The nurse's office smelled faintly of antiseptic and mint tea.
Lynette lay quietly on the bed, a blanket pulled over her. Her face was pale, lips slightly parted as she breathed steadily. Rowan sat beside her, his brows furrowed.
"She's fine, don't worry," the nurse finally said after checking her pulse again. "Her body's still recovering… and I think her stress got stronger than her strength."
Rowan exhaled slowly. He didn't even realize he had been holding his breath. "Thank you," he said softly.
The nurse glanced at him, then smiled, amused. "Are you her boyfriend?"
Startled, Rowan looked up. "It's… not like that," he said quickly, but his eyes drifted back to Lynette again. His expression didn't match his words.
The nurse smirked to herself as she walked to her desk. "I hope I can be young again," she murmured, flipping open a folder, leaving them alone.
Rowan sat still, elbows on his knees, fingers locked tightly together. His mind was anything but calm.
What happened back there? What made her face go that pale? Why did she look like she was terrified? And that girl...
Before he could spiral deeper into his thoughts, the door flung open.
"Lynette!"Are you okay?!"Why did you pass out?!"
It was Seena, Divitia, and Yelena, out of breath, eyes wide with panic.
"Be quiet, girls," the nurse said, waving her hand like a swatting fan. "She's sleeping. She's going to be okay. Let her rest."
The girls hushed instantly.
Rowan stood, turning to the nurse. "Please… let me stay with her."
There was something in his voice, something raw and pleading.
The nurse looked at him for a moment, touched by his sincerity, but shook her head. "No, go back. School's almost over anyway. She'll be awake by the time you return. Let her rest for now, hmm?"
Reluctantly, Rowan nodded. He looked back at Lynette once before stepping outside. The girls followed, casting one last glance at their friend.
Back in class, Rowan sat silently. His fingers tapped against his thigh under the desk, his eyes unfocused. The boy who had smiled since he came was now completely still, like he was somewhere far away.
He kept playing the moment over and over again in his head.
How much stress was she holding in to make her collapse like that? Who was that girl? And that guy. Why does it feel so off?
At the back, Divitia, Yelena, and Seena were watching him carefully. Rowan hadn't smiled once since returning. The warmth they had gotten since the morning was completely gone.
"His smile…" Seena thought, "Was it only for Lynette?"
A few seats down, whispers had already started to spread.
"Rowan and Kyren almost fought. Did you see Rowan? He looked furious. No one dares to stand up to Kyren… but he did."
Divitia leaned toward Yelena. "Should we tell him?"Yelena hesitated. "I don't know… he might not believe us."
Suddenly, Rowan turned his seat to face them. His voice was quiet, but the weight behind it was undeniable.
"Is anybody troubling Lynette… at school?"
The girls looked at each other.
Divitia bit her lip. "I don't know if it's big enough to call trouble… but yes. And no. It's… complicated."
"Is it related to her passing out?" Yelena asked.
Rowan slowly nodded. "Might be."
Divitia sighed. "It's Kyren. He's… messed up. No one really says it out loud, but he scares people. He waits for Lynette at the door, follows her, and shows up wherever she is. She has been rejecting him, but he doesn't stop."
Rowan's jaw clenched.
"We heard you almost fought him… don't do that," Yelena added quickly. "You're new. You don't know how twisted he is."
Rowan looked back at the chalkboard, but he wasn't reading anything. His voice came out again, cold, quieter.
"Is there anyone else?"
The girls blinked. "No… no one."
But Rowan's eyes darkened.
Then no one knows about her. That girl... That's the one Lynette truly feared today. Not Kyren.
He leaned back slowly in his chair, but his fists remained clenched on his lap.
Whatever this is, whoever that girl is… I'm not letting her break Lynette again.
As soon as the final bell rang through the hallways, Rowan was already out of his seat.
"Wait, what just..." said Yelena.
But Rowan didn't hear. He grabbed his bag, slung Lynette's over his shoulder without hesitation, and sprinted out of the room like his feet weren't even touching the ground. The only thing on his mind was Lynette.
She had to be awake by now.
He burst into the nurse's office, chest heavy, hair swept from the run. He yanked open the curtain, but it was empty.
His heart dropped.
"She's not here…" he muttered.
The nurse looked up from her desk, blinking at the sudden hurricane of a boy. "Calm down, boy. She woke up a little while ago and said she wanted to go home on her own."
"What?" Rowan asked, breathless. "She… walked home?"
"I offered to call her parents," the nurse said, gently now, seeing the panic behind his eyes. "But she said her house was nearby. She left about ten minutes ago."
Ten minutes. That means...maybe…
"If you run, you might still catch her," she added with a small smile.
Rowan didn't wait another second.
"Thank you!" he shouted, already out the door.
The nurse watched him disappear down the corridor like a gust of wind and shook her head with a soft smile. "I hope someday someone cares for me like that boy does for her…"
A few minutes later, Seena, Divitia, and Yelena burst into the nurse's office.
"Is Lynette okay?" Seena asked urgently.
The nurse, now mildly annoyed by the day's chaos, with her hand on the waist, "She already left. Can I get some peace today?"
The girls blinked at each other.
Outside, Rowan ran. He ran past the old school wall, past the bakery, past the corner. His heart thundered louder than his footsteps.
"Why did she leave alone?"
"What if she's still not okay?"
"Why didn't she wait for me?"
He reached her house, panting, and stopped just in front of the gate. He looked up at the balcony, half-expecting to see her there, maybe. But it was empty.
His hand hesitated at the bell.
Should I ring? What if she's resting? What if she doesn't want to see anyone right now? But I just want to know she's okay.
He lowered his hand.
And that's when he saw her.
Walking toward the park, slowly, almost dreamlike. Her steps were small and unhurried, like she was floating rather than walking. Her arms hung by her sides, and her gaze was fixed somewhere far off, not at the trees, not at the sky, just… beyond.
Rowan immediately followed her from a distance.
She looked like she wasn't fully here. Like she was still stuck in whatever memory or pain that had caused her to collapse earlier. Her whole posture, slightly slouched, her shoulders tensed.
"What is she thinking?"
He slowed his pace, careful not to startle her.
"Does she know I'm here? Would she be angry if she saw me following? But… I can't let her walk like that. Not today."
Rowan watched her take a seat on a bench under the big old oak tree near the pond. She looked smaller now, more fragile under the weight of invisible things.
He stood behind the tree, his hands gripping the strap of both bags. His fingers trembled, not from running, but from something else. Worry. Helplessness. This strange, aching feeling kept getting stronger the closer he got to her.
"I want to be there… but I don't know how to take away whatever's hurting her. But still… I want to try."
20 mins ago,
When Lynette finally opened her eyes, the pale white of the nurse's office ceiling greeted her, along with a faint scent of antiseptic. Miss Eleanor(The Nurse) leaned over with a gentle smile.
"You woke up?" she said, brushing Lynette's hair away from her face. "There's nothing to be worried about, you just take care of your body, eat well, and don't overthink, alright?"
Lynette nodded slowly. Her body still felt heavy, like her soul hadn't completely returned to it yet. As she moved to sit up, Miss Eleanor added, "Should I call your parents?"
"No, it's okay, Miss Eleanor. My house is close by. I can walk."
"You sure?" she asked with concern.
Lynette nodded again.
The nurse gave a small smile. "Your friends cares a lot about you… especially that boy."
Lynette paused.
"He brought you here, you know," Miss Eleanor went on. "Carried you on his back. His face was so pale, I thought you had a serious injury." She chuckled lightly, shaking her head. "He must really care."
Lynette didn't say anything. She just gave a faint "Thank you" and quietly stepped out.
She wasn't sure how long she had been walking.
The street blurred. Her mind wandered. And before she realized it, she was standing in the park. She didn't even remember choosing to go there.
Everything hurt, but not physically. She sat on the familiar wooden bench beneath the old tree, her thoughts drowning her.
"I thought I had gotten a little braver… but this is the truth, isn't it? I'm still that same weak Lynette. I thought I had time. But Amelia… she wasn't supposed to show up until the end of the year. And Charlie… she already has Charlie under her control."
Her breath caught in her throat. The wind picked up. It was warm today, but the breeze felt cold on her skin.
"Is it because I changed how things were supposed to be originally? Have I broken the flow of things? Is this my fault?"
She buried her face in her hands.
Then, soft footsteps. Someone sat beside her.
She looked up slowly.
It was Rowan.
He didn't say anything. Just quietly placed a chilled bottle of apple juice near her hand and sat beside her.
Lynette blinked, still dazed. "Aren't you going to ask what happened?"
"I want to," Rowan said gently. "But more than that… I want you to take your time, slowly. As long as you need, I'll be right here."
He opened the juice and handed it to her. His tone wasn't demanding or forceful. It was just… steady. Reassuring.
She looked at him. And for the first time in the whole day, she didn't feel afraid. His presence didn't scare her. It comforted her.
"I had a nightmare," Lynette murmured. "At the nurse's office. So I came here to calm down. But… how did you even find me?"
Rowan tilted his head. "Are you still scared?"
Lynette hesitated, then shook her head.
"When I was little," Rowan said quietly, "someone told me that nightmare monsters aren't really that strong. They just look scary. But they're actually weaker than you. All you have to do is fight back."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small strawberry lollipop.
"And if you eat one of these," he added, offering it to her, "you'll become strong enough that even monsters run away."
Lynette stared at the lollipop in her hand for a moment, then let out a soft laugh. "Who said that?"
"Someone really precious to me," Rowan said with a small smile, eyes focused only on her.
She laughed again, this time just a little brighter. "Thank you."
Rowan gave a quiet nod and gently patted her head. It wasn't just anything; it was warm.
Lynette didn't talk about what happened. Not yet. But Rowan didn't press further. He didn't need to. He understood, some things take time to say aloud.
Instead, he stayed. Silent and present.
As the golden light of the sun dipped lower and the wind grew cooler, Rowan looked ahead and thought,
"Whatever it is that's hurting you…this time, I'll protect you. Just like you did before."
There was a past between them. A truth that maybe Lynette no longer remembered.
But Rowan did.
And he had no intention of letting her face it alone.
Rowan noticed the way Lynette's shoulders had finally relaxed, the tension in her eyes softening bit by bit. He leaned back against the bench, stretching his arms behind his head like it was the most casual thing in the world.
"So…" he said, almost too casually, "Do you wanna hear a joke?"
Lynette blinked. "Wait. A joke? From you?"
Rowan smirked, then cleared his throat and said, "What did the ocean say to the shore?"
Lynette tilted her head. "What?"
"Nothing. It just waved."
There was a pause, then Lynette burst into laughter.
"What, oh my gosh," she laughed, clutching her stomach. "That was so bad, but why am I laughing?"
"I've been practicing secretly," Rowan said proudly. "Gotta be prepared in case of… emotional emergencies."
"Well," Lynette said between laughs, "I didn't know you could talk this much. And not just talk, but jokes? Wow. Are you really the Rowan I knew?"
"Who knows?" Rowan said, shrugging with a grin.
Seeing her laugh made something in his chest feel lighter, too. The sky was starting to dim, brushing golden light over the park, but in this small pocket of time, it felt like it belonged to just the two of them.
"Are you hungry?" Rowan asked suddenly, his voice gentler.
Lynette blinked. "Umm… maybe a little?"
"Okay. Let's eat something. What do you want?"
Her eyes widened. "What, now?"
"Yeah. Anything. I'll get it for you," he said, standing up and brushing off his pants.
"Anything?" Lynette teased, eyeing him.
He nodded.
"Aww… I want pizza!" she beamed.
Rowan nodded. "Okay, or"
"Or… spaghetti?" she added with a grin.
"Or?"
"Umm… fried chicken?"
"Or?" Rowan asked again, pretending to be serious.
She turned her head with a gasp. "Wait, are you joking with me right now?"
Rowan chuckled. "Okay, let's start with pizza today." He reached for both their bags, casually slinging hers over his shoulder.
Lynette stared in disbelief. "Wait...seriously? Now? But it's..."
Before she could finish, Rowan gently covered her mouth with his hand.
"I already told your mom we would be eating something good after school," he said, his eyes crinkling with a smile.
Lynette's expression shifted. "She… she doesn't know I collapsed, right?"
Rowan's voice softened. "No. I didn't say anything. Don't worry."
Relieved, Lynette exhaled and smiled up at him, then reached out and gently looped her hand around his arm. Rowan froze for a moment, heart skipping a beat, but the only thing he could let show was the quiet smile that tugged at his lips.
At the pizza restaurant, the atmosphere was peaceful. The warm glow of hanging lights and soft music created a calm bubble around them. The large pepperoni pizza arrived with extra cheese, crispy fries, mozzarella sticks, and two cold cans of Coke.
Lynette's eyes sparkled like a child in a candy store. "Whoa… this smells so good!"
Rowan watched her, amused. "You really like food, huh?"
"I love food," she corrected, already reaching for a mozzarella stick. "This looks amazing."
He didn't say it out loud, but in that moment, watching her laugh and eat so freely, he thought she looked more beautiful than ever. Not because of the lights, or her hair, or anything she was doing, but because she was herself again. Slowly coming back to life.
Later, he walked her home under the warm glow of the early evening.
"Today was crazy," Lynette said softly, glancing at him as they walked side by side. "A lot of things happened."
Rowan nodded. He didn't need to say much; he was just listening.
"But… at the end, you made it everything good," she said, her voice a little gentler. "Thanks."
Rowan smiled and crouched slightly so his eyes met hers.
"Next time, when you feel like that, come to me, okay?"
Lynette gave him a curious look. "So… what will you do next time?"
"I'll buy you food," Rowan said seriously.
She burst into laughter, her eyes squinting in that familiar way that made his heart flutter.
"You sure?" she asked, lifting her pinky finger toward him. "Promise?"
He nodded with a grin. "Promise."
Their pinkies curled together in the soft light, silly and beautiful.
The next morning, Lynette stood in front of the mirror, tying her hair with quiet hands. Her eyes were still a little tired, traces of yesterday lingering in the corners of her expression. No matter how many deep breaths she took, a part of her heart still felt heavy. Amelia. Charlie. The whispers. The memories. They followed her like shadows clinging to her head.
She adjusted her school bag over her shoulder and stepped outside.
And froze.
Rowan was standing at the gate.
He leaned casually against the gate, hair slightly blowing in the breeze. When he saw her, he smiled, slow, warm, and effortless, and lifted his hand to wave.
For a second, Lynette couldn't move. Something inside her stirred quietly, melting the fear she had carried from the day before. Her chest loosened. The chill in her spine faded. Just like that, like magic, Rowan's presence made the world a little less frightening.
As she stepped toward him, a sudden thought bloomed in her heart.
"No matter what happens from here… even if I fail… there's someone who will stand beside me. Someone who doesn't demand anything, who simply stays."
Her grip on the strap of her bag tightened, not out of fear, but a quiet determination.
"This time… I made a friend on my own. Not because Seena introduced us. Not because someone else pushed it. I found him. He found me. And I want to be his friend for as long as I can. I'll never lose you, Rowan."
She looked at him, really looked at him.
The boy who always seemed unshakable, the one who hardly showed what he felt. But now she knew, beneath that quiet was gentleness. Warmth. A kind of safety she never expected to find. The kind that didn't ask her to be strong all the time. The kind that let her just be her.
Rowan, my safe zone.
"Morning," he said as she reached him, "You okay?"
Lynette nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Now I am."
Rowan tilted his head, his smile deepening. "Let's go, then."
And with that, they walked towards the school, not as two strangers, but as two people slowly becoming something irreplaceable to each other.