The midday sun streamed through the high windows of the school hallway, but all I could focus on was the nervous sweat dampening Ren’s palms as he shoved a tightly folded piece of lined paper into my hands. "Please, you have to give it to her," Ren whispered, his voice trembling so hard it barely carried over the noise of slamming lockers. His dark eyes were wide, practically pleading. "I tried to walk up to her, but my chest went completely tight. I can't do it. If I try to speak, I'm going to pass out." I looked down at the paper in my hand. He hadn't even sealed it. unfolded it slightly, just enough to see his familiar, slightly messy handwriting slashing across the page: I’ve liked you for a long time. Will you be my girlfriend? A cold, heavy weight dropped straight into my stomach. I had known Ren since we were kids. I knew how he laughed when he was genuinely amused versus when he was just being polite. I knew he took his coffee with way too much sugar, and I knew the exact shade of hazel his eyes turned when the light hit them just right. What he didn't know—what I had spent the last two years desperately hiding—was that I was completely, hopelessly in love with him. "She's coming," Ren hissed, grabbing my shoulder and nudging me forward. I looked up. Olivia was walking down the corridor, laughing with a few of her friends, her bright hair swinging over her shoulders. She was pretty, kind, and exactly the kind of girl Ren deserved. My feet felt like lead as I stepped into her path. Ren ducked into the alcove of the library doors, watching me with a mixture of terror and hope. I held the note against my thigh, the sharp edges of the paper digging into my skin. All I had to do was call her name, extend my hand, and hand over Ren's heart to someone else. Once she read it, there would be no going back. Ren would belong to her. Olivia noticed me and slowed down, offering a polite smile. "Hey! Did you need something?" The words caught in my throat. I looked from her curious expression back toward the alcove where Ren was hiding, chewing on his bottom lip, waiting for me to seal his fate. My chest flared with a sudden, selfish ache. I couldn't do it. I didn't want to be the one who handed him over to someone else. "Actually, yeah," I said, my voice sounding steadier than I felt. I took a step closer, completely blocking her view of the library alcove. "Mr. Harrison was looking for you in the science wing. He said something about the lab reports needing to be turned in before the end of lunch or it's a zero." Olivia’s eyes went wide with sudden panic. "Oh my gosh, really? I thought we had until Friday!" She adjusted her backpack strap, immediately turning on her heel. "Thanks for telling me, I have to run!" "No problem," I murmured, watching her hurried figure disappear around the corner. The hallway started to clear out as the warning bell rang. I turned around slowly. Ren stepped out from the alcove, looking around frantically, his face falling when he realized Olivia was nowhere to be seen. "What happened?" Ren asked, jogging over to me, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Did she not want it? Did she say something?" I looked down at the note, crumpling it slightly in my fist, before looking up to meet his anxious gaze. "She had to leave"