My heart is pierced by Cupid

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𝕋ℍ𝔼 coach blew the whistle and clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone! Today's activity: dodgeball." Rain's face immediately dropped. "Oh, fantastic. Dodgeball. My favourite way to get hit in the face before noon."

The class split into two teams, and Rain somehow ended up right in the front line. She nervously glanced across the gym floor, eyeing her opponents, who all looked far too excited to pelt her with rubber balls. As the whistle blew, balls went flying everywhere. Rain's instincts kicked in, and she ducked down just in time to dodge one that whizzed past her ear.

"Nice reflexes, Rain!" her friend called out, cheering her on.

Rain gave a thumbs-up, trying to play it cool. "All part of the plan," she said with a wink. "Survival of the—"

Before she could finish, a ball came out of nowhere, bouncing off her shoulder. She let out an exaggerated gasp and clutched her chest, stumbling dramatically backward. "Oh no! I've been hit! Tell my story!"

Everyone laughed, and the coach raised an eyebrow. "Nice acting, Rain, but you're still in if it only grazed you."

"Darn," she muttered, shaking it off and returning to the battlefield. She grabbed a ball herself and aimed at one of the guys on the other team. With a deep breath, she chucked it with all her might—and it went about three feet before rolling to a stop.

The other team stared at the ball and then at her, one kid tilting his head in pure pity. Rain threw her hands up. "That was just a warning shot, okay?"

A minute later, Rain was dodging and weaving with everything she had, her moves turning into a sort of clumsy, yet strangely effective, interpretive dance. She zigzagged across the floor, somehow managing to avoid ball after ball, her expressions ranging from wide-eyed panic to triumphant grins. "Oh, you guys can't handle this! Matrix-style moves right here!" she shouted, narrowly missing another ball as she ducked behind one of her teammates.

Finally, she grabbed another dodgeball, squared up, and threw it—this time actually hitting her target. She pumped her fist in victory. "Yes! Got you!"

The other kid shrugged. "Congrats, Rain. You hit my shoe."

Rain smirked and shrugged. "A hit's a hit, my friend."

Rain chuckled to herself before she caught sight of Bella on the opposite side of the gym, awkwardly crouching in the background, trying to blend into the wall. Bella's strategy was painfully obvious; she had positioned herself directly behind Mike, using him as a human shield. And of course, Mike didn't mind in the slightest—he seemed more than happy to be her personal bodyguard, casting frequent glances her way, like a devoted puppy.

Rain's eyes narrowed, her amusement quickly morphing into mild irritation. Typical Bella, she thought, rolling her eyes. Always finding someone else to protect her. Rain felt an impulse to teach her sister a lesson, a small reminder that sometimes, she'd have to stand on her own two feet.

With a sly grin, Rain reached for one of the dodgeballs. She tested its weight in her hands, adjusting her grip, then pulled her arm back, locking her target. She didn't want to hurt Bella—just give her a little nudge, enough to throw her off balance. She added a touch of her hidden strength, just enough to make sure the ball would connect, and released it with a quick snap of her wrist.

The dodgeball zipped through the air in a perfect arc, closing the distance between them with surprising speed. Bella didn't see it coming. The ball struck her square in the stomach with a satisfying thwack, knocking her backwards onto the floor. Her hands flew to her stomach, and her mouth opened in a shocked "oof" as she looked around, trying to figure out what had just happened.

Rain stifled a laugh, her hand clapping over her mouth as she watched Bella scramble up, cheeks flushed and utterly bewildered.

From across the court, Bella's eyes met Rain's, narrowing as she realized who'd thrown the ball. Rain merely shrugged, feigning innocence with a mischievous grin. She raised her hands in mock surrender. "Hey, it's dodgeball. Everyone's fair game." Bella glared, her irritation clear, but Rain just waved, winking with a grin. Lesson learned, sis, Rain thought, biting her lip to stop from laughing out loud.

By the end of class, she was a sweaty mess, but grinning from ear to ear as she walked off the court. The coach gave her a pat on the back. "Good hustle, Rain. You really... kept them on their toes." She grinned back. "Well, Coach, it's all about the element of surprise. Like, 'Where is Rain aiming? Who knows?' Keeps them guessing."

As she walked toward the locker room, she looked back at her friends with a mock salute. "Another victory in the dodgeball arena. Now, if anyone needs me, I'll be lying on the floor pretending to be dead."

༄.°

As Rain gathered her things, the faint buzz of her phone brought a smile to her face. She unlocked it to see a message from Erian, simple yet filled with warmth:

"Just thinking about you. Hope you're surviving gym class, Raindrop."

Her heart did a little flip as she read his words, and a soft blush crept over her cheeks. She could almost picture his face, that slightly crooked smile he always saved just for her, and she felt a warmth spread through her. It amazed her how a simple message from him could brighten her whole day, make everything else seem so small.

With a smirk, she quickly typed back, "Barely surviving gym, but for you, I'll make it out alive."

Rain put her phone away, her steps lighter as she made her way. The crowded halls, the typical chatter and footsteps, all faded a bit in the background as she replayed his message in her mind, smiling to herself.

Rain strolled into the cafeteria, spotting Rosalie and Emmett at their usual table. She slid into the seat across from them, letting her tray clatter down in front of her. Emmett looked up from his sandwich, eyes lighting up mischievously.

"Look who survived gym class," he teased, waggling his eyebrows. "Barely, by the looks of it."

Rain rolled her eyes, pretending to be deeply offended. "I'll have you know, I was a dodgeball warrior today. Took down a few people—including Bella," she added with a smirk, "though that was more of an accident. Kind of." Rosalie let out a laugh, golden eyes dancing. "I can't believe you, Rain. First, you forget half your school supplies, and now you're terrorizing your sister?"

"Hey, Bella was practically using Mike as a human shield. Someone had to teach her a little independence." Rain took a dramatic bite of her sandwich. "Just doing my sisterly duty."

Emmett laughed, shaking his head. "That's one way to show sibling love. Remind me to stay on your good side, okay?" Rain shrugged with a cheeky grin. "Oh, Emmett, you're safe... for now. As long as you don't start hiding behind Mike."

Rosalie chuckled, leaning in. "I think Emmett's more likely to be the human shield than hide behind one. He'd probably knock half the team over just standing there."

"Exactly," Emmett agreed, puffing up with exaggerated pride. "I'd be the best shield. Unbreakable, like a wall." Rain tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I don't know... you'd be more of a very loud, indestructible wall. But you do scream when you see a spider."

Emmett scoffed, looking affronted. "That was one time! And that spider was the size of a small dog."

Rosalie smirked, nudging him. "It was smaller than your thumb."

Rain laughed, almost choking on her drink. "Wait, wait. The mighty Emmett Cullen brought down by a spider? Please tell me you got a picture, Rose." Rosalie grinned, leaning back. "Oh, I did. And it's even my lock screen. He was hiding on top of the couch yelling for me to kill it."

Emmett threw his hands up, trying to look dignified. "It was a momentary lapse, okay? Even I'm allowed one weakness." Rain gave him a playful salute. "Noted, Commander Emmett. I'll keep all arachnids away from you at all costs. Besides, you need to be fully functional for, you know, all the heavy lifting and loud entrances."

Emmett tried to look grumpy but ended up laughing. "Fine, fine. But next time there's a spider, it's all yours, Rain."

They continued teasing and laughing, sharing stories about everything from gym class to Emmett's "fearsome" encounter with the spider. The cafeteria felt brighter, and Rain found herself feeling grateful, surrounded by these unlikely friends who felt more like family.

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By: SilverMist707

<3 <3