The once cozy family of three soon became nothing more than a quiet shell.
Later, my parents felt sorry for her and treated her like their own daughter.
From that point, Calliope and I stayed close, almost never separating.
Calliope was always remarkable with outstanding grades and a pretty face.
And I was just a normal boy, plain looks, average grades, the only thing I did well was drawing.
But during those days, I never thought I didn’t match her.
She told me we gave her all the warmth a family should hold, that we were her real home.
She also told me I was the ray of brightness in her dark life.
In our first high school year, after night study, I walked back with Calliope as always.
Along a quiet path, we met her dad.
He was drunk, swaying, acting wild.
He had gone bankrupt, the lover who cheated with him had left, and now he came to take Calliope again.
She refused to follow, and he suddenly rushed forward, trying to drag her away.
At that second, I couldn’t think of anything else and moved in front of her without pause.
My knees shook from fear, yet I feared more that she might be harmed.
That night, Calliope held me firmly and promised that in her whole life she would only care for me.
After we entered high school, she grew even more outstanding, drawing attention from many boys.
She was always the top student, while I was just a normal art student.
I worried she might walk away one day, but she always smiled and pinched my hand, saying, “Dummy! Why would I leave you? I can’t repay what you, uncle and aunt, gave me.”
I thought we would stay happy just like that, until Arden showed up.
On a hot summer day, I was doing homework with Calliope at her home when sudden knocks sounded on the door.
Opening it, we saw a cheerful boy with a bright smile.
He said he had recently moved here and was Calliope’s new neighbor.
His soft tone seemed to ease the heat of summer, but inside me grew a quiet ten.
Maybe it was the glow coming from him, or maybe it was because I noticed the burning admiration in his eyes when he looked at her.
Later, I realized that the uneasy feeling wasn’t imagined; it became the main color of my remaining high school years.
The next morning, I found out that Arden not only became her neighbor but also moved into our school.
Right after the monthly test, the teacher was going over the results.
My grades were normally average, but I surprisingly took first place in English this time.
Just as the teacher praised me, Arden showed up at the classroom doorway.
The whole class burst into loud excitement; nobody cared about my result anymore, and everyone stared at him.
“Wow, our school actually has such a good-looking boy!”
“You fool, he must be new here, or we would’ve seen him earlier!”
Only then did I understand that he was now Calliope’s neighbor and soon also my classmate.
What I did not expect was that when choosing seats, Arden picked me.
“Rayne, you’re the only boy I know here, I’ll rely on you.”
“I know you and Calliope are close. Can you both take me along?”
He smiled like a gentle winter sun. And I… couldn’t think of any reason to say no.
From that moment, another person stepped into the place that once held only Calliope and me.
