Elion Montague was a first-year college transfer student from across the country. His family had moved for unknown reasons, presumably finance or family reasons, but it was not my business to pry. 

Many arguably fancied the transfer student, from his slicked-back golden hair, fashionable clothing style, and the lack of young adult acne that sculpted his face into that of a Greek god—something I had not understood. His fashion was unconventional, inconvenient given the weather, and despite not donning any visible acne, one could argue that it could develop later than the rest of us. Elion was almost perfect, which raised suspicions that something must have been hidden behind those perfect skin and teeth.

It wasn't long before Icarus had confided his admiration for Elion. 

It shouldn't have surprised me that Icarus had taken a liking to him.

It was a surprise to see the sudden shift in Icarus. It wasn't unusual for Icarus to converse with others or hang out with other classmates and peers from work. But the more Elion conversed and talked to Icarus, the less time he spent with me and more with Elion. 

Seeing the two of them together was blinding, almost so much that I found myself shying away from them when they were together. 

Even with Elion, I had little to say to him, and even when I did find tiny windows of opportunity to insert myself into their dialogue, I found myself stumbling on my words. My words were meek and frail when I could muster the courage to contribute to a conversation. 

And to my dismay, Elion was as friendly and charming as Icarus. It was impossible to find a flaw the more and more I interacted with him. On rare occasions, that is. 

The first time we had ever had a conversation was a few weeks after he and Icarus had become friends. Elion had caught me by one of my classes before lunch. "Hey, Arche, was it?"

I nodded, pretending not to notice that a few passing students had glanced in our direction. 

"Icarus told me a lot about you," he explained. "One of the smartest kids on campus, from what he told me."

That depended on who you asked and several different factors. For one, I wasn't conceited to agree with that, but I wasn't humble enough to completely deny it, either. It wasn't in most students' repertoire to read college textbooks for fun, taking endless notes for material that wasn't even for a class. But the test scores and current education criteria proved a different story.

"He speaks too highly of me," I settled. "Just a naturally curious person who enjoys reading for fun."

He laughed. "That's cool; I used to love reading growing up. School really made it a chore."

"I don't think a lot of people think that." I glanced at the passing students who were on their phones. "Reading isn't a cool thing to people in the digital world."

Elion shrugged. "Well, knowledge is power or something like that. I don't even know who said it, but I'm sure it was someone important."

"Sir Francis Bacon," I muttered, pursing my lips when Elion's face turned to confusion.

"I know that name; I don't remember what he did."

"It was a quote from his book," I told him, refraining from going on about Bacon's accomplishments and accolades. Elion wasn't Icarus and not someone I'd imagine some random outburst of information. 

"Well, I was thinking you should come to sit with us at lunch," Elion said, pointing toward the dining hall. "Icarus would be thrilled, plus all my friends are super chill. I noticed you haven't been sitting with him for a while."

I wasn't sure how Elion defined chill, but I was certain that sitting amongst someone as charming as Elion—on top of sitting with Icarus—would be like a sheep amongst wolves. No matter how chill they might be, there was no way I'd fit in at their table. 

He was right on the notion that I hadn't been sitting with Icarus; he was sitting with his teammates and other friends, and I saw no place for me there.

I pointed to a random building. "I've got class up there. It's a long trek up some stairs, so I'll pass. But thanks."

He frowned. "You sure?"

With a nod, I glanced at my watch. There wasn't a class in that building that I could name, nor remember the name of the building, but it did stick out like a sore thumb amongst the shorter buildings on campus. I didn't have class either, not for another two hours, but there was no way I'd willingly sit beside them. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"Of course. If another day works out, you could always sit with us; I'll ask Icarus to text you or something if you'd like, unless you'd want my contact. The more people to hang out with, the merrier, right?"

I forced a nod but declined his contact info. "I'll have to check my schedule."

He hummed. "Well, I gotta meet up with them, or I'll be the one buying the drinks today. I'll tell Icarus you said hi."

"Sure," I said, waving as Elion slinked back into the crowd of hungry college students, heading toward the cafeteria. 

Despite the flurry of people, Elion stuck out in the crowd, the students turning to watch him leave the hallway like he held the keys to the universe. I didn't envy the attention; I just envied the attention Icarus gave him instead. 

But deep down, I knew there was no room for a moon amongst two suns, and that's what I needed to accept before Elion Montague completely eclipsed my existence from Icarus.