Friday Morning – One Day Left
The sky was the kind of soft Gray that whispered, "You're not ready, but here we go anyway."
Inside Class 1-A, the mood had shifted.
The trip was behind us.
The midterms were ahead.
Even Sofia was… quieter.
Sort of.
Homeroom – Final Countdown Begins
Mr. Brooks arrived five minutes late, tie loose, coffee already half gone.
He set his bag down with a sigh that echoed through the room.
"Congratulations. You have exactly seventy-two hours left before you discover how much you didn't study."
Noah: "You could inspire an entire generation, sir."
Brooks didn't flinch. "I've inspired three panic attacks and one drop-out already this week. That's good enough for me."
He tapped the board once.
"Monday to Wednesday: midterms. Half your grade. Full your stress. Study. Or don't. Either way, I'm grading with music and a bottle of something strong."
Then he walked off, muttering something about becoming a lighthouse keeper.
Mid-Morning – Focus Mode
The classroom felt… quieter.
Not silent. Not tense.
Just full.
Pens scratching. Pages turning.
Even Tyler was taking notes with actual ink. Amaya had her brow furrowed in concentration. Luna was reviewing a chemistry sheet while sketching between formulas. Sofia chewed on her pencil like it offended her, lips mouthing words.
I looked around.
And for a second…
Felt like I was outside the picture.
Everyone had entered their zone.
And I was in mine too—just not for the same reason.
Lunchtime – One Last Breath
Instead of the usual chaos, we sat in groups of two or three, bent over bento boxes and review notes.
Noah and Miles were quizzing each other in bad accents.
Sofia was building a pyramid of crackers while reciting history dates under her breath.
Emma had her books open and was walking circles around her desk like a field general.
Amaya… had made me lunch again.
A quiet "you need to eat" type of offering.
We didn't speak much.
But I smiled at her. She smiled back.
I wondered if she noticed how I paused longer than usual—how I kept looking at the sky outside like I was counting something.
Afternoon – Final Class Moments
Mr. Brooks ended our last class of the day with a rare note of sincerity:
"Listen. You'll forget half the equations. You'll remember none of the grammar. But you will remember who sat next to you. Who lent you, their notes. Who made you laugh when you wanted to cry. So… be there for each other. Pass or fail."
He took a sip of his coffee.
"Now get out before I get sentimental."
Jay & Emma – The Aquarium Invitation
After school, the classroom cleared slowly. One by one, students filed out—backpacks dragging, quiet jokes shared.
I waited.
Emma was still at her desk, flipping through her study planner with surgical precision.
I walked up to her slowly.
"Emma."
She looked up, a little surprised to see me lingering.
"Yeah?"
I hesitated.
Then—
"…Do you want to go to the aquarium with me tomorrow?"
She blinked. "…What?"
"I mean it."
"Jay," she said, straightening, voice already tight. "We have midterms on Monday. And you want to play around at an aquarium?"
I didn't say anything.
Didn't explain.
Just met her eyes.
Held the silence.
Let her see me—really see me.
Her mouth opened.
Then closed.
"…You're serious?"
I nodded once.
She looked away for a beat. Her fingers tightened slightly on the edge of her planner.
"…What time?"
"Morning," I said. "Just us."
She stared at me for a moment longer. Then closed her planner and slid it into her bag.
"Fine," she said softly. "But only for a couple hours. And if we fail math because of this, I'm blaming you."
"I'll take the hit."
She stood up. Walked past me.
Paused at the door.
And added, just loud enough for me to hear—
"…Don't be late."
Evening – Jay's Thoughts
I walked home alone that day.
Tyler had a club huddle. Amaya was already ahead, walking quietly with Luna and Sofia.
The streetlights blinked on, one by one.
And the weight in my chest shifted again.
It wasn't fear.
Not exactly.
It was… something like holding your breath too long
Elsewhere That Evening
Emma sat at her desk again.
She had three chapters left to review.
But she wasn't reading.
She was staring at her planner.
At the tiny square marked Saturday.
Her pen hovered.
Then she wrote:
"Aquarium – Jay."
She closed the book.
And for a second, she smiled.