Chapter 1: The Art of Napping .
(On Saturday)
The autumn sunlight filtered lazily through the classroom windows. At the back of Room 3-B,
'Lira Frostwale' lay slumped over her notebookš“, her snow-white hair spilling across her arms like a silken veil.until a sharp jab to her elbow shattered the peace.
"*Psst!* Lira, wake up!" hissed Mira Sato, her raven-haired friend, poking her again with a mechanical pencil. But Lira only mumbled nonsense.
"Miss Frostwale!" The voice cracked through the room like a whip. Mrs. Halward, a woman whose glare could wilt flowers, stood rigid at the chalkboard. A hush fell as all eyes swiveled toward the sleeping girl. "Care to explain why *Macbeth's* existential crisis is less compelling than your nap?"
Silence.
A piece of chalk sailed through the airā*thwack!*āstriking Lira's forehead. She jolted upright, chair screeching. "P-Present, ma'am!"
The class erupted in laughter. At that moment Lira's face flushed strawberry-red, her eyes widen with mortification. Even the poster of Shakespeare on the wall seemed to jude her
Mrs. Halward snapped. "If my class bores you, the hallway's *far* more scenic."
"S-Sorry, ma'am!š It won't happen again!" Lira bowed deeply, her bangs brushing the desk. As she sank back into her seat, Mira muffled a laugh behind her textbook.
---
The school bell's ring rescued Lira an hour later. Students flooded into the hallway, but she lingered by the window, gaze drifting to the clouds floating across the sky . Cotton-ball clouds drifted past skyscrapers, and for a moment, she imagined herself among themāweightless, unburdened by GPAs or rent checks.
"BOO!"
"Ack!š±" Lira nearly toppled out of her seat as Mira suddenly appeared beside her, grinning .
Mira exclaimed "You're *so* easy to scare!", looping an arm around her friend's shoulders. "What's got you spacing out? Secret crush? Forbidden love? A boy?"š
"W-What? No!š±" Lira swatted her away, cheeks pink. "I was justā¦ thinking about the future."
Mira's smirk softened. "Future? We're juniors. Our biggest worry should be whether the cafeteria's serving edible pizza."
Lira traced a finger along the windowpane. "My brother's working two jobs since he turned 18. He is trying his best since our parents --, nevermind! I just want to help him in any way I can"
Mira twirled a lock of black hair, studying her friend. "Dream jobs don't fall from the sky, Lira. Unless you marry a billionaire. Got any candidates?"
"Mira!š"
"Kidding, kidding!š " She tossed Lira a rice ball from her lunchbox. "Relax. We've got time. Besidesā" She winked. "āour thrilling shift at 'Bean & Breeze' starts in four hours. Focus on not burning lattes first!"
---
As the afternoon sun dipped lower, Lira glanced at her phoneāa cracked screen displaying a text from her brother, Elias:
>"Don't forget dinner. Ramen's on me tonight. āE"
She smiled faintly. "Maybe Mira's right, One step at a time."
But as she shouldered her bag, her eyes flicked back to the sky. Somewhere beyond those clouds, a path waitedāone she'd have to carve herself.
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