Classes had started, but the weather wasn't helping at all. The classroom felt like a furnace. Sunlight streamed through the window, making the air heavy and still. Some tried to prop themselves by the windows, hoping for a hint of breeze, while others had unbuttoned their t-shirts just enough to let in a little comfort.
Blue whispered with her desk mates, keeping her voice barely audible, careful not to draw the teacher's attention. But it was too late-they had already been noticed.
"Blue, stand up and come here. " Mr. Dan, their Math teachers voice cut through the hum of the classroom. He placed his notebook on the desk with a firmness that made her stomach twist.
Blue's heart raced. Why did it have to be her? Of all the students,why was she the one singled out? Her legs felt heavy as she rose from her seat,every step toward the front amplifying the nervous flutter in her chest.
"Can you tell me what was so interesting that you weren't paying attention? "
Blue's gaze dropped to the floor. "N-nothing,sir....I.. I was just asking for an extra pen." The words felt clumsy on her tongue, but lying seemed the only way to soften the punishment that might follow.
Remembering the last time they had a quiz to solve on the board as group of two and the person failed resulting to her receiving a punishment in front of the whole class,Blue felt she didn't deserve it then but was enough to let her know what might come next. Only if Mr. Dan knew how Blue was bad at lying maybe it would have gone differently.
"Go to the office and get a chair,"he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Blue hesitated, then shuffled to the teacher's office. The chair she returned with felt heavy, as if it were carrying her nerves along with it. She placed it quietly in the corner of the classroom, trying to appear calm while her hands trembled slightly.
Mr. Dan pointed at the chair "Sit there. And don't disrupt my class again. "
Blue sank into the chair, the wood cold against her arms, and tried to focus on the board. Her eyes flicked toward her friends, who were watching her curiously, whispers and glances asking silently how she managed to escape a harsher punishment. It hardly felt like a punishment at all,yet the embarrassment of being singled out burned inside her.
The lesson dragged on until the bell finally rang. Mr. Dan dismissed the class with extra homework, and Blue exhaled, feeling the tension in her shoulders slowly loosen.
Returning to her desk, she felt drained, as if the heat and nerves had sapped all her energy.
"Girl...you're so lucky you got through that the easy way," someone whispered.
"You call that easy? I had to sit in front of everyone. Who would want that!" Blue muttered, resting her head on the desk and closing her eyes briefly, wishing the day would end.
Elise squeezed her hand "I think Mr. Dan goes easy on you sometimes...but he can be strict too."
They continued talking quietly, voices low and full of small laughs, trying to survive the sweltering heat together, making the long day a little more bearable.
On their way home that day , they came across Anna and her group walking along the same road. Blue chose to ignore them, quickening her pace to stay a few steps ahead, leaving Lola behind as she lingered in small talk with others, being in the same grade.
The walk felt interminable, and the sun was mercilessly bright and hot. Blue had no choice but to bear it- this was going to be their routine for the next few weeks , maybe months.
As they neared home , the girls eventually split off in different direction, and the tension finally eased. Attending a school party wasn't something Blue felt she could manage going to, yet Medina's persistent pleading and teasing wore her down. The party was still weeks away, but in the end ,Blue found herself agreeing, left with no real choice.
***************
That afternoon, Blue had been engaged in a conversation, but eventually, she decided to move around the school to clear her mind. Railan had come to the school today as in past week - but for whom? The question kept circling in her head, but she shook it off,telling herself she was probably overthinking.
A group of girls nearby were giggling amongst themselves, their voices light and teasing. One comment caught her attention:
''He came today...but I think if am to remember well, it was to see Glinda." One of them said .
Blue didn't want to hear more. Maybe they were reading too much into it- mistaking friendship for something else. Yet the words gnawed at her. She hadn't felt settled all day. How could it be true?
Glinda had been at her birthday party- wouldn't she have said something if there was anything between them? Or was it doubt creeping in, whispering possibilities she might not be able to face?
Later before going to bed, Blue texted Rita, one of Lola's friends who sometimes stopped by to chat at school.
"Maybe it's the only way to put my mind at ease, " she murmured to herself.
After a short conversation, she still didn't know how to feel. Hearing confirmation from someone else- some felt she could relyon-was like the final straw. Her chest tightened as reality set in.
Blue picked up her phone and texted Railan straight away:
"Let's break up,"
Almost immediately, a call popped up on her screen. She didn't even check the name- she knew.
"Is that how you feel?" Railan's voice came softly, almost hesitant.
"Not how I feel.....but finding out that you've been cheated on - or cheated with- is reason enough ," Blue said in one breath, steady despite the storm inside her.
"Is that how you feel about our relationship? "
"You always said you would protect me...and yet you couldn't even protect me from your betrayal. I didn't want this. I never signed up for this." She paused, holding herself back from saying anything that might hurt more than it already had.
"Can you atleast let me explain?" His voice carried a hint of pleading, and maybe some guilt in it.
Blue felt it was too much- too late ." It's over between us. I don't think there's a need for an explanation."
She hung up the phone and closed her eyes . Mixed emotions swirled inside her- anger, confusion- but one one feeling stood out most clearly: relief. The thought startled her . Relief ,not heartbreak. Not the ache she thought she would feel.
For a moment, she wondered if she had even in the slightest way ever loved him. Otherwise, shouldn't it hurt more? Shouldn't her chest be heavy with longing and grief? Instead, it was as if a weight had been lifted- like an actor taking a rest after a long day . A quiet clarity replacing the storm she had feared.
Blue took a deep breath, letting herself simply feel...free.