It's 7 a.m. in the morning, and summer break had just come to an end. 

The house was already stirring with low voices, clinking mugs, and the smell of toast hanging faintly in the air. Outside, the sky still wore that soft morning blue, and the light spilling through the windows felt too gentle for a day like this.

The first day of school.

Chris lay in bed, half-buried under his blanket, his curls a mess on the pillow. His eyes were shut, but he wasn't fully asleep-just floating in that quiet space between dreams and the inevitable.

Then came the knock

Knock Knock Knock.

“Chris, Tiana's voice called through the door, smooth and teasing. 

No response. Tiana knocks again, louder.

“Chris. It’s literally your first day of school. You not gonna get up?”

Still nothing. Tiana huffs, pushing the door open. Chris is buried under his blankets, face down. She marches over and yanks the covers off him.

With a groan, Chris lazily spoke. “What the hell, Tiana?” He blindly reaches for the blankets, but she holds them out of reach.

“What the hell, Chris? It’s your first day of senior year, and you’re just gonna sleep through it?”

Chris flops back onto his pillow dramatically. “it’s too early for this.”

“it’s really not. The bus comes in twenty minutes.” Chris bolts upright. “Wait – what?

“kidding. You’ve got like… forty. But seriously, get up mom’s gonna lose it if you’re late again.”

She heads to the door, tossing the blankets onto the floor behind her.

“Oh and wear something decent. It’s your last first day – don’t be a slob.

Chris groans and flops back onto his bed, covering his face with a pillow. “Kill me now.”

Chris slammed his locker shut, the metallic clang echoing down the hallway. He adjusted his backpack and turned, nearly colliding with Nick.

“Dude, watch it. You almost knocked my coffee out of my hand – and I literally just bought this.”

(Rolling his eyes) “Maybe don’t sneak up on people.”

Jin appeared on Chris’s other side, grinning. “First day of senior year, and you’re already grumpy. Classic Chris.”

Chris sighed. “I’m not grumpy. I’m just tired.”

Nick raised a brow. “Tired from what? You spent all summer moping in your room.”

Chris shot him a glare. “Thanks for the reminder.”

They started walking toward their usual hangout spot by the stairs, the crowd buzzing around them. Jin glanced at nick, who gave him a subtle nod. Chris noticed.

“Okay. What?”

Nick sipped his coffee dramatically before answering. “So… have you heard about laurel?”

Chris froze mid-step. “What about laurel?”

Jin winced. “Uh… she’s kind of… seeing someone.”

“Yeah. Some junior. They got together, like, two weeks after you guys broke up.”

Chris let out a short laugh, though it held no humor. “Two weeks? We dated for three and a half years, and she moved on in two weeks?”

Jin shifted awkwardly. “I mean… maybe she just needed a distraction.” “Or maybe she’s just heartless.” Nick says (off Chris’s look) “What? I never even liked her.”

Chris dragged down a hand down his face. “God. This day just keeps getting better.”

Hey at least senior year can’t get any worse, right?”

Nick snorted. “Famous last words.”

Chris sighed, leaning against the wall. “Kill me now.”

Nick perked up. “Or… hear me out – you could come over after school. We can hang out, order pizza, and pretend we don’t have responsibilities.” He glanced at Jin. “You in?”

Jin hesitated, scratching the back of his neck. “Can’t. My mom wants me to help with something tonight.

Nick raised a brow. “On the first day of school?”

Jin shrugged. “she’s in one of her ‘family bonding’ moods.” He made air quotes, rolling his eyes. “Trust me, I’d rather hangout.”

Nick sighed dramatically. “Lame.” He turned to Chris. “What about you?”

Chris considered saying no. After the morning he’d had – and the laurel news – all he really wanted was to crawl into bed. But the thought of sitting alone in his room, his mind spiraling, sounded even worse.

“Yeah… okay.” He shrugged, trying to play it cool. “Why not?”

Nick grinned. “Awesome. Sleepover, too. We’ll binge something dumb and eat our weight in snacks.”

They parted ways for class, but Chris found himself already looking forward to the night. 

Chris adjusted his backpack as he walked down the hallway, still processing everything Nick and Jin had told him. Laurel had moved on in two weeks. Two weeks. It stung more than he wanted to admit.

Lost in thought, he nearly didn’t notice her coming from the opposite direction ~ until they were just a few steps apart.

Laurel.

Her deep brown skin glowed under the hallway lights, and her dark curls were styled into a sleek high puff. Gold hoop earrings caught the light as she laughed at something one of her friends said, her confidence radiating effortlessly. She looked put together, like their breakup had barely been a blip in her life.

Chris swallowed, forcing himself to speak. “Hey Lau-” She walked right past him.

No glance. No hesitation. No acknowledgement that they had spent three and a half years together.

Like he was a stranger.

Chris’s last words died in his throat. A few people around him had noticed, whispering, exchanging glances. His stomach twisted with embarrassment.

He kept walking, his jaw clenched, heat creeping up his neck. He told himself it didn’t matter. That it was fine. That he shouldn’t care.

But damn. That hurt.

Chris dropped his backpack onto the floor the second he stepped into Nick’s room, exhaling as he flopped onto the bed.

“Man I needed this.”

Nick kicked the door shut behind him and tossed his own bag onto his desk chair. “Yeah, no kidding. You looked like you were about to spontaneously combust in the hallway earlier.”

Chris groaned, pressing his hands over his face. “Please don’t remind me.”

Nick didn’t say anything at first. Chris expected him to crack a joke, but instead, the room settle into a quiet pause. When Chris finally uncovered his face, he found Nick leaning against his desk, arms crossed, watching him.

“Be honest. Are you really okay?”

Chris blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

“The breakup. Laurel. The whole thing. I know you act like you’re fine, but I was there, dude. Three and a half years is a long time.”

Chris sat up slowly, sighing. “I mean… yeah, it sucks. But what am I supposed to do? Cry about it?”

Nick shrugged. “If you need to, yeah. You never really talked about it. You just said it was over and then you ghosted everyone for the rest of summer.”

Chris picked at a loose trend on the comforter, avoiding Nick’s gaze. “I didn’t ghost you.”

“Bro you might as well have. You barely answered texts, and every time we asked how you were, you just said you were ‘chilling’.”

Chris huffed out a small, humorless laugh. “What was I supposed to say? That I felt like crap? That I wasted three years on someone who got over me in two weeks?”

Nick sat on the edge of the bed, softer now. “It wasn’t a waste.”

Chris scoffed. “Yeah? Sure feels like one.”

Nick shook his head. “Dude, just because it ended badly doesn’t mean-”

(Interrupting, frowning) “Uh… who’s that?”

Chris nodded toward the window. Outside, near the fence, a girl about their age was walking up the driveaway, balancing a plate covered with foil. She had a shoulder-length, wavy blonde hair tied up in a loose ponytail and was dressed casually in sweats and oversized hoodie. Her expression was neutral, focused, like she was just getting this over with.

Nick followed his gaze and let out a small “oh.” Then, like it was nothing, he flopped back onto the bed. “That’s sienna. She and her family moved in over the summer.”

Chris frowned. “Wait, new neighbors? When were you gonna tell me?”

Nick stretched lazily. “Dude I don’t give you neighborhood updates. Not my job.”

Chris glanced back outside as sienna reached Nick’s front door and rang the bell.

Chris turned back to Nick. “You’re not gonna get that?”

Nick sighed dramatically. “Ugh, fine.” He pushed himself up and stretched. “If this is another casserole situation, I swear-”

Chris smirked as Nick left the room. A moment later, he heard the front door open, followed by muffled voices. He caught a bit of Nick’s usual dry tone and a shorter, clipped response from the girl. Then the door shut, and Nick reappeared, holding the plate in one hand.

“Yep. Casserole. Again.”

Chris chuckled. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

Nick set the plate on his desk. “Last time it had raisins in it.” He gave Chris a deadpan look. “Raisins. In a casserole.” 

Before Chris could respond, Nick’s mom’s voice rang from downstairs.

“Who was that, Nick?”  

Nick sighed, loud enough for dramatic effect. “Sienna. From next door. They brought food again.”

A brief pause. Then-

“Oh! That’s sweet of them. Go ask if they’d like to have dinner with us tonight.”

Nick groaned, flopping back onto the bed. “Why me?”

“Because I said so.”

Chris snickered. “Tough break, buddy.”

Nick shot him a glare before pushing himself up. “Fine. But if I get roped into some awkward neighbor small talk, I’m making you suffer with me.”

Chris held up his hands in surrender. “Noted.”

With a final sigh, Nick grabbed the plate and trudged back downstairs.

Chris leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Dinner with the neighbors, huh?

He wasn’t sure why, but something about it made his stomach twist with anticipation.

The dining table was already set, the plates filled, and conversation was just starting to pick up. Lorraine sat beside Sienna, offering a polite smile whenever Susan spoke, while Sienna mostly focused on her food. Susan glanced around the table, then tilted her head. “Where’s Greg?”

Lorraine dabbed at her mouth with a napkin before answering. “Oh, he had some work calls to finish up. He should be here soon.”

Susan nodded understandingly. “And Ash?”

At the mention of his name, Chris felt an odd sense of curiosity spark. He didn’t even know what the guy looked like, but something about the way Susan asked made it sound like his presence- or lack thereof- was noteworthy.

Susan chuckled. “That boy of yours is always off somewhere.”

Sienna, who had been quiet up till now, finally spoke, her voice soft but clear. “He was supposed to be here already.” She stabbed at a piece of food on her plate, her expression unreadable.

Lorraine gave her daughter a look but didn’t say anything further.

Chris, meanwhile, couldn’t help but wonder-what kind of guy was Ash, exactly? And why did it feel like his absence was just as noticeable as his presence would’ve been?