The lesson dragged on, the teacher's voice a dull hum drowned out by the scratch of pens and the occasional burst of laughter from the louder students. She kept her head low, pen moving aimlessly across her notebook. None of the words on the board made sense anymore; all she could feel was the heavy weight of Kai's gaze pressing against her.
It happened suddenly.
The sharp sound of a chair scraping across the floor snapped the classroom into silence. Kai had shifted in his seat, his dark eyes fixed on her. Everyone turned, the quiet thick and heavy.
"Hey," he said, his voice calm but strong enough to cut through the room. "Are you okay?"
The words slammed into her like a wave. Her fake friends blinked at her, whispers already bubbling in their throats. A few students stifled their laughter, exchanging shocked glances. No one ever asked her that—not here, not in front of everyone.
Her throat tightened. She forced her usual mask onto her face, a small smile, shaky at the edges. "I'm fine," she murmured, voice soft, hoping that would be enough to end it.
But Kai didn't look away. His expression was steady, searching, like he didn't believe her. "You don't have to pretend," he said, his voice quieter now but still carrying across the room. "I can see it. In your eyes."
The classroom buzzed with nervous energy—giggles, murmurs, the hiss of someone whispering, "What the hell is he doing?" Her fake friends shifted uncomfortably, one of them nudging her under the desk as if to remind her to laugh it off.
Her hands tightened around her pen until her knuckles burned. She shook her head quickly, her voice breaking slightly. "Seriously. I'm fine."
For a moment, she thought he might push further. His dark eyes lingered on hers, filled with that same heavy sadness, like he was carrying something of his own.
Then the teacher snapped, her voice sharp with irritation. "Kai. Sit down and pay attention."
But he didn't sit down.
Instead, he stood up straighter, walked over to her desk, and before she could even process it, he gently took her hand in his. Gasps spread through the classroom like fire, the silence breaking into shocked whispers and stifled laughter.
"Come on," he said quietly to her, his voice steady, as if none of the stares mattered. "Let's get out of here."
Her heart hammered in her chest. For a second she froze, staring at him, but then—almost without thinking—she let him pull her to her feet.
The teacher shouted his name again, but it barely registered. The class had already erupted into disbelief, everyone watching as Kai led her out the door, their eyes wide, their mouths open.
And in that moment, she felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. Not safe. Not happy. But noticed.