phobias.

4.

fear: the dark.
(nyctophobia)

the school day unfolded as usual, nothing too bad except for a small storm outside the whole day. didn't affect the students, as they were inside of a building.

in their science class, richie, eddie, and beverly sit attentively, trying to grasp the mysteries of chemistry. well, everyone but richie, who sat out of it, playing with his pencil as he stared at the floor in his own world.

the dim sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a faint, warm glow on the room. though, suddenly, the lights in the classroom flickered and went out, plunging the room into darkness. whispers and laughter ripple through the students, some happy, others not so much.

the room fell completely dark, windows not doing much as it was already a rainy day.

"remain seated everyone. we'll have the lights back on in a moment," announced the teacher calmly, sighing as he waited for the lighting to return so he could get back to his lesson.

in the dimness, richie, who's always harbored an intense fear of the dark, clutched his desk, knuckles turning white. he attempted to conceal his anxiety, breathing slowly, trying not to let his fear surface.

eddie glanced over at him with a small smile, about to rejoice the fact that the teacher had finally stopped talking. his smile faded as he watched richie tremble lightly, glaring at the walk ahead.

looking past the boy, he noticed beverly, who looked just as concerned. they exchanged looks.

"richie, are you okay?" eddie whispered, putting a hand on his forearm. richie glanced at him with raised eyebrows.

"oh, yeah, uh- just a dumb power outage. nothing to worry about," richie said, his voice wavering. the two were not convinced.

"you're sure about that, rich?" asked beverly, concerned.

nervously, richie answered, "absolutely!" but he knew deep down that his facade would crack any moment now.

the students sit in the dark, the minutes dragging on. the teacher would yell at any kid talking, so the class was silent, making the dreadful twenty minutes longer.

richie's heat raced, beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead. but he resisted the urge to panic, maintaining a facade of composure that was hard to grasp. he could hear the muffled sounds of shuffling and whispers around him.

eddie sighed out, throwing his head back as he was bored. "it's been a while. when are the lights coming back on?" he whispered.

"dunno, eds. this shit is unpredictable," richie said shakily, trying to act casual. eddie just looked at him, knowing damn well richie doesn't talk like that.

as the darkness persisted, the unease in the room grew. some students whisper and giggle in the back, while others tried to remain calm. the rain hitting the window like nails wasn't helpful, neither was the thunder that crashed through the dark sky.

the teacher slammed a drawer, drawing the class' attention to him. he sighed.

"i can't find a flashlight. we may have to wait a bit longer. this does not mean you can take out your phones, ahem, ethan."

"my bad, my bad!" ethan joked, his friends giggling and wheezing.

'come on, richie, you've got this,' richie thought to himself, taking deep breaths to soothe his anxiety.

finally, after two more minutes of silence and darkness, richie's patience was tested to the limit, and he felt a growing panic. the darkness seemed to press in on him from all sides, and he trembled as he put his elbows on the desk and his hands tangled in his mess of hair.