The final race was about to start.
I was stretching — okay, attempting to stretch — while Kai smirked beside me. "You sure you won't trip again, Chaos Girl?"
I stuck my tongue out. "Only thing I'm tripping over is your ego."
He laughed, loud and unbothered. "Try not to fall for me too hard."
Before I could throw my water bottle at him, the whistle blew and the run start.
I ran. I ran like the wind. Not because I cared about the race — but because I saw Theo at the finish line cheering like I was his whole world. And weirdly, that made my heart skip.
I came second. Kai came first, of course.
"Good try," he said, ruffling my hair. "Second place suits you."
"Your face suits third place," I muttered, cheeks pink.
Suddenly, Theo was beside me, holding out a bottle of cold water. His eyes were soft — almost too soft.
"You were amazing, Lila. I'm proud of you."
My heart flipped.
And then… the two boys locked eyes. For one second, no one said anything.
I had no idea what was going on. But somehow… it felt like something just started.
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THE END OF CHAPTER 3
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