My legs moved. Not because I told them to, but because Mia Santos was walking towards the school gate, and apparently, my body had decided that following her was the only logical course of action, overriding my stunned brain entirely.
We fell into step. Or rather, she fell into a graceful, even pace, and I tried desperately not to shuffle, or walk too close, or walk too far away, or accidentally kick a pebble and make a fool of myself again. The morning air was cool, but the back of my neck felt warm with a mix of embarrassment and sheer, unadulterated panic.
The path from the school entrance to the main road was lined with acacia trees, casting dappled shadows. Usually, this walk was just another few minutes of trying to be invisible. Now, every shadow felt like a spotlight. Every distant laugh from another group of students felt directed at me.
My bag felt heavy, awkwardly slung over my shoulder, the zipper still not quite closed. I could feel the uneven lump of my physics textbook where it had landed funny. Mia's backpack looked neat, settled high on her shoulders. Even the way she carried her bag was... correct.
Silence stretched between us, thick and humming with my unspoken anxieties. I risked a glance. She was looking straight ahead, her expression calm, maybe a faint, gentle smile still lingering. She didn't look uncomfortable. Not like I felt, which was like every nerve ending was screaming and my skin was too tight.
"Uh," I started, immediately regretting the sound that came out. I cleared my throat, trying again, quieter this time. "Sorry. About... uh... running into you."
She turned her head slightly, her smile widening just a little. "It's okay! I told you, I wasn't looking either. I was just thinking about... well, how warm it is already." She gestured vaguely towards the sky. "Forecast said rain, but it looks clear."
She was just thinking about the weather. Not analyzing my pathetic state. Not trying to figure out if I was a walking hazard. Just... the weather. My internal chaos dial turned down one notch, but only to 'Severe Disorientation'.
"Yeah," I mumbled. "Looks like it." We walked a few more steps. The only sound was the distinct, light tapping of her sensible school shoes and my own heavier sneakers on the pavement.
"Your arm okay?" she asked, her voice soft again. "You hit the ground pretty hard."
I reflexively rubbed my elbow. It still ached, a dull throb under my uniform sleeve. "Oh. Yeah. Fine. Just... scraped it a bit." It felt weird, almost intrusive, that she noticed something so small. People usually only noticed me when I was in the way, or when someone like Daniel wanted something.
"Good," she said, and it sounded like she genuinely meant it. "Maybe put some antiseptic when you get home. Or the clinic has some."
The school clinic. Right. As if I'd ever voluntarily go there. Too many people. Too many questions.
"Uh huh," I nodded, finally managing to look at her face for more than a millisecond before my gaze darted away again, fixing somewhere around her perfectly knotted tie.
"You're usually one of the first ones in class," she observed, her tone conversational, not accusatory. "Running late today?"
My stomach clenched. She notices things. Not just that I sit at the back, but that I'm early. My paranoia spiked again. Why? Was she assigned to keep track of the weird kids? Was this student council duty? "Uh. Yeah. Overslept a bit." The lie tasted like ash. Blue Box at 3 AM. The real reason.
"Ah, happens to the best of us," she said easily. "Especially after a long weekend." She didn't press. She didn't pry. She just accepted the answer. It was unnerving.
We reached the intersection, waiting for the light to change. More students were gathering here, some laughing loudly, others scrolling on their phones. I shrank inwards, trying to make myself smaller, acutely aware of Mia Santos standing next to me, a beacon of visible perfection. I could practically feel the eyes on us, wondering why she was with me.
When the light turned green, I practically power-walked across the street, eager to get away from the intersection and the imaginary stares. Mia kept her steady pace, and I had to consciously slow down, forcing myself to walk beside her again.
"Almost there," she said cheerfully, as the school building came into view, its familiar, imposing structure looming ahead.
Almost there. Almost back to the relative anonymity of the classroom. Almost back to being just Kira Rivera, the quiet kid in the back, the one who didn't talk, the one you could ignore.
"Yeah," I managed, my voice still quiet.
We reached the double doors of the school building. The usual morning rush was filtering in. Kids were greeting each other, splitting off towards lockers or specific classrooms. It was the daily return to the jungle.
Mia stopped just before the doors. She turned to me, that same calm, kind expression on her face. "Well," she said. "Guess I'll see you in class, Kira."
See you in class, Kira. My name, again. Said so naturally. Like we were friends who just happened to walk together.
"Uh. Yeah," I said, nodding too quickly. "See you."
She gave a final, small smile and turned, pushing one of the heavy doors open and disappearing into the stream of students inside.
I stood rooted for a moment, just watching the door swing shut behind her. The air where she had stood felt empty. My heart was still hammering, but it was a different kind of beat now. Less panic, more... bewildered tremor.
What the hell was that?
She noticed me. She talked to me. She walked with me.
And she remembered my name.
It didn't make sense. None of it did. It felt like a glitch in the matrix, like the game code had suddenly introduced a character from a completely different storyline into mine.
I took a shaky breath, the reality of the school day pressing in. The noise, the bodies, the familiar weight of being invisible.
But this time, walking through those doors felt... different. Just a tiny bit. And that tiny bit was terrifying. And maybe, just maybe, a little bit like the very beginning of something I definitely wasn't equipped to handle.
I squared my shoulders, adjusted my bag, and stepped inside. The smell of floor wax and disinfectant hit me, the smell of high school. My high school.
And I still hated it. But maybe... just maybe... I hated it a little less today.
Or maybe that was just my stupid brain trying to start an anime plotline again.