"Meli, won't you let me walk you to your classroom?" Kelly asked softly, worry threading through every word.
Melissa offered her a faint smile. "I'll be fine," she whispered. She didn't want to burden her sister any further. Besides, she needed to catch up on lessons.
Kelly nodded and gently ruffled her hair."If anything bothers you, just call me."
Melissa nodded again.
Today, they didn't ride with their cousin. Her older brother, now in senior high, had an early class, so the two sisters traveled together.
She tried to steady her breathing, to soothe the storm twisting in her chest. Fear still clung to her ribs like iron.
You'll be okay, Melissa. You can't always be weak.She tried to convince herself as she let out another shaky breath.
They reached the school gate, but Melissa hesitated to step out.
"Come on," Kelly urged gently, sliding an arm around her shoulders.
The moment Melissa stepped onto campus, she felt them—eyes, sharp and judging. She didn't know if they were real or imagined. Whispers brushed her ears, crawling into her thoughts until her heartbeat pounded painfully fast.
"Melissa?" Kelly cupped her sister's face. "You're so pale. What's wrong?"
"I'm fine, sis," Melissa forced out.
"Promise me you'll tell me if something's wrong."
She nodded again.
"Sis… this is my stop," Melissa murmured.
"O-Okay." Kelly nodded reluctantly.
Melissa walked toward her classroom. But every step felt heavier than the last. Her legs trembled, wanting to turn back. The imagined whispers grew louder in her mind, mingling with phantom laughter and judgment.
She pushed open the classroom door. It was empty—no students, no friends.
Her breathing came in fast, broken bursts. Sweat dampened her palms; her whole body shook as cold crept under her skin. She collapsed into her seat.
Melissa, it's just your imagination. Nobody is talking about you. Don't be afraid!She scolded herself harshly.
She leaned back, forcing herself to breathe slowly.She decided to wait for her friends—she always felt safer with them.
"Melissa."
Her name sliced through the silence.
Her head snapped toward the doorway—and she froze.Raymond.
Fear she had just buried surged violently back to life. The memories, the humiliation, the words he had spoken—they came crashing down on her like a wave.
Her chest tightened. Her lungs refused to expand.
She scrambled to her feet, desperate to flee.
"Melissa, where are you going?" he asked, reaching out to grab her hand.
She jerked away violently, eyes shaking, throat too tight to form words.
I can't breathe.The thought screamed through her mind.
Her breaths turned jagged and rapid. Sweat slicked her face. Her vision blurred as her knees buckled.
Help… Sister…
"Melissa! Hey—hey, what's happening?" Raymond's voice echoed, distorted.
She couldn't respond. Tears spilled uncontrollably as her consciousness faded into darkness.
****
"Melissa," he called again, relieved he had caught her before she hit the floor.
Kelly's furious voice echoed in his memory:"Whatever happens to my sister, I will never forgive you."
"Melissa," he whispered, trying to wake her.
This is my fault… I only wanted to talk to her. I was happy she came back… I didn't mean to scare her.
Dennis and Cielo rushed in.
"What happened?" Cielo demanded, stunned to see Melissa limp in Raymond's arms.
"I—I don't know. She suddenly collapsed. Earlier she clutched her chest."His voice trembled.
"Then get her to the damn clinic!" Dennis barked, helping him lift her.
Classmates gasped as they hurried past.
"Melissa?" Julie's voice cracked as she ran after them. "Melissa!"
Thank goodness—the school nurse was already there. Melissa was laid on the bed, her pale face making Raymond's chest squeeze painfully.
"She's stable. She fainted. She's extremely pale—likely from stress and overexertion," the nurse said calmly.
"Julie, please call her sister."
Julie nodded, but not before sending Raymond a murderous glare.
He stayed behind.
Nicole burst in moments later, eyes blazing as they landed on him.
"What did you do to her?" she snapped, hands trembling with rage.
"She just fainted! I swear—I didn't do anything! I only called her name and then—then this happened!"
"That's because of what you did before! You triggered her panic attack!" Nicole hissed.
His words died in his throat.
Kelly arrived moments later, voice sharp enough to cut glass."What did you do to my sister?"
"I didn't do anything," he insisted, though his voice cracked. "I didn't know she had panic attacks…"
"Well, now you know." Kelly's voice was cold. "So stay away from her. That episode was triggered because of you. She's had them since she was young—because of everything she's been pressured into."
"That doesn't mean I should stay away," he murmured. "I just want to apologize."
"She doesn't need that. It won't fix anything."
He exhaled heavily. "Fine… I'll give her time. Then I'll apologize properly."
He hesitated.Then quietly asked, "I heard panic attacks can be genetic. That means… you had them too, right, Kelly? Because you went through the same things?"
Before she could respond, he walked away, fists clenching tightly.
"How is she?" Joel asked when Raymond returned to class.
"She's fine. She fainted from a panic attack. It happened when she saw me," he admitted, sinking into his seat.
"What? A panic attack?" Joel repeated.
Raymond only nodded.
Dennis and Cielo soon followed, giving him silent looks before sitting down.
Melissa returned only for the afternoon. She had rested all morning.But she didn't look at him—not once.
And whenever he passed by her desk, her hands trembled.
He sighed deeply.
What can I do to calm her down?
For now, he knew what he had to do—give her space.
But he could see it clearly: there was something else weighing heavily on her. Fear clung to her every movement.
Yeah… because of what happened.
He never expected it to spiral this badly.He never knew how deep the cracks already were.