The classroom clock ticked.
Loud.
Sharp.
Like a countdown.
One… two… three seconds into biology and my brain was already imploding.
Aeron was ghosting me.
Damian was suddenly quiet after the Fight Club incident.
Jade's words still echoed in my skull like evil ASMR.
And my sketchbook was still gone.
Everything inside me felt like it was on fire.
But on the outside?
I just sat there.
Perfectly still.
Like a really good actor in a terrible play.
The Symptoms started small.
Buzzing in my fingers.
Tightness in my chest.
A weird feeling like I couldn't quite inhale all the way.
Then the room?
Started tilting.
Not actually. But it felt like it.
Like I was floating and drowning at the same time.
I stared at the whiteboard.
Words blurred.
Breathe.
I told myself.
But my body said:
"Lol no."
Nobody noticed.
Not the teacher.
Not Jayce who was currently doodling a fire-breathing chicken on his worksheet.
Not Mina (she was absent today).
But then—
"Lira."
I didn't turn. I couldn't.
"Lira," the voice said again, quieter this time.
Warm. Calm.
Then a hand touched my arm.
Damian.
His eyes locked with mine.
And suddenly I wasn't floating.
I was here.
With him.
"Hey," he whispered, crouching next to me.
"Are you okay?"
I shook my head, just a little.
"I— I can't… I can't breathe," I whispered, barely holding it in.
Without hesitating, he grabbed my hand.
"Come with me," he said gently.
And before the teacher could even protest, he led me out of the room like we were escaping prison.
The Empty Music Room (aka Emotional Rescue Center)
He pulled two chairs out, sat across from me, still holding my hand.
"Okay," he said, his voice like warm honey.
"I want you to match my breathing. Okay?"
I nodded, trembling.
"In… 2… 3…"
We inhaled.
"Out… 2… 3…"
We exhaled.
We did it again. And again.
The shaking slowed.
The panic faded.
I started crying. Just a little.
And he didn't flinch.
"You're not crazy," he said softly. "You're overwhelmed. And that's okay."
I looked up at him, red-eyed, feeling like a soggy tissue.
"You've done this before," I whispered.
His expression shifted—something heavy in his eyes.
"Yeah," he said.
"I used to get them. Bad. You start thinking you'll never feel normal again. But you do. I promise."
My voice was shaky. "Why did you help me?"
He shrugged, a little sad smile on his face.
"Because I see you."
Boom.
Heart = melted mess.
Later That Day: The Aftermath
I stayed quiet.
But when Aeron walked past me in the hallway, I didn't look at him.
And for once… he noticed.
He turned, opened his mouth to say something.
But I just walked away.
Because for the first time in this emotional war,
someone showed up.
And it wasn't him.
End of Chapter 18