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Chapter 1: 92 days.
———
The leaves around them rustled with the November breeze. Its cold bite was the reason both of them were wearing jackets right now.
"Spade, could you stop telling the guys what to give me? They're just giving me random stuff that... I don't likee."
Heir sat beside Spade. They were in their usual spot—the round table in the park just outside their school.
"C'mon, they're trying their best. Why are you rejecting them anyway? Pick one—just try it."
"I'm not ready for a relationship yettt."
Spade held up his fork and looked at her straight in the eyes.
"What if I'm the one who asked you?"
Heir paused. She was caught off guard by the question—and it was obvious she wasn't ready for it.
"That's... that's a different story..."
Spade's gaze shifted to his lunch box and he forked a chicken nugget into his mouth.
"Why are you suddenly talking to me about this anyway? You didn't mind getting gifts the past five years."
Heir's eyebrows furrowed. She stared straight into his eyes, silently.
"Hm? Now you're giving me that look."
"..."
There was a moment of silence between them. Spade continued eating, while Heir just stared at him.
"What? Eat, man. Your mom spent her precious time cooking that and you just decided not to eat it—great."
Heir narrowed her eyes slightly. Her silence started to make Spade uncomfortable.
"Hey, Heir. Stop. Seriously."
Then, she finally spoke.
"I keep telling you I like you, Spade... And I want to be more than just a friend... You keep saying 'not yet,' giving me hope, but then proceed to push me toward other guys. What am I supposed to do?"
She continued eating, rushing every spoon of food. Her eyebrows stayed low, frowning.
"If I don't have a chance, Spade, just say it. I'm tired of these mixed signals..." She glanced away. "It's hurting me more than it irritates me."
Spade could tell her tone was getting serious. The truth? He had started to feel the same way about Heir.
But he still didn't want a relationship—not yet. He felt they were too young. Too many things were uncertain.
Besides, he wasn't really helping those guys. He was just giving them random advice to waste their time.
Even so, he knew Heir wouldn't entertain anyone besides him. So he let them fight a battle they could never win.
But lately... he wasn't sure if he could keep it up. Because he wasn't just making Heir wait anymore.
He was killing her hope. Slowly. Quietly. Bit by bit.
After finishing her meal, Heir looked away.
"But if you're going to give me a chance... I promise I'll give you all my heart. All my time. All my soul. I'll be the best girlfriend you could ever ask for."
Spade didn't answer, he simply stared, observing her expression.
"Aren't you already doing that?"
he thought—and smiled.
"You're making me cringe, Heir. Stop."
"But... I mean it!!!"
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and
She let the weight of his hand settle there.
"I'll think about it."
Heir's eyes widened. It was the answer she'd been waiting for—But one she never expected to actually hear. But then...
"There you go again. 'I'll think about it,' and then you're just going to push me away after five minutes."
Heir's voice was low—almost tired. Spade could tell she was getting frustrated. So he pulled her close and leaned his head against her.
"I'm not gonna push you away again, I promise. I'll st—"
Heir cut him off, holding out her pinky in a rush.
"You said it! Promise?!"
Spade locked his pinky with hers and continued.
"Yeao, promise, and I'll stop messing with those guys too. Sucks to them—they thought they had a chance with you."
Heir's cheeks felt a little warm. 'So he's doing that on purpose? Because he knew I'd reject them all?!'
"Aghh, if only they knew that Heir isn't all shy and quiet outside of school."
Spade said it in a teasing tone.
"Hey! I'm only like this to you because I've known you for so longgg!"
Spade leaned back and pulled his hand away. Heir just watched him—her eyes locked on his face, silently observing his expressions as well.
Spade closed his eyes, letting the cold breeze brush against him. His hair danced softly with the wind.
"Should we go now?"
"???"
Heir grabbed her phone from her bag and checked the time.
"It's 12:26... still too early."
"Let's go to the mall then? I'll pay the fare."
"Ok, if you say so."
___
Back at school, Heir held an extra bag in her left hand. She was smiling widely—like she'd just won first place in a math contest.
Spade had bought her a gift. It was the first one she'd ever received from him on a non-special day. Because, well, Spade only gave her gifts on her birthday or during Christmas; he never gave her anything during Valentine's or a random day.
"Thank you again, Spadeee~"
She locked her arm with his as they walked to their classroom—like they had just come back from a date.
This scene right here, was what the other guys feared the most. If Spade would finally take his own shot at the girl who had always liked him.
They knew they didn't stand a chance before. But when Spade started "helping" them, they thought maybe he really was just Heir's closest friend.
Still... they couldn't help but feel hopeless. Because Heir acted differently when she was around Spade—Like a completely different person. More alive. More open.
———
After class, Damon stepped up to Spade in the front-left corner of the room, a confident smirk painted across his face.
"Spade!"
He dropped into the seat behind him.
"Hey!"
"What's your problem?!'
The girls who owned that table groaned, frowning in annoyance.
"Sorry, ladies. I just need to talk to my friend here."
Damon smiled at them before leaning in close to Spade's ear.
"What do you want, Damon?"
Spade tilted his head slightly, just enough to catch him in his side vision.
Then, Damon whispered:
"I saw you gave Heir a gift today. I thought she was just a friend?"
There was a threat hidden in Damon's voice.
"She is. I can't give a gift to a friend?"
"Shshsh. 'Florist'? An expensive fashion brand—for a friend? You can't fool me, Spade, you're starting to realize that you really like her."
Spade went silent, clenching his fist. He was just about ready to crash it into Damon's face.
But Damon noticed—and smirked wider.
"Can't blame you though but... you might be forgetting something."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tip of a familiar object.
It was the key. The key Spade had dropped in the locker room last week. The same key that had gone missing the night his father died.
Spade released his tight grip and lowered his head slightly.
"Again... What do you want?"
Damon chuckled, gave him a friendly pat on the back, then stood and casually slung an arm around Spade's shoulder. He leaned in again and whispered:
"I want you to keep doing what you're doing... but break her heart in front of everybody on Valentine's Day."
Then Damon straightened up and walked away, leaving Spade frozen in silence.
"If you don't do that, Spade... you know what's gonna happen."
———
Damon was a friend—on the surface. But beneath it, he had always been insecure. Jealous of how close Spade was to Heir.
He had a crush on her since Grade 7, but he never had a chance—not with Spade always beside her.
So, he stayed close to Spade, pretending to be his friend. Waiting. Watching. Hoping to find a way to push him out of the picture.
But nothing worked.
Because Spade knew it of course, it was too obvious, so he never gave him an opening. He never badmouthed Heir, not even her tiniest flaws. He never did anything to make her turn against him.
Until the day Damon saw him drop the key. The key tied to his father's death. From that moment on, Damon used it to blackmail him—Threatening to reveal it to everyone if Spade ever broke the rules. Damon's rules.
———
That afternoon, Spade and Heir walked home together—just like always.
"What did Damon say to you again?"
"You always get that pale face after talking to him. What's wrong? Is he threatening you?"
Heir had noticed what happened earlier. She saw Damon approach him and the strange way Spade reacted. She was curious why Spade wouldn't fight back—even though Damon clearly seemed to be mocking him.
Spade stayed silent, staring at the ground, avoiding her gaze.
"Hey, Spade, tell me something plsss... I always tell you all my problems and secrets—why can't you do the same?"
Heir crossed her arms and pouted, shrugging dramatically.
"It's not something I can tell you, Heir. It's between me and him."
Heir looked at him closely. She could see how deep he was in thought.
"Alright... but if things go wrong, tell me, okay?"
"No worries."
Still with his head down, Spade walked in silence.
Burdened by guilt. Because deep inside, he had already made his decision— He would keep his secret hidden. And play by Damon's rules.
Then out of curiosity, Spade pulled his phone out of his pocket and swiped down to check the date.
'November 14...'
He looked at Heir. Her face was still clouded with worry—But when she noticed him looking, she smiled widely.
"Don't worry too much, Heir. It's nothing."
"I'm just concerned."
Spade lifted his chin and gazed up at the dark blue hues of the sky. He let out a deep sigh, slipped his hands into his pockets, and closed his eyes—Sinking into his thoughts.
'Three months. Ninety-two days... before I become her most hated person.'
___