EPISODE 2 – " Shadows After School "
857 Words
(RJ & Sky POV )
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SKY — POV
School ends, but my heart hasn’t stopped pounding since morning.
RJ was unbearable today.
He took my pen, hid my notebook behind his back, poked my shoulder, whispered my name for no reason—
And each time I turned, his eyes were already on me.
Cold.
Sharp.
Watching me like he knew something I didn’t.
I told myself I didn’t mind… but I lied.
RJ always gets under my skin.
When the bell rings, I pack fast. I need space, somewhere he won’t appear out of nowhere.
I slip out of class through the side door.
The hallway buzzes with noise, but I take the back path behind the old library—the quiet spot students forget exists.
The sun sets, painting the sky peach and gold. I breathe in deeply, finally alone.
Or so I think.
“Sky?”
That voice.
Soft. Familiar.
Impossible.
I turn around and see him leaning casually against the old stone wall.
James Jewish. JJ.
My childhood best friend.
My protector.
My partner-in-crime from age 6 to 10, before his family suddenly moved away.
He looks… older. Taller. More confident.
But the warm smile is still the same.
“JJ?” My voice cracks.
He laughs and pulls me into a hug.
“Skyworth! You’ve grown! I almost didn’t recognise you.”
I pull back slowly, still shocked.
“Where have you been!? You just vanished—”
He raises a brow playfully.
“Thought you’d forgotten me.”
“Never,” I say immediately. And it’s true.
We start walking together.
Talking.
Laughing.
He teases me the same old way—soft, gentle, protective.
The opposite of RJ’s cold teasing.
I tell him about school, friends, and how things have changed.
He listens like every word matters.
He always did.
When I laugh too hard at one of his jokes, he stops and looks at me quietly.
“Sky… I came back because I wanted to see you.”
My heartbeat skips.
The moment suddenly feels too warm.
But then—
A sharp shiver runs down my spine.
That familiar feeling.
Like someone’s eyes are burning holes into my back.
I turn slowly.
And my breath disappears.
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RJ — POV
I shouldn’t care.
I shouldn’t.
I tell myself that as I watch Sky slip out of class without looking at me even once.
I should be used to the way she avoids me.
The way she flinches when I tease her.
The way she blushes when I get too close.
But today…
She left too fast.
So I follow.
Not because I’m jealous—
because I need to understand her.
That’s what I tell myself.
I take the path behind the library and stop instantly.
Sky isn’t alone.
She’s with some guy… tall, smiling, standing too close to her.
She’s laughing—really laughing.
The kind of laugh she never gives me.
It hits me like a punch to the chest.
I step forward silently, staying partly in the shadows.
Watching.
Sky looks happy.
Relaxed.
Safe.
Safe with someone who’s not me.
The guy—JJ—taps her forehead gently.
Touches her hair.
And she lets him.
She never lets me.
Something inside me twists.
I don’t understand it, but it burns.
JJ says something that makes her blush.
And that’s when I step out from behind the tree.
Their smiles drop instantly.
Good.
At least she knows she’s not invisible to me.
Sky’s eyes widen.
She looks… guilty.
But JJ looks at me like he’s already starting a fight.
“Can we help you?” JJ asks, voice calm but sharp.
I ignore him.
My eyes stay on Sky.
Only Sky.
“Didn’t know you had plans after school,” I say quietly.
She swallows hard.
“RJ… I—”
JJ steps between us slightly, like she needs protection from me.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
“Sky doesn’t need to explain herself to you,” JJ says.
Sky gasps and grabs his arm.
“JJ, stop—”
But it’s too late.
I smile. Slowly.
The kind of smile that says this isn’t over.
“At least now I know why you rushed out of class,” I say.
Sky’s face turns red—hurt, confused, flustered.
JJ tightens his jaw.
“Oh?” JJ smirks. “Is that jealousy I’m hearing?”
Sky’s breath catches.
Mine does too—
But I hide it well.
“Jealous?” I say calmly. “Not even close.”
I step closer, eyes locked on hers.
“But I am curious.”
Sky’s lips part softly.
JJ pulls her slightly behind him.
“Curiosity gets people hurt,” he warns.
I tilt my head, still smirking.
“Not me.”
Then I turn and walk away.
But inside?
Inside I’m burning.
Because for the first time…
Sky looked at someone else the way I wanted her to look at me.
And I don’t know if she’ll ever look at me like that.
But I’ll make sure of one thing:
JJ is not winning this.
Not over me.
Not over her.
- Writer
