Carter stared at the door to his sister’s room, untouched since the night of the accident. It hadn‘t been opened in weeks. Every time he passed it, he felt something behind it - not a person, just… pressure. Like someone was leaning against that door, just on the other side. He didn’t know why he’d stopped. He hadn’t planned to. He’d walked past this door dozens of times since the hospital visit, since the machines started breathing for her. But today, something held him there. Like a thread pulling gently on the edge of his shirt. He swallowed. The hallway felt a little colder than it should’ve. Carter shook it off. Just dreams. Just nerves. He hadn’t slept right in weeks. He ran a hand through his light gray hair, letting out a sigh, and kept walking. ~~ By the time he reached the front doors of school, the sun had broken through the clouds. The light hit his hair just right - enough for a few students clustered near the benches to glance up and whisper to each other. Golden Boy. He hated the nickname, but it clung to him like static. Carter didn’t look at them as he passed. He just kept walking, earbuds in but nothing playing. He liked the quiet better. The halls were already crowded. First period wasn’t for another fifteen minutes, but the school buzzed with movement. Voices bouncing off lockers, sneakers squeaking against tile, the metallic slam of doors opening and closing. Same as always. As he rounded the corner to his locker, he spotted Atrius ahead of him. He was laughing with a couple of his friends… one hand in his pocket, the other twirling a silver mechanical pencil in between three fingers. Cool. Effortless. Admirable, to say the least. Their eyes met for half a second. Atrius gave the smallest nod, polite, distant, then turned his attention back to his group. Carter kept walking, though it was hard to ignore the light dusting of pink that made his face heat up just slightly. That was how it was between them. Not rivals. Not friends. Just two people who happened to be in the same orbit.