It started with a post.
Riven didn't see it right away. It was Eli who sent him the screenshot, his message short:
> You've seen this?
The image wasn't anything dramatic at first glance — just a candid shot of them in the library, leaning close over the same book. But the caption…
> Sunvale's newest power couple. Let's see how long before the fairy tale ends.
It was already gathering comments — some harmless, others laced with that same sharp edge Marcus's voice had carried yesterday.
Riven's stomach twisted. "Why would someone—"
"Because they can," Eli said flatly. He was leaning back in his chair, phone in hand, but his jaw was tight. "It's easy to throw stones when you're standing in the dark."
Riven wanted to delete the whole internet in that moment. But he also knew — this was only the beginning.
---
By the time they got to school, the air felt heavier. Conversations dipped when they walked past. A few people smiled too widely, in that way that wasn't friendly at all.
In the middle of math class, a folded piece of paper landed on Riven's desk. He hesitated before opening it.
Inside, in sloppy block letters:
> Enjoy your fifteen minutes.
He crumpled it, heart pounding.
When the bell rang, Eli was waiting just outside the classroom. One look at Riven's face, and he knew.
"What was it?"
"Nothing," Riven lied automatically.
Eli held his gaze. "Don't start building walls with me, Riv. We're supposed to be on the same side."
Riven swallowed, guilt burning in his chest. "I just… I don't want you to worry."
"Too late for that," Eli said softly.
---
That afternoon, they skipped the cafeteria and sat under the old acacia tree behind the music room. It was quieter there — no stares, no whispers.
Eli reached over, brushing Riven's hair away from his face. "We don't get to choose the noise, Riv. But we do get to choose how we listen to it."
Riven closed his eyes, leaning into the touch. "And what if it gets louder?"
Eli's voice was steady. "Then we drown it out. Together."
---
For a moment, the world felt distant again — just them, and the shade of the tree, and the faint hum of life moving elsewhere.
But somewhere beyond that calm, the first crack had already formed.
And the noise was only beginning.
---