Pastel Hallways

Mariza adjusted her backpack straps and walked through Riverdale High's mint-green hallways. The pastel walls should have felt cheerful, but today they seemed dull. She spotted Miku near the lockers, her turquoise ponytails swishing as she slammed her locker door.

"Hey Miku!" Mariza called out, jogging over with a smile.

Miku turned, her dark eyes cold. "What do you want?"

"I just thought we could walk to class together like we used to."

"That was when we were kids," Miku snapped. "Things are different now."

Before Mariza could respond, Teto appeared from around the corner, her red twin drills bouncing. She glared at Miku. "Still pretending you're better than everyone?"

"At least I don't dress like a clown," Miku shot back.

Mariza stepped between them. "Guys, please don't fight."

Both girls turned their angry stares toward her. "Stay out of it, Mariza," they said in unison, then walked away in opposite directions.

Mariza stood alone in the pastel hallway, wondering when everything had gone so wrong.

The Blame Game

Mariza dragged her feet toward her next class when she spotted Neru sitting alone on a bench outside the cafeteria. Her yellow ponytail drooped as she stared at her phone screen.

"Neru!" Mariza called out, hoping for a friendlier reception than she'd gotten from Miku.

Neru looked up with puffy red eyes. "Oh. It's you."

"Are you okay? You look upset."

"Like you care," Neru muttered. She held up her phone. "Look at this."

Mariza saw a group chat where Miku and Teto were arguing about who started their latest fight. Both girls had typed mean messages about each other.

"They're dragging me into their stupid war," Neru said. "And they both keep asking me to pick sides."

"Maybe we could—"

"You know what?" Neru stood up suddenly. "This is all your fault anyway. We were fine before you started trying to fix everything all the time."

Mariza's mouth fell open. "What? I just want us to be friends again!"

"Well, congratulations. You made everything worse." Neru shoved past her and stormed into the building.

Mariza stood frozen, her heart sinking deeper than she thought possible.