The music from the last performance lingered in the air, like the echo of something that wasn't ready to end. Foundation Day was technically over, but the crowd inside Sunvale Academy's auditorium was still buzzing — people congratulating each other, trading snacks from the booths, and pulling out their phones to capture the final moments.
Eli and Riven slipped out quietly, unnoticed at first.
They didn't speak until they were halfway down the hall, the sound of laughter and footsteps growing faint behind them.
"You walked up there like you were walking into a battlefield," Eli said, his tone light but his eyes studying Riven carefully.
Riven huffed a laugh, still clutching his certificate. "Wasn't it?"
"Maybe," Eli admitted. "But you survived. And they saw you."
Riven's steps slowed. He leaned against the cool wall of the empty corridor, the noise from the auditorium now just a distant hum. "That's what scares me."
Eli tilted his head. "Being seen?"
Riven's voice dropped, almost a whisper. "Being seen means being remembered. And if they remember me… they'll remember everything. The fights. The rumors. My father. I don't want them to think they know me."
Eli looked at him for a long moment, then said quietly, "Then let them remember you for today."
Riven's gaze met his — soft but heavy. "You make it sound so easy."
"It's not easy," Eli said. "But it's worth it."
They started walking again, passing windows that framed the late afternoon sky. The sun was low, staining the world outside with gold.
---
When they stepped out into the courtyard, Riven noticed it immediately — the eyes.
Not all of them, but enough. A few Science Club members waved hesitantly, like they weren't sure if it was allowed. Someone from the basketball team gave him a curt nod. Even the cafeteria staff, packing up trays, offered him a small smile.
It wasn't everyone. Some still looked away.
But it was… different.
"Guess I'm famous now," Riven muttered.
"Not famous," Eli corrected. "Seen."
They reached the school gates, but instead of heading for the road, Eli veered toward the old benches under the big acacia tree. "Sit for a bit?"
Riven hesitated — Foundation Day always made the streets crowded, and the thought of weaving through the sea of people wasn't appealing. He dropped onto the bench.
They sat in silence for a moment, the air thick with unspoken things.
Finally, Eli broke it. "When I heard your name called, I thought you'd run."
"I almost did," Riven admitted. "Then I thought… maybe this is the only time I'll get to stand on that stage and not feel like a fraud."
Eli's eyes softened. "You're not a fraud."
"I've done bad things, Eli. I've hurt people—"
"And you've also protected people. Helped people. Stood up for me when no one else did." Eli's voice sharpened slightly. "People aren't just the worst thing they've done."
Riven looked at him, and in that moment Eli felt the weight of all the things Riven carried — not just the mistakes, but the silence around them.
"Still," Riven said quietly, "I don't know how to be the person they saw today."
"You don't have to figure it out right now," Eli replied. "Just… don't undo it."
---
The streetlamps flickered on as the evening deepened. The crowd from the school had mostly dispersed, leaving the two of them in a bubble of quiet.
Riven shifted, turning to face Eli more fully. "You stood next to me in that room. You didn't look away. Why?"
Eli's answer was immediate. "Because you didn't look away from me when it mattered."
It was simple, but it cut deep.
For a long moment, they just sat there, the space between them electric and fragile. Then Eli stood, brushing off his pants. "Come on. I'll walk you home."
Riven smirked faintly. "You're not afraid of being seen with me?"
Eli's lips curved in the faintest smile. "Let them see."
---
That night, long after they parted, Riven lay in bed with the certificate on his desk catching the moonlight. He'd never cared about awards. But this one…
This one felt like the start of something he didn't yet have words for.
And for the first time in a long time, he didn't dread tomorrow.
---