Everything Changes

Prologue

Cora woke up, ready and excited for school. At that time, she was only 6 years old and had no idea what her future would be like, but at that moment, none of it mattered. All that mattered was what her first day would be like, how many friends she could make, who would sit next to her in class, etc. Little things like that, things that didn't really matter, but meant the world to 6-year-old Cora Beth. She thought about these things as she got ready for her very first day in school. Once she had gotten dressed in a cute little sundress and put her long brown hair into a loose braid, with a bit of help from her mother, she headed downstairs for breakfast. Cora and her family had a wonderful breakfast. Once she finished her food, she headed to her school. The school that she would be attending for the next 12 years. The school happened to be right in front of her house. After saying goodbye to her mother she took a deep breath and walked the ten steps from the sidewalk to the front of the building, where many other children her age stood waiting for their teacher's name to be called so they could start their first day.

As Cora made her way to the crowd she noticed a pretty girl with blonde hair. She was almost blinded by how much glitter she had on. Her eyes were quickly averted as she looked at the many different kids around her: a big boy with a buzz-cut and a t-shirt with a skull on it, a girl with dark black hair, and bangs covering her right eye. The girl looked friendly but wore very dark clothing for some odd reason. Cora continued eyeing people, trying to figure them out, until her eyes landed on a boy with pitch-black hair. He had a dark blue backpack that had black straps and a matching jacket. He wasn't over the top with glitter or dark colors. He was normal, and that's exactly what made him amazing in Cora's eyes. To her, he seemed the only kid she could talk to without being intimidated. She walked over to him.

"Hi my name is Cora Beth, but call me Cora." She said as she waved. He looked at her and waved back.

"I'm Luka." Cora suddenly noticed his piercing blue eyes, which contrasted so much with her brown ones. He looked so amazing to her, she thought she just met her prince from all those fairytales her parents read to her. The two toddlers talked and talked until they were finally called and it turns out they were in the same class.

The years pass, Cora Beth and Luka became best friends, and of course, she developed feelings for Luka. But it is in 8th grade that she learns the meaning of heartbreak......

"Hey Cora!" Chloe, her friend since second grade, called while walking up to her. The girl had mostly grown out of her glitter phase and had also developed a love for gossip. Cora found that she was a very loyal and lovable person if given the chance to express it.

"What's up?" Cora said putting up her phone in her backpack since the school had a dumb no-phones rule.

"You know Marinette?" Chloe asked getting excited about something Cora had yet to learn.

"Marinette? Marinette Dupain-Cheng? Your mortal-rival Mari? The baker's daughter? No of course not. Why would I know her? It's not like we've been in the same class since second grade." Cora spoke with clear sarcasm.

"Yeah. Yeah. Ok, I get it. You don't have to sass me!" Chloe pops out her hip and rests her hand there in her signature pose.

"Okay, Chloe just tell me already!" She laughed at her friend's attitude.

"Well, you know rumors and how they go around. There's this one that- Actually, it's really stupid. Forget I said anything. " This concerned Cora because Chloe was a "no-shit-sherlock" kind of girl. She'd tell you whatever was on her mind and didn't care if it offended someone, so the fact she stopped herself meant that she was trying to hide whatever it was for Cora's sake. That made her all the more determined and scared to find out what Chloe was going to say.

"Chloe," Cora stopped her and gave the look that meant she knew she was trying to hide something and one way or another she would find out.

"Okay, I wasn't going to tell you because I thought it was just a stupid rumor, but people are saying that Luka liked Marinette and was gonna ask her to the dance." As Chloe spoke, Cora's heart cracked with every word spoken, but she wouldn't show it because she knew Chloe was such a good friend, she'd kill Luka and never get caught just for her. So, she tried to remain indifferent.

"And what does this have to do with us?"

"Well, the other day I heard him talking to Ivan and he kind of confirmed it. He didn't say he liked her, but he said he was gonna ask her. And you know why would he ask her if- Wait... You're kidding me right?" Chloe said with a dumbfounded expression.

"What my best friend does and who he likes is none of my business unless he so graciously decides to tell me." Cora spoke firmly.

"No! Cora, you can't do that. You can't let this go. You can't pretend like it doesn't matter. It's not good for you. I'm right here darling. I'm here for you so know that pretending is prohibited as long as I'm around." Chloe gripped Cora's arm and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. They parted and Cora nodded to show that she would try while wiping a few stray tears.

"Okay let's go. We're gonna be late." Letting Chloe slowly lead her by the arm, she followed, trying to regain a part of her composure but inside Cora was hurt and angry. At the same time, she felt stupid. Of course, Luka would like a popular girl like Marinette. She knew that she wouldn't have a chance with him, so she decided to try and get rid of her feelings. She thought if maybe she let her friend since first grade be happy that her feelings would fade she could just be happy for him.

And so, after two weeks of Cora resigning to only friendship with her best friend, Luka had successfully asked Marinette. The dance went well, and the two started dating. Luka, however, not noticing that his relationship had taken up all of his time, became distant. Cora could feel them drifting apart as the days continued. He only talked to her when he needed advice on his date.

Time went by and it was as if Luka no longer cared for Cora: as if his relationship was the only thing he had time for. Cora felt lonely but coped with the help of an artsy tomato child. Chloe and Nath kept her grounded and happy. Deciding that a mere crush of 8 years shouldn't ruin her life, Cora resolved that she would let her feelings go and move on. She had held in her emotions for the benefit of their friendship but in the end, she lost it anyway. there was no purpose in holding onto them any longer. A faint thought crossed her mind that she may not find another love, and it would surprisingly hold true at least, that was until a blonde-headed model came to school on the first day of high school. That's when everything truly changed.