After we entered high school, she grew even more outstanding, drawing attention from many boys.
She was always the top student, while I was just a normal art student.
I worried she might walk away one day, but she always smiled and pinched my hand, saying, “Dummy! Why would I leave you? I can’t repay what you, uncle and aunt, gave me.”
I thought we would stay happy just like that, until Arden showed up.
On a hot summer day, I was doing homework with Calliope at her home when sudden knocks sounded on the door.
Opening it, we saw a cheerful boy with a bright smile.
He said he had recently moved here and was Calliope’s new neighbor.
His soft tone seemed to ease the heat of summer, but inside me grew a quiet ten.
Maybe it was the glow coming from him, or maybe it was because I noticed the burning admiration in his eyes when he looked at her.
Later, I realized that the uneasy feeling wasn’t imagined; it became the main color of my remaining high school years.
The next morning, I found out that Arden not only became her neighbor but also moved into our school.
Right after the monthly test, the teacher was going over the results.