ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀꜱ : ᴛʜᴇ ᴜᴘʀɪꜱɪɴɢ

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• ＷＩＬＬＯＷ •

"Hey girl, ready for the test? I'm actually planning to crash the car first so I can have a valid excuse, will you help me?" Alicia said as I hurriedly got into her car.

I was running late; my alarm had betrayed me this morning, leaving me to scramble out of bed like a zombie. I hadn't even bothered with makeup or hair, hoping the natural look would suffice.

I almost look like Chuckie Finster to be honest.

"We're not crashing the car today, Ali. We're big girls, and we're going to ace this test."

"Who are you, and what have you done to my best friend? I'm here in peace, willing to compromise, but I don't want to be dragged into your other universe. I haven't even made a move on Adrian, please spare me," she retorted. I laughed, shaking my head at her dramatics.

"Come on, it's still me. Yeah, I usually hate math, and honestly, I still do, but I'm a bit more confident about this test. Let me take this chance to finally make my parents proud." She smiled, albeit skeptically.

"I'm still not convinced you're the real Willow, but you'll do for now." I lightly punched her arm, and we laughed, singing along to the radio and chatting until we arrived at school.

"Wait, Wills, can you wait for me after the test? I have something to tell you," she said as we parked. I looked at her curiously, but she urged me to get to class.

As soon as the test began, I focused entirely on it, trying to block out everything else. The first question already had me stumped. Frustration bubbled up; despite all my preparation, I felt lost. The notes Raiden had given me weren't helping, and it seemed like the test was on a completely different subject. I was losing control, fed up with always screwing up.

"Hey, calm down. You're doing just fine," Raiden whispered, lightly grasping my wrist. His touch steadied me, and I took a deep breath.

"Do you know that we are in a test? You can't speak," the professor warned, and Raiden quickly let go.

"I just needed a ruler, sorry," he said. The professor nodded, and I handed Raiden a ruler. He lingered, his eyes meeting mine with concern before he turned back to his work.

After the test, I rushed out, desperate to escape the oppressive atmosphere and forget the stupid exam. Alicia caught up with me, grabbing my hand and dragging me to the bathroom.

"I probably left my soul in that classroom, or maybe it was already gone this morning," she said, gulping down tap water as I slumped to the floor.

"It was so difficult. I guess I failed again," I muttered. She sat beside me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Don't say that. You worked hard, and it's going to pay off one day." Her words were kind, but I was too exhausted to believe them.

"So, about what I wanted to tell you. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Of course. You're stressing me out, Ali. Spill." Her face turned serious, a mix of worry and confusion.

"Have you done anything wrong lately? Anything that could get you in trouble?"

"What do you mean? No, of course not."

"If you're involved in something, I can help you. I would do anything for you, you know that."

"Huh... Yeah, but I really don't know what you're implying." The bell rang, cutting our conversation short, and we headed to our next class.

After lessons, it was finally lunchtime. I followed Alicia to our usual table, deciding not to avoid the others for once.