---
Lavinia screamed in shock as she stared at the last picture — the one where the scene of her death had changed.
The betrayal was the same… still there.
But the ending? It was no longer the same.
Before, it was her childhood friend who ran her over with his car…
But now, he had been replaced by a stranger — an unknown man, his face hidden in shadows, as if her fate was being rewritten.
She closed the album slowly, took a deep breath, then drifted into sleep without realizing it.
---
The Dream
She was standing in the middle of the schoolyard… alone.
The sky was gray, the air cold, and the faces she knew passed by… without features.
"Mikel?" she called softly.
But he walked past her without seeing her, laughing with Mira, his hand intertwined with hers.
"Mira!" she screamed…
But Mira turned toward her, looked at her with disdain, and said coldly:
"Isn't it time for you to leave already?"
The students approached…
Their laughter turned into a sharp echo…
"Weird girl."
"Just a failure."
"She thought she was loved."
Suddenly, the ground split beneath her feet, and she fell…
Fell endlessly…
Familiar voices echoed around her:
"We abandoned you."
"You're alone now."
"You were always a burden."
---
She woke up suddenly, screaming.
Her breathing was fast, her limbs trembling.
She fell off the bed in a ridiculous way, the blanket wrapped around her like a cocoon.
She exhaled and said:
"What a genius I am… I can't even fall quietly."
---
The next morning, she stood by her window.
The sky was a clear blue, and calm surrounded the quiet neighborhood.
She saw him.
Mikel.
He was walking back from training, his hair wet, drops of water sliding down his neck and cheeks, the gym bag hanging from his shoulder.
His steps were calm… but he didn't look toward her window.
As if he had never belonged to her world.
---
She smiled mockingly as she remembered…
She used to shout to him from the second floor:
"Mikel! You forgot your lunch, you lazy idiot!"
And he would laugh and shout from below:
"You're such a noisy voice, Lavinia! But thanks!"
They always talked from the window, at all times, without ever getting bored.
---
On the third day, her punishment finally ended.
She put on her school uniform, tied her hair, and grabbed her bag.
"Hmm… this time I'll start a new page."
Before she could leave, her mother stopped her.
"This is your chance to be more mature. I don't want to hear a single complaint about you from the school."
Lavinia replied with a sharp but calm look and said:
"Don't worry… I'm someone else now."
---
She left the house, and as she closed the door behind her, her eyes met Michael's — he was about to leave at that very moment.
She froze for a second, and they exchanged a look… a silent look, filled with anger, sadness, and maybe something else…
Something hard to define.
"But Lavinia completely ignored him, as if he didn't exist."
While Mikel only kept looking at her…
---
When she arrived at school, whispers began to spread:
"Oh, look who's back."
"Does she still think she's popular?"
"She's the one who hit Mira, right?"
"I heard she's really weird… jealous of her."
"Look at her… she looks like a giraffe."
Everyone kept their distance from her, as if she were a contagious disease.
Even those who used to applaud her yesterday… now avoided her today.
In the corner, Mira was entering the school with her friends, pretending to be scared:
"Please, don't leave me alone… Lavinia might hurt me again."
Everyone sympathized with her — even Michael.
He gently held her hand in front of everyone.
He looked at her with tenderness and patted her head.
In a scene that looked like something out of a romantic comic, silence filled the moment, then whispers of admiration rose:
"Wow, look how he protects her!"
"They're the perfect couple!"
"What a true knight!"
---
Lavinia entered the classroom, her eyes moving slowly.
Everyone was gathered around Michael and Mira — their laughter, their whispers.
Before, this used to be her place.
She was the center of attention, the first star.
And now… she had become a shadow, unseen.
She lifted her long bag, then slammed it down on the desk with force:
"Ugh, damn this stupid world…"
But suddenly, she heard a warm voice:
"Hey… Lavinia."
She turned.
Rocky.
He was smiling, his face glowing with joy.
"I missed you. Class was so boring without you."
Her face turned red, and she placed a hand over her heart, which began to beat unusually fast:
"I–I… thanks."
The bell rang, marking the end of the first class.
She hurried out of the classroom, wanting only some air.
But as soon as she reached the hallway, she noticed a large crowd of girls.
Whispers, laughter, phones out.
"Who's that?"
"He's so handsome!"
"Is that the new second-year student?"
She walked past them indifferently… until someone gently grabbed her arm.
She turned around.
And then it was…
shock.
---