The cafeteria didn't calm down. Not really.
Even after her fake friends stormed out, the noise only grew louder—whispers spreading like fire through dry grass. Every table hummed with theories, rumors, retellings, twisting what had just happened into something even bigger.
She could feel every eye on her, the weight of the room pressing down until she couldn't breathe.
And then—
"Enough!"
The sharp voice of a teacher cut through the chaos. Heads snapped toward the doorway, where two staff members had entered, their faces set and stern.
"Everyone, sit down and eat quietly," one commanded. "Now."
The cafeteria shuffled into uneasy silence, though the whispers never truly died. The teachers' eyes swept the room, lingering on Kai, on her, on the table still heavy with tension.
"Mr. Tanaka," one teacher said sharply. "Principal's office. Now."
Gasps rippled again. Kai didn't argue. He didn't flinch. He just nodded once, slid his chair back, and stood. Before leaving, his eyes found hers. Just for a moment. His expression was calm, almost reassuring—like even this didn't scare him.
She wished she could say the same.
The rest of lunch crawled by, her tray untouched, her fake friends absent, the room suffocating. When the bell finally rang, she bolted, but it didn't matter—by the time she reached her next class, the whispers had already followed her.
"He got sent to the office for her.""What do you think he saw in her?""Bet she's lying to him. She probably plays victim."
Each word landed like a bruise, invisible but deep.
By the end of the day, her head throbbed, her chest heavy with the weight of it all. She kept her mask on, face blank, steps steady, but inside, everything screamed.
And then, at her locker, she saw him.
Kai.
Waiting.
His black eyes softened the second she appeared, as if nothing else mattered.
"You okay?" he asked.
Her throat tightened. The truth sat on the tip of her tongue—No. I'm drowning. But all that came out was: "I don't know."
Kai's jaw tensed, his hands slipping into his pockets. "Then let me walk you home."