༻☆✫☆༺
The bell rang, a loud, jarring sound that echoed through Goodwill High. Alyhana cringed, the noise reminding her of the D glaring back at her on her test paper, the red ink looking more like a judgment than a grade. It was a familiar scene; those Ds and Cs had become like unwanted companions, symbols of her academic battles that chipped away at her self-worth.
A heavy despair settled in her chest. It wasn't for lack of trying. She'd spent countless hours hunched over her textbooks, scribbling notes, but her mind felt like a tangled web, resisting every effort to grasp the material. That test felt like a harsh defeat, a painful testament to her feelings of being intellectually inadequate.
Her thoughts wandered to her mother's voice, that familiar refrain laced with disappointment: "You should be more like your sister! Why can't you just do better?!" Alyhana squeezed her eyes shut, desperate to drown out the words that hit her like a slap, a constant reminder of her sister's shadow looming large over her.
As she shoved the test paper into her locker, the act felt like both a pointless gesture and a necessity. She wished she could just vanish, erase the humiliation and the constant reminders of how she'd fallen short of everyone's expectations.
"Hey, Aly!"
Layla's bright, cheerful voice cut through her gloom. Alyhana turned, trying to summon a smile, though her voice lacked its usual energy. "Hey, Layla. What's up?"
"It's amazing!" Layla beamed, her brown hair bouncing in pigtails, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "We've got a new student!"
Alyhana, still lost in her own thoughts, reached for her textbooks, her mind cloudy. "So?"
"Oh my god, you're gonna love him, Alyhana," Hailey chimed, leaning against her, her voice nearly buzzing with excitement, like she was talking about a crush. "He's so cute! Way better looking than any of the soccer boys. Seriously, he's like the definition of hot. Everyone's talking about him! I think I'm in love!"
Alyhana managed a weary smile, entertained by her friend's innocent enthusiasm. "You fall for a new boy every week, Layla. You'll get over him."
She turned to leave, dreading the next class, the next lecture, the next opportunity to stumble again. But as she reached for her locker, she accidentally bumped into something solid and warm that made her step back.
"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, eyes wide. It felt like she had crashed into a wall.
Murmurs from the surrounding students filled her ears, their eyes watching her with a mix of amusement and pity.
"Aly?!" Layla sounded shocked.
"I'm so sorry!" a deep voice startled her. Looking up, she met a pair of striking silver eyes.
A tall, lean guy, maybe just a year older than her, stood there, dark hair pulled back in a half-up style that framed his handsome face perfectly. He was undeniably attractive, a blend of ruggedness and elegance, his features sharp and defined, his gaze intense.
"Let me help you," he offered, extending a hand, his voice soft like a melody, sending a shiver down her spine.
But before he could reach her, another voice, sharp and authoritative, sliced through the moment, "That's not a problem, or… is it, Hana?"
Alyhana felt a familiar knot of dread in her stomach, her sister's disapproval heavy in the air. She braced herself for the usual interrogation, the subtle digs, the constant reminder that she didn't quite measure up.
"It's fine," she mumbled, avoiding her sister's gaze, feeling the weight of her presence like a suffocating blanket. She gathered her scattered books, her fingers trembling slightly. "I'm okay."
"But I bumped into her," the boy insisted, his voice still gentle, his eyes on her, an unspoken question lingering between them. "I should help."
Layla chimed in, eyes blazing with indignation, "Yeah! Why can't he help?!"
Aurora shot Layla a look that could kill, then turned her gaze back to Alyhana, sharp and judgmental, repeating, "It's really not a problem, Hana. Or is it?"
Trapped in the middle, panic rose in Alyhana's chest. She didn't want to escalate things, especially not in front of him. All she wanted was to disappear, to blend into the background and avoid the tension.
"No, it's not," she whispered, looking down, unable to hold his intense gaze. She wanted to run, escape the pressure, but her feet felt glued to the ground.
"Okay," he said, disappointment shadowing his voice, as if her response had let him down. He turned to Aurora, their eyes clashing in a silent standoff. "I'll just continue with our tour," he added smoothly, a stark contrast to her sister's cold remarks.
Alyhana watched them walk away, relief washing over her as the pressure lifted, at least for now. Layla, still buzzing with indignation, glanced back at her, eyes full of concern. "Are you alright, Aly?"
Alyhana forced a smile, trying to reassure her friend. "I'm okay." But the words felt hollow, like an echo of her true feelings.
"That was him," Layla said, beaming with a small smile. "The new hottie."
As Layla drifted away, her chatter fading into the noise of the hallway, Alyhana stood there for a moment, lost in her thoughts, the weight of her failures and her sister's shadow a constant reminder of her inadequacy.
A deep sense of loneliness washed over her, feeling more like a companion than a feeling. She yearned for someone to truly see her, to look beyond her facade and recognize the pain that lingered beneath. Layla was a good friend, but she couldn't quite erase the loneliness that had settled deep in her heart.
Pulling out her phone, her fingers trembling as she scrolled through her contacts, her heart sank with every missed call and unanswered text. No one to reach out to, no one to confide in. She felt all alone, and the world around her seemed cold and indifferent.
As she walked to her next class, the weight of her loneliness felt like a heavy burden. She wished she could vanish, escape the constant scrutiny and reminders of her shortcomings.
In the familiarity of her routine, the structured classroom, and the monotony of her teacher's voice, she sought solace. The sound of her pencil scratching on paper felt comforting.
Yet, even in that quiet place, she couldn't shake the nagging thoughts of comparison, the overwhelming feeling of not measuring up. She felt like a shadow, just a reflection of her sister's brightness, doomed to forever linger in her shadow.
She longed to find her own light, break free from the weight of her past, carve out her own path, and find her own voice.
But for now, existing quietly in the background, invisible amid her sorrow, felt like all she could manage.