The Girl Aria (A Stray Kids Fanfiction)

Chapter 13

I arose well before any of them came to wake me up. My nerves were a jittery mess, and my stomach kept turning into knots. The milk I drank last night was threatening to make a re-appearance. I exhaled. The last thing I needed was to throw up in the middle of class. My uniform jacket and blouse hung freshly-ironed on the knobs of the dresser, my pleated skirt right next to them. My anxiety levels must have risen even higher just looking at the clothes waiting to be worn. A sharp pinch exploded through my stomach. I gasped for air as I bent over the bedside, clutching my middle. I had gotten myself so worked up I was pretty sure this was doing some significant damage to my insides. The familiar feeling of my throat closing in on me made itself present right at that moment. I almost swore under my breath, but I held the urge back, not wanting to get into that horrible habit my mother had done herself.

With shaky hands, I unhooked the two hangers from their places and brought them both into the bathroom with me. I began my morning routine which consisted of me thoroughly washing my face as well as brushing my teeth and a few other things included. I carefully placed the crisp white shirt on me, buttoning it all the way up. Next, I slid on the red plaid skirt, making sure that I tucked in the shirt properly and that it didn't look bulky. Next, I put on the tie that matched my skirt and secured it snugly around my neck, making sure to tuck the collar over it. Finally, I slipped on the jacket, straightening the edges and doing last minute touch ups. I decided to leave my hair down. I hated having it up. It felt like my face was exposed and the feeling made me shudder. I breathed in deeply, trying to settle my emotions. No matter how hard I tried, they never seemed to dissipate. With one last turn in the mirror to make sure everything was to my satisfaction, I slipped out of the bathroom and once again made my way to the kitchen downstairs. The familiar feeling of being lightheaded greeted my right in the face as I carefully made my way down the steep stairs. My vision blurred and I was struggling to breathe. I was having a all-to neighborly panic attack. And judging on my symptoms and situation, it didn't look like it was going to halt anytime soon. Shakily, I placed myself at the table I had just sat at last night, starting to pick at the skin on the back of my hand once more. It was hard to concentrate on anything except the feeling of overwhelming pressure surrounding and suffocating you. Instead I tried my best to bring my attention to maintaining deep and easy inhales and exhales.

About an hour passed before the eight other people began to make their way into the downstairs area. Considering it was still pretty early in the morning, I was surprised that they were already getting ready for the day ahead. Chan was the first one up, but based on his looks, it didn't seem like he slept the best. Or maybe he wasn't fully awake yet. Felix started to prepare something at the stove, humming a tune that I found quite pleasant. Lee Know dragged himself to the table and sat across from me, drinking coffee while scrolling through his phone. Although I could hardly pay close attention to anything at the moment. The rest followed soon after. Seungmin and Jeongin came down and just kind of did their own thing. Changbin flopped down on to the couch, taking out his phone and putting in some air pods to listen to what I assumed was music. Han came next with his pillow still in hand, and a dazed Hyunjin behind him. I watched as I saw Han fling the pillow, slamming it into Hyunjin. The other looked at him like he wasn't able to process what just happened. Hyunjin shrugged and laid down on the couch, interrupting Changbin and his music as he did so.

"You excited for your first day?" Felix inquired, briefly looking up from his cooking to glance sideways at me. I laughed harshly, finding it almost hilarious.

"Quite the opposite actually." I replied, hiding my hand that had begun to bleed a little under the table.

"Don't be worried, you'll be fine." Lee Know stated in a comforting tone that eased me for about 0.5 seconds.