Shattered Asylum

Chapter 56

Today is Friday, and guess what? Still no word from Grayson. I'm officially mad at him. Kristina keeps making excuses for him, but I'm tired of hearing the same thing over and over.

I've stopped getting my hopes up every time my phone buzzes. I even changed my wallpaper so I wouldn't have to look at his stupidly hot face anymore.

I'm sitting in art class when a sudden announcement over the loudspeaker nearly makes me jump out of my chair. "All students, please head to the auditorium immediately," Principal Doyle's voice crackles.

Unease prickles at the back of my neck as I gather my things and join the flood of students filling the halls.

Sliding into a seat beside Nora and Vinnie, I glance around at the sea of confused faces. Whispers ripple through the cord until Principal Doyle steps onto the stage, his expression pale and strained. He grips the microphone tightly, his voice heavy as he begins.

"I have some very difficult news to share," he says, pausing to take a shaky breath. "Last night, we received word that a student at our school, Daniel Miller, has passed away."

The words hit me like a physical blow. A collective gasp echoes through the auditorium, but I can barely hear it. My chest tightens, and my breath catches as his name repeats in my head.

Daniel.

Principal Doyle's voice fades into the background as my thoughts spiral. At first, there's nothing, just a strange, detached numbness, like this is happening to someone else. Then, all at once, it crashes over me: shock, disbelief, confusion.

Despite everything he did to me, the news is jarring. Memories rise unbidden, sharp and cruel, the pain and fear he inflicted mixing with the realization that he's gone.

For good.

Tears well up in my eyes, not from sadness, but from the overwhelming rush of relief and residual pain.

I dreaded seeing him again, dreaded the possibility of another encounter. Now that fear is gone, replaced by something I can't quite name.

Anger bubbles beneath the surface, hot and bitter. He causes me so much pain, and now he'll never face the consequences.

He's just... gone.

And yet, guilt gnaws at me too. What kind of person feels relief at someone's death? No matter what he did, how can I be okay with this?

I can't reconcile the mess of emotions twisting inside me. My mind spins, my hands trembling as the assembly comes to an end. Around me, students file out of the auditorium, some crying, others murmuring their theories about what happened.

I stay frozen in my seat, staring blankly at the stage as the weight of it all settles over me.

I watch as a teacher guides a hysterical Ashley out of the auditorium. Her sobs echo faintly even after the doors close.

"How are you feeling, Av?" Nora asks softly, placing a comforting hand on my leg. Kristina walks over and rubs my back in small circles.

I shake my head, unable to put the chaos inside me into words. The storm raging in my chest feels too big, too loud.

Their faces reflect shock and sympathy, the kind you get from people who know too much. They knew what he put me through, how his presence had haunted me every single day.

"I don't know," I whisper. My voice barely audible. "I just... don't know."

They don't press me for more. Instead, they wrap their arms around me, holding me in a way that feels grounding and suffocating all at once.