You and I (Shadaze)

The next day at school, Blaze walked through the halls with an unusual stiffness in her step, her mind replaying last night over and over again. It was just a mistake-a moment that got out of hand. That's what she kept telling herself.

But avoiding Shadow? That was nearly impossible.

They were in the same class, the same friend group, and today, of all days, they had to attend the special assembly the principal held in honor of their school's debate victory.

Blaze sat beside Amy, forcing herself to focus on the principal's speech, but her thoughts kept drifting. Shadow was just a few seats away, sitting with his arms crossed, looking unusually tense. She refused to look at him.

Amy, ever the observant one, frowned slightly and leaned in. "Okay, what's up?"

Blaze blinked. "What?"

"You're weird today." Amy narrowed her eyes. "Like, extra weird."

Blaze scoffed. "Gee, thanks."

Amy rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Something happened. Spill."

Blaze shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Nothing happened."

Amy gave her a look that said I don't believe you for a second, but before she could press further, the audience started clapping. The principal had finished his speech.

On the other side of the room, Knuckles was poking at Shadow's arm, whispering, "Dude. You're acting like a malfunctioning robot today. What's up?"

Shadow shot him a glare. "Nothing."

Knuckles raised a brow. "Oh yeah? Nothing is making you sit there like you've seen a damn ghost?"

Shadow didn't respond, gripping his chair a little tighter.

It wasn't like he could tell Knuckles, Oh yeah, I kissed Blaze last night, and now I can't get it out of my head.

Just thinking about it made his jaw clench.

It was a mistake. Just a heat-of-the-moment thing. That's all.

Right?

The assembly continued, but for Blaze and Shadow, it felt like the longest one of their lives.

---

Blaze sighed as she walked into the library, the quiet atmosphere offering a temporary escape from the overwhelming thoughts in her head. She had been actively avoiding Shadow all day, but between their shared classes and their friend group, it had been exhausting.

She just needed a break.

But as fate would have it, the moment she turned down one of the aisles, she froze.

There he was.

Shadow stood by a shelf, his back to her, flipping through a book absentmindedly. Blaze immediately considered turning around and pretending she never saw him, but before she could take a step back-

"I know you're there, Blaze."

She winced. Damn it.

With no other choice, she sighed and walked closer. "Funny. I came here to avoid you."

Shadow turned around, arms crossed. "Yeah? Same here."

They stared at each other for a beat before Blaze huffed out a small laugh. "Well, this is awkward."

Shadow sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look... we need to talk about last night."

Blaze stiffened, her fingers gripping the strap of her bag. "What about it?" she asked, keeping her tone even.