The morning sun burned through the curtains like it was the last day on Earth.
A thirteen-year-old boy named Rayyan suddenly opened his eyes. His messy black hair covered half his face, and his dark brown eyes widened in panic as he looked around the room.
Empty beds.
Silence.
"Shit… everyone's awake already?! I'm late!" he shouted, jumping out of bed so fast he nearly slipped.
His school uniform hung crookedly from the chair beside him. He grabbed it in a rush while muttering to himself.
"Great. Just great. Why does this always happen to me?"
As he stumbled out of the room, he saw his younger brother, Daud, already dressed and fixing his collar in front of the mirror. They looked strangely alike—same dark eyes, same black hair—except Daud looked calmer, more organized.
Their father stood near the front door, adjusting his watch before leaving for work.
"Damn it… not again," Rayyan whispered under his breath.
From the kitchen, his mother's voice echoed through the house.
"Rayyan! Hurry up, change your clothes and eat breakfast or you'll miss assembly again!"
"They could've at least woken me up…" he thought bitterly.
"Okaaay, I'm coming!" he yelled back.
The smell of paratha and tea filled the kitchen. Rayyan sat down and began eating quickly while his mother packed something into Daud's bag.
Then suddenly—
"AHH!"
His mother looked up immediately. "What now?"
"Today's sports day! I was supposed to wear my tracksuit!"
His mother closed her eyes for a second like she was losing patience with life itself.
"About time you remembered," she replied. "Now stop talking and finish eating."
Daud quietly laughed into his cup.
"Not funny," Rayyan muttered.
A few minutes later, both brothers rushed outside with their bags.
"We're leaving! Bye!" Rayyan shouted.
His father nodded without looking away from his phone. "Study properly."
But just as Rayyan reached the gate, his mother stopped him.
"Rayyan."
He turned around.
"Give me the house keys. I'll come home early today."
Something about her tone felt strange. Calm… but strange.
Rayyan handed her the keys slowly.
"Okay…"
Then the brothers ran toward school.
Halfway there, Rayyan suddenly froze.
"…My tie."
Daud sighed loudly. "You forgot it again?"
"I hate my life."
"You say that every morning."
By the time they reached school, Daud slipped through the gate safely.
Rayyan wasn't so lucky.
Ten minutes later, he sat outside the principal's office with three other boys who had forgotten parts of their uniforms.
One kid had no belt.
Another wore slippers instead of shoes.
Rayyan stared at the ceiling.
"All this because of one tie," he muttered dramatically.
After half an hour of warnings and lectures, he was finally allowed to leave.
As he walked down the hallway toward his class, he noticed a girl staring at him from the opposite corridor.
She didn't look away.
Rayyan frowned awkwardly.
"What's wrong with her…?" he whispered. "Mental or something?"
He quickly entered the classroom.
The whiteboard was completely filled with notes.
His shoulders dropped instantly.
"Whyyyy me…" he groaned.
Suddenly, clapping erupted around the room.
His friends stood dramatically near the desks.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Wahab announced proudly, "for the first time in history… Rayyan has visited the principal's office!"
The class burst into laughter.
"We're proud of you, son," another friend added.
"Ahh, shut up," Rayyan replied while grinning. "I'm still better than all of you."
He dropped into the seat beside Wahab.
"Please tell me you did the homework," Wahab whispered.
Rayyan froze.
"…Homework?"
Wahab slowly leaned back in horror.
"You're dead."
"No seriously, what homework?"
"The math assignment."
Rayyan stared blankly at the wall.
"Oh no."
"The teacher is going to destroy you," Wahab laughed.
Two lectures passed somehow, and finally sports period arrived.
Outside, the sky had turned gray.
"So what team are you joining?" Zohaib asked while tying his shoelaces. He was a heavy boy with messy hair and endless energy.
"I'll probably stay with Wahab's team," Rayyan replied.
"Good," Wahab said confidently. "At least someone here can play."
"Excuse me?"
The games began.
Five minutes later, Rayyan lost in the first round.
"…I blame the weather," he said while sitting down dramatically.
Nearby sat Taha, a short skinny boy wrapped in a jacket. He looked pale.
"You okay now?" Rayyan asked him.
"Yeah… a little better," Taha replied quietly.
The wind grew colder.
Taha looked toward the clouds.
"Looks like it's going to rain."
"Yeah," Rayyan said softly. "Looks like it."
Then suddenly—
Rain poured across the field.
Students screamed while running toward the building.
"Everyone back to your classes!" the PT sir shouted.
Rayyan helped Taha walk through the wet corridors while students pushed past them laughing and yelling.
Everything felt loud.
Chaotic.
Then a school maid appeared near the stairs.
"Rayyan," she called out. "Come to the office. Bring your bag."
His stomach dropped instantly.
"Oh no…"
His thoughts raced wildly.
"Not again. Please not again."
He handed Taha his water bottle and slowly walked through the long rainy hallway.
The sound of rain hitting the windows filled the silence.
When he reached the office, he stopped.
His mother was standing there.
She looked serious.
Too serious.
"Rayyan," she said quietly, "we're going to Karachi."
The world around him suddenly felt distant.
"What…?"
"We're leaving today."
"No," he said immediately. "No, please… don't do this again."
His breathing became uneven.
"I'll talk to Dad. I promise he won't do it again. Please don't make me leave again…"
But his mother stayed silent.
And in that moment, the noise of the rain, the school, the students—
everything faded away.
The world became quiet.
Rayyan lowered his head slowly.
Inside his mind, only one exhausted thought remained.
"I just want everything to stop."