I saw him again years later.
High school.
Alex.
The moment I saw him laugh with his friends, something inside me twisted. Same smile. Same brightness. Only now, the whole world seemed to orbit around him.
He was popular in a way that felt effortless. Like the universe had decided he deserved attention.
I recognized him immediately.
He didn't recognize me at all.
That hurt more than I expected.
Three years.
Three years of sitting quietly in class, watching people crowd around him. Three years of memorizing the way he leaned back in his chair, the way he pushed his hair away from his eyes, the way his smile made everything seem lighter.
Three years of being his classmate…
…and a stranger.
I was the opposite of him in every way.
He was sunshine.
I was a cloudy day.
He was loud laughter and easy confidence.
I was silence and shadows.
Sometimes I wondered if he would remember me if I told him. But every time I imagined opening my mouth, fear wrapped around my chest.
So I stayed quiet.
I always stayed quiet.