Mia opened her mouth to ask a question, but before she could speak, Sel lifted her hand slightly and stopped her.
"You do not need to ask," Sel said in a calm voice. "The Sel you are rembering... I wasn’t that person."
Mia froze where she sat. Her eyes widened, her heart pounding as she stared at Sel. Slowly, she whispered, "That cannot be. I only had one person who went to the beach with . I only had one person who made sandcastles with . That person was my neighbor. That person was... you. You were Selena."
Sel gave a soft chuckle. She scratched the back of her head, looking a little embarrassed. "You are misunderstanding," she said. "It is not that simple. My sister and I... we exchanged our nas."
Mia blinked, her mind going blank for a second. Then she shook her head quickly. "Wait. You had a sister. Her na was... Selin."
Sel nodded slowly.
Mia pointed her finger at her in disbelief, her mouth opening and closing as if she did not know what to say. Finally, her words ca out in a shaky voice. "Then... are you telling that you are not Selena? You are... Selin?"
Sel’s lips curved into a small smile. She nodded. "Yes. I was Selin. But my sister told one day that she thought my na was beautiful. She wanted to keep it. She said she wanted to be Selin. I thought her na was simple, but I liked it too. So we exchanged. She beca Selin. I beca Selena. From then on, everyone knew as Selena."
Mia’s head spun. Her mories were fighting inside her brain. She pressed her hand to her forehead.
"That is... that is impossible," she whispered. "During my childhood, I hardly ever spoke to Selin. You never got close to . You always stayed away. You were quiet and cold. You hardly said anything. So how can you now... act so close to ?"
Sel chuckled softly, her tone calm and steady. She reached out and gently took Mia’s hand in hers.
"At that ti, I only wanted private ti. That was all. I wanted to be alone. I was not ready to show myself. But now I am ready. That is why I am close to you. I was always there, Mia. I was just quiet."
Mia raised one eyebrow, studying her carefully. She could feel the warmth of Sel’s hand, but she also felt uncertain. After a mont, she pulled her hand back gently. Then she smiled, though her eyes showed doubt.
"If that is the case, then it is fine. I am glad you are back. We can support each other now. High school is hard, but with friends, it will be easier."
Sel tilted her head, watching Mia with an unreadable expression. Then she raised one eyebrow but nodded. "Yes. We can support each other," she said calmly.
At that mont, Aurora entered the room with the pizza in her hands. Mia quickly turned her attention to her best friend, and Sel stepped back slightly, watching quietly. They all ate the pizza together before the lectures started again.
The classes went by quickly, and when they ended, Aurora left the room with Spencer by her side. They were laughing softly together, but just as Spencer was about to walk her ho, his phone rang.
He picked it up and listened for a few seconds. Slowly, his expression darkened. His eyes grew serious.
After he ended the call, he turned to Aurora with a forced smile. "I will have to leave now," he said.
Aurora’s heart sank. She clenched her fist at her side, her nails pressing into her palm.
She had been trying to ignore the truth, but she knew it in her heart. The month was almost over. It was almost ti for Spencer to leave her.
Still, she took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face. "Then you should go," she said softly.
Spencer reached out and touched her cheek gently. "Do not worry. The date is still on. Tomorrow at two o’clock. Do not forget."
Aurora nodded. "I will not."
Spencer leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before turning to leave. Aurora stood there, watching him walk away until his figure disappeared into the crowd.
Just as she was about to leave the building, a large man in a black suit suddenly blocked her path. He was tall, with sharp eyes, and he looked dangerous.
"Miss Aurora," he said in a flat voice. "Our young miss wants to et you."
Aurora raised one eyebrow. She crossed her arms. "If your young miss wants to et , then she can co here. Why is she hiding behind you?"
The bodyguard’s face stayed cold. "Our young miss cannot co here. You must follow to her."
Aurora let out a small laugh. "I am not going anywhere. If she has sothing to say, she can say it to my face."
The bodyguard’s eyes narrowed. His voice dropped lower. "I suggest you listen. If you do not, you will regret it."
Aurora tilted her head, her lips curling into a mocking smile. "Regret? Then go ahead. Make regret it."
The bodyguard’s expression turned hard. Without another word, he lunged at her. His fists swung with trained speed, his movents sharp like a martial artist. He had no doubt that within a few seconds, he could overpower this girl and drag her back to Miss Isabella’s car.
In his mind, he was already imagining how she would cry and beg for help. But reality hit him like a slap.
Aurora moved smoothly, blocking his strike with ease. Her counterattack was sharp and fast. Before he knew it, she had kicked him off balance, sending him crashing to the floor.
He tried to get up, but another blow sent him back down. Within monts, he was groaning on the ground, unable to continue.
His last thought before he lost consciousness was confusion. How could a girl like this defeat him, a man trained in martial arts for years?
Aurora brushed her hands together and turned to walk away. But before she could take another step, she heard the sound of clapping behind her.
Slowly, she turned her head. A girl stood a few feet away, her dress shining under the lights. Her long hair swayed as she smiled, her eyes sharp with amusent.
It was Isabella.
She clapped her hands slowly and gave Aurora a small, mocking smile. "I never expected you to have such skills," Isabella said.
Aurora gave a little laugh. "Of course. I am a Mary Sue in a novel, rember? A Mary Sue needs to have so basic skills."
Isabella chuckled softly, her smile widening. "So you rember grudges, Aurora. I see you do not forget easily."
Aurora shrugged. "In my life, it is common. If I do not keep track of the grudges I hold, I will not even know how many enemies I have."
Isabella tilted her head, her smile sweet but her eyes sharp. "Then you should learn sothing from ."
Aurora shook her head. "There is nothing I can learn from you."
Isabella ignored her words and continued with a calm voice. "Even though you love to be petty, rember this. Petty people do not live long. They always end up offending soone they should not. Because of their narrow mind, they eventually die."
Aurora narrowed her eyes slightly and asked with a cold chuckle, "Are you threatening ?"
Isabella chuckled softly, covering her lips with her fingers. "Do not mistake ," she said slowly. "I was not threatening you. I was only stating a fact."
Aurora tilted her head slightly. Her eyes glead with amusent, though her smile looked sharp. She gave a small nod. "If that is the case," she replied, "then I will also tell you sothing important, Isabella."
She walked toward Isabella step by step. The sound of her shoes echoed in the empty hallway, and each step made Isabella’s smile stiffen slightly. Aurora stopped just in front of her. Her voice was low but firm as she spoke.
"Whoever thinks that they are standing too high should watch every step carefully. Because one day, without realizing it, they might fall. And when they fall, they will not even know what caused them to lose their balance."
Isabella’s eyes narrowed at those words. She let out a laugh that was filled with mockery, but her gaze carried a hint of seriousness.
"Your courage is truly great," she said, shaking her head slightly. "Compared to you, I have hardly seen anyone who dares to speak so boldly. But to , you are not brave, Aurora. You are simply foolhardy."
Aurora raised one eyebrow and chuckled softly.
"Foolhardy? No, Isabella. You are wrong. I am not foolishly brave. In fact, I am very smart. I can see clearly what you are trying to do right now. You think that if you attack my family, I will retreat. You think that if you use them as a weakness, you will win against ."
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