Alea walked.She didn't care where.She just needed to get away—from the whispers, the stares, the cruel laughter that stuck to her like thorns.
Selia and her clique had gotten worse.Every hallway felt like a trap.Every look felt like a weapon.
And she was tired.
So tired.
There was a small abandoned garden behind the school.No one ever went there.Too quiet, too lonely.
Perfect.
She pushed open the rusted gate, the creak echoing like a warning.
Then she froze.
Someone was already there.
Rayzen.
Sitting on the edge of a broken fountain, head down,a cigarette between his fingers—unlit.
He didn't even notice her.
He looked…like someone trying not to break.
And that scared her.
Because that's exactly how she felt.
"Didn't know this place had company," she said softly.
Rayzen looked up, startled.
And then—just for a second—his expression changed.
Worry.Relief.Guilt.All at once.
"I can leave," he said, standing up.
"No," she shook her head. "I… I don't mind."
She sat on the far end of the fountain.Silence settled between them.
Comfortable.Strange.Real.
"You okay?" Rayzen asked, voice unusually soft.
Alea stared at the cracked ground.Paused.
"I'm fine."
A lie.
He didn't push.
But something in his eyes—that raw, wordless understanding—made her want to say more.
So she did.
But slowly.
Quietly.
"I hate loud people," she whispered."I hate being watched.And lately, it feels like I can't breathe at school."
Rayzen didn't speak.
He just listened.
And somehow,that made her want to cry more than if he had.
To be continued…