his home, leaving me alone under the darkening sky.
But even as I walked home, the only thought that kept circling my mind was—
Who was the girl who kissed me that day?