Resilience - Ackley Bridge Fic

Chapter 7

A few hours later, the school corridors were deserted as the muffled sounds of classroom activities echoed from behind closed doors. Dyln, after serving her time in isolation, was finally allowed to return to class. She stepped out into the hallway, a mix of emotions swirling within her. 

With her bag slung over one shoulder, Dyln walked slowly down the hallway toward her classroom. The scene that unfolded before her was unexpected—Chloe, the very person she had clashed with days before, was standing alone in the hallway, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Dyln hesitated momentarily, her instinct to walk past battling with a newfound sense of empathy. She remembered the bitterness of their previous encounter, the harsh words exchanged. Yet, seeing Chloe upset stirred something within her that transcended their past grievances.

Swallowing her pride, Dyln approached Chloe cautiously. She stopped a few feet away, her voice surprisingly soft when she spoke, "Hey, what's up?"

Chloe blinked, seemingly caught off guard by Dyln's approach. Her initial expression was guarded, but the walls around her emotions slowly began to crack. "All my mum seems to care about is Missy and her family," she said with a heavy sigh, the bitterness evident in her voice. "Not like you'd care, though."

Dyln's eyebrows furrowed. It wasn't often she found herself in a position of providing comfort, but something about Chloe's vulnerability struck a chord within her. With a sigh, she took a step closer and leaned against the wall beside Chloe, their shoulders almost touching. "Your mum's your mum. Nothing's going to change that," she said, her voice surprisingly gentle. "And for what it's worth, she cares more about you than mine."

Chloe's gaze shifted toward Dyln, surprise mingling with a hint of curiosity. It was an unexpected response that made her reconsider the assumptions she had held about Dyln.

"You're right," Chloe admitted, her voice softer now, the hardness melting away. She wiped a stray tear from her cheek with her hand.

Before their conversation could delve deeper, the classroom door swung open, and Miss Keane stepped out, her brows furrowed in concern. "Chloe, there you are," she said, her voice firm. "I told you to wait outside the class, not wander off."

Chloe glanced at her teacher, her expression shifting from vulnerability to a mixture of embarrassment and defiance. "I just needed some air," she mumbled.

Miss Keane's gaze shifted to Dyln, who stood there with a surprising hint of understanding on her face. "And Dyln, why are you late?" Miss Keane inquired.

Dyln hesitated momentarily, "I was just coming back from isolation."

Miss Keane nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation. "Right, well, both back to my class now, please."

With a last lingering look at Chloe, Dyln followed Miss Keane back into the classroom. Chloe, after a moment of hesitation, followed suit.

• • •

Dyln settled into her seat in the English classroom, her mind still somewhat preoccupied with the conversation she had just had with Chloe in the hallway. She pulled out her exercise book and a pen, trying to summon the courage to engage in the lesson, though her thoughts were clouded by both frustration and anxiety.

As the lesson began, Miss Keane  instructed the class to work individually on answering a question in their exercise books. The room settled into a quiet focus as students bent over their papers, absorbed in their tasks.

Dyln felt her heart race as she looked at the question in her exercise book. Reading and comprehending the lines of the poem had always been an uphill battle for her, a struggle she couldn't quite understand. Her undiagnosed dyslexia had made each word seem like a puzzle piece, a piece she struggled to fit together.