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Like all rich kids,we were surrounded by nannies and tutors from an early age.
As kids,we were rivals.
Whatever he learned,I had to outshine him.
He played violin in the yard;I played cello.
He picked trumpet;I chose saxophone,cheeks red from effort,like I was in a competition with him.
He learned piano.I scoured for bigger instruments,settling on tuba when nothing topped it.
He countered by practicing guitar next door whenever I started playing.
Our feud finally ended when Mr.Carter came home because ur tuba-guitar duet, a funeral-level performance, pissed him off.
He scolded Henry,called my parents,and we were restricted to piano and cello.
In school,we competed academically.
In elementary,we were always the first and second in our year,swatching places from time to time.By high school however,I outshined him completely.
He heard"boys peak later"repeatedly,yet I always left him behind.
Back then,things were pure bwtween us,Henty just wanting to best me.
My only weakness was sports.Henry tried,only to find he was no better.
We were pampered flowers,gifted only in business.
I awakened when my adopted sister,Lily Foster,arrived.
The moment I saw her, memories that didn’t belong to me flooded into my mind.
I learned that Lily was the heroine of a romantic drama,destined to be adored by all from the moment she entered our home.
My rarely present parents stayed home every day after her arrival.Dad,usually stern,softened only for her.Mom had eyes only for Lily and catered to her every need.
Using our family as a sladder,she'd meet the city's elite bachelors,all falling hopelessly for her.
Henry,my childhood friend,was the worst among them all.She'd bear the male lead James Nolan's child,run off,and Henry would chase her to play dad.
As for me,she'd steal my friends,family,and future.
I'd die abroad,bitter and alone.
I didn't believe it at first,until,despite avoiding the plot as hard as I coul,Mom demanded I leave the country over a trivial matter,never to return.
I begged Dad;he watched coldly and did nothing.
Heartbroken,I felt the plot was unstoppable.On my 18th birthday,I chose to leave.
But Henry gave me hope.
That stormy night,18-year-old Henry chased after my car,screaming why I'd said we'd never meet again.
Knowing how stubborn he was,I got out to explain.
"Henry,we're just side characters in a story.Our fates are sealed!"
Youthful and defiant,he gripped my shoulders tight and promised:"I don't believe in fate.No one can make Henry Carter stop loving Sophia Bennett.No one can stop me!"
Lightning lit up half the sky,raindrops, like threads,wove a haunting net in the dark.
He was near manic:"I know!I know everything!"
"But screw fate!"
"Henry loves only Sophia!"
He hugged me tightly,his rain-soaked clothes hiding a burning warmth,I could only hear the wild sound of my heart pounding.
He gently cupped my face:"Sophia,we'll compete forever.One day I’ll win!"
I studied his face.
Henry was always bold,now he tooked with his hair dripping in the rain,dark eyes like bottomless pools reflecting me clearly.
Seeing him like this,I wanted to believe in us again.
We nuzzled,our breaths mingling.
"Henry,you win this time."
