Yukian stayed in the bathroom stall longer than she should have.

She sat on the closed toilet seat, knees tucked to her chest, her fingers gripping the damp fabric of her uniform. The sticky juice on her back made her skin itch, and no matter how much she wiped at it with dry paper towels, the feeling wouldn't go away.

She could still hear the laughter ringing in her ears.

Her breathing had slowed, but the tightness in her chest remained.

I need to go back before the next class starts.

Slowly, she stood up and unlocked the door. The bathroom was empty, as if the world had moved on without her. She walked over to the sink, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water onto her face.

The girl in the mirror looked hollow. Like she wasn't even real.

She took a deep breath, grabbed her bag from the stall, and walked out into the hallway.

The students who had been in the cafeteria earlier were already gone, their laughter and conversations fading into the distance. Yukian moved quickly, avoiding eye contact as she made her way back to the classroom.

She just needed to survive the rest of the day.

Afternoon Lessons

By the time she sat down, the classroom was buzzing with energy. The teacher wasn't there yet, and the students took full advantage of the free time—some chatting, others scrolling through their phones.

Yukian placed her bag on her lap, keeping her head down as she took out her notebook.

"Hey, did you see what happened at lunch?"

Her hand froze mid-page.

Two girls in front of her were whispering, but their voices were loud enough that she could hear.

"Reina totally humiliated her," one giggled.

"She just stood there," the other replied. "She's such a loser."

Yukian forced herself to keep writing.

They weren't talking to her. They weren't even looking at her. But their words wrapped around her throat, squeezing tight.

The door slid open, and the teacher walked in.

"Alright, everyone, settle down," he said, placing his binder on the desk. "Take out your textbooks. We're going to begin today's literature discussion."

The class groaned, but they obeyed. Yukian turned the page of her notebook, pretending to follow along.

"Now," the teacher continued, "before we begin, let's have someone read aloud the first passage."

Yukian didn't react. He never called on her.

"Yukian."

Her stomach dropped.

Slowly, she lifted her head. The entire class was staring at her.

The teacher adjusted his glasses, looking directly at her. "Please read the first passage."

Yukian swallowed hard, gripping the edges of her book as she stood up.

Her hands shook.

Her mouth felt dry.

She hated reading aloud.

Not because she couldn't—but because the moment she opened her mouth, they would laugh.

She took a breath and started reading.

Her voice came out quiet, barely above a whisper.

"Louder," the teacher said.

She tried again.

A snicker came from the back of the room.

"Can she even talk?" someone whispered.

Heat crawled up Yukian's neck. She tightened her grip on the book, her nails pressing into the paper.

She forced herself to keep going.

But then—

A loud fake cough echoed through the room.

More students laughed.

Yukian's throat closed up. Her voice died in her mouth.

She couldn't breathe.

Her fingers trembled against the pages.

The teacher sighed. "Alright, never mind. Someone else read."

Yukian slowly sat back down, her entire body burning with shame.

The whispering continued. The snickering continued.

She kept her head down and stared at the page, but the words were a blur.

She didn't hear the rest of the lesson.

Final Bell

By the time school ended, Yukian felt completely drained.

The moment the bell rang, she shoved her books into her bag and left as fast as she could.

She didn't care about the rain.

She didn't care about the stares.

She just wanted to go home.

The bus ride was a blur. The people around her talked, laughed, and lived their lives like nothing had happened. Like she wasn't even there.

By the time she stepped into her apartment, the sky was already dark.

She locked the door behind her, kicked off her shoes, and dropped her bag to the floor.

The apartment was silent.

Her parents weren't home.

They probably wouldn't be home at all.

Yukian walked to her room, closed the door, and sat on the bed.

She stayed like that for a long time.

Staring at nothing.

Feeling nothing.

Her chest felt hollow, like something inside her had already faded away.

Another day had passed.

And tomorrow would be exactly the same.