"Enrik, are you okay?" asked Carol.

Enrique Ortega, dark circles under his eyes, rested his chin on his crossed arms, slumping over his desk. He stared straight ahead with a blank expression on his face. He had paid absolutely no attention throughout the class, staring blankly at the same spot on the wall since the class had started. He turned toward Carol, who was standing by his side.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Carol gave him an incredulous look. She had no way of knowing that last night he had witnessed a battle between a hooded figure and some kind of clawed, tentacled being, barely escaping his own death.

"So, try adding something to your page besides just your name."

Her gently mocking tone caught his attention. It reminded him of his rival throughout his first years of high school. There had been a girl who had sworn to do everything she could to beat him. She saw Enrique as someone who was good at everything, which angered her as she wanted to be the only one at the top. However, those days were over and that girl was now far, far away. 

Carol, who had just been trying to lighten the mood, now looked at him a little anxiously. 

He was seemingly lost in thought and she started to worry that her joke had offended him. To Carol's relief, Enrique shook his head to clear his mind and looked down to see that indeed, his notebook was blank. 

He grinned, full of nerves, both from reliving a scene from his past, and because he had not paid any attention at all in class.