Frances slumped down beside Evie, her shoulder pressing awkwardly against his. She was clearly in a foul mood, her bruised arms folded tightly, legs sprawled with no care for posture.
Evie turned toward her, concern written all over his face. "Frances sit down properly, what's wrong?"
"Just leave me alone, I wanna be this way!" she replied casually, letting her body droop further, ignoring the ache pulsing through her limbs.
Around them, the classroom buzzed with low whispers. Heads tilted and glances were stolen in her direction. Some were concerned, others intrigued, but most just curious.
Her face was a patchwork of swelling and faint cuts, her knuckles scraped. She looked like she'd walked out of a battlefield which wasn't far from the truth.
Frances having bruises wasn't news anymore. She was infamous for getting into fights. She'd show up battered, disheveled, and utterly unbothered the next day. Haggard, yes. Humbled? Never.
Evie, sighing, picked up a milk cup from his bag and slid it to her. "Here."
She turned her head lazily, her tired eyes catching the familiar carton. For a moment, her face lit up, the slightest sparkle cracking through the fatigue. She missed the milk yesterday. Now it was here.
She picked up the note folded neatly beside it.
Dear Cici
"I heard you got into a fight yesterday
I hope your energy is more positive today
Always protect your beautiful face and keep your smile on.
Keep away from the bad guys and be good to yourself"
"What a lame note!" she said with a crooked grin, tossing it into the trash with exaggerated flair, but a warmth lingered behind her eyes. It was small, but it helped.
She sipped the cold milk and then sat up properly, straightening her spine. A newfound burst of energy zipped through her. She slapped her Stanley cup loudly on the desk.
BANG!
Every eye turned to her again.
"Oh my, I'm so bored! I'm dying of boredom!" she whined dramatically, her voice echoing through the classroom like a restless child's tantrum.
Her friends gathered closer like bees to honey.
"Should we go out, Frances?" Lawrence offered, already reading the mischief in her face.
"Go to where?" she asked, eyes narrowing with playful suspicion.
"How about sneaking out of school and go shop?" Lawrence added, a glint in his eyes.
A mischievous grin slowly spread across Frances' face, the bruises unable to dim her spark. "That sounds like a good idea, Lawrence!"
She shot up from her seat and they all scrambled to follow her.
At the school parking garage…
Frances's sleek black van rolled up, the driver hopping out wordlessly as the doors swung open. They piled in, laughing, giddy with excitement.
At the school gate, security guards stepped in front of the vehicle.
The tension didn't last long.
Upon seeing the crest on the van, and recognizing Frances's driver, they stepped aside. The van slipped out of the school gates.
The van pulled into the luxurious Midtown Galleria, Frosty City's most lavish shopping mall. Glass walls gleamed under the afternoon sun, and the fountain out front shot up like a silver burst. Inside, marble floors gleamed, and the soft echo of heels, chatter, and faint instrumental jazz filled the air. Designer boutiques, cosmetic stores, cafes, and high-end electronics lined the halls.
"Being out of school while lessons are still ongoing is wild!" Coco said, stepping into the fragrant, climate-controlled interior.
Frances patted her shoulder. "Wild and fun! You won't get to experience this fun again, Coco. We only have this year left in high school."
"Our points will be deducted if we're found out."
"Then make more points. I definitely don't care about grades, you know!"
They wandered past display windows with mannequins in spring fashion. Shiny bags. Glittering shoes. Shelves stacked with perfumes and velvet-lined jewelry cases.
"We'll soon go to college and be in different classes," Cora said softly.
Everyone sighed at the realization.
"It doesn't matter!" Frances scoffed, grabbing a pair of sunglasses off a rack and posing in them. "College is different from high school. There are more mature people. Our friendship can't be broken because of that."
"My parents are considering sending me abroad," Lawrence said nonchalantly, picking up a designer belt.
Everyone gasped.
"Are you for real? Where would you go to?"
"Paris, maybe."
"Paris? I think I would be interested in that too," Evie said brightly.
Frances shot a glare at him. "You're leaving me here! I'm gonna kill you!"
She lunged at him playfully, and Evie ducked behind Lawrence with a laugh.
"Frances, it's possible that we might not all make it to the same school. Morgan is going to the sports academy."
"What?" Frances froze mid-stride and dropped her shopping cart. "He's going to the sports academy? How come I never heard that?"
"You heard. He got a scholarship back in our second year, remember? So next year, he's heading straight to the basketball academy. Coco is going to the School of Law. She won't be attending college with you either. And Evie? He's definitely going to Paris to study fashion. There's nothing for him here in Frosty City."
"Oh, my bestie!" Frances whimpered and hugged Evie tightly. He blushed and hugged her back, laughing. "That leaves you, Cora, and Abby, right? We'll still be together."
"I'm not sure I'll be going to college," Cora said, fingering a necklace on display.
"I'm getting married." Cora dropped the bomb with a flourish.
"What?!" everyone exclaimed, eyes snapping to her in disbelief.
"Is that playing? Are you playing, Cora? You can't be serious!" Frances barked, her voice cracking.
"I'm serious! My father formed an alliance with a business partner, and we're to get married right after graduation."
"Just like that? Do you like your marriage partner?"
"Of course I do! He's so rich and insanely hot, oh my goodness. He's from my hometown in Italy. I went crazy when I saw him. I wanna devour him!" Cora squealed, fanning herself.
Frances gave her a look of pure disgust. "Cora is unbelievable! You're getting married because he's hot? Do you love him?"
Cora crossed her arms. "I love every guy that looks hot! Don't worry, we'll fall in love later. I just wanna marry him first before someone snatches him away!"
"This girl is hopeless!" Abby muttered, shaking his head.
"I think I'll have to take the option of going to Paris since Cora's getting married. I'm sure Abby will wanna go to Coco's school too, they wouldn't want to be apart. Plus, they're getting engaged soon. I and Evie will live together. How about that?" Lawrence suggested, looking around.
Everyone nodded slowly.
Frances stood silent as their plans settled in like dust after a storm. She forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Okay, y'all got everything planned out. Can't one person even stay behind for Frances? She wants to go to college!" Abby said, turning toward her.
They all turned to look at Frances. Her lips twitched upward, but her eyes were glassy.
"It's not a big deal. I haven't decided if I wanna go to college yet. Cora is still in the country, right? We can always hook up."
"Cora's getting married. She'll be busy with the family business."
"Coco and Abby are there too"
"Isn't law school packed? Will they even have time to hang out? Frances will still go to school alone, come back alone… unless she makes new friends," Lawrence pointed out.
"Lawrence, are you having fun taunting me?" Frances asked softly.
He blinked, caught off guard. "What the hell? I'm not! We're planning our future right here!"
"By leaving me all alone?"
"You can get a boyfriend or something."
"F*ck you, Lawrence!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the marble corridors. Shoppers turned. Sales clerks paused mid-fold.
She bolted out of the store, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Lawrence stood stunned, his hands clenched.
"Lawrence, have you gone crazy?" Evie snapped, marching up to him. "I told you to explain things carefully so she wouldn't feel left out. Why are you dumping everything on her at once?!"
"How else am I supposed to say it?! We're all separating. She needs to learn to live without us! We've got just a few months of high school left, she needs to let herself be loved by someone! Frances is dying inside, faking smiles every day. She needs to heal!"
"Is this how she's going to heal? By leaving her alone?"
"How about she opens her heart to someone and falls in love?"
"Would you like to date her? No man can handle Frances!" Evie snapped
"I'm not interested in her. I see her like a sister. I have more interest in you, Evie."
Evie's expression dropped in horror. He took a shaky step back. "You're crazy, Lawrence. Why would you be interested in me, you psycho?! F*cking get away from me, idiot!" He stormed out of the mall in a panic.
Morgan, witnessing the chaos, nearly laughed in disbelief.
"You and Evie being a couple is something I never want to see," he muttered and walked out after him.
"You might get to see it someday, Morgan!" Lawrence called after him, then sighed, running a hand through his hair.
He picked up Frances' abandoned shopping cart, eyes dark with guilt, and silently pushed it toward the cashier.
Frances left her van behind for her friends and took a taxi back to school. She didn't say a word to the driver, just stared out the window the whole ride, her chin resting in her palm. The city passed by in streaks of color, blurred shop signs, traffic lights, and pedestrians going about their day, uncaring.
She alighted at the school gate so that she could have enough time to herself by walking to the main building.
The gate creaked shut behind her as the taxi pulled away. The faint hum of its engine faded into silence. The sun was still high, casting elongated shadows across the vast courtyard. It was lesson time, so there were fewer students roaming outside, which she was grateful for, no one would see her in this miserable state.
She took slow steps, her shoes tapping softly against the tiled pathway. Her arms hung limp at her sides. Her hair, slightly tousled from the ride, danced faintly in the spring breeze.
The distance from the school gate to the main building was quite a stretch, but she didn't mind walking at all. She just needed some fresh air.
A few men in black suits walked past, their gazes sharp beneath sunglasses, earpieces tucked tightly in their ears. It was nothing unusual. They were drivers and bodyguards, an ordinary sight in Dudley High School, where most students had personal protection or chauffeurs waiting discreetly nearby.
Frances didn't glance at them. Her gaze was fixed on the towering school structure ahead, its grand stone walls, the royal blue school crest etched onto the entrance, the massive glass windows reflecting the sky above.
She looked at the school and sighed heavily.
Dudley High School had been her escape room for as long as she could remember. Its walls had absorbed her tears, her laughter, her rage. It was the only place she had ever felt like herself and now, the time was finally coming to an end.
She thought she would always be with her friends. The thought had been so comforting. So permanent. But now, reality was setting in like a cold tide creeping up her feet.
They had always lived for each other. They loved her and she loved them. Genuinely. Fiercely. But sometimes, human paths split, no matter how tightly woven they once were. And right here, right now, all their paths were leading somewhere new.
Even though studying apart might not destroy their friendship, she was the only one left out.
Frances had put her whole life into this friendship into their daily banter, their secret codes, the bond they wore like second skin. And now… she had absolutely nothing outside of it.
She wanted to go to college not because she was particularly interested in it, but because her friends made life worth walking through. Because their presence gave purpose to her steps.
Now it seemed like she was running around in a daze with no direction.
The wind brushed softly against her face. She blinked slowly, chest rising and falling as she reached the front of the main building.
Frances got to the main building of the school and just stood still.
The glass doors loomed in front of her, but she didn't move. The sound of birds in the distant trees felt too loud for how silent her thoughts had become.
She didn't even feel like going into the classroom. Her legs rooted to the floor, her shoulders hunched, her lips slightly parted as though trying to breathe in something that wasn't there.
So she just stood and kept waiting.
Waiting for nothing that was coming to her.
Her body sagged under an invisible weight. Her chest tightened. She felt… so empty. So suffocated. Like the air wasn't entering her lungs anymore.
Her breath hitched.
Suddenly, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor with a loud, heavy thud, skin smacking cold tile.
No scream. No tears. Just stillness.
Her eyes closed on their own, too heavy to hold open. She couldn't control them.
Her breathing slowed.
Here she was…
All alone… again…