Rival Offline (Anya Forger x Damian Desmond)

Chapter Six: Uncontrollable

"It's the moment you've all been waiting for!" The Math teacher announced with a hint of mischief in her tone. "Mid-Term Exams!!" she declared, her words met with a chorus of groans from the students.

"By 'you all,' you mean Damianya?" one student joked, their comment eliciting a few giggles from their classmates.

"Damianya, that's a good ship name," Becky whispered with a mischievous grin, prompting Anya to elbow her gently.

"Over my dead body," Anya retorted, her voice low but firm, conveying her adamant refusal to entertain the idea of shipping her and Damian together. The thought of being shipped with him made her blood boil.

As the thoughts of others flooded into Anya's head, she winced at the cacophony of voices echoing within her mind. "Ugh, can we get the exams over with," "There's no point in even trying, I don't know what I wanna do in the future," and bits and pieces of people's conversations flowed into her head, overwhelming her senses.

Anya flinched, her brows furrowing with frustration as she struggled to block out the influx of thoughts. "No, no, I thought I got rid of you for good," she thought anxiously, her telepathy beginning to spiral out of control, threatening to consume her with its chaotic intensity.

Anya longed for nothing more than to be normal. She had learned to keep her powers under control, only using her telepathy when absolutely necessary. As a child, her abilities had often caused her excruciating migraines due to her inability to reign them in.

During particularly stressful times, like now, her power had a tendency to go a little berserk. Despite her efforts to maintain a sense of normalcy, the uncontrollable influx of thoughts and emotions swirling around her threatened to overwhelm her, reminding her of the constant struggle she faced in keeping her telepathy in check.

"Just bear it, bear it for a while," Anya thought to herself, gritting her teeth as her head throbbed with intensity. The overwhelming flood of thoughts and emotions bombarding her mind seemed relentless, but she knew she had to endure it until the storm passed.

--

Anya's eyes fluttered open, the white ceiling of the nurse's office coming into view. "Oh, you're awake. You had passed out in the middle of class. A classmate of yours brought you over," the nurse explained with a concerned expression.

Anya blinked, trying to process the information as she slowly sat up, her head still throbbing with remnants of the overwhelming telepathic episode she had experienced. She offered a weak nod of acknowledgement to the nurse, grateful for the assistance but feeling embarrassed by the attention.

Anya reached into her bag and pulled out a container of pills, her fingers trembling slightly as she unscrewed the lid and carefully counted out the dosage. Beside her, on the table, sat a sports drink, its vibrant colors beckoning to her with promises of refreshment and replenishment. She hesitated for a moment before reaching out to grab the drink, knowing that she needed to rehydrate and regain her strength after the draining experience she had just endured. With a sense of determination, she swallowed the pills with a sip of the sports drink, hoping that they would help alleviate the lingering effects of her telepathic overload.

The door opened, and Becky appeared, her concerned gaze falling upon Anya. Anya took another sip of her drink before responding. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Becky asked, her voice filled with genuine concern.

"Better now," Anya replied with a faint smile, grateful for Becky's presence.

"You've been pulling all-nighters for the exam, haven't you?" Becky asked, giving her a knowing look as if she had seen it coming. Anya's expression shifted slightly, a mixture of guilt and exhaustion crossing her features as she nodded in confirmation, a perfect lie.

"Ugh Anya, I don't get your obsession with being number one" Becky groaned