Sophia thought today would be just like any otherâcalm and uneventful.
But as soon as she stepped out the door, her dull, colorless world was suddenly filled with vibrant hues.
She never expected to run into the person she had been thinking about day and night, right outside her own home.
In that moment, a bright smile spread across her face. She hurried forward, her voice full of surprise and excitement: âVanessa, what are you doing here?ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Vanessa, equally surprised by the encounter, hadnât realized Sophia lived right next door to Ethan. But her soft expression quickly hardened, turning cold and unreadable.
Vanessa had no intention of responding. She had long since moved on from the past and didnât want to be dragged back into it. To her, reconnecting with people from that time would only weaken her resolve to leave her old self behind.
Her reaction hit Sophia like a punch to the gut.
They used to be so close, practically inseparableâ¦
But Sophia wasnât about to give up. Just a few days ago, she had made up her mind to reclaim the best part of her past. She was determined to get the band, VibraMyst, back together.
And Vanessa was the key to making that happen. For days, Sophia had been trying to figure out how to meet her. Running into her like this, right at her doorstep, felt like fate. There was no way she was going to let this chance slip by.
âVanessa, can we talk?â Sophia asked, her eyes full of hope.
But all she got in return was Vanessaâs cold, indifferent reply.
âThereâs nothing for us to talk about.â
âHow can you say thatâ¦?â
Sophia was about to say more, but just then, the elevator doors opened.
Vanessa turned and called out to a guy standing nearby. When he didnât respond, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the elevator with her.
Sophia stood there, frozen in shock.
Who was this guy?
She hadnât even noticed him beforeâher entire focus had been on Vanessa. He was just some random person, someone she had completely overlooked.
But now that she was aware of him, details she had subconsciously ignored started flooding back into her mind.
Vanessa couldnât possibly live here.
That morning, Sophia had seen Vanessa waiting for the elevator with a guy.
Vanessa had come out of his apartment.
And then, a thought hit Sophiaâone she absolutely couldnât accept.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Sophia snapped out of her daze and rushed inside.
She had one goal in mind: the guy.
âWho are you?â she demanded.
âWhatâs your relationship with Vanessa?â
âIs it because of you that Vanessa left us?!â
Lila, who had been trying her best to stay invisible, was now trembling in fear, cornered by the infamous âqueenâ of Riverside High School.
Up until now, she had been doing everything she could to avoid drawing attention to herself.
Lila had quickly picked up on the fact that there was a complicated history between Vanessa and this âqueenâ from Riverside High. The tension between them was so thick, it was suffocating. The last thing Lila wanted was to get involved in whatever was going on between them.
At first, she thought she was in the clearâSophia hadnât even noticed her. When the elevator doors opened, Lila had been planning to just wait for the next one.
But Vanessa hadnât forgotten about her and had dragged her into the elevator.
Now, Lila was staring at the brunette in front of her, terrified. She could barely breathe!
In her panic, Lila suddenly remembered something Ethan had told her earlier.
This definitely counted as an emergency, right?
Without hesitation, Lila dialed the pre-set emergency contact number.
On the other side of town, Ethan was in the middle of making breakfast when his phone rang. As soon as he picked up, he was greeted by the frantic voice of a girl, clearly upset.
âAre you trying to mess with Vanessaâs feelings? You liar! What have you done to her?!â
Ethan blinked, confused. Who the hell was this?
Then, he heard Vanessaâs cold voice in the background.
âAre you done with this nonsense?â
âVanessa, you mustâve been tricked by this guy!â
Ethan finally started to piece things together. That voiceâit had to be Sophia, right?
How did they run into each other? And why was she calling him a liar? What had he done?
He was baffled, and a little annoyed. These former VibraMyst members were just as rude as ever. This was the third one now.
As he was mentally grumbling about how only Elise had ever been decent to him, he suddenly remembered the time Elise had given him the dreaded ânice guyâ speech.
ââ¦â
âWhatever.â
Ethan shook his head, trying to clear his mind of all these distractions. But then another thought hit himâwhy was Lila calling him in the middle of all this? Was she just inviting him to watch the drama unfold?
Meanwhileâ¦
As soon as the call connected, Lila realized Ethan wasnât going to be much help. At best, heâd give her some advice, but sheâd still have to deal with the situation herself.
And right now, she was being stared down by this terrifying âqueenâ of Riverside High, so much so that she couldnât even get a word out.
All she could do was mentally repeat the mantra Ethan had once told her.
Iâm an assassin, Iâm an assassin, Iâm an assassinâ¦
She tried her best to keep her cool, standing there silently, pretending to be aloof. Luckily, her sunglasses hid her nervous eyes, and somehow, she managed to pull it off.
Her silence only made Sophia angrier.
To Sophia, being ignored was the ultimate insult.
This girl wasnât even acknowledging her, as if she were some kind of joke. The sheer arrogance of it!
Frustrated, Sophia turned her attention back to Vanessa, hoping to snap her out of whatever spell she was under.
âVanessa, if youâre in any kind of trouble, you can tell me. Iâll help you, no matter what.â
Sophia grabbed Vanessaâs arm, her voice filled with genuine concern.
But it was exactly this kind of naive sincerity that irritated Vanessa the most.
She yanked her arm free, her expression icy as she said, âMy life has nothing to do with you. Stop bothering me.â
Her cold words hit Sophia like a punch to the chest, leaving her stunned.
She couldnât believe this was the same Vanessa she used to know.
How had things gotten this bad?
Just then, the elevator reached the ground floor, and as the doors opened, Sophia watched helplessly as Vanessa walked out, still holding the hand of that guy sheâd seen twice before.
The sight snapped Sophia back to reality.
Yes, it had to be because of him. It was all because of that guy!
Like a drowning person clinging to a lifeline, Sophia latched onto this idea.
Her resolve hardened once more.
I will bring Vanessa back. I will get VibraMyst back together, no matter what it takesâ¦
As Vanessa pulled Lila along, Lila suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, like she was being hunted by a predator.
She instinctively turned her head, and through the slowly closing elevator doors, she caught a glimpse of the brunette girlâs dark, brooding gaze fixed on her.
â!!!â