Chapter 18 The Return
Three days passed before Trina stepped outside her room.
Three days of quiet breathing, quiet blinking, quiet thinking.
Three days of pushing back that strange heaviness inside her chest the one that whispered things she didn't understand.
When she woke up that morning, the heaviness wasn't gone…
But it was quieter.
Like a cloud that drifted off, leaving a thin mist behind.
She dressed slowly, tied her hair, forced a smile into place.
Today, she would return to school.
She was going to be "fine."
Or at least pretend she was.
The Hallway
The moment she walked into the school building, everything exploded.
"Trina!"
"Oh my God, you're back!"
"Are you okay? What happened?"
"I heard she fainted"
"No, she fell"
"Wait, didn't the ceiling collapse?"
Her classmates swarmed around her like bees around a flower.
Trina smiled, the same bright, practiced smile she had used all her life.
"I'm fine," she said gently.
"Really. I'm okay now."
But her fingers were tucked tightly inside her sleeves, trembling.
Some students drifted away after staring long enough.
Some whispered behind her.
Some pretended they hadn't been gossiping about her for days.
Only one walked straight to her without hesitation.
Roomy.
He didn't ask questions.
He didn't touch her too suddenly.
He just placed his hand lightly on her shoulder and said:
"You good?"
His voice was calm. Soft.
The kind of voice that didn't push but understood.
Trina nodded with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Roomy saw it.
He always saw it.
Alex
He had been leaning against the wall near her locker.
He didn't move when she arrived.
Didn't rush over.
Didn't call her name.
He just stared.
Not with anger.
Not with confusion.
With something deeper ,something searching.
Like she was a book full of missing pages.
When their eyes met, it was for only half a second.
Trina looked away first.
She laughed too loudly at something a student said.
She reached for her locker with hands that shook slightly.
She talked to Roomy a little too brightly.
Alex saw all of it.
And the muscles in his jaw tightened.
He walked toward her slowly, quietly.
Roomy stepped closer to Trina without even thinking protective instincts kicking in.
Alex stopped in front of her.
"You're back."
It wasn't a question.
Trina nodded casually, eyes drifting somewhere else.
"Yeah."
He waited for more.
For her usual teasing.
Her grin.
Her dramatic hand gestures.
She gave him none.
She simply said, "Let's… keep things normal, okay? Just… friends, Alex. That's all."
Alex's heart dropped a little, and he didn't even understand why.
Roomy didn't speak, but something sharpness flashed in his eyes.
Trina ignored both of them and walked into class.
Classroom
She took her seat.
Smiled.
Made a small joke.
Tossed a pencil to Roomy.
Pretended everything was completely normal.
But there were moments tiny, blinking cracks ,where she drifted off.
Her eyes losing focus.
Her breath hitching.
Her hand freezing mid-air.
A strange quietness filling her chest before she fought it away.
Roomy watched her with concern.
Alex watched her with confusion.
Natalie watched her with annoyance.
And Trina kept pretending.
Because if she stopped pretending, even for one second…
She wasn't sure what would happen.
The Party Still Awaits
During lunch, the announcement came:
"The school party that was interrupted will continue this Friday."
The same party she fell at.
The same party she almost...
She blinked.
She breathed.
She smiled.
"Cool," she said, as if the memory didn't tighten something inside her lungs.
Roomy looked at her sideways.
Alex's expression darkened again.
Something wasn't right with her.
Something wasn't right with them.
And somewhere inside Trina's chest, the faint mist swirled again quiet, hidden, waiting.