Rachel was in love. It was really obvious to everyone in the family. Instead of walking around the house, she would skip; and there was always some love song she'd be humming.
Lance was happy for her. Rachel never really found that "special someone" yet. She was a senior in high school, and while Lance was just a year below her, they were still very close. Always hung out, had the same friends, not to mention they were very good looking siblings. So it was shocking to people why she wasn't in a relationship. They'd say the same for Lance... but they know how much of a flirt he was.
But Rachel was more shy than Lance, she wasn't about using pickup lines or flipping het hair in some sexy way. That was okay though, Lance had never ditched his sister for a girl.
Rachel hummed yet another love song as she opened her locker. "Singing again?" Lance teased as he rummaged through his locker as well.
She sighed, leaning against it. "He's just so cute! And he's usually very quiet; always sits in the back corner. I've talked with him a few times, too."
"Really? What've you guys talked about?"
Red tinted her cheeks. "Well... just the other day I said hi to him, and then he said hi back!"
He snorted, raising a brow, "Is that the only interaction you guys have had?"
"No! S-sometimes I hello, instead of hi..."
"Oh, Rachel." Lance held a hand to his forehead. "What am I gonna do with you?"
She crossed her arms with a huff. "Well okay, Mr. Knows-Everything-About-Dating, what should I do?"
"For starters, have an actual conversation with the guy." He deadpanned. "Learn some stuff about him, see if you two have any common interests. Break the ice a little."
"How do I do that?"
"Have you ever had a conversation before?!" She glared at him. "You said he has a bike, ask him about his bike. What kind it is-"
"-but I don't know anything about bikes."
"You don't have to know anything about bikes. Just something that'll spark up some talking."
"Please help me!" She tugged on his sleeve. "I don't wanna do this by myself!"
"How are you ever gonna learn to do things if you need someone to do them for you?"
"I do learn! I just, need you to start me off. That's all."
He puffed out his bottom lip. "Fine. We'll find him during lunch."
"He's usually in calc." Rachel said cheerfully.
Lance's eyes bulged, "What---do you stalk him?!"
"I do not!" She retaliated, crossing her arms. "It's... on the way to the girls' bathroom."
"Uh huh."
"Look," she growled, "I am not a stalker. Our teacher just writes all the assignments for the whole week on the board, and he stays in there because he likes to get them done at school."
"Talk about an overachiever." He mumbled; he was reminded of a certain black haired individual. "Alright, meet there after fourth."
"Can do."
A sigh left his lips as she walked away, and he turned back to his locker for his history book.
"Hey, Keith!"
Lance froze, and used the door of his locker to hide his face. That voice belonged to Mr. Takashi Shirogane, aka Shiro, aka Keith's step brother, who Mr. Takashi Shirogane, aka Shiro, just spoke to! Meaning... "Keith is right heerre!" His face turned bright red as he peeked around the locker door. And of course, there they were, chatting away.
Keith and Lance have had a... history, you could say. They've always had the same classes, same grades, everyone liked them. They were practically the same person. Except not... but the point is that Lance hated being so equal. Everything Lance did, Keith would either do the same, or better. In their algebra class freshman year, Lance got a 97% on a test. Meanwhile, Keith got a 98%. It really boiled Lance's blood.
So why would Lance turn red from simply being in Keith's presence you may ask. Well the answer is simple. Lance realized their rivalry was just... out of jealousy. Keith didn't even seem to try to get good grades. It was like he was just naturally gifted. But something else happened too.
In Lance's sophmore year, he was struggling with his Algebra 2 homework, and was too embarrassed to ask the teacher for help...
"Ugh!" Lance groaned, slamming his pencil down on the desk. "This is impossible!" He sat alone during his lunch break, in the classroom, using every resource he could find; but nothing helped. I'm supposed to get this though, Lance thought, if I'm not smart enough, then Keith will just come out on top! Like he always does. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) heh... I'm sorry 🤣 The thought of losing to Keith, not being smart enough, being stupid... it made him cry. He tried to keep doing his work but his eyes were too blurry now. "Stupid..." he burried his face in his arms.
"Lance?" He jumped at the sound. When he looked up, he found Keith.
He turned away, wiping at his tears. "What do you want, Mullet? Here to make fun of me?"
"Why would I make fun of you?"
"Because I don't get this homework!? Because this should be easy, and yet I'm so stupid that I can't understand it?! Because I'm crying about it! Because you're so much smarter and better than me?! Go on! Say it!"
"Lance... what are you talking about? I don't think I'm better than you, and---you aren't stupid! Have you seen your grades?"
"Not like it matters." He muttered, "Yours are always better."
Keith looked down at Lance's paper, "Number eleven? I didn't get that either."
"What?" Lance's voice was small, and then Keith was sitting down next to him.
"I had to ask my brother for help on this. I was up till twelve trying to finish the assignment." He pointed to the paper, and... he explained everything to Lance. It didn't make sense; they were supposed to be competing, they were rivals, they---weren't supposed to help each other.
Lance took one last look over his paper. "Why... did you help me?"
Keith smiled, "Why wouldn't I?"
"But---we're rivals! Lance and Keith, neck and neck! How do you not know!?"
"Rivals?" His brow arched, then realization struck, "Is this why you were so upset? You wanted to... compete with me?"
"We---" Lance pouted, "We've been competing since freshman year! How have you not---oh my gosh, Keith!"
"I-I'm sorry! It's just... we never really spoke to each other so... I didn't even know you knew who I was. All this time, you've been fighting with me?"
"Yes." He grumbled. "We're always getting the same grades, and I just... I don't know. My family can get pretty competitive so---uughh! I just---didn't want to lose."
Keith didn't say anything for a while. They just sat in silence, thinking about things. "Well," he finally spoke, "don't feel like you have to be better than me." Then he blushed, "You're already the best in my book." Smiling at Lance, he stood up. "If you ever need help again, you can always come to me." He waved and left the classroom.
