The classroom felt heavier than usual, as though the air had thickened with something unspeakable. Aerith sat at the back, her body leaning against the cold glass window, eyes unfocused as the late afternoon sun streamed in weakly. The chatter of her classmates barely registered in her mind. They all seemed so far away, living in a world she no longer belonged to. Somewhere in the distance, her math teacher, Mr. Graves, droned on about equations she couldn't bring herself to care about.
Aerith's thoughts wandered, carried on the winds of last summer—back when everything made sense, back when Jake looked at her like she was the only person in the world. But now, the light that once surrounded her felt distant, unreachable. Lately, every glance from Jake seemed hollow, every smile forced. It was as though the person she once knew had slipped away, replaced by a stranger. As she stared blankly at the numbers written on the whiteboard, a hushed conversation drifted through the classroom, cutting through her fog of isolation. Lola's voice, sharp and biting, slithered through the air like a snake."Did you hear? Jake's been hanging out with Hazel a lot. They're practically inseparable these days," Lola whispered, her voice full of amusement. and "Maybe Aerith's not enough for him"Aerith's chest tightened. She kept her eyes forward, pretending to be engrossed in the teacher's lecture, but every word that followed hit her like a physical blow. The words blur together, but key phrases like 'Jake's been hanging out with Hazel a lot' pierce through."I mean, come on, Aerith's barely been around lately. It's no surprise Jake's losing interest," Hazel's voice joined in, casual but cutting. A ripple of laughter came from Holden, who sat behind them. His voice was quieter, but there was no mistaking the bitterness in his words. "She had to see it coming. People like her don't get to hold onto something like that for long." he adds a cryptic remark, "She's been holding onto something that was never hers to begin with."Aerith's heart pounded in her chest, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped her pencil. Her throat felt tight, and the once-familiar faces of her so-called friends blurred before her eyes. The classroom, usually a place of routine and predictability, now felt like a cage—trapping her with the voices of betrayal that echoed around her. She tried to focus on the teacher's lecture, on anything but the words that had shattered her fragile sense of security. But the harder she tried to push them away, the louder they rang in her head. Jake. Hazel. Losing interest. Was that true? Was he slipping away from her? Suddenly, the sound of her name cut through the noise like a sharp blade."Aerith." Mr. Graves' voice was cold, his tone carrying the weight of authority. "Care to join the class? Or are you too busy daydreaming to bother with math?"Her heart jumped in her chest. Everyone was staring at her now, their eyes gleaming with amusement as Mr. Graves folded his arms across his chest, his smirk deepening. She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. "Well, Aerith?" Mr. Graves pressed, the corner of his mouth twitching into a mocking smile. "Why don't you come up to the board and solve this equation? You do know how to solve quadratic equations, don't you?"Her pulse quickened as she stood slowly, her legs trembling beneath her. The laughter that bubbled from her classmates stung her like tiny daggers. She could feel her face flushing, her skin burning under the weight of their judgment."Looks like someone isn't paying attention," Holden muttered, loud enough for the others to hear. A ripple of snickers followed. Aerith tried to tune them out and tried to focus on the numbers scrawled across the whiteboard, but her mind was blank. EMPTY.... The anxiety clawed at her, suffocating her, until she felt her knees begin to buckle."I... I don't know," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Mr. Graves sighed, shaking his head dramatically. "Not surprising. If you spent half the energy on this class that you do on your little... social life, you might pass this semester."More laughter, louder this time. Aerith's body went rigid, her eyes burning with unshed tears. The humiliation washed over her in waves, 𝒟𝓇𝑜𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔 her in a sea of shame.
Without another word, she grabbed her things and bolted from the room, her legs moving faster than her thoughts. She could hear the laughter echoing behind her, each burst of mockery a fresh wound to her 𝐟𝐑𝓐Ꮆᶤ𝓁𝓔 heart.
The hallway felt too bright, too loud, as Aerith rushed down it, her footsteps echoing off the polished tiles. She clutched her books tightly to her chest, her knuckles white from the pressure. Her heart was still racing, the embarrassment from the classroom fresh and raw, like an open wound. *ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕀 𝕓𝕖 𝕤𝕠 𝕤𝕥𝕦𝕡𝕚𝕕?* The thought played on repeat in her mind, the weight of it pressing her down. Her so-called friends were talking behind her back, Jake seemed more distant by the day, and now, even the teacher was making her a public spectacle. It felt like the whole world was turning against her, 𝔭𝔦𝔢𝔠𝔢 by 𝔭𝔦𝔢𝔠𝔢.The murmur of students filled the halls, their laughter and chatter like a cruel background track to her spiralling thoughts. She tried to walk faster, desperate to escape their voices, but no matter how hard she tried, they clung to her like shadows. Her mind swirled with paranoia. She replayed the conversation she overheard in class—Lola's smug voice, Hazel's hidden smile, Holden's cryptic words. Were they right? Was she losing Jake? The thought of Jake with Hazel made her stomach churn. He'd been distant lately, more aloof. He used to text her constantly, send her pictures, and ask how her day was going, but now..., there was nothing. Just silence 0_0. And the silences were the worst part—they filled every gap in her life, every quiet moment turning into a space for her worst fears to take root. As Aerith approached her locker, she fumbled with the combination, her hands trembling. The metal handle felt cold and unyielding, and it took her several tries before she managed to open it. She stared blankly at the books inside, though her mind was miles away, replaying the conversation from earlier, dissecting every word. *Jake's been hanging out with Hazel a lot.*The sentence echoed in her head, louder each time. The way Hazel had smiled when she said it—like she was holding onto some dark secret, something Aerith wasn't supposed to know. Was there something going on between them? Or was her mind just playing tricks on her? She didn't want to believe it, but the doubt was like a poison, creeping through her veins."Aerith."The voice startled her, pulling her out of her thoughts. She turned quickly, her breath catching in her throat. It wasn't Jake. It wasn't one of her so-called friends. It was Zephyr.Zephyr stood at the edge of the hallway, half-hidden in the shadows, as she always was. They had been in the same class since pre-grade, but in all those years, they had barely spoken. Zephry was the kind of girl who kept to herself, never engaging in the drama or gossip that consumed the rest of the school. She moved through life like a ghost—present but unnoticed. For a moment, their eyes met, and Aerith felt a strange chill run down her spine. There was something in Zephry's gaze—something piercing like she could see straight through her. It was unnerving, especially given how little they knew each other. But just as quickly as their eyes met, Zephry looked away, disappearing into the crowd without saying another word.Aerith stood there, frozen, her heart still pounding. What was that about? Why had Zephry spoken her name, only to vanish without an explanation? A strange feeling of unease settled over her. She couldn't shake the sensation that Zephry knew something—something she wasn't telling her. The hallway emptied as students rushed to their next classes, and for a brief moment, Aerith was left standing in silence. But the quiet did little to soothe her. Instead, it made the whispers in her mind grow louder, more insistent. Jake's been hanging out with Hazel a lot. Holden's voice: *People change. She had to see it coming.*Aerith closed her locker with a sharp bang, the sound echoing down the empty hall. She clenched her fists, trying to steady herself. She had to talk to Jake. She had to figure out what was going on—whether it was all in her head or whether something was happening behind her back. But the fear of knowing the truth kept her rooted in place. What if everything she feared was real? What if Jake was slipping away from her? What if Hazel had already taken her place?The questions circled in her mind, unrelenting. But she couldn't confront him—not yet. She wasn't ready to face what she might find.