The entire classroom was silent. It felt like an invisible curtain had wrapped around the room as Prof. Estrada lectured on symbolic logic and formal reasoning. I was just twirling my pen between my fingers—spin, release, catch. But honestly, I couldn't hear anything.
It was like the world was on mute.
There were voices, yes—but they sounded underwater. Blurry. Like the sound of waves trapped inside a bottle. I couldn't understand a thing.
"Mr. Gutierrez, you may now go ahead and share your answer."
Zayden stood up. His posture was flawless—calm, upright, like he'd done this a hundred times.
"Logical reasoning is the process of using a structured method to arrive at a valid conclusion based on given premises,"
he answered, direct and drama-free.
"Thank you, Mr. Gutierrez. Please be seated."
Suddenly, it felt like everything zoomed in. I could feel someone looking at me.
"Miss Ferrer? Are you with us? If so, please provide your answer or any alternative explanation to the question."
Nothing. Blank.
"MISS FERRER!" A louder call.
I turned my head. Like waking up from a nightmare.
"Are you alright, Miss Ferrer?" Prof. Estrada asked.
"Ah... yes, sir. I'm okay," I replied, forcing it. My mind was still somewhere else.
"Can you answer the question?"
I tried to respond… but failed. I couldn't even explain properly. I heard the whispers from the back, the stares filled with confusion.
Prof. Estrada chuckled slightly.
"I see. You seem a bit distracted today, Miss Ferrer. Please take your seat and don't push yourself too hard—logic will still be here when you're ready."
A few students laughed, but me? I just sat down quietly, still not fully present.
"Mr. Alcaraz, would you like to assist us?"
"Well, Professor," he said, biting his lower lip and adjusting his collar, "logical reasoning is like connecting the dots so your conclusion makes sense—unless you're missing some dots… then you're either lost or accidentally drawing a cat."
BOOM. The whole class burst into laughter. The tension lightened, but me? I still couldn't move.
As soon as Bryce sat down after answering, he turned to face me.
"Hey… you seem out of it. Did something happen?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
I looked at him quietly, then softly said,
"Why are there so many people who just love to mess with others?" followed by a faint laugh. "The kind that's willing to hurt someone… even when that person hasn't done anything to them?"
He smiled slightly, then said,
"Hmm… did someone hurt you? If you want, we can get back at them. I'm in."
I turned to look out the window. One second. Two. Then I lowered my head onto the desk. A few heartbeats later—then suddenly, click…
It was like my mind snapped back to the present.
I suddenly stood up. Then just as quickly sat back down.
I smacked Bryce's arm—kind of hard.
"You're right! Damn, you're so clever!"
I smiled, repeating over and over, "You're really brilliant!"
Bryce smiled back, a little smug.
"I know. I really am, aren't I?"
But even as he smiled, I could see a flicker of confusion in his eyes—