The final bell rang, sharp and loud, slicing through the heavy tension that had clung to me all day.
I didn't wait.
The moment my teacher dismissed us, I grabbed my bag and stood up, my chair scraping softly against the floor. I could feel eyes on me immediately some curious, some judgmental, some whispering without even bothering to hide it. Kingsford Academy had always been loud, but today it felt deafening.
Mia was by my side in seconds.
"Don't look," she whispered, looping her arm through mine. "Just walk."
So I did.
We moved through the hallway together, past lockers and laughter that felt forced, past whispers that followed us like shadows. Even though the principal had addressed the situation earlier, the damage had already been done. People loved drama too much to let it go easily.
Outside the school gates, I finally breathed.
The afternoon sun was warm, but my body still felt cold. My shoulders were tight, my jaw clenched. It felt like I'd been holding myself together with invisible strings all day, and now that school was behind me, those strings were starting to snap.
"You okay?" Mia asked gently as we started walking.
"I think so," I replied, though my voice didn't sound convincing even to me.
The road home was busy, students dispersing in groups, some laughing, some scrolling through their phones, some stealing glances in my direction. I hated that I noticed. I hated that I cared.
Mia kept talking about random things, about a funny teacher, about what she wanted to eat when she got home but I knew she was doing it on purpose. To distract me. To keep my thoughts from spiraling.
It almost worked.
Almost.
My phone vibrated in my hand.
I froze.
Mia noticed immediately. "What is it?"
"I… I don't know," I said slowly, staring down at the screen.
Unknown Number
How do you feel now?
My heart dropped.
The words were simple. Casual, even. But they made my stomach twist violently.
"What?" Mia leaned closer. "Who sent that?"
"I don't know," I whispered. "It says 'private number.'"
Another vibration.
Unknown Number
You were brave today.
My fingers tightened around my phone.
"That's not funny," Mia said sharply, her earlier calm disappearing. "This is creepy. Don't reply."
"I wasn't planning to," I said, though my pulse was racing.
My mind went into overdrive.
Who had my number?
Was it someone from school? Someone from the party? Someone who had been watching everything unfold from a distance?
I swallowed hard and slipped my phone into my bag, as if hiding it could make the message disappear.
But the feeling didn't go away.
The rest of the walk passed in silence. Not the comfortable kind this one was thick, heavy, filled with thoughts neither of us wanted to voice.
By the time we reached my street, my chest felt tight.
"I'm staying with you," Mia said firmly. "At least for a while."
"You don't have to...."
"I want to," she interrupted. "And honestly? I don't trust that message."
I nodded, relieved.
Inside the house, the familiar scent of home wrapped around me, but even that didn't calm my nerves. My mom wasn't back yet, which usually would've been a relief but today, the silence felt unsettling.
We dropped our bags in my room.
Mia flopped onto my bed while I sat at my desk, staring at my phone like it might bite me.
"Okay," she said, sitting up. "Let's think logically."
"Logically?" I echoed.
"Yes. Who could it be?" She started counting on her fingers. "Option one: some random student trying to scare you."
"That's not logical," I muttered.
"Option two: one of the mean girls trying to mess with you."
I shook my head. "They wouldn't compliment me."
Mia paused. "True."
I hesitated. "…Option three?"
She looked at me carefully. "One of the players."
My stomach sank.
"No," I said quickly. "Noah wouldn't do this. Neither would Kai. They're reckless, not… secretive."
"Then who?" Mia asked quietly.
I didn't have an answer.
My phone vibrated again.
I jumped this time.
Mia reached for it before I could stop her, her eyes scanning the screen.
Unknown Number
You don't need to be afraid.
"That's it," she said. "This person knows exactly what they're doing."
I felt tears sting my eyes not because I was weak, but because I was tired. Tired of being watched. Tired of being talked about. Tired of feeling like I had no control over my own life.
"I didn't do anything wrong," I whispered.
"I know," Mia said softly, sitting beside me. "And that's why this is messed up."
We sat there for a long moment, the room quiet except for our breathing.
Finally, I spoke. "What if this doesn't stop?"
"Then we deal with it," she said without hesitation. "Together."
I nodded, drawing strength from her certainty.
Later that evening, after my mom came home and Mia had explained that she'd be staying over, we tried to act normal. Dinner. Laughter. A movie playing softly in the background.
But every time my phone buzzed even when it was just a notification I flinched.
That night, lying in bed with the lights off, I stared at the ceiling.
The messages replayed in my head.
How do you feel now?
You were brave today.
You don't need to be afraid.
They sounded almost… caring.
And that scared me more than anything else.
Because whoever was behind that number wasn't just watching the drama.
They were watching me.
And they weren't done yet.
---
The night stretched long and quiet. The only sound in my room was the soft ticking of the wall clock and Mia's steady breathing beside me. She had insisted on sleeping over again, "just in case," she'd said. I didn't argue.
But even with her there, sleep refused to come. My mind kept circling back to that unknown number those words that seemed harmless at first but carried a strange kind of weight, like there was something behind them that I couldn't see.
When my phone buzzed again, my whole body tensed.
Slowly, I reached for it, my heart hammering.
Unknown Number
Good night, Aria. Dream of me.
The air left my lungs in one quick gasp.
For a moment, I just stared at the glowing screen, the words feeling heavier than they should. Dream of me. My fingers shook slightly as I locked my phone and slid it under my pillow, as if that would make it all disappear.
I didn't tell Mia. She needed her rest, and I didn't want to wake her just to share more panic. But the fear stayed. It crawled under my skin, quiet but constant.
I barely slept.
When morning came, it felt like I hadn't closed my eyes at all.
The next day at school, everything felt too loud.
The laughter. The footsteps. The slam of lockers. Even the sound of chairs scraping against the floor made my nerves spike.
Mia noticed.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," she whispered as we walked through the hallway.
"Didn't sleep much," I muttered. "Headache."
It wasn't exactly a lie.
Every corner felt like someone was watching me. Every whisper sounded like my name. I kept scanning the halls, half-expecting to catch someone looking my way but when I turned, everyone seemed to be minding their own business.
At least, mostly.
When we got to our class, I sat in the corner beside Mia and avoided looking anywhere else. The teacher started the lesson, but my mind drifted.
My phone was in my pocket, and it felt like it was burning through the fabric.
Would there be another message?
I tried to focus on the board, but it was useless.
During lunch break, Mia tugged at my sleeve. "Come on, cafeteria. Let's grab something before everything's gone."
"I'm not hungry," I said quickly.
"Aria…" she sighed. "You've barely eaten since yesterday."
"I'll be fine. I'll just… stay here."
Her eyes softened. "You're scared, aren't you?"
I didn't answer, which was enough of an answer.
She sat down beside me again. "Alright. Then I'll stay too."
"Mia, no...."
"I'm not leaving you alone," she said firmly, crossing her arms. "If that number texts again, we'll deal with it together."
I gave her a small, grateful smile.
But the truth was, I wasn't sure what "dealing with it" even meant anymore. Whoever it was, they knew too much. My name, my number, my moods. They even seemed to know when I was afraid.
Was someone following me?
I shook the thought away, forcing myself to breathe.
The rest of the day dragged on. Teachers spoke, pages turned, the clock ticked and I sat there, lost in my own world of anxious thoughts.
By the time the final bell rang, I was exhausted.
On our way home, Mia kept the conversation light. She was trying to distract me again, and it worked for a while until my phone buzzed.
I froze.
Mia's voice trailed off. "...Is it them again?"
I swallowed hard and checked.
No new messages. Just a reminder notification from an app.
But that moment of panic stayed with me.
When we reached home, Mom was already cooking. She smiled when she saw me, completely unaware of the storm brewing inside me. I forced a smile back and helped her set the table.
Dinner passed quietly. I barely spoke.
Later that night, lying in bed, I kept my phone on silent but within reach. My eyes stayed open long after the lights were off.
And then just as I began to drift my phone lit up again.
Unknown Number
Sleep tight, Aria.
I stared at it, my pulse pounding.
Whoever this was… they weren't done.
And deep down, a part of me knew
they were closer than I thought.