The final bell rang, sharp and unforgiving.
The classroom erupted instantly—chairs scraping, laughter colliding, voices rising over one another in a desperate rush toward freedom. The teacher's reminder about tomorrow's assignment drowned beneath the noise, unheard and unloved.
At the back of the room, a cluster of girls lingered.
Books untouched. Pens idle.
Sarah sat at the center of them, sunlight catching in her short brown hair, softening the tired lines beneath her eyes. She laughed as her friends leaned closer, conspiratorial and relentless.
"So," Yuki said with a grin, "who is it?"
Sarah sighed. "There is no it."
"Oh please," Mariam scoffed. "You smile at someone every time."
Sally tilted her head. "Is it Isaac?"
"No."
"Eithen?"
"No!"
Sarah's protests only fueled them. Their laughter filled the room—warm, careless.
Then Sarah's gaze drifted.
She stiffened.
Near the door, Yuri adjusted the strap of his bag, already half gone. He stood apart from the noise, like he existed slightly out of sync with the world around him.
"Yuri," she called.
He froze, then turned slowly, surprised. "Uh—hi. Class Rep."
She frowned. "Just Sarah."
"…Right. Sorry."
For a second, neither of them spoke.
"I just wanted to say," she began, then stopped, unsure why she'd even called him over. "Never mind. See you tomorrow."
He nodded. "Yeah. Tomorrow."
He left quietly.
Behind her, the girls stared.
"Yuri?" Yuki whispered. "That guy's… off."
"He's just quiet," Sarah said, sharper than she meant.
Mariam shrugged. "Still. He gives me chills."
Sally tilted her head. "hmm... yeah, he's always soo... lost you know."
"Yeah exactly!" Mariam replied. "A shame. he is kinda cute, i've always loved his long hair"
Sarah grabbed her bag. "Don't talk about him like that."
The room fell silent as she walked out