I miss you a lot,

our bond is not weak,

you have to be back.

The moment I introduced myself, I noticed the entire class staring at me in disbelief. A few people in the back exchanged glances and threw curious looks my way. I understood why – I looked identical to my twin sister, Olivia. The thing was, I didn't know them either, just as they didn't know me. Olivia had never really talked about her friends explicitly.

"Maybe they're her friends," I thought.

But before I could drift too far into my thoughts, the teacher, whose name remained a mystery, interrupted my reverie.

"So, please introduce yourself," she said, pulling me back to reality.

I glanced back at her and replied, "Hi, I'm Ava Paul, 18 years old. I've only been in San Francisco for a few days, and I'm here to complete my education and hopefully make some friends along the way."

With those words, the entire class seemed to widen their eyes in surprise.

Yes, my face was an exact replica of Olivia's, but our dressing styles and hair were quite different. While she favored short dresses, I preferred modest, longer attire. Occasionally, I'd wear something more revealing, but it was the exception rather than the rule. Her hair was blond, reminiscent of our mom's, while mine was as dark as my dad's.

As for my name, my dad had enrolled me with it to hide my true identity, a name I'd used since my mother's tragic death when our lives became private.

"Great, please take a seat at the third bench with Miss Lindy so we can begin the class," the teacher instructed.

I nodded and followed her guidance, but it had only been three days since I returned to San Francisco after my dad's call, and today was my first day of college. I couldn't help but feel like a foreigner here, yearning to turn back the clock.

Trusting anyone was a challenge in this unfamiliar place, as some of them might be connected to my sister's disappearance. But I had to make friends to uncover the truth.

"Is your name really Ava?" Lindy, the girl beside me, suddenly asked.

I stared at her as though she'd grown horns. What was she getting at?

"No, sorry, do you mean I resemble someone from this college?" I responded, my voice feigning ignorance.

"Yeah, she... I mean, never mind. You can't be Olivia anyway," Lindy said before turning her attention back to the teacher.

I was puzzled by her comment. Why couldn't I be Olivia? Were my sister and I that different? Her words unintentionally stung, and I felt an unexpected wave of offense.

Just then, the classroom door swung open, and a striking guy with piercing blue eyes strolled in. The room fell into silence, even the teacher pausing mid-sentence. He glanced around the room until his gaze locked onto mine, and he shot me a deeply suspicious look as he approached.

"Finally! Look who decided to grace us with his presence today. Mr. Romano Decuza, how are you this morning?" Mrs. Mia, the teacher, asked with dripping sarcasm.

"Good morning, Mrs. Mia. I belong to this class, and I'm just a few minutes late, no need to overreact," he replied, still not meeting her eyes.

However, when his eyes met mine, they held a different kind of intensity. The teacher, whose name continued to elude me, swiftly declared, "Detention for you today after school."

Romano, seemingly unfazed, simply raised his hands and moved to the empty seat next to me, replacing the girl who had previously given me a disdainful look as she moved elsewhere.

Third Person's POV

There was something undeniably amiss with her. She bore no resemblance to Olivia, not in the slightest. Olivia had been smart and popular, while this girl seemed like the epitome of a nerd – shy, innocent, and simple.

Sure, faces could look similar, but personalities couldn't be more different. Olivia had been a terrible actor, and there was no way someone could transform so drastically in such a short span of time.

He needed to learn more about her.

As soon as the bell rang and the class dispersed, he watched her pack her bag and silently exit the room.

She was definitely not Olivia.

Back to Ava's POV

Throughout the class, Romano's gaze remained fixed on me, making me increasingly uncomfortable. The others in the class also stole glances in my direction from time to time.

I understood their thoughts – my presence here must have sparked curiosity and speculation.

"Hey, is there something wrong with my face?" I finally asked, unable to tolerate the intense scrutiny any longer.

A guy with dimples shook his head and said, "Nah, it's just that you look like our friend's girlfriend."

I exchanged a puzzled look with him. "What do you mean?"

"He's talking about Romano's girlfriend, the one you were sitting with during the first lecture," the girl chimed in, seemingly reading my thoughts.

Ah, so Romano was Olivia's boyfriend. I found myself strangely affected by this revelation. Maybe it was because of the connection to Olivia, or maybe it was just because he was Romano.

I shook my head, trying to shake off these unwanted feelings. I needed to focus on my mission.

Afterward, they started talking to me amicably, avoiding any further discussion about Romano or Olivia. I felt relieved that they didn't bring up those topics again, as I might not have been able to control my emotions in front of them.

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