Jay's POV
Mondays were already terrible.
But this Monday?
This Monday felt personally designed to destroy me. 😐
I sat in class staring blankly at the board while the teacher explained something about chemical reactions.
Or atoms.
Or explosions.
Honestly…
my brain stopped listening twenty minutes ago.
Because every time I tried focusing…
my thoughts went right back to:
"They found you again."
Annoying sentence honestly.
Very annoying.
"Jay."
I blinked slowly.
The classroom came back into focus.
The science teacher stood in front of me now.
Entire class staring.
Uh oh.
"…Yes?"
The teacher adjusted his glasses.
"Can you answer the question?"
Silence.
I looked at the board.
The board looked back.
Neither of us understood each other. 😭
Usually I would've answered easily.
But right now?
My brain felt like somebody unplugged it.
Ci-n whispered dramatically behind me:
"She has left this dimension."
"Quiet," David muttered.
The teacher sighed already. "Jay?"
Still nothing.
My mind completely blank.
Then finally Keifer quietly spoke from beside me:
"Covalent bond."
Oh.
Right.
That.
I immediately nodded.
"Covalent bond."
The teacher narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Did he know?
Probably.
Did I care?
Not currently. 😔
"Pay attention."
"Yes sir."
Lie.
Huge lie.
Massive lie honestly.
The teacher continued the lesson while I stared at my notebook again.
Unfortunately…
Keifer kept glancing at me now.
Which was irritating.
Because he noticed things too easily.
Next to me Ci-N slowly whispered:
"…You good?"
"Mm."
"You answered that like a depressed NPC."
"I'm going to throw this pen at your forehead."
"THERE'S THE JAY I KNOW." 😭
Normally I would've laughed.
Instead…
I just stared down at my notebook again.
And that's when everybody really started noticing.
Because Jay Mariano not insulting people properly?
National emergency apparently. 😐
Even Rory leaned over dramatically.
"Guys I think she's dying."
Felix gasped.
"Not before exams please."
"Can you all shut up," Calix said tiredly.
Unfortunately…
their voices started blending together after that.
Like background noise.
Far away.
Everything felt weirdly distant today.
Even my own thoughts sounded too loud.
By break time…
I was still spacing out near the classroom window.
Students moved around outside.
People laughing.
Talking.
Normal Monday things.
Meanwhile my brain was fighting for survival. 😭
Then suddenly—
SNAP.
I flinched slightly.
Aries stood in front of me with crossed arms.
"…You're alive."
I blinked. "When did you get here?"
"I've been standing here for five minutes."
Oops.
Behind him half of Class 3-E looked shocked.
Felix pointed dramatically.
"SHE DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE HIM."
Ci-N looked emotional already.
"Guys this is serious."
Aries ignored them and looked directly at me.
"You okay?"
I immediately answered:
"Yep."
Aries stared at me blankly.
Then:
"Terrible lie."
Rude honestly.
Very rude.
Mila suddenly appeared beside me holding snacks.
"Jay look." She smiled brightly. "I bought your favorite."
Matteo stood beside her nodding proudly.
"Emotional support food."
Usually that would've worked.
Unfortunately my brain still felt trapped somewhere else.
I looked at the snacks for a second. "…Thanks."
Mila's smile faded slightly.
And guilt twisted in my chest immediately.
Great.
Now I was emotionally damaging innocent people too. 😐
Then Ci-N suddenly threw an arm over my shoulder dramatically.
"GUYS." He pointed proudly. "I have decided to heal Jay using friendship."
"Remove your arm before I remove it for you."
"That's the spirit."
Unfortunately…
today every sound felt too loud.
Too close.
Too much.
And before I could stop myself—
I snapped.
"Ci-N can you PLEASE stop talking for one second?!"
Silence.
The classroom froze immediately.
Oops.
Ci-N blinked slowly.
Felix looked shocked.
Even Rory stopped acting dramatic for once.
And suddenly…
I hated myself a little.
Because Ci-N was only trying to help.
I exhaled quietly and rubbed my forehead.
"…Sorry."
Real sorry this time.
Ci-N immediately shook his head.
"No no it's okay."
Which somehow made me feel worse.
I grabbed my bag quickly before anybody could stop me.
"I just need air."
Keifer stood up immediately. "Jay."
But I was already walking away.
Fast.
Too fast.
The hallway blurred slightly as I moved.
I could still hear Aries calling my name behind me.
But right now…
I couldn't stay in that classroom anymore.
Because if I stayed any longer—
I felt like everything inside my head would finally explode. 🌧️
End of Chapter 📖✨
🌧️ "Sometimes the loudest battles happen inside people who say they're fine."