My Romance Life System

The week leading up to the school festival was a blur of quiet, focused activity. Thea spent every spare moment at the dining table, her world shrinking to the space between her eyes and the tip of her pencil. She worked with a silent, fierce determination, the five chosen pieces of paper spread out before her like a battlefield map. The unfinished wing was her final challenge, and she poured all of her fragile, newfound courage into every single, meticulously drawn feather.

Kofi's apartment became the unofficial headquarters for their small, strange rebellion. Nina would show up after school with snacks and unsolicited but surprisingly helpful advice on composition and shading. Ruby would come over with library books on ornithology, providing Thea with detailed reference pictures of bird anatomy. And Jake would occasionally send a text with a piece of what he called "actionable intel" on Jessica's movements, which was mostly just him reporting that she was still a terrible person who spent a lot of time on her phone.

It was a strange, new kind of family, forged in the fires of a shared mission and fueled by a steady supply of Nina's favorite sour candies.

On Friday afternoon, five minutes before the submission deadline, they walked into the art room together. Kofi carried a flat portfolio containing Thea's five finished drawings, each one now encased in a simple, elegant black frame that Nina had insisted on buying. Nina and Ruby flanked Thea on either side, a human shield of fierce, protective friendship. Jake brought up the rear, his eyes scanning the hallway for any sign of Jessica's forces.

The art teacher, a kind, frazzled woman with paint stains on her sweater, looked up from a chaotic pile of submissions on her desk.

"Just in time," she said, a tired smile on her face. "Let's see what you've got."

Kofi carefully opened the portfolio and laid the five framed drawings out on the table. The teacher's tired expression melted away, replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated awe.

She looked from the drawings to Thea, who was hiding behind Nina's shoulder.

"Thea," the teacher breathed, her voice full of a quiet wonder. "These are… these are extraordinary."

Thea just gave a small, jerky nod, her face burning.

The submission was a success. Phase One was complete.

The next few days were a tense, quiet waiting game. The festival was on Saturday, and the entire school was buzzing with a chaotic, festive energy. Kofi's group, however, was in a state of high alert. Jake's reconnaissance had confirmed that Jessica was aware of Thea's submission, and that she was, in his words, "plotting something sinister."

On Saturday morning, they arrived at the school gym an hour before the festival officially opened. The gym was a cavern of echoing noise and half-finished booths. They found the art exhibition area and located Thea's assigned panel, which, thanks to Nina's strategic foresight, was in a prime, highly defensible location right next to the principal's welcome table.

They worked together, a silent, efficient team, hanging Thea's five drawings in a neat, professional-looking row. The hawk, the sparrow, the jay, the robin, and at the very center, the single, outstretched wing, now complete and breathtakingly detailed.

They stood back and looked at their work. The five framed pieces looked like they belonged in a real gallery, a quiet, powerful statement in the middle of the noisy, chaotic gym.

Thea just stared at them, her hands clenched at her sides. Her art, her secrets, her soul, were now on display for the entire world to see. It was the most terrifying moment of her life.

Kofi came and stood beside her. He did not say anything. He just stood there, a quiet, solid presence at her side.

The festival began. The gym filled with students, parents, and teachers, a swirling sea of noise and color. Their group took up their positions around the exhibition panel, a silent, unmoving guard.

People started to notice the drawings. A few students would wander over, their attention caught by the striking, lifelike birds. They would stop, look closer, and a quiet, impressed murmur would ripple through the small crowds that gathered.

"Wow, who drew these?"

"Thea? I didn't even know she was an artist."

"These are amazing."

Thea stood with her back to the panel, pretending to be interested in the bake sale booth, but she heard every word. A strange, unfamiliar warmth spread through her chest. They were not looking at her with pity. They were looking at her work with admiration.

An hour into the festival, she appeared. Jessica, flanked by her usual two friends, strolled toward them, a look of pure, venomous condescension on her face.

Kofi's group immediately closed ranks, forming the polite, smiling wall they had practiced.

"Well, well," Jessica said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness as she looked at the drawings. "Look at this. Little Thea, the tortured artist. How very cliché."

Nina stepped forward, a bright, cheerful smile plastered on her face. "Jessica! Hi! Have you tried the brownies at the bake sale? They are to die for. You should totally get one."

Jessica's smirk faltered. She was not prepared for relentless, off-topic pleasantness. "I'm not here for brownies, Nina. I'm here to talk to my old friend."

She tried to step around Nina, but Jake, in a moment of surprising tactical brilliance, moved to block her path.

"Oh, hey, Jessica," Jake said, his voice a little too loud. "Did you know that the gym's roof is supported by a series of complex trusses? It's a fascinating example of architectural engineering."

Jessica just stared at him.

Ruby stepped up beside Jake. "And the weather is supposed to be really nice tomorrow," she added, her quiet voice full of a cheerful, infuriating sincerity. "A perfect day for a picnic, don't you think?"

Jessica looked from one smiling, pleasant face to the next. She could not get to Thea. She could not get a reaction. Her usual weapons—insults, intimidation—were useless against this wall of cheerful, nonsensical conversation.

She finally turned her glare on Kofi, who was standing directly in front of Thea, his expression completely, utterly neutral.

"You," she hissed. "You think you're so clever, don't you?"

"The brownies really are good," he said, his voice flat.

Jessica's face was a mask of pure, impotent rage. She had been outmaneuvered, disarmed, and made to look like a fool in front of a growing number of curious onlookers.

She let out a frustrated, strangled sound, then spun on her heel and stormed away, her two friends scurrying after her.

The Praetorian Guard did not relax. They held their positions until she was completely gone from the gym.

Then, a small, quiet sound came from behind them.

They all turned.

Thea was looking at her drawings, at the small crowd of people who were still admiring them. And she was smiling. A real, genuine, and breathtakingly beautiful smile.

A single tear rolled down her cheek, but it was not a tear of sadness. It was a tear of pure, unadulterated relief.

She had survived. And for the first time in a very long time, she did not feel like a ghost. She felt like an artist.