The new student's name was River. Tall, confident, and with hair that somehow always looked like it belonged in a shampoo commercial. On his second day, he joined their lunch table like he had always been there.
Josh didn't mind him at first. River was chill, funny, and smart enough not to brag about it. But then he noticed something—River talked to Aki. A lot.
Too much.
"Hey, Aki," River said one lunch break. "You draw, right? Can you help me design a comic cover?"
Aki looked up from her rice. "Sure! I love doing that kind of stuff."
Josh stabbed his fried chicken harder than necessary.
He tried not to show it, but his stomach twisted every time River laughed at Aki's jokes. And when River walked Aki to class? That was the final straw.
Josh started pulling away without meaning to. He skipped their usual after-school hangout, saying he had "a lot of homework." He texted her less. He laughed less.
Aki noticed.
"Did I do something?" she asked one afternoon, catching him at his locker.
Josh shook his head. "No. Why?"
"You've been… different." Her eyes searched his. "Is it because I've been hanging out with River?"
He looked down. "No."
Lie.
Aki sighed. "Josh, you're my best friend. That's not changing."
He nodded, but didn't speak.
That night, he stared at the ceiling again. Why was he being like this? It wasn't her fault. She didn't even know how he felt. How could she?
But the truth was, every time River made her smile, Josh felt like a wall inside him was cracking.
Aki's voice echoed in his mind.
"You're my best friend."
He didn't want to be just that anymore.
But he was scared that if he asked for more… he might lose even that.