The lost sunshine

Zeyan Cole's PoV On stage, a woman with curly hair is giving a speech. I am usually not interested in these kinds of things, but seeing her talk so enthusiastically makes me want to listen. Her name is Sarwa Mercer, a top student from a wealthy family—too good to be true for someone our age. As I zone out, I don’t realize that my buddies have already started teasing me. “Bro, close your mouth, it’s drooling,” Mark laughs. “Yeah, the way you look at her, you probably want to melt her,” Evan chimes in. “Shut it, bro,” I chuckle. “You’re hopeless,” they say. Yes, you got it right—I like her. I’ve liked her for more than three years, yet I’ve never dared to admit it. She’s also the reason I still study and drag myself to this boring school. When I look back at the stage, her speech has already ended, and her eyes land perfectly on me. She smiles sweetly, making my heart skip a beat for a moment. She then starts walking toward us, and my heart keeps pounding. She stops in front of me—but not for me. She’s here for Julian Zhang. "Congrats — you look stunning," Julian complimented her. She smiled sweetly and, standing between us, replied, "Thank you. How about I treat you to lunch after this?" "Sure," he agreed. They continued to chat while I drifted into thought. How wonderful it would be if she treated me like that. How I wished we could be that casual. I was lost in my thoughts when someone tugged at my shirt. "Hey, Pup — you seem lost. You're stepping on my shoelace! Give me a break!" she snapped. Of course it was her; it was always like this. The sweeter she was to Julian, the sharper she was to me. But that was okay—being near her was the only option I had. "I didn't know a kitty could bark," I said sarcastically, pinching her cheek. "Bastard! Get your hands off me!" she shouted. She must've forgotten we were still at orientation and the dean was giving his speech. The crowd automatically turned toward us. She opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to remember where we were. She gasped, looked around at the watching faces, and embarrassedly lowered her head. "Oh no — our Miss Perfect just slipped," I teased. "Bullshit, this is embarrassing! I'll kill you, bastard…" she muttered, but to me her words sounded like a beautiful symphony. "You two — get out! Wait outside my office!" the dean barked. We walked out together. I hummed happily while she kept cursing. What a beautiful song, I thought, laughing to myself. "What are you smiling for?!" she kicked my leg. "Oww— is that the best you've got? Hahaha, it won't even reach my butt," I teased. "What?! You dog!" She lunged at me, but I dodged. "Oww, those short arms can't even catch me," I continued. "Just you wait!" she cried, and grabbed for me again. And that's how the chase began. Julian's PoV Sarwa, Zeyan, and I have been childhood friends. That's how I'm supposed to describe it, even if they usually don't get along. I sighed as the dean dismissed them during orientation. Can't they pick a better place to bicker just once? They're so stubborn. But that's what I envy: they can do whatever they want without worrying about consequences. As an only child, I can't risk being like that. Sarwa is usually composed with everyone—only Zeyan can rattle her. I hurried after them when orientation ended, but they weren't outside the dean's office. Instead, I found them chasing each other on the field. Couldn't they feel the scorching sun? I walked toward them. "You two—can't you remember you were supposed to wait outside the dean's office?" They stopped mid-chase. "Hey, Pup, let's go. Prepare your ears," Sarwa said, panting but joking. "I know, of course I'm the one to take the blame," Zeyan replied. It was always like this: after they disturbed everyone, they relaxed as if nothing had happened. Sarwa's PoV The principal scolded Zeyan nonstop. I didn't know why, but Zeyan and I couldn't go a day without fighting. I felt like my day wasn't complete without bickering with him. He was the mess I didn't want to deal with. "You may return to your class. This serves as your warning. There will probably be no next time—especially you, Mr. Cole," the dean said with a sigh. As we walked out the door, Julian greeted us. "Hungry?" he asked. I nodded. "What a piggy," Zeyan said sarcastically. I glared at him and he just chuckled. Since the break was almost over, the food in the cafeteria was running out and they could only serve two people. We all looked at one another. "Juls, let us share and give the other to this piglet," Zeyan said. "No way. Julian won't share with you; why don't you just go fasting for a day?" I replied. "What—how about you do what you said? Since you're the one who suggested it," Zeyan shot back . "No way!" We began to argue again until Julian stopped us. "Okay, how about I give it to both of you?" "No—you can't go hungry," I declared. "Then you two will share," Julian said. "No way!" Zeyan and I chimed together. "If you won't eat, then don't delay us here," a cafeteria staff member said. "We're sorry," Julian replied and fetched the food tray. "You two share and that's final." He sat at a nearby table and ate. I actually didn't mind sharing food with Zeyan; I was used to it. I would rather find it uncomfortable to share with Julian. Though Julian and I got along well, there was a huge social barrier between us. Yes, we all came from wealthy families, but Zeyan and I felt like stray dogs compared to him when it came to character. I could spot a single flaw in Julian: he was almost too perfect, which made me feel inferior. Unlike this i***t I'm sitting with—someone I can't see any good qualities in except his looks—I could curse Zeyan and raise my voice at him, but I barely dared around Julian. Besides, Zeyan and I were in the same situation when it came to family. While Julian had been pampered since he was young, Zeyan and I were left out—like a tablecloth on the center table while our siblings were the flower vase on top. I was lost in thought when Zeyan said, "Disgusted? Not even eating?" I shook my head. "Nope. I'm just wondering how dogs can eat like humans," I said sarcastically. "Hush... not in front of the food," he muttered. I gasped. "That's a first." We continued eating, then later returned to class.