I woke up before my alarm.
For a second I thought I had overslept.
Then I checked my phone.
Saturday.
The realization slowed everything down.
No uniform. No rushing to beat the morning bell. Just the quiet hum of the house already moving around me.
Before I could even sit up properly—
"Cala?"
Erin's voice came from down the hallway.
"I'm up," I called.
"Come help me with the laundry."
Of course.
I pulled on a hoodie and stepped out of my room. The hallway already smelled like detergent and toast.
Saturday mornings had their own rhythm.
Laundry first.
Then sweeping.
Then whatever else Erin decided still needed doing.
I carried a basket of clothes outside and started hanging them in the early sun. By the time I came back inside, my phone was lighting up on the table.
I wiped my hands and checked it.
The rehearsal group chat.
Lunara: Start from chapter 4.
Miren: Question 3 is just vector resolution.
Sera: Whoever made this syllabus hates children.
A small smile slipped out.
Another message appeared.
Lunara: Cala are you alive?
I glanced toward the kitchen before typing.
Me: Doing chores.
Miren: We'll send what matters.
Sera: By "we" she means Lunara.
Lunara: Shut up and read what I sent.
I locked my phone and set it back on the table.
Erin was still moving around the kitchen. Cupboards opening. Water running. Plates shifting.
"Cala," she said.
"Yes?"
"Come wipe the table."
I grabbed the cloth and started clearing the counter.
A little later the front door opened.
Aisling rushed in halfway dressed, already reaching for her bag.
"My ride is outside," she said.
I looked up.
"Where are you going?"
"Library," she said easily. "Amara and the others are already there."
For a second I looked at Erin.
She looked back.
Nothing was said.
Erin turned back to the sink.
Aisling stepped closer and grabbed the laundry basket.
"Cala, please help me with this one thing before I go," she said. "Mum said I should finish it first."
I took the other side of the basket.
We carried it outside together.
She started clipping clothes onto the line quickly.
"Thanks," she said. "I need to leave soon."
"It's fine."
She worked a little faster, then glanced at me.
"Why aren't you going to study?"
I paused.
"I study better alone," I said.
She nodded like that made sense.
"Oh. Okay."
A minute later she grabbed her bag again.
"Bye!"
The door closed behind her.
And the house went quiet again.
I stood there for a second longer than I meant to.
Then I carried the empty basket back inside.
My phone buzzed again.
Lunara: Look at example 2 first.
Miren: Ignore question 5.
Sera: Cala if you fail physics I'm blaming your house.
I almost laughed.
I grabbed a pen from the drawer and wrote the notes down on the back of an old receipt.
Vectors.
Example 2.
Skip question 5.
It felt strange taking notes for a study session I wasn't part of.
By the time the kitchen was clean, the floor had been swept, and the next round of cooking had started, the morning was already half gone.
Dad had left early for tennis.
Liam still wasn't home.
It was just me, Jace drifting in and out of rooms, and Erin moving through the house like the day had already been decided before I woke up.
My phone buzzed again while I was chopping vegetables.
This time I only glanced.
Lunara had sent a photo of a page filled with handwriting.
Miren: This is the part you need.
Sera: She says that now. Wait till the exam.
I saved the image to look at later.
Physics was behind.
Chemistry too.
Further maths was worse.
Even biology, the one subject I actually liked, didn't feel safe anymore.
I wiped my hands slowly on the towel and stared at the counter.
Midterms were close.
And somehow, with all the studying I had meant to do, I was behind in