CHAPTER FORTY-ONE;
flipped

"We have our winners!"

The teacher's voice rang out through the microphone. Cheers erupted, and a wave of applause followed. Your classmates surged forward, some clapping your back, others throwing playful nudges your way.

Beside you, Rin stood tall, his usual stoic expression firmly in place as Ms. Hanamiya handed both of you certificates, medals, and an ice cream voucher for a shop in town.

"Congratulations to Itoshi Rin and L/N Y/N for being this year's champions from year two!" Mr. Iwamura added, laughter bubbled from your lips as Miwako lunged toward you.

"Y/N, you beast!" Miwako exclaimed, throwing her arms around your neck, "How did you two even pull that off?"

You let out a breathy laugh, trying to regain balance, "Miwa, you're squeezing me!"

As you finally pried yourself free, your gaze instinctively drifted toward Rin. He, too, was surrounded by a few students offering their congratulations, though his only responses were small nods.

And despite your best efforts, your mind betrayed you, flashing back to every moment of the competition. The times Rin had grabbed your wrist, steadied you with a firm hand on your waist, or even pulled you against him to prevent a fall.

Your stomach twisted uncomfortably. Because after everything, after all of that, he hadn't even looked at you. Not even once.

Not that you wanted him to, but still.

And you certainly weren't going to talk to him, not after what had happened earlier.

The situation had played out in your mind once more, the way your stomach had flipped at his proximity, how close his face had been, how vibrant his eyes were, his long lashes, and the sharp line of his nose.

"As a reward for all your hard work today, we have a special treat for everyone...BBQ dinner by the beach!" the teacher's voice rang out, met with enthusiastic cheers, "Head back to your rooms to freshen up, and we'll start shortly." 

You snapped out of your thoughts, and without sparing Rin another glance, you turned and walked off with the crowd, making a beeline for your room.

The moment you stepped inside, you barely had time to grab a towel before Miwako pounced.

"So..." she drawled, arms crossed, her eyes gleaming with mischief, "Are you going to tell us, or should we just assume the obvious?"

You blinked, "Huh?"

"You and Rin!" she practically squealed, bouncing in place.

A rush of heat crawled up your neck, "What about me and him?"

"Don't even try it." Miwako wagged a finger at you.

You turned helplessly to Kagura and Yukari, but they weren't coming to your rescue. Kagura sat on the bed hugging a pillow, amused, while Yukari nodded in agreement with Miwako.

Kagura laughed, "Y/n, we saw you talking to Rin by the door last night, and really, food?" she sat on the bed, hugging a pillow.

Miwako crossed her arms, a smirk played on her lips, "Oh, and let's not forget today, holding onto each other? Whispering?"

"It's really not that deep, Miwa," you groaned, stomping toward the bathroom.

"It is that deep, hello? You seem to be forgetting he's not like this with other people, especially girls!" Kagura chimed in, Yukari nodded in agreement.

"Are you friends with him?" Yukari suddenly asked.

You sighed, gripping your towel tighter, "Yes! Only friends."

"Uh-huh," Miwako hummed skeptically.

Their giggles followed you as you slammed the bathroom door shut.

After showering, you found Kagura and Miwako already asleep while Yukari was curled up with a book. You settled onto the couch and opened the TV, scrolling through Netflix until you landed on a familiar movie.

Your heart leaped. Flipped.

A small smile played on your lips. This movie had been your comfort film for years, and now that it was back, you weren't about to miss the chance to watch it again.

"The first day I met Bryce Loski, I flipped." you mouthed along with the iconic opening line.

The more the movie progressed, the weirder you started to feel. The entire enemies-to-lovers trope felt... strangely familiar.

You hugged a pillow to your chest, trying to not associate anything with a certain someone.

Assuming things wouldn't feel right, but you're the only girl Rin hangs out with. Kagura was right, he was different with you. 

"All I ever wanted was for Juli Baker to leave me alone," Bryce's inner monologue played, "Now, all I want is for her to not leave me alone."

You shifted, suddenly uneasy.

Maybe now wasn't the best time to watch this movie.

By the time dinner rolled around, you had shaken off most of your earlier thoughts and made your way to the beach. The night offered a comforting chill, the warmth of the lights made the place feel homey.

It felt surreal, like a moment suspended in time.

You weaved through the crowd, approaching the grill station where skewers were being served. As you waited, a familiar voice called your name.

Turning, you spotted Kaneshiro waving at you.

"Hey," he greeted, flashing his usual easygoing smile.

"Hello! You did great today," you said, returning his smile.

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, "Not great enough to win, though."

"You still made it to the finals," you pointed out.

He shrugged with a toothy smile and then tilted his head slightly, "By the way," he had wanted to ask this question since earlier, "I noticed, you and Rin are close?"

"Huh?"

"You guys seemed close," he clarified, his voice casual, "Especially during the games."

Not this again.

"It's called teamwork," you said, forcing a laugh.

"Right," he said, though his expression told you he wasn't convinced.

It's not like Kaneshiro never noticed, but he had his own suspicions. For as long as he's been in this school, he's got a grasp of what kind of person Rin was. Rin didn't let people get close to him. Yet, somehow, you had managed to.

Did you like Rin? 

Did he like you?

Kaneshiro was about to speak, but you suddenly gasped at the sight of Amari and Ryomei together.

"Oh my goodness," you whispered to yourself in surprise, "Amari!" you yell.

They both looked at you and waved while smiling, you turned to Kaneshiro, "Sorry Kaneshiro! I have to go talk to my friends." he only gave you a small nod with a tight-lipped smile before you ran away.

"You guys are good now?" you asked, smacking Amari lightly.

"Yeah, this dumbass finally decided to talk to me," Ryomei sneered, pointing his thumb at Amari.

"What'd you call me?" Amari crossed her arms.

You don't know how or when they talked it out, or what status they were in now, it didn't feel right to ask, but you were relieved they're no longer awkward with each other.

"By the way, congratulations, Y/n." Ryomei ruffled your hair.

"Yeah! What the hell, I didn't know you worked that well with Itoshi." Amari added, and you laughed at them.

"Speaking of him, where is he? I haven't seen him," Ryomei questioned. 

You can ask the same, was he not going to eat dinner?

And as embarrassed as you were about earlier, you took your phone out.

yui's dad

7:19 PM

hey

are you not going
to eat dinner?

it's still 7pm, not

7:28 PM

if you're not going to
come here i'll bring
some over at your
room

don't

i'm on my way

You glanced up just as he arrived, a plate on his hands with a few sticks of barbecue.

He sat across from you, though something felt off, he felt distant.

You nudge his leg lightly with your foot under the table, "What’s with the moody look? We won, remember?"

He doesn’t respond, focusing on his plate, "Hello?" you nudge him again.

"Just tired." he finally answered, his voice cold.

You narrowed your eyes slightly, "You sure that’s all?"

He glances at you but doesn’t answer. You’re about to press further when someone calls out.

"Fireworks by the shore in ten minutes!"

Excitement buzzed through the air as students who were done eating, started making their way toward the shore.

You looked at Rin, "You coming?"

He shook his head, biting on his food.

"We can just sit here then," you smiled, drinking your cup of water. You'd still be able to see the fireworks from where you were anyway.

Rin wasn’t someone who could easily make sense of his emotions.

For as long as he could remember, feelings were just distractions, things to be pushed aside in favor of logic and discipline.

He never saw the point in overanalyzing them, never felt the need to.

But now, he finds himself at a stump, completely thrown off.

This whole trip made him realize he enjoyed being around you. More than he should. More than he understands.

It doesn’t make sense to him, the way your presence no longer irritates him like most people do.

He doesn’t know why he felt comfortable having you close, why it doesn’t set off the usual alarms in his head telling him to keep his distance.

Rin valued control, especially over himself. But being around you is making him feel something he can’t neatly define, something that existed between attraction, attachment, and the unfamiliar warmth of companionship.

And for someone like him, who liked to categorize everything into things that matter and things that don’t, it was unsettling.

Maybe that’s why he’s trying to pull away. Why he’s been quieter than usual.

He had planned to leave after finishing his food, hoping that some distance would help clear his mind. But just as he stands, a loud crackling sound spreads across the sky, pulling him from his thoughts.

Fireworks.

Brilliant sparks burst in the sky, illuminating the night with streaks of (favorite color).

Rin instinctively turns toward you, curious to see how you’ll react.

Then, just as another firework explodes, a vivid blue scattering across the sky, you turn to him, eyes wide with excitement.

"Rin, look! It’s your favorite color!"

You’re looking at him, not just the sky. Like you wanted to see if he’s happy to see it, too. The sight of his favorite color excites you for his sake, as if it’s something special simply because it was his favorite.

Something about how the both of you reacted to seeing each other's favorite color amused him.

A small huff escapes him, barely noticeable over the fireworks. He looked away, shaking his head slightly, but there’s no real annoyance in the gesture.

He’s still not sure what he thinks about you yet. And until he does, he probably doesn’t want to act on anything, or even acknowledge it fully.

guys what the flip i am not satisfied with this chapter HELP ME. writing about how rin feels or how he's progressing always makes me feel like i'm not writing it well enough, i'm mischaracterizing him, or that the flow of the story is too fast.

plz tell me your thoughts if i'm steadfast in the aspect of developing their connection, i'd like to hear some feedback.

also if you haven't watched flipped yet, GO WATCH IT RIGHT NEOWWWW

- love, vienne