It was June 2024, just a few weeks before the summer exams, and stress hung in the air like heavy heat before a storm. Tim could feel it pressing down on him more every day. Despite being a great student who usually earned good grades without too much trouble, the upcoming exams still made his stomach twist with nerves.
Tim was a tall, blonde teenage boy known for always being there for his friends. He rarely complained and often put others before himself, even when he felt overwhelmed. This Monday morning began like most others—too early and far too quietly.
His alarm rang, dragging him out of sleep. Tim groaned softly and sat up in bed, his hair sticking out in every direction. With a tired expression, he slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, rubbing his eyes. Still half-asleep, he shuffled toward the kitchen, following the familiar smell of breakfast.
When he entered the kitchen, his mother was already there. Maria sat at the kitchen table with a warm cup of coffee in her hands. She was a tall blonde woman with bright blue eyes—features Tim had clearly inherited. She looked up and smiled when she saw him.
"Good morning, Tim," she said cheerfully.
"Morning…" Tim mumbled back, his voice low and sleepy. Mornings had never been his thing.
He opened the kitchen drawer and fridge, grabbing a bowl, a box of cornflakes, and some milk. He poured the cereal first, then added the milk, watching it soak into the flakes. After sitting down at the table, Maria looked at him with a knowing expression.
"Watch out for Liz today," she said casually.
Tim paused and looked up, confused. "Why do I need to watch out for her?"
Liz was Tim's older sister and their mother's first child. Despite the usual sibling teasing, Tim and Liz were very close. They trusted each other and always had each other's backs. Liz was tall like Tim, with long dark-blonde hair and a strong personality.
Maria leaned back slightly and lowered her voice. "I think it's that time of the month for her."
Tim's eyes widened in sudden understanding. "Oh… now I get it. But Liz can handle herself, Mom. No doubt about it."
He had just taken another bite of his cornflakes when a loud thump echoed from upstairs. The noise grew closer, heavier with every step, until suddenly the kitchen door slammed open.
Liz stood in the doorway, her face pale and her hair a complete mess, as if she'd just survived a battle. She looked exhausted and annoyed, like a monster straight out of a horror movie. Tim had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing and nearly choked on his cereal.
Liz glared at both of them. Maria chuckled softly.
"Don't laugh at me!" Liz snapped.
"Good morning, dear," Maria said sweetly. "You look amazing today."
"Ha ha. Very funny, Mom," Liz replied with a sigh.
Tim let out a quiet laugh while Liz rolled her eyes and grabbed her own bowl, cereal, and milk. She poured everything in and began eating slowly, occasionally shooting suspicious looks at Tim and Maria.
Once Tim finished breakfast, he stood up and placed his empty bowl and spoon in the sink. He headed straight to his room to pack his backpack for school. He always checked everything twice—books, notebooks, pens—making sure nothing was missing. Being unprepared was one of his biggest fears.
Afterward, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for the day. He changed into a simple shirt and long pants; the weather forecast promised warmth, but he preferred comfort. Backpack over his shoulder, he returned to the kitchen to prepare his lunch and drink for the day.
When he was finally ready, he noticed Liz still sitting on the couch in her pajamas, watching television. Tim frowned slightly.
"Don't you have school today?" he asked.
Liz looked at him lazily. "Nope. I'm free today."
"Oh. Okay," Tim replied.
"All right, let's go!" Maria called.
Tim followed his mother outside, and they climbed into the car. Maria started the engine and drove calmly through the quiet streets. The car ride was mostly silent, as usual. Tim never really knew what to talk about. He was introverted and preferred to keep his thoughts to himself.
As they drove, he noticed a couple walking hand in hand on the sidewalk. For a brief moment, something sharp tugged at his chest. He wasn't looking for love and told himself it was pointless anyway—most love was fake, or so he believed. He quickly pushed the thought aside.
A few minutes later, they pulled into the school parking lot. Maria opened the trunk, and Tim stepped out, grabbing his backpack. He walked through the school gate into the courtyard and headed toward the large outdoor stairs.
As he climbed them, he scanned the area, hoping to spot his friends Jordy and Jason. Another school day was about to begin.
Tim spotted Jordy almost immediately. He was standing near the edge of the stairs, leaning slightly forward as he looked down at the students moving around the courtyard below. Jordy had his hands in his pockets and wore a relaxed expression, as if nothing in the world could bother him.
When Jordy noticed Tim approaching, his face lit up.
"Good morning," Jordy said with his usual energy.
"Hey, good morning," Tim replied as he joined him.
Jordy was almost always in a good mood, no matter the situation. He had that kind of positivity that made people feel at ease just by being around him. Jason, on the other hand, was the complete opposite—especially in the mornings.
A moment later, Jason appeared at the top of the stairs, dragging his feet as he walked toward them. His eyes looked half-closed, and his shoulders were slumped as if the weight of the world rested on them.
"Good morning," Jordy greeted him.
"Hmmm?" Jason muttered, barely lifting his head.
Tim frowned slightly and leaned closer. "You okay, bro?"
"Yeah," Jason said with a tired sigh. "I just slept really late last night."
"Oh damn, how come?" Tim asked.
Jason rubbed his eyes. "I was playing Minecraft and didn't realize how late it was."
Tim and Jordy exchanged a quick look before nodding in understanding. It was a painfully familiar problem—one almost every gamer had faced at least once.
"So," Jordy said after a short pause, trying to shift the mood, "how was your weekend?"
"Good," Tim replied. "Could've used more sleep, though."
"It was alright," Jason added, yawning loudly as he rubbed his eyes again.
Jordy glanced toward the school building, his smile fading just a little. "It's almost the last exams of the year. Are you guys ready?"
"Yeah," Tim said confidently. "My previous exams went well, so I think I'm ready. What about you?"
Jordy hesitated. "Honestly? Not really. If I fail these exams, I'll have to go to another school."
Tim's eyes widened. "No way—really?"
"Yeah," Jordy replied quietly. "Sadly, I don't have much of a choice."
Before the silence could grow uncomfortable, Jason straightened up slightly. "Don't worry," he said. "It'll work out. Just believe in yourself."
Jordy smiled faintly. "I will. Don't worry."
Tim smiled too, feeling a bit of hope return to the group—until the loud ring of the school bell echoed across the courtyard. Students immediately began moving toward the building, filling the stairs and hallways with noise and chatter.
"Guess that's our cue," Tim said.
The trio made their way down the stairs as the hallways quickly became crowded. They weren't in a rush—three minutes was more than enough time to reach class. At one of the intersections, they split up.
Jordy headed off alone toward his classroom, while Tim and Jason walked side by side. Another school day had officially begun.
Tim and Jason stepped into their classroom, and as usual, chaos greeted them. Their class was loud, messy, and completely unpredictable—but somehow, that was what made it fun. In one corner sat a guy who seemed to treat school like a hotel, sleeping through almost every lesson. Near the windows was a girl who acted as if she were royalty, flipping her hair and judging everyone around her like a queen inspecting her kingdom. And then there was the boxer—a muscular guy who trained every day and talked nonstop about becoming the next Mike Tyson, whether anyone asked or not.
Tim and Jason took their usual seats next to each other. In front of them sat a boy Tim barely knew, though Jason had talked to him a few times before. His name was Sam. While they waited for the teacher to arrive, Jason leaned forward and chatted with him quietly, mostly about games and random school gossip. Tim half-listened, letting his eyes wander around the room.
After a few minutes, the door opened and their Dutch teacher walked in. The noise slowly faded—though "slowly" was definitely the key word.
"All right, everyone, sit down," the teacher said firmly.
It took a moment before the class finally settled. As always, she began counting the phones in the so-called telephone hotel—a row of small hanging pockets where students were required to put their phones during lessons.
She frowned. "I'm missing one phone."
At the back of the classroom sat a girl named Sophie. Tim and Jason both thought she was strange. She had a quiet, eerie vibe, almost like Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family. The teacher noticed Sophie moving but couldn't clearly see what she was doing, since Sophie's backpack was standing upright on her desk, blocking the view.
"Sophie," the teacher said suspiciously, "what are you doing?"
Sophie slowly looked up. "Uhm… nothing."
"Is your phone in the hotel?" the teacher asked.
Sophie swallowed. Somehow, she always managed to escape trouble. "Uhm… my phone is at home. I forgot to bring it today."
As she said this, she casually slipped a few chips into her mouth—something she did far too often during class. Tim and Jason exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes at the same time.
"I still can't believe the teacher hasn't noticed anything about her," Tim whispered.
"Yeah," Jason replied quietly. "She's really weird, bro."
"Definitely," Tim said. "She kinda looks emo to me."
Jason let out a soft laugh as he grabbed the books he needed for the lesson. Tim did the same, following the usual routine—unlike some students.
"Does anybody have a pencil for me?" someone suddenly asked.
The entire class burst into laughter. The teacher sighed deeply and tossed a pencil toward the student.
As summer drew closer and the school year neared its end, time seemed to move faster. After two long lessons—almost one hundred minutes in total—the bell finally rang. Students immediately rushed into the hallways, which quickly filled with noise and movement like always.
It took a while before Tim and Jason managed to get outside. Once they did, they headed straight to their usual spot at the top of the stairs. Jordy was already there, waiting for them.
"Hey there," Jordy said.
"Hey," Tim replied.
"Hey," Jason added.
"I'm kinda screwed for French," Jordy admitted.
"Why?" Tim asked.
"It's so hard," Jordy said, shaking his head. "And our teacher sucks."
"Yeah," Jason said. "We get that."
After a short pause, Tim frowned slightly. "By the way… I had a weird dream last night."
Jordy looked curious. "Oh yeah? What about?"
"It was like an old friend of mine, Janned, suddenly texted me," Tim explained. "With red emojis and everything."
"That's strange," Jason said.
"Yeah," Tim agreed. "Especially since we got into a fight back in second year."
"Well," Jordy said, trying to sound reassuring, "luckily it was just a dream."
"Yeah, luckily," Tim replied.
Jason tilted his head. "Sometimes dreams come true, though, right?"
"Sometimes," Tim said, "but the chance is really small."
"So you're rivals now?" Jordy asked.
"I mean… kind of," Tim said. "Nothing serious."
"Okay," Jordy replied.
They continued talking until the bell rang again. Like always, they headed back to their classrooms and waited for the day to finally end. A few hours later, the last bell echoed through the building.
The school day was over.
Students spilled out in every direction, eager to leave, and soon the school grounds slowly emptied as everyone went their own way.
Tim said a quick goodbye to Jason, lifting one hand in a small wave before turning away. As he walked out of the school gates, the noise of the day faded behind him—laughter, shouting, lockers slamming—until it all blended into a dull background hum. His shoulders felt heavy, as if the stress of the day had finally caught up with him.
In the parking lot, his mom's car was already waiting. He opened the door and dropped into the seat with a long, quiet sigh. It wasn't dramatic—just tired. Deep tired. The kind that settled in his chest.
Maria glanced at him as she pulled away from the curb. "How was your school day?"
"It was good," Tim replied without thinking.
The words felt empty, but safe. Saying more would mean opening doors he wasn't ready to open. He stared out the window, watching the world slide past.
After a moment, he spoke again, his voice softer. "How's Liz doing?"
"She's sleeping," Maria said. "She was really tired."
Tim let out a small breath. "Tired… or just lazy?"
Maria chuckled. "You know what she has."
"Yeah," Tim murmured. He did know. And somehow, that made him worry about her more than he ever admitted.
The car fell into silence again. Tim didn't mind it. Silence was easier than words. His thoughts drifted—exams, friends, that strange dream, the feeling he always pushed away. He pressed his forehead lightly against the window, feeling the cool glass.
When they finally arrived home, Tim stepped inside like he was moving through water. Everything felt slower. He grabbed a drink from the kitchen, taking a few long sips just to feel something real and grounding. Then he carried his backpack upstairs and dropped it in his room, the thud echoing softly.
He stood there for a moment, unsure why his chest felt so tight.
Then, without really thinking about it, he walked to Liz's room.
He pushed the door open carefully. The room was dim, wrapped in quiet. Liz lay curled beneath the blankets, her face relaxed, her breathing slow and steady. Seeing her like that—peaceful, safe—hit Tim harder than he expected.
Something warm spread through his chest. Relief. Comfort. Love.
Liz was his anchor. When everything felt too loud or too heavy, she was the one place where he didn't have to pretend to be okay. He swallowed, blinking slowly, as if his emotions might spill over if he didn't.
Feeling drained, Tim slipped out of his shoes and gently lay down beside her, careful not to wake her. The mattress dipped slightly under his weight. Almost instantly, Liz stirred. Still asleep, she turned toward him and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close without hesitation.
Like she always did.
Tim felt his chest loosen. His breathing slowed. For the first time all day, he felt safe.
He closed his eyes, letting the warmth and quiet pull him under.
bzzz.
The vibration against his leg sent a sharp jolt through him.
Tim's heart skipped. He slowly reached for his phone, dread creeping up his spine for no clear reason. He unlocked the screen.
The name staring back at him made his stomach drop.
His breath caught.
His fingers trembled slightly as he stared at the message, his mind racing. His chest felt tight again—but this time not from comfort. From shock. From confusion. From something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Fear?
The past had just reached out to him.
And it wasn't a dream anymore.