I woke up from the dream with a scream tearing at my throat.

  "Gah! Let me go, you monster!"

  Kicking and flailing, my arms and legs sent my blanket and fuzzy toys flying. They landed sadly on the ground.

  Whack.

  "Ouch! That hurts, Ma!" I yelped, clutching my throbbing head.

  Wait… that pain. It was too specific. The trajectory. The force. The same whack sound I always experience when I've done something I've absolutely not guilty of. Too familiar. Does that mean… Ma?

  I blinked, the fog of sleep slowly dissipating. My room looked exactly the same as always. Posters peeling off the wall like dead skin, school books stacked in unstable Jenga towers because I was bored, not because I was studying, and my uniform hanging from the chair in a sad, wrinkled heap. Let's not forget my huge pile of RPG disks gathering dust in the corner.

  "Ahem!"

  I turned to my right and there she was. My Ma. Glaring down at me with those demonic eyes. The kind of gaze that could char a grown man to a crisp. I swear, I could actually see the flames flickering behind her pupils.

  "Calling your mother a monster? You've lived long enough, huh?" she snapped, raining a barrage of heavy slaps on my arms like divine punishment.

  "Ack! It's really Ma?!!" I screeched, shielding my face. Why face? Because the face is the most important asset for a girl.

  "You lazy bum. Get your stinky butt up and get ready for school. It's the beginning of your second year in high school already."

  "School…?" My voice cracked. I shuddered as the reality of the mundane world came crashing back. I glanced at the clock beside my bed. It was half past five in the morning. Only thirty minutes until class starts.

  "…Oh no! I might be late if I dilly-dally much longer!"

  Ma raised her demonic fist again.

  Not good.

  "Not getting your butt moving, are you?" she growled. "Looks like someone wants more of my tender loving care."

  "Oui, Ma! I'm moving! I'm moving!"

  Why didn't my alarm clock ring…?

  I glared at my alarm clock. Traitor!

  With a thunderous slam of the door, Ma exited.

  I leapt from the bed like a prisoner on death row and dove straight into the shower.

  "Ouiii~ I sweat so much just from that dream," I muttered, letting the cold water sluice down my face. "What even was that about…? It almost made me late for school, dammit."

  After a record-speed shower, I threw on my school uniform and bolted for the car before Ma starts speeding off without me. Again.

  I arrived at the school gates fifteen minutes before the first bell. I leaned against the gate frame, breathing in the "fresh air" and taking in the chaos. As always, the school looked exactly like a prison that had failed its renovations. Grey buildings, narrow walkways, and faded banners that pretended the faculty cared about "Excellence and Spirit".

  "I made it on time! Woohoo!"

  Surrounding me, students poured in, one by one. New uniforms. Fresh faces. Nervous footsteps. First-years. I could spot them a mile away.

  How do I know? Well, I was once a first year too.

  They clutched their timetables like life rafts, scanning every hallway as if they expected a monster to jump out at any second. Honestly, they weren’t wrong.

  "Newbies… Feels like I was just one of them yesterday."

  The scene was loud and disorganized. Some were already forming cliques, while others just tried to survive the crush. Teachers barked orders to quiet down. Not that it ever worked. Still, the noise was oddly comforting. They do say the more, the merrier.

  "Man… This takes me back."

  It had been a year since I first stepped into this school. Almost a year since… that day. I still remember it clearly.

  [Nine months ago]

  I was running. From my science teacher. Not figuratively. Literally.

  If anyone had seen us, they would have called it a cartoon: the cat chasing the mouse. And I was definitely the mouse.

  "All I did was pull a small prank on Ms. Angie," I muttered, ducking behind a small white pavilion. It was a little open-sided hut with a pointed roof. The school’s attempt to look fancy. Really, it was just a glorified sunshade that attracted mosquitoes. A gazebo, or whatever it was supposed to be.

  "She didn't have to go full Ifrit (fire demon) on me…"

  What prank? Well, I placed a store-bought whoopee cushion on her chair before the class starts. It makes a funny “pfffft” sound after you sat on it. Harmless, really. Most definitely, hilarious. Totally not my fault if Ms. Angie didn't look before sitting. It was hiding in plain sight!

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  Anyways, rumor had it she used to be a track athlete. I never believed it. She seemed too quiet, too still. Well, today proved me wrong. She ran like she was trying to break the world record for a marathon.

  I peeked around the pillar of the gazebo. "The coast is clear." I exhaled and leaned back to stretch, and that’s when I spotted her.

  A girl. Long brown hair, smoother than silk. Carrying a literal mountain of books.

  That must be the teachers' favorite pet… Isabella?

  She looked cold. Distant. Like a perfectly programmed school robot. Just press homework to activate. No emotions, no reactions. Just… functional. She was the kind of student teachers loved to overload: top scores, perfect attendance, and rumored to be from a family with a mansion so big it had its own postcode.

  The boys fell over themselves for her, professing love left and right. She rejected them all. Brutally. And so, the rumors started. Whispers of a shaman grandmother. Bullying stories. Lies, mostly. She didn't even acknowledge people, let alone bully them.

  "How boring," I rolled my eyes and looked away.

  Then came a loud bang.

  I jumped, eyes snapping back. Books lay scattered across the pavement. She stood frozen, staring at the mess. Expressionless.

  She didn't hear what I said earlier… right?

  Around us, students murmured and whispered, watching the "Ice Queen" fail.

  "How troublesome…" I groaned.

  I stood and walked toward her. Without saying a word, I bent down and started picking up the books. I reached out and saw Mr. Kay's signature on one of the books.

  Ah. These are from Mr. Kay's class. That lazy bald man probably dumped his workload on her.

  Then I noticed it.

  Drip.

  Water droplets hit the books. I looked up. She was crying. Silently.

  Her tears sparkled in the light like water crystals.

  Water… crystals?

  I rubbed my eyes. When I looked again, the tears were gone.

  "This must be karma for all my pranks…" I muttered.

  "Pranks?" she said coldly, glaring at me.

  Her eyes, light brown, flecked with icy blue.

  Brown-blue eyes? What kind of Asian has those? Mixed, maybe?

  I handed her the books.

  "Thanks," she said warily.

  "My name's Llyne," I offered with a wink. "We never introduced ourselves before. Hectic classes and all."

  "I know you."

  "Oh?" I smirked. "Didn't know I was that famous."

  She shot me a glare. "You are. For being a troublemaker. You always disrupt class."

  "You mean I bring life to a dull classroom."

  She didn't smile. But I didn't care.

  I raised my hand to my eyebrow. "Why're you carrying these alone? Where's Mr. Kay? I swear I could spot that bald head from a mile away."

  "He's… busy. So I'm helping him," she said, her eyes drifting away. She tried to take the rest of the stack from me, but I dodged and said, "Huh… is that so… Well, they're heavy. Want help?"

  "No," she snapped and snatched the pile from me, then walked off.

  Is she a cat? I chuckled. Guess getting to know her won't be so bad.

  I leaned slightly to my left. Looking at her up close… it made sense why the boys went wild. V-shaped chin. Big round eyes. Pale skin. Slender. Rich. Smart. First in middle school. Almost perfect.

  Almost.

  But her attitude? Cold. Even if we lived in the same world, it felt like she existed on a different wavelength entirely.

  Before I could dwell any longer, a sharp, minty scent invaded my nose.

  Ms. Angie…? I turned, and sure enough, there she was, arms crossed, smiling. Oui. How did I forget about her?

  "Oh, Ms. Angie." My eyelashes fluttered in the most adorable way.

  "Oh, Llyne." In return, she replied with a strange sweet enthusiasm. It made me think that I've escaped her inferno. Oh, I should I have think twice. How na?ve I was. The next second, her fingers met my ear and dragged me back to class.

  I might have escaped the Ice Queen, but now the Fire Demon shows up. Fantastic.

  [Back to the present]

  I laughed to myself. "Now that I think about it… that was a wonderful moment."

  "…Yeah, right."

  "Who am I kidding? It was a disaster. But hey, we're still friends."

  As I stood reminiscing, the school bell rang again.

  "What! Was I standing in front of the gate that long?! Sheesh. Time waits for no one."

  I bolted toward my new classroom, located in Building D. A new building. Four stories tall. Built just last year. Within a week, I heard.

  Were they in a competition? Who builds buildings this fast?

  Most importantly, it was at the far edge of the school.

  "Who puts a building that far away?! It's not even greener there!"

  A minute before class starts, I arrived at my designated classroom, Classroom 2-B. The class was packed with noise, but no teacher yet.

  Lucky me.

  I swept through the classroom once and sighed in disappointment.

  Still sucks that Iz (Isabella) and I aren't in the same class this year. And those extra subjects... ugh.

  I stepped in. Silence. Instant. You could hear a pin drop.

  Students whispered.

  "Eww! It's her!"

  "Can't believe I'm in the same class with that abomination."

  "Tsk! She's here. What a great way to start the year."

  A few glared. Others averted their eyes. The reason? Because I'm weird. An outcast. I hated the norm. Rules bored me. So, I broke them. Rumors spread. None of them flattering.

  Didn't care. People who don't deserve my time wouldn't get it. Still… watching their discomfort sometimes? Kinda fun.

  Ignoring them, I walked toward the blackboard. There was a paper displaying our seating arrangement.

  Back window seat. Perfect. Great excuse to nap.

  Striding to my spot, their gazes trailed behind me. It felt like walking on a runway, except instead of admiration, I got daggers. It didn’t matter. I liked it that way. I even taunted a few classmates, sweeping my luscious hair at them before sitting down.

  Bag dropped. Arms crossed. Legs crossed. Waiting.

  The stares lingered. Irritating. Turning to the window, I let out a little huff.

  When's recess…? It's boring without Iz.

  Yes, she talks too much.

  Yes, the whoopee cushion happened.

  I know I do!

  this chapter exists to plant cracks.

  In memories.

  In people.

  In what looks ordinary.

  Some tears vanish when you blink.

  And some encounters refuse to stay in the past.

  The noise has only just begun.