Unknown message. The late-night call. The silent line.

The bracelet, same one that had vanished, now gleaming again on her wrist as if it had never left. A small silver star catching light. Her thumb brushed it, and for a second she swore it pulsed, faint, steady, like a heartbeat that wasn't hers.

Who would do that? Return something stolen without a word?

She tried to focus on the teacher's voice. It blurred into static. And somewhere in that static, his face flickered, calm eyes behind glass, expression unreadable.

Shane Anderson.

Her pulse jumped. That name wasn't unfamiliar. She'd heard it, Student Union, Vice President.

It shouldn't matter. But it did.

When the bell rang, she gathered her books quickly. Curiosity, or fear disguised as curiosity, tugged at her feet.

The corridor buzzed with chatter and footsteps. She spotted her class rep near the staff room, juggling papers.

"Jennifer," she asked, forcing steadiness into her voice. "Do you know a student named Shane Anderson?"

"Yeah, Section C," Jennifer said without much thought. "Quiet, too cold. But smart, actually. Teachers say he doesn't need to try."

Flora nodded, pretending relief. The lie tasted metallic.

So he's real. And reachable. Not a ghost.

"Flora?"

Grace's voice sliced through the noise like a bell.

 "Didn't think you were the type to ask about student-union work."

Her presence seemed harmless, though her words suggested otherwise.

Flora swallowed the unease. "I was just asking who the vice president is."

Grace's lashes lifted. "Oh? Shane Anderson?"

A note of surprise, too mild to be real. "You've noticed him? He must be more popular than I thought."

Her best friend suzain caught the cue instantly.

"Oh, maybe she's aiming for the vice president now," she teased.

"Don't tell me the nerd with glasses caught her eye." Another one from their group added 

"He's practically invisible; she must be desperate for attention."

Their laughter was soft, careful, exactly loud enough for nearby students to hear.

Heat climbed Flora's neck. Her thoughts scattered. "I just asked a question. Not everything people say about him is gossip. I heard he's actually brilliant."

"Brilliant?" A girl snorted. "He barely comes to class. Doesn't talk to anyone. What's brilliant about that?"

"Maybe you'd notice more," Flora murmured bothered by them, "if you stopped judging by noise."

The laughter wavered. A brief, electric pause.

It wasn't just what she said, it was who they were talking about.

Even when he wasn't around, Shane Anderson had that kind of presence, quiet, unreadable, and edged like glass. There was something in the way he looked at people: calm, steady, as if measuring exactly how far they could go before they burned.

No one liked to admit it, but you didn't laugh too loudly when his name came up. Not unless you wanted his eyes on you the next day, calm, detached, and cold enough to make you wish you'd stayed silent.

And if he'd heard this conversation?

Cold sweat formed on their foreheads. None of them wanted to find out what would happen. They simply didn't have the guts to face him the way they did with Flora.

So it was good he wasn't here.

It always was.

--

Then Grace's lips curved she looked at Suzain and hinted something.  

 "Brave of you to talk about noise, Especially after what people said about you."

"You know," suzain continued mockingly, "it's funny hearing that from you, Flora. For someone who just got dumped, you seem awfully quick to start over. I admire the optimism."

She hadn't forgotten the sting of Flora's words in class. Now that opportunity had come, she wouldn't waste it. This time, she had a reason, Grace was her best friend.

Jennifer couldn't hear another word. "Suzain, that's___"

Grace waved lightly. "She's teasing. Don't take her so seriously."

She turned the smile toward Flora again, pity threaded through the warmth. "You've always been brave about your feelings. I just hope you're not rushing into something to make Austin jealous."

This time, the laughter sounded different carefully measured, but sharper.

They wouldn't dare mock him again.

But Flora?

She was a different case entirely...