"Ughh, Tuesday. The day I hate the most," Jake groaned as we stepped into the school hallway.
"Didn't you say that last Wednesday and Thursday too?" I shot him a look as I adjusted the strap of my bag.
Jake gave a dramatic sigh, dragging his feet like he was walking to his own execution. "I have a rotating hate schedule, thank you very much."
Kim snorted behind us. "You hate every weekday, and Saturday if there's homework."
"Exactly!" Jake pointed at her like she'd just unraveled the secrets of the universe. "Finally, someone gets me."
Rolling my eyes, I pushed the door to our classroom open and stepped inside. Most students were still scattered across the room, lazily dragging themselves through the morning fog that clung to everyone after a late Monday night of studying—or pretending to.
As I walked toward my seat, my eyes instinctively scanned the room.
He wasn't here yet.
Julian.
Not like I was checking.
Okay, maybe a little.
I still hadn't figured him out. The new guy had strolled into our lives with fewer words than a dictionary page and an energy level bordering on hibernation, and somehow, somehow, he was still lurking in my brain like a forgotten tab I couldn't close.
I took my seat and started pulling out my books when—
Tap.
I turned to my left and froze. Speak of the devil.
"Hey," Julian said in that usual blank, flat tone. He was standing beside my desk, looking like he might bolt any second.
"Oh. Uh. Hey." I blinked, caught off guard.
Jake leaned over from behind me, eyebrows lifted. "Ooooh. It speaks."
I elbowed him in the ribs.
Julian ignored Jake, his gaze fixed on me. "Thanks. For the tour. Yesterday."
I blinked again. "You're…welcome?"
He nodded once. That was it. Then he turned and walked away to his seat at the back like that one exchange had used up his word quota for the week.
Kim leaned across the aisle toward me, eyes wide. "Wait, did he just…initiate a conversation?"
"He did," I whispered, still watching him take out his books like nothing had happened.
Jake leaned in. "I feel like I just witnessed a solar eclipse. Rare. Uncomfortable. Low-key amazing."
I shook my head, trying not to smile. "You two are so dramatic."
"Us?" Kim scoffed. "Says the girl who's been trying to mind-read him like a sci-fi detective."
"I wasn't trying to mind-read him that much," I muttered, flipping open my notebook.
"You were humming with psychic frustration yesterday. The cafeteria vibrated," Jake teased.
I ignored him and stared down at my page, but I could feel it again—that subtle pull. Like his energy, low as it was, still scratched at something inside me. Not the usual buzz I got when I was around people, not even the hazy static I felt when someone had secrets. Julian was just… void. And that was more unsettling than anything else.
The bell rang sharply, slicing through our conversation.
"Alright, settle down everyone," came Mrs. Carter's chirpy Monday-bleeding-into-Tuesday voice as she entered the classroom with a stack of papers. "We're starting with a pop quiz on yesterday's reading."
A collective groan rose from the class.
"Don't look at me like that," she added, grinning. "I'm only the messenger. Blame the English department."
I glanced sideways at Kim. "You read the chapter, right?"
She blinked at me. "Girl, I watched the movie adaptation. That counts for something."
Jake whispered from behind, "Did you at least watch the right adaptation? Not the one with vampires?"
Kim grimaced. "Wait. There are two?"
I sighed and began scribbling down answers as Mrs. Carter passed out the quiz. This was going to be a long Tuesday.
Later, during break…
Kim, Jake, and I gathered at our usual spot beneath the big ficus tree in the school courtyard. The sun was merciless today—ironic, given how cold the morning had been.
"So," Kim said, biting into a granola bar. "What's the game plan for today? Psychic observation? Mystery stalking? Confrontation via mind control?"
I swatted at her with my notebook. "Can you be normal for once?"
"Nope," she said cheerily.
Jake leaned back on the bench, balancing a pencil between his nose and upper lip. "I think the real question is—what if Julian isn't just some shy transfer student? What if he's like, I don't know… a ghost?"
Kim threw her head back laughing. "Jake, please. He eats. Ghosts don't need carbs."
"He might be a spirit with benefits," Jake shrugged.
I was quiet.
Because something about that idea, as ridiculous as it sounded, didn't feel completely off. He did have this strange presence—or lack thereof. Like he existed in the room, but didn't fill it. It was more than awkwardness. It was like he didn't quite belong.
Or like he was fading.
Before I could respond, the bell rang again.
By lunch, I was done. Mentally, physically, spiritually.
The cafeteria buzzed with energy—students lining up for food, others claiming their regular tables like it was war territory. I grabbed my tray, dumped whatever looked edible on it, and headed to sit with Kim and Jake.
They were already deep in debate over whether the cafeteria meatballs were meat or myth.
"I swear it mooed last week," Jake said, inspecting his plate.
Kim was poking hers with a fork. "That's not mooing. That's groaning."
I dropped my tray on the table and plopped into my seat with a thud.
"Someone looks like Tuesday slapped them in the face," Kim said sympathetically.
I sighed and slouched over my tray. "Julian looked at me again."
Jake paused. "And?"
"I don't know!" I hissed. "It wasn't even that dramatic. Just… the way he stared. It felt like he was trying to figure something out. Or waiting for me to say something."
"Or maybe he just thinks you're cute," Jake offered.
I gave him a look.
"Okay, okay," he backed off. "But seriously. Maybe he's just awkward."
"I don't think that's it. His mind is still blank. Today I even brushed past him in the hallway and nothing. No flash, no fuzz, no emotional residue. He's like—psychically sterile."
Kim winced. "That's… an uncomfortable term."
"Well it's accurate," I said, pushing my food around. "Even teachers have more energy than him and they live on caffeine and disappointment."
Jake pointed his fork at me. "Maybe you should ask him straight up."
I snorted. "Hey Julian, are you secretly a supernatural void pretending to be a teenager? Real subtle."
"I'd watch that show," Kim said.
I shook my head, but a plan was already forming.
If I couldn't read him the usual way, I'd just have to watch him. Interact. Ask questions without sounding like an undercover psychic. Maybe catch him off guard.
Because one thing was clear:
Julian wasn't just some new kid with zero personality.
He was hiding something.
And I was going to find out.