The days blurred together, and before anyone knew it, prom was only a week away.
Excitement buzzed through the halls like an unstoppable wave. Posters about themes, decorations, and DJ votes were plastered on every wall. Students whispered and giggled about dresses, dates, and who was going with who.
Eliza tried not to care.
She wasn't even sure if she wanted to go. Prom felt like something other people got excited about — not her.
But the universe didn't seem to care what she wanted.
---
In class, the noise was unbearable. The teacher had given up entirely, letting the room drown in chatter about prom.
Lucifer sat with his arm slung lazily over the back of his chair, half-listening to Lily, who was perched on his desk like she belonged there.
"We should match," Lily was saying, her voice dripping with excitement. "I'm thinking red. Or maybe black? Black would look so hot. What do you think, Lucifer?"
Lucifer barely glanced at her. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever."
Lily didn't seem to care that he wasn't paying attention. She kept talking, filling the space with endless plans.
Eliza tried not to listen, but it was impossible. Her stomach twisted with every word.
Lucifer was going to prom with Lily.
She knew it. She saw it coming. But hearing it still felt like someone yanked the floor out from under her.
"Ugh."
Eliza blinked, pulled from her thoughts by Ava's groan.
"What now?" Eliza asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ava nodded toward the doorway, where Ryan was walking in. He looked smug, which usually meant trouble.
"Oh, great. Here comes my daily headache," Ava muttered.
Eliza bit back a laugh. "You two seriously can't spend five minutes near each other without fighting, huh?"
"I don't hate him," Ava said, twisting her pen in her fingers. "I just hate everything he says and does."
"Good to know," Ryan's voice chimed in from behind them.
Ava rolled her eyes so hard Eliza was surprised they didn't fall out. "Don't you have someone else to bother?"
"Nah," Ryan grinned, plopping into the empty seat next to Eliza. "You're my favorite victim."
Ava looked like she wanted to throw her notebook at his head.
Eliza sighed dramatically. "Children, please. Can we survive one class without a murder?"
"No promises," Ava and Ryan said at the same time.
Eliza groaned, but she was smiling now.
---
Lucifer's eyes drifted over to them — to her — before he even realized it.
She was laughing again.
With Ryan.
It shouldn't bother him.
But it did.
Lily was still talking, her voice like static in the background. He wasn't listening. He didn't care about prom or matching or whatever else she was rambling about.
He cared that Eliza wasn't next to him.
It wasn't like she was avoiding him. Not exactly. They still talked — in the hallways, between classes, over text. She still smiled at him.
But it wasn't the same.
She wasn't the same
She wasn't around him like before. She was always with Ryan now.
Lucifer didn't like it.
And he hated it
---
At lunch, they all sat together — the way they always did.
Lucifer sat beside Eliza this time, leaning in close like he used to. Lily looked annoyed about it, but he didn't care.
"So, you're going to prom, right?" he asked, his voice low enough that only Eliza could hear.
Eliza glanced at him, caught off guard. "I… don't know yet."
Lucifer frowned. "What do you mean you don't know? Everyone's going."
She shrugged. "I guess I'm not really in the mood for it."
Lucifer tilted his head, studying her. "You love dancing, though."
Her heart twisted painfully at the way he remembered that.
"Yeah, well… things change," she said softly, looking down at her food.
Lucifer stared at her for a moment longer. He didn't like the answer.... he didn't like any of this.
He hated this distance between them — the kind he couldn't fix with a joke or a dumb comment.
She wasn't pulling away from him completely. But it felt like she wasn't holding on anymore, either.
Ryan, who had been quiet for a change, cleared his throat. "So, Eliza… you and Lucifer go to prom together every year, right? I figured it'd be the same this year."
Eliza blinked, surprised.
Ryan smirked, though his voice held something softer than his usual teasing. "But since that's not happening… maybe I've got a shot this time?"
Lucifer froze.
Eliza stared at Ryan, unsure what to say.
Lily, of course, looked thrilled.
---
After lunch, Eliza and Ryan walked ahead of him in the hallway, their laughter trailing behind them.
Lucifer followed slowly, his steps dragging without him meaning to.
She wasn't that far away — a few feet at most. Close enough that he could call her name and she'd hear him.
But it didn't feel close.
It felt like she was miles away.
His chest tightened, the feeling unfamiliar and unwelcome. She was right there. So why did it feel like she wasn't?
Ava appeared beside him, her voice cutting through the noise.
"You good, or are you having an existential crisis?"
Lucifer blinked, his voice coming out quieter than he meant. "She's… different lately."
Ava glanced at Eliza, then back at him. "Maybe she's not different. Maybe you're just noticing it now."
Lucifer didn't respond. He didn't know how to.
Because the truth was, he didn't understand it.
Why did it feel like she was walking away from him — even when she was still right there?
To be continued....