Chapter 26: A World That Turns Away
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The Crumbling Facade
The mask is slipping.
I can feel it.
No matter how carefully I adjust it, how tightly I hold it in place—
The cracks are there.
Growing. Splintering.
And the world?
It notices.
Not with words.
Not with outright rejection.
But with silence.
With distance.
With the way their gazes flicker toward me—
Then quickly look away.
With the way they move past me—
As if I don't exist.
---
Isolation Takes Root
At first, it was subtle.
A hesitation. A step to the side. A conversation that cut off just a little too soon.
Now?
Now, it's undeniable.
The space around me has grown.
An invisible boundary—
One no one dares to cross.
Classmates who once greeted me with small nods, fleeting smiles—
They don't anymore.
People I once shared casual words with—
They walk the other way.
A nervous quiet follows me wherever I go.
Like I carry something unseen.
Something infectious.
Something they don't want to be near.
And the worst part?
I don't even know what I did to deserve it.
---
The School Feels Different
The hallways used to be just hallways.
Now, they feel like a maze I don't belong in.
The air feels heavier.
The walls, closer.
The laughter of others—bright, careless, free—
It rings in my ears, sharp and distant, like I'm hearing it from the bottom of an ocean.
It used to be a comfort.
Now, it feels cold.
Like a reminder that whatever warmth I once had—
Is gone.
I move through the crowd, but I am not part of it.
Not anymore.
---
Serena – A Distant Light
And yet—
She's still there.
Serena.
The only one who hasn't fully turned away.
But unlike the others, she doesn't look at me with hesitation.
Her eyes don't dart away.
She doesn't keep her distance.
She's just… normal.
Too normal.
I almost don't notice her approach until she nudges my arm.
"Derrick," she says, her voice light, casual. "You alive in there?"
I blink, snapping back to the present.
She raises an eyebrow. "You spaced out for, like, a full minute."
"…Yeah. Just tired."
She hums, unconvinced, but lets it go.
"Guess what?" She grins. "They're selling chocolate bread in the cafeteria again. You wanna get some?"
I hesitate. Not because I don't want to, but because it feels… off.
Not her—she's acting the same as always.
But me.
Me, standing here, pretending everything is normal when the rest of the world has already decided I don't belong.
Serena tilts her head. "You don't want any? I thought you liked that stuff."
I force a small smirk. "Since when do you pay attention to what I eat?"
She rolls her eyes. "Since you got all weird about them running out last time. You practically mourned it like it was a personal loss."
I exhale through my nose—almost a laugh. "That was, like, two months ago."
"And I still remember." She grins. "Because I'm an amazing friend."
That…
That's what throws me off.
She's acting the same. Like nothing has changed.
And maybe—for her—nothing has.
But for me…
Everything has.
---
The Whispers Grow Louder
At first, they were just murmurs.
Now?
Now, they follow me.
Cling to me like a shadow.
They never speak directly to me.
Never say the words where I can hear them.
But I feel them.
Like a knife hovering just above my spine.
And I know what they mean.
He's different.
He's wrong.
Stay away from him.
And they do.
Every single one of them.
---
The Shadow That Won't Leave
And through it all—
The figure remains.
A flicker in the mirror.
A silhouette standing at the edge of the hallway.
A shape in the crowd that vanishes the second I focus on it.
It doesn't move.
Doesn't speak.
Doesn't act.
It just watches.
And for the first time—
I wonder if it's the reason everyone else is keeping their distance.
If they see it too.
If they know.
---
The Darkness Creeps In
Even home isn't the same.
The walls feel thinner.
The light feels dimmer.
The warmth that once filled the house—
Felt real, felt safe—
It's slipping.
Mom's smiles don't reach her eyes.
Mark watches me when he thinks I'm not looking.
Lily still hums, still laughs, but I wonder—
How long until she notices too?
How long until they all start keeping their distance?
The world is changing.
Or maybe—
I am.
And for the first time—
I don't know which is worse.