The days blurred together. Days passed, and Lily wasn't just becoming part of their group — she was becoming part of him.
She had this way of always being there, like it was a coincidence. At lunch. After school. By his locker. Always smiling, always laughing at his jokes, always standing just a little too close. She made it seem effortless, like it was natural for her to be by his side. Like she belonged there.
Lucifer didn't seem to notice. He treated her like he treated everyone — casual, friendly, that effortless charm he never realized he had.
But Eliza noticed.
She noticed the way Lily's eyes lingered on him, like he was something she was determined to win. Like he was already half-hers.
And deep down, Eliza felt it. A shift. Like something that had always belonged to her was slowly slipping away.
It was after school when Eliza found herself alone with Lily.
Ava had bailed early, and Lucifer was still at practice. Eliza went back to grab her forgotten jacket from the classroom when she spotted Lily standing by the window, scrolling through her phone.
Eliza didn't think much of it — not until Lily glanced up and smiled.
"Hey, Eliza," Lily said, her voice sweet and smooth, like honey.
Eliza forced a polite nod, moving to grab her jacket. She didn't want to talk. Not to her.
But Lily wasn't done.
She stepped away from the window, her eyes flicking over Eliza with a look that wasn't quite friendly.
"You know," Lily said softly, her voice low enough that only Eliza could hear, "you hide it pretty well."
Eliza frowned, confused. "Hide what?"
Lily tilted her head, her green eyes sparkling with something sharp and almost amused.
"Your little crush on Lucifer."
Eliza froze mid-step, her heart lurching into her throat. "I—I don't—"
"Oh, come on," Lily cut her off, voice light and almost playful. "You think I haven't noticed? It's pathetic, really. The way you look at him when he isn't watching."
Eliza's stomach twisted painfully. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady. "What's your point?" she asked, voice quieter now.
Lily leaned in, her voice dropping lower, like they were sharing a secret.
"I don't really care how long you've known him," she said, her smile curving into something colder. "I'm going to make him mine. You had your chance, and you blew it. He deserves someone who isn't too scared to tell him how they feel."
Eliza's throat tightened, her heart hammering. "He's not some prize to win."
Lily's laugh was soft but mocking. "Oh, sweetie… everything's a competition. You just didn't realize you were losing."
Eliza stared at her, stunned.
Lily smiled wider, like she'd already won. Then she turned and walked out, her footsteps echoing in the quiet.
Eliza sat there for a moment, frozen in place, heart pounding in her ears.
---
Eliza didn't remember walking home.
Her mind buzzed, replaying Lily's words over and over like a cruel loop, each sentence cutting deeper than the last.
𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵.
𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨'𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
Her heart ached in a way that felt different from the usual longing she buried deep down. This wasn't just sadness. This was fear. Fear that Lily was right — that Eliza had wasted too much time, and now someone else was going to take what she never had the courage to fight for.
By the time she got to Ava's house, her hands were shaking.
Ava barely got the door open before Eliza pushed her way into her room, eyes wild with panic.
"Eliza? What the hell—"
"She knows." Eliza's voice came out in a rush. "Lily knows I like him. And she's — Ava, she said she's going to make him hers."
Ava blinked, processing. "…Okay, what?"
She sat down hard on the edge of her bed, eyebrows raised. "Damn. She really said that to your face?"
Eliza nodded, her voice quieter now. "She said I blew my chance."
Ava let out a low whistle. "Okay. I take back what I said before. She's not just a new girl. She's a full-blown supervillain."
Eliza looked down, her voice barely above a whisper. "…What if she's right? What if I really blew my chance?"
Ava's expression softened. "Eliza, don't do that. Don't let her get in your head. She doesn't know him. Not like you do."
Eliza swallowed the lump in her throat. "But what if it doesn't matter? What if she's better at this than me? She's confident, Ava. I can barely look at him without feeling like my heart's going to explode."
Her voice cracked, the weight of it all crashing down on her. "It feels like I'm losing him. And I don't know how to stop it."
Ava was quiet for a moment. Then she leaned in, her voice low and serious.
"Then maybe it's time to stop waiting."
Eliza blinked, startled. "What do you mean?"
Ava met her eyes. "You're scared of ruining your friendship. I get that. But Eliza… what's left to protect if she takes him from you anyway?"
Eliza's heart twisted painfully.
"She's not going to stop," Ava said softly. "So what are you gonna do about it?"
Eliza swallowed hard, her heart thudding painfully in her chest.
"You really think I can stop her?" Eliza's voice wavered, doubt clawing at her.
Ava reached for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I think you're the only one who can. You're not just his friend, Eliza. You're his person. He just doesn't know it yet."
Eliza stared at her, tears burning behind her eyes.
"Now fight for him," Ava said, voice steady and sure. "Show him what he really means to you. Before it's too late."
Eliza took a shaky breath, Ava's words settling deep inside her chest.
Maybe it was time to stop hiding.
Maybe it was time to start fighting.
To be continued....