Cold Water

THIRTY FOUR

                     ♥︎ATHALIA♥︎

  I woke up groggily, stretching out and feeling the softness of my bed beneath me.

  The last thing I remembered was cuddling with Brandon on the couch, so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself here, all tucked in.

  A warm smile spread across my face as I realized Brandon must have carried me to my room. My heart fluttered at the thought.

  I quickly got ready for school, my mind still replaying the sweet moments we'd shared.

  I pulled on a comfortable outfit and did a quick touch-up on my makeup, excited to see Brandon again.

  As I walked downstairs, I found my mom in the kitchen, making breakfast. She gave me a knowing smile as I entered.

  "Morning, sleepyhead," she teased. "How was your night?"

  "Good. What time did he leave?" I ask digging into my food.

  "Right after he tucked you into bed." She says.

  I nod and continue eating.

  When I saw him pull up, I felt a rush of happiness. I grabbed my things, said bye to my mum, and headed out the door.

  "Good morning." I greeted him as I slid into the passenger seat.

  "Morning," he replied with a smile. "How did you sleep?"

  "Really well," I said, beaming at him. "Thank you for carrying me to my room. That was really sweet."

  He chuckled, his cheeks slightly flushed. "It was the least I could do after such a fun night." And with that, we drove to school.

~~~~~~~

  I excused myself during a free period to head to the bathroom. After splashing some water on my face, I heard a couple of girls giggling by the sinks.

  At first, I paid no mind, assuming it was the usual school gossip. But then I heard my name.

  "Can you believe she's dating him?" one of the voices sneered. "Athalia's way too good for a guy like Brandon."

  "Yeah," another girl chimed in, "isn't that the same guy who tried to kill himself last year? Super unstable."

  "He's a total mess. What's wrong with her? Does she think she can fix him or something?"The first girl laughed cruelly.

  "Honestly, it's so pathetic. He's damaged goods, and she's just as stupid for thinking she can save him. Everyone knows he's only going to drag her down with him."

  My heart dropped, and I felt a chill spread through me.

  "He's basically a ticking time bomb. It's like, any day now, he's going to snap again. Poor girl has no idea what she's getting into."

  "Right?" the first voice snickered. "Dating someone suicidal... that's just asking for trouble. She'll probably have to babysit him every second. Can you imagine how pathetic that must be?"

  I clenched my fists, trying to keep my anger in check, but the words stung deep.

  They were cruel, laughing at something so serious, and even worse, they were completely misjudging Brandon.

  "He should've just done it, honestly," one of them said, her voice cold. "Would've saved everyone the trouble."

  That was it.

  Without thinking, I stormed out of the stall, my heart pounding in my ears.

  I saw the two girls standing by the mirrors, clearly surprised by my sudden appearance.