Lucien’s POV

The cold realisation that I would never be seen was the point at which my life changed. I stopped trying altogether because Raphael had to be the golden boy. If he were the golden boy, then I would be the black sheep.

I stopped hoping for recognition from those who never saw me. I started talking back. They hated me, but it did not matter. Their existence did not define my world.

With time, Raphael and I drifted apart. The pressure played its part, but the truth was simpler than that. I could no longer bring myself to be close to him.

Life became something I endured. I counted the days until I could leave that family behind. It became normal. Raphael was the top student, untouchable as always, and I was the average one. No one remembered I had ever taken first place.

It did not matter what they said behind my back. Once I became the troublemaker, the black sheep, I was no longer the bastard who did not know his place. I was just Lucien and they knew me for who I was.

It was the spring of 2011, our first year of senior secondary school. Raphael had just won a national award for figure skating, it was gold this time. The breeze slipped through the open windows, carrying the sound of chatter across the classroom.

Class was in session, but I had no interest in it. It was ten in the morning, my break as far as I was concerned. I had my head down on the desk, eyes closed, pretending to sleep. No teacher bothered me anymore. They had given up after countless complaints went nowhere.

They believed what they wanted to believe. I was an average student. I maintained a score of fifty in every subject without much effort. It was easy.

At some point, the teacher left. I had woken up a few minutes earlier but did not move. I was not in the mood for conversation. Too lazy to bother with anyone. Voices filled the room as soon as the teacher was gone. A bunch of girls who didn’t know when shut up. If I wasn’t too lazy I would have told them to shut up.

"Did you see the midterm results?" one mentioned drawing their attention.

"Of course I did. Raphael came first again. Is anyone even surprised at this point?" Even I wasn’t surprised. I didn’t even bother checking the results altogether.

"He is actually insane. Top of the class and still training like that." one gasped with obvious admiration.

I tried to ignore but their voice were hard to.

"And did you hear? He just won that national figure skating award, gold this time. Who even does that?"

"Oh my God, he is literally good at everything."

If I were not pretending to sleep, I would have rolled my eyes.

"I swear, how is he even real? He is handsome, smart, and talented. It is not fair."

"I cannot believe he is related to Lucien," another voice said, her tone shifting into something sharper. "How can one be so perfect and the other so... dumb?"

Laughter followed. A stray bullet when I was minding my business. Like, give me a break. They became louder, making it impossible to sleep.

"Raphael has always been the top student. Lucien does not even try."

"It is actually such a shame. Lucien is so good-looking."

They laughed again, louder this time.

I could feel their eyes get more intense on me. They were not even subtle about it. They wanted a reaction.

"Who cares," another girl said, cutting through the noise. "He is cool."

"He can be cool all he wants," someone replied immediately. "He is still just Raphael’s shadow."

The comparisons never stopped.

"It is crazy though. The bad boy and the perfect student from the same family."

"I heard Lucien cannot even skate."

That earned another round of laughter. My jaw tightened, but I did not move. Then, all at once, the room went quiet.

I heard a chair scrape against the floor, then footsteps. Someone pulled a seat and sat across from me. I already knew who it was.

"I know you are awake." I ignored him.

Raphael let out a quiet breath. "When are you going to stop this? What exactly are you trying to prove?" The dismissal in his tone was annoying.

I opened my eyes and lifted my head just enough to look at him. The classroom was empty now. Just the two of us. I rested my chin on my desk, watching him.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my voice flat. "Did you get tired of your overachievers’ class and decide to visit the peasants?" I snickered.

He rolled his eyes. "Stop being sarcastic," I said with that annoying flat expression.

I let out a small scoff and dropped my head back onto the desk. "Whatever. Just leave. I want to sleep. I am sure you have something to celebrate. I heard you got gold." I tried to brush him off but he didn’t bulge.

His expression tightened slightly, but he did not take the bait. "Deliberately ruining your scores will not help you," he said. "Stop being childish, Lucien." There it was that tone like he was better than everyone.

My head snapped up. Irritation flashed through me before I could hide it. "I am not ruining anything," I shot back. "And you are not my father, so stop acting like you get to scold me."

He went quiet for a moment, studying me."You got exactly fifty in every subject," he said. "That is not normal. That is deliberate. Why?"

There was something in his voice that sounded almost concerned. I sat up fully, meeting his gaze.

"No reason," I replied. "I just like being average. It suits me, I don’t have to sacrifice my gaming time to study. ." I shrugged.

He frowned. "That does not make sense." His perfect student training couldn’t understand why someone would deliberately fail

"It does to me." I deadpanned. Silence settled between us for a moment.

I leaned back slightly and gestured lazily toward the door. "Now, if you are done analysing me, I would like to go back to my nap." He did not move.

"Lucien..."

I cut him off before he could continue. "Go back to your perfect life, Raphael. That is where you belong, stop annoying me." I said impatiently

Something flickered in his eyes, but he did not argue this time. After a second, he stood up.

"I am not your enemy," he said quietly. I did not respond we both knew that wasn’t the truth. We were born rivals, and everyone made that clear.

A moment later, I heard his footsteps fade. I rested my head back on the desk and closed my eyes again.

Later that day, I skipped the English period because Miss Smith’s voice made me sleepy. I made my way to my secret spot on the football pitch behind the bench.

I had a bag of snacks and enough game energy. I was in high spirits but it immediately got ruined as soon as I saw a familiar face sitting in my spot. He was sleeping. My brain couldn’t process it, the possibility of Raphael skipping class.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped. His brows furrowed and his eyes slowly opened.

He just stared at me and said nothing but there was something in his eyes that left me unsettled. This was weird

I stepped forward. My frown deepened, "Did something happen? Aren’t you meant to have some advanced class?" I poked him.

"I am not in the mood for class." He admitted

"Why?" I blurted out taking a seat beside him and opening a bag of chips. He went silent.

"I’m tired Lucien. " his voice was strained. "My mother wants me to quit figure skating." My hand stuffing chips in my mouth froze. I knew how much he loved skating. I almost felt bad for him

Silence fell between us after a while I spoke. "Do you want to skip school? I know a game house." I didn’t know why I suggested it or even spoke to him in the first place.

Raphael frowned, "Is that allowed?" He asked. He probably never skipped school

I grinned then patted his shoulders. "Just trust me, I have done this a million times. You need a break from being perfect. "

Something flashed in his eyes. Excitement I guess. I gathered my chips then got ready to bounce. Our school was a secure private school which was almost impossible to sneak off campus but I was a pro at this.

I helped Raphael escape. I didn’t ask him anything about what happened. I wasn’t his counsellor.

.

We got to the gaming house. The owner knew me well. It wasn’t my first time running off. Raphael was stunned the entire time. "Stop standing there and come in." I urged him.

His expression was a bit unreadable but he stepped in.