The week did not rush forward.
It pressed.
Each day felt heavier than the last, like the campus itself had learned how to apply pressure without raising its voice.
XH woke up early, earlier than usual, even before his alarm. His phone lay beside him, screen dark, but his body felt alert in the wrong way. Not rested. Prepared.
Prepared for something he could not yet see.
He lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling, replaying June's message again.
My mom wants an answer by the end of the week.
He understood what that meant even without context.
End of the week was not just a date. It was a decision point. A narrowing of paths.
He showered, dressed, and stepped outside into the early morning air. The campus looked calm. Birds perched on railings. A jogger passed him, earbuds in, detached from everything else.
It annoyed him how normal it all looked.
In class, Dr. Kim arrived exactly on time.
He wasted no words.
"Sit," he said calmly.
The room obeyed.
Today's lecture was harder than usual. Not in content, but in expectation. Dr. Kim moved quickly, asking questions without warning, calling on students who looked comfortable and those who did not.
When XH answered correctly, Dr. Kim nodded once.
When someone stumbled, he did not mock them. He waited.
"Think," he said. "Do not guess."
The atmosphere was tense, but focused.
June answered confidently when called. Her explanations were sharp, structured, precise. XH noticed the way some students turned to look at her afterward. Admiration mixed with something else.
Comparison.
Kitty answered less often, but when she did, her responses were thoughtful. Not flashy. Correct in a quiet way.
Dr. Kim acknowledged both styles.
"There is no single kind of excellence," he said once, glancing briefly at June, then Kitty, then the rest of the class. "But discipline is non negotiable."
XH wrote the words down, even though they were not on the slide.
After class, June did not wait.
She packed quickly and left.
XH hesitated, then followed.
"June," he called.
She slowed but did not turn immediately.
"What," she asked, not cold, but guarded.
"You didn't answer my message," he said.
June stopped and turned fully now.
"I didn't know what to say," she replied.
XH nodded. "Fair."
They walked together for a few steps.
"My mom's being… persistent," June said. "She thinks uncertainty is dangerous."
XH exhaled. "She's not wrong."
June glanced at him. "She thinks staying here is a risk."
XH's chest tightened. "Do you think that too?"
June did not answer immediately.
"I think staying without a plan is a risk," she said finally. "I think staying because you are afraid to leave is worse."
XH swallowed. "And staying because you choose to stay?"
June looked at him. "That depends on what you are choosing."
The words lingered between them.
"I don't want to leave you behind," she added quietly.
XH stopped walking.
June turned back toward him.
"But I won't stay if it means shrinking myself," she continued. "I won't apologize for wanting more."
XH shook his head. "I wouldn't ask you to."
June studied his face. "Then where does that leave us?"
XH did not have an answer.
June nodded once, as if she had expected that.
"I need to hear something before the week ends," she said. "Not a promise. Just honesty."
She walked away before he could respond.
Across campus, Kitty sat with NC and Anna, listening more than she spoke.
They talked about classes, about Dr. Kim, about how intense everything suddenly felt.
NC leaned closer to Kitty. "You're quiet today."
Kitty smiled faintly. "Just thinking."
Anna raised an eyebrow. "About him?"
Kitty did not deny it.
"I don't like ultimatums," Kitty said softly. "Even when they aren't spoken."
NC nodded. "June feels cornered."
Kitty's fingers tightened around her cup. "So does he."
NC studied her. "And you?"
Kitty exhaled. "I've always known where I stand. I just don't know where he will."
She looked out across the quad, where students crossed paths, laughter and tension mixing in equal measure.
"I don't want to be chosen because someone ran out of time," Kitty added.
NC's expression softened. "You won't be."
Kitty nodded, though she was not fully convinced.
That evening, the boys gathered again.
Not for games. Not for noise.
Just presence.
JP paced the room. "This place is driving me insane."
TZ lay back on the bed. "You thrive on chaos. Don't lie."
JP stopped. "Yeah, but this is organized chaos. It's worse."
NS sat quietly, leaning against the wall.
XH noticed he had been doing that more lately.
"NS," XH said. "You've been quiet."
NS shrugged. "Observing."
JP scoffed. "Since when?"
NS ignored him.
"Something's off," NS said. "Not just with the school."
XH waited.
NS looked at him. "You're running out of space to stand."
XH nodded. "I know."
JP frowned. "Space for what?"
"For not choosing," NS replied calmly.
JP opened his mouth, then closed it.
NS continued, voice steady. "June wants certainty. Kitty wants truth. You're trying to give neither until you feel safe."
The words hit harder than XH expected.
"That's not fair," JP muttered.
NS looked at him. "It's accurate."
Silence fell.
XH stared at the floor.
"I don't want to hurt anyone," he said quietly.
NS's gaze softened slightly. "You already are. Just slowly."
Later that night, XH walked alone.
The campus lights reflected off wet pavement from an earlier drizzle. The air smelled faintly of rain and concrete.
He checked his phone.
A message from his grandmother's contact appeared at the top of his screen.
Not a new message.
Just a reminder of something older.
He sat on a bench, shoulders slumping slightly.
She had raised him. Fed him. Taught him how to wait patiently and how to speak carefully.
He imagined what she would say now.
Stop waiting for permission, boy.
He laughed quietly at the thought.
His phone buzzed.
Kitty.
Kitty: are you walking alone again?
He blinked.
XH: yeah.
Kitty: sit tight.
Five minutes later, Kitty appeared, jacket pulled tight around her shoulders.
"How did you know where I was," he asked.
She smiled faintly. "You always walk here when you're overwhelmed."
They sat side by side, not touching.
The silence between them was not awkward.
"I talked to June today," Kitty said quietly.
XH's chest tightened. "About me?"
Kitty nodded. "Not directly. But yes."
XH swallowed. "What did she say?"
"She's scared," Kitty replied. "Not of losing you. Of losing control."
XH nodded slowly.
Kitty turned to him. "And you?"
He stared at the pavement. "I'm scared of choosing wrong."
Kitty's voice softened. "There isn't a wrong choice. There's only a choice that asks something from you."
XH looked at her. "What does this one ask?"
Kitty met his gaze. "Courage."
They sat quietly as the wind moved through the trees.
"I don't want to rush you," Kitty added. "But I also don't want to pretend time isn't moving."
XH nodded. "I understand."
She smiled faintly. "Good."
They stood after a while.
Before leaving, Kitty said one last thing.
"I won't compete," she said. "But I won't disappear either."
XH watched her walk away, heart heavy.
Back in his room, XH lay awake.
End of the week.
Dr. Kim's words echoed again.
Winner never quits.
Quitter never wins.
But this was not about quitting or winning.
It was about standing still long enough to lose everything.
He closed his eyes.
And for the first time, he began to accept that silence was no longer an option.
The week was not waiting for him.
It was approaching.
And it wanted an answer.