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𝗙rankie purposely came to school late, timing it just right so she could miss mr. matthews' class. she wasn't ready to sit through a lesson about truth or history or anything else that hit too close.
the hallways were mostly empty as she walked slowly to her next class; art, the only place that didn't feel like it was closing in on her.
she lifted her hand and knocked softly on the door. ms. kossal opened it with a surprised but warm expression.
"frankie," she said gently. "it's so good to see you."
heads turned. one in particular. lucas' head shot up the moment he heard her name. their eyes met, just for a second, and then frankie walked quietly to the only open seat... next to him.
they hadn't truly talked since that day in the hallway. since everything that almost happened.
she sat down without a word, pulling out her sketchbook and her favorite drawing pencil. her hands moved on autopilot as her mind tried to stay still.
"that makes me happy," he said softly, and after a beat, his hand moved, hesitant, unsure, and rested gently over hers.
she didn't pull away.
"what about you?" she asked, voice just above a whisper. "what's going on in your life?"
he shrugged a little, his smile more tired than before. "it's fine. school, homework, zay trying to convince me to join the basketball team again."
frankie tilted her head, amused. "didn't you quit because of the shoes?"
he chuckled. "no, i quit because coach made us run laps for being two minutes late. the shoes were just a bonus excuse."
she smiled again, this time bigger, realer. the kind that lucas had missed.
silence settled between them again but this time, it wasn't heavy. it wasn't awkward.
just... quiet.
frankie looked down at the page in front of her. her pencil had started sketching without her even realizing. a figure. a boy. a hoodie. it wasn't finished, but she knew exactly who it was.
