Êœ°Á´€Á´‹Á´‡?- Á´Šá´€Á´…Á´‡ Á´¡Á´‡Êœ±Á´› 18| where should i start?

You took a deep breath before opening your car door, bracing yourself for another day at this terrible school.

You kept your headphones on, determined to avoid any interaction this early in the morning.

Thankfully, you didn’t have a class with Jade yet, so you wouldn’t have to see her right away.

However, you did share a class with Tori, and if she had any idea about what was going on, she’d undoubtedly bug you about it the entire period.

With music blaring in your ears, you walked through the bustling halls, making your way to creative songwriting class.

You avoided all your friends, not in the mood to field any questions.

You slipped into a seat at the back of the classroom, hoping that by staying out of sight, Tori would see her other friends first.

Unfortunately, your plan failed as she walked straight towards you.

“Hey, Liv,” she greeted you, plopping down and setting her bag beside her.

She glanced at you, and for the second time that morning, someone was looking at you with concern written on their face.

“Are you alright?” she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

You sighed. “Yeah… I really don’t want to talk about it right now. But you’ll probably hear about it later, from Jade.”

She narrowed her eyes, clearly suspicious, but thankfully, she stopped asking questions.

The rest of the class passed in a blur as you were thinking about anything but the topic of the class.

When the bell rang, it jolted you back to reality.

Lunchtime.

The time you dreaded the most.

As you gathered your things, a wave of anxiety crashed over you, making you nauseous, and leaving you with a heavy weight on your chest.

You hurried to the bathroom, needing a moment alone before facing the chaos that was waiting for you outside.

Staring into the mirror, you barely recognized the reflection staring back.

You felt detached from your own body, as if you were living in a body that wasn’t yours.

You quickly looked away, scared that if you looked at yourself any longer, you would go insane.

Taking a deep breath in, then out, you calmed yourself down.

You opened the door and began the walk to the asphalt café where your friends always sat.

With each step, your anxiety mounted, and even the breathing exercises your mom had taught you when you were little failed to comfort you.

As you rounded the final corner, you spotted your group at the usual table.

But as you got closer, your heart sank.

Jade and Beck were sitting next to each other, his hand resting on her back.

It took all your strength not to turn around and leave, but you held your ground and approached the table, sliding into a seat beside Cat and Tori.

Everyone’s eyes were on you, then on Jade.

The discomfort was unbearable.

You fought the urge to look at Jade, knowing that if you did, the tears you were holding back might start to come out.

But then, carefully, you let your eyes travel from the table to the faces around you.

You hadn’t realized it, but everyone was staring at you.

Even Jade was looking at you, and to your surprise, her expression wasn’t the emotionless face you had expected.

She looked… sad?

What was going on?

She should be happy.

After all, she just got back together with the so-called love of her life.

But she didn’t look happy at all.

Instead, it was as if she was studying your face, searching for any hint of how you felt about the situation.

Tori leaned in close, her voice a whisper in your ear. “Can you come with me for a second?”

Grateful for the excuse to escape the awkwardness, you nodded.

She stood up, and you followed her as she led you to god knows where.

Eventually, you both ended up at the janitor’s closet.

You sighed as she took your hand and pulled you inside, closing the door behind you.

She looked at you with deep empathy in her eyes. “What’s going on with you and Jade, Liv?” she asked gently.

You took a deep breath. “Alright, I’ll tell you everything. There’s so much to tell you… where should I start?”